For Immediate Release
Tuesday, September 5, 2017
NSIC Media Relations
Media Packet
NSIC Offensive Player of the Week
#9 Damon Gibson (WR, 6-4, 230, Sr., Beardsley, Minn. / Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley HS)
MSU Moorhead
- Caught a game-high 12 passes for 91 yards and two touchdowns in a 38-7 win at Augustana
- Caught a 13-yard touchdown in the first quarter and followed with 12-yard touchdown in second quarter
- Averaged 7.6 yards per reception
- Second straight game with double-digit receptions dating back to last season
NSIC Defensive Player of the Week
#47 Dennis Gardeck (LB, 6-0, 205, Sr., Lake in the Hills, Ill. / Crystal Lake South HS)
Sioux Falls
- Registered a team-high 10 tackles, including seven solo stops in a 26-7 win at No. 10 UMD
- Added five sacks for -25 yards, five TFLs, also recovered a fumble and forced a fumble
- The five sacks and five TFL set USF DII program records
- Part of a USF defense that held No. 10 UMD to -16 net yards rushing on 30 attempts and 210 total yards
- Now has 283 tackles with 23 career sacks and 42 TFL
NSIC Special Teams Player of the Week
#23 Keith Schwickerath (LB, 6-0, 225, Sr., Garner, Iowa / Garner-Hayfield-Ventura HS)
Upper Iowa
- Blocked two punts which were both returned for touchdowns in 44-7 win at UMC
- Scored a 23-yard touchdown after scooping and crossing the goal line on one of the two blocked punts
- Added seven tackles to lead the Peacock defense
| Augustana University Vikings |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 7-38 vs. MSUM |
0-1, 0-0 South |
L1 |
4th Overall, 2nd South |
| Team Notes |
- The Vikings own a 50-42-4 overall record in season-opening games
- Saturday's game marked the first game of the ninth season at Kirkeby-Over Stadium, where the Vikings hold a 24-12 all-time record
- The loss marks head coach Jerry Olszewski's first season-opening loss at AU
- The Vikings did not score at least 20 points in a season-opening game for the first time in eight seasons |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Kirby Hora tied an Augustana single-game record, and set a career-high with 21 tackles, equaling the mark set by Brian Baumgartner vs. Nebraska-Omaha on Sept. 22, 2007 and by Nick Ovenden at St. Cloud state on Oct. 8, 2005
- Trevor Naasz tied a career-high with 11 tackles
- Caden Quintanilla posted a career-long rush of 36 yards
- Grad Transfer Ryan Rubley made his first start at QB for the Vikings |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Sept. 9 at Minot State – 1 p.m. |
| Bemidji State University Beavers |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 30-20 at WSU |
0-1, 0-0 North |
L1 |
3rd Overall, 2nd North |
| Team Notes |
- Bemidji State threw 52 passes, five shy of the single-game program record, in its season-opening loss at Winona State
- Outscored WSU 14-10 in the second half, including an interception returned for a touchdown by junior safety John Vogeler
- Junior kicker Isaac Aanerud converted both of BSU’s red-zone chances with 32 and 34 yard field goals |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Senior quarterback Jordan Hein threw for over 300 yards for the sixth time in his career, adding a 22-yard touchdown to sophomore wide receiver Blair Van Ess
- Van Ess led the Beavers with 71 receiving yards on six catches, averaging 11.8 yards per reception
- Junior safety John Vogeler scored BSU’s first touchdown of the season on a 24-yard interception return
- Junior kicker Isaac Aanerud converted 2-of-3 field goals, from 32 and 34 yards out, and two extra points |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Sept. 9 vs. Concordia-St. Paul – 4 p.m. |
| Concordia University, St. Paul Golden Bears |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 24-0 vs. Minot |
1-0, 0-0 South |
W1 |
13th Overall, 8th South |
| Team Notes |
- CSP produces shutout in second straight season opener (2016, 17-0 vs U-Mary) and third in the last five years (2013, 29-0 vs Minot State)
- CSP out-rushed Minot State 199-64
- Concordia’s defense held the Beavers to 239 yards of total offense on 2-13 third downs and scoreless in three trips to the red zone
- The Golden Bear defense had 9.0 TFL and 4.0 sacks led by safety Breon Hoosier (2.0 sacks) |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Sophomore Darnell Rolle had his first career 100-yard rushing game in his first start (17-107) and a touchdown, the first 100-yard game by a Golden Bear since the 2016 season opener
- Sophomore Marcus Gustaveson had his third career 100-yard receiving game (6-116) including a touchdown
- Sophomore Maxon Hutton completed 12-22 for 168 yards and had 6-31 on the ground in his first career start under center
- Junior Jake Tanner had a big day in the return game with three punt returns for 68 yards and a long of 43 while sophomore Dylan Wood added a punch on the special teams with a blocked field goal and Darnell Rolle had three special teams tackles |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Sept. 9 at Bemidji State – 4 p.m. |
| University of Mary Marauders |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 35-7 vs. #20 MSU |
0-1, 0-0 North |
L1 |
15th Overall, 6th North |
| Team Notes |
|
- UMary held the ball for 37:30 of the game, 15 more minutes than #20 Minnesota State
- The Marauders forced two turnovers, MSU turned the ball over just 18 times total last year
- The Marauders ran for 196 yards, a total they exceeded just twice last season. The Mavericks run defense allowed on 140 yards/game rushing last season
- The Marauders were 7-of-17 on third downs (41.1 percent) after making just 29% of their third down attempts in 2016
|
| Top Performer(s) |
- Daniel Hudrlik posted two sacks against the Mavericks, the first two of his career. He also had 2.5 tackles for loss and five total
- Colton Farmer completed 6-of-9 passes for 90 yards and ran for 20 yards and a score
- Noah Krebs posted a team-high 10 tackles (five solos)
- In their first collegiate games and starts, redshirt freshmen Casey Uhler and Jarad Zittleman both had six tackles
- Bailey Meyer averaged 41.7 yards/punt on seven attempts, with two sailing over 50 yards (long of 60), and downed three inside the 20 |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Sept. 9 at Wayne State College – 6 p.m. |
| University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 44-7 vs. UIU |
0-1; 0-0 North |
L1 |
16th Overall, 8th North |
| Team Notes |
- Adam Connette tallied his 15th career touchdown Thursday and needs nine touchdowns to break Carl Aho’s all-time record at UMC
- The UMC defense held the Peacocks to just three offensive points in the second half
- Two blocked punts in the third quarter generated 14 quick points for Upper Iowa in the 44-7 loss
- Head Coach Mark Dufner made his head coaching debut Thursday after 15 seasons as an assistant coach at Minnesota Crookston |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Joseph Nava had 45 yards rushing on 14 carries
- Kevin Evans notched 70 yards on nine carries for an average of 7.8 yards per carry
- Adam Connette had three receptions for 29 yards and a touchdown
- Ben Branscom notched four tackles and 1.5 sacks
- Will Cole notched 12 tackles and one tackle for loss
- Ali Alkhatib had eight tackles and two tackles for loss |
| Up Next |
| Sat., Sept. 9 – at Minnesota State – 1 p.m. |
| University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 26-7 vs. USF |
0-1, 0-0 North |
L1 |
2nd Overall, 1st Naorth |
| Team Notes |
- UMD saw its 22-game home winning streak vanquish via a 26-7 setback to Sioux Falls on Thursday night. It marked only UMD’s second loss to an NSIC club (regular season or NCAA II playoffs) in 63 games dating back to October 2000
- The Bulldogs gave up just 195 yards of total offense in the season-opening defeat, their second lowest output since the 2015 finale
- UMD is a perfect 6-0 all-time against Upper Iowa (its opponent this Saturday) in a series which started in 2004 while the Bulldogs were in the now-defunct North Central Conference
- The Bulldogs are now 0-1 for the third straight year after winning its previous 15 season openers
- The last time a UMD club started a season with back-to-back losses was back in 1999 |
| Top Performer(s) |
|
- Junior Jason Balts had a game-high 9 catches against USF while senior Nate Ricci had five giving the 2016 All-NSIC first team wide out 100 catches for his career; he’s the 13th Bulldog to reach that milestone
- Junior inside linebacker Gus Wedig and junior strong safety Sam Lynch both paced the Bulldogs defensively with eight total tackles in the loss to USF
- Senior outside linebacker Zach Bassuener, had UMD’s lone sack on the night; the 2016 All-NSIC North Division firt team honoree ranked second in the conference in that department last year
- Sophomore quarterback Mike Rybarczyk, in his first collegiate start completed 26 of 50 passes for 228 yards and one pick, but was sacked eight times
- Senior offensive tackle and part-time fullback Nolan Folkert scored UMD’s lone touchdown Thursday
- The 2016 All-NSIC North Division first team pick has now rushed eight times for eight yards and seven touchdowns as a Bulldog
|
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Sept. 9 at Upper Iowa – 1:07 p.m. |
| Minnesota State University, Mankato Mavericks |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 35-7 at U-Mary |
1-0, 0-0 South |
W1 |
1st Overall, 1st South |
| Team Notes |
- Both senior Nate Gunn and freshman Justin Taormina recorded two rushing touchdowns
- Senior Nate Gunn rushed for 165 yards
- With its win at U-Mary, Minnesota State has now won its last six season openers
- Freshman Cade Johnson led the Maverick defense against U-Mary with 10 tackles
- With their 273 rushing yards at U-Mary, the Mavericks have now rushed for more than 200 yards in their last eight games
- The Maverick defense recorded 12 tackles for a loss against U-Mary; the most they have recorded in a game since week six of the 2015 season when they tallied 16 against Augustana |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Nate Gunn rushed for 165 yards and two touchdowns
- Cade Johnson recorded a team-leading 10 tackles |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Sept. 9 vs. Minnesota Crookston – 1 p.m. |
| Minnesota State University Moorhead Dragons |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 38-7 at Augie |
1-0, 0-0 North |
W1 |
7th Overall, 3rd North |
| Team Notes |
- MSUM won its third straight season opener with 38-7 win at Augustana
- Dragons have won five in a row dating back to conclusion of 2016 season
- MSUM outgained Augustana 465-127 and did not surrender a point over the final 3 ½ quarters
- Dragon defense recorded five sacks |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Senior Damon Gibson caught 12 passes for 91 yards and two scores to lead the receiving corps
--Senior QB Demetrius Carr threw for 239 yards and two scores
- Sophomore Jonathan Kabambi paced a balanced ground game with 87 yards
--Senior LB Abe Roehrich had a sack and returned a fumble for a touchdown
--Sophomore DL Miles Baggett had a sack and forced a fumble |
| Up Next |
| Thursday, Sept. 7 vs. SMSU - 7 p.m. |
| Minot State University Beavers |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 24-0 at CSP |
0-1, 0-0 North |
L1 |
14th Overall, 6th North |
| Team Notes |
-Held an 18-15 advantage in first downs
-Averaged 20.7 yards on three punt returns
-Averaged 11.7 yards per pass completion |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Ray Watkins caught four passes for 68 yards
- Bryce Broome had nine tackles, including five solo tackles |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Sept. 9 vs. Augustana – 1 p.m. |
| Northern State University Wolves |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 23-16 vs. WSC |
1-0, 0-0 North |
W1 |
9th Overall, 4th North |
| Team Notes |
- The Wolves outscored the Wildcats 14-6 in the second half to seal the season opening victory
- Northern recorded 330 yards of total offense, including 151 yards rushing and 179 yards receiving
- NSU bested WSC in conversion percentage on both third and fourth downs going 7-of-19 on third downs and 2-of-2 on fourth downs
- The Wolves also converted on all three red-zone scoring chances in the win |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Jake Comeaux threw for 179 yards including a 31 yard long to Cameron Eisenhauer
- Zech Culbreath (receiving) and Chaka Kelly (rushing) scored the two touchdowns for NSU, with Kelly’s being the game winner
- Nathan Shaw went 3-for-3 in made field goal attempts tying the NSU career record with 26 total. He scored a team leading 11 points for the Wolves with two PATs as well |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Sept. 9 at #9 Sioux Falls – 6 p.m. |
| University of Sioux Falls Cougars |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 26-7 at #10 UMD |
1-0, 0-0 South |
W1 |
5th Overall, 3rd South |
| Team Notes |
|
- USF defense set a D2 program record by limiting UMD to -16 net yards rushing on 30 attempts; and setting program D2 marks with eight sacks and 14 tackles for loss. They held UMD to 210 total yards
- Cougars, the defending NSIC champs, won their 13th straight game in league play with a 26-7 win over UMD, ending a 22-game home winning streak by the Bulldogs
- USF was ranked for a 36th straight week in both the AFCA poll at #17 in the preseason poll and #15 in the D2Football.com poll
- Head Coach Jon Anderson won his first career game at USF
- USF had both a defensive score and special teams TD against UMD. The 17-yard fumble recovery return by Derek Landis was USF’s 24th defensive TD in the DII era. Jason Towns’ 41-yard punt return score was USF’s 11th special teams TD since 2011
|
| Top Performer(s) |
- Senior linebacker Dennis Gardeck set a program DII best with five sacks while registering 10 tackles, forcing a fumble and recovering a fumble in USF’s 26-7 win over #10 UMD last Thursday
~ All-American running back Max Mickey had his 14th career 100-yard rushing game with 114 yards on 37 carries with a TD
~ Jason Towns had his first career punt return for a TD with a 42 yard return against UMD
~ Stuart Vanden Heuvel knocked home his first two career field goals, hitting from 40 and 42 yards |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Sept. 9 vs. Northern State - 6 pm |
| Southwest Minnesota State University Mustangs |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 41-26 vs. SCSU |
0-1, 0-0 South |
L1 |
3rd Overall, 2nd South |
| Team Notes |
-SMSU opened its season with a 41-26 home loss to St. Cloud State on Aug. 31
-SMSU held a 26-17 halftime lead, but was outscored 24-0 in the second half including 21-0 in the fourth quarter
-SMSU ran just 58 offensive plays, compared to 82 by SCSU, and had the ball for just 19 minutes and 40 seconds
-SMSU had its two-game season opening winning streak snapped
-Senior Nate Huot has 190 receptions, moving into sixth place all-time in the NSIC record book |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Senior wide receiver Nate Huot caught six passes for a team-high 111 yards and one touchdown
- Junior linebacker Alex Ney recorded 20 tackles with 11 solo stops in the loss
- The 20 tackles by Ney is the most by an SMSU player in more than 25 years |
| Up Next |
| Thursday, Sept. 7 at MSU Moorhead – 7:05 p.m. |
| St. Cloud State University Huskies |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 41-26 at SMSU |
1-0, 0-0 North |
W1 |
10th overall, 5th in North |
| Team Notes |
- Put up 28 first downs and 421 yards of total offense in the first game
- Converted on 11 of 17 third downs plus on the team’s lone fourth down attempt
- The defense didn’t allow a point in the second half in shutting out the Mustangs by a 24-0 score over the final 30 minutes
- Joe Blando had 163 yards rushing on 38 attempts and John Solberg caught seven passes for 107 yards – the runner and receiver with 100 yards in the same game was the first for the program since the 2015 season against Winona State – 9/26/15
- The team improved to 17-2 all-time against Southwest Minnesota State
- The 41 points scored in the season opener was the most for the program in the first game since scoring 49 against Southwest Minnesota State to start the 2013 season |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Joe Blando got to 100 yards rushing for the first time in his career with 163 yards on 38 carries plus two touchdowns
- Greg Lewis – eight carries for 62 yards and a touchdown
- John Solberg – seven catches for 107 yards
- Dwayne Lawhorn – 18 for 29 for 210 yards and a touchdown
- Jerry Duckworth III – nine tackles (seven solo)
- Gary Koehring – eight tackles (five solo)
- Carvel Graham – three tackles, int. return for 42-yard touchdown |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Sept. 9 vs. Winona State – 6 p.m. |
| Upper Iowa University Peacocks |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 44-7 at UMC |
1-0, 0-0 South |
W1 |
11th Overall, 7th South
|
| Team Notes |
- Upper Iowa opened up a 27-0 first-half lead, and then used big plays in the second half to run away from the Golden Eagles, 44-7
- Upper Iowa rushed for 300 yards on 48 carries as a team, and were led by junior quarterback Brent Lammers and junior running back Ryan Parmely
- The Golden Eagles were able to hold the Peacocks to just three points offensively in the second half, but Upper Iowa found other ways to score in the final 30 minutes. On consecutive drives, the Peacocks blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown to blow open a 41-0 lead
- Minnesota Crookston scored their lone touchdown late in the game to get the game to 44-7, and the score was significant
- It was the first time the Golden Eagles had scored a touchdown on the Peacocks since 2011
- UIU shutout UM Crookston, 47-0, in 2013, and then crushed the Golden Eagles, 45-3, two seasons ago in Fayette
- UIU is 9-0 all-time against UM Crookston |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Brent Lammers threw for 187 yards and 1 touchdown and ran for 110 yards on 14 carries
- Ryan Parmely ran for 90 yards and 3 TDs on 13 carries and caught one pass for 5 yards
- Keith Schwickerath made 7 tackles, blocked two punts and returned one of the blocks for a touchdown |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Sept. 9 at Minnesota Duluth - 1:07 p.m. |
| Wayne State College Wildcats |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 23-16 at NSU |
0-1, 0-0 South |
L1 |
12th Overall, 6th South |
| Team Notes |
- Third straight game in WSC/NSU series decided by seven points or less
- WSC outgained NSU 389 - 330 |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Sophomore linebacker Tyler Thomsen had game-high 13 tackles with two sacks and 3.5 TFL
- Senior quarterback Zach Osborn completed 28 of 43 passes for 262 yards and 2 TD’s
- Senior running back Rashad Trimble rushed for 97 yards on 12 carries |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, September 9th vs.University of Mary - 6 p.m. |
| Winona State University Warriors |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 30-20 vs. BSU |
1-0, 0-0 South |
W1 |
6th Overall, 4th South |
| Team Notes |
- Led wire-to-wire in a 30-20 win over No. 25 Bemidji State
- Defense limited Bemidji and preseason POY, Jordan Hein, to one offensive touchdown
- Winona QB Darren Beenken connected with 12 different receivers for 308 yards & 2 TDs |
| Top Performer(s) |
| - DB Andrew Spencer recorded 11 tackles, one sack and one interception |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Sept. 9 at St. Cloud State – 6 p.m. |
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