For Immediate Release
Monday, October 1, 2018
NSIC Media Relations
Media Packet
NSIC Offensive Player of the Week
#14 Blake Gimbel (QB, 6-4, 203, Sr., Marshalltown, Iowa / Marshalltown HS) - Southwest Minnesota State
- Passed for a season-high 356 yards, while completing 21 of 31 pass attempts for five touchdowns
- Rushed for another score in SMSU’s 54-24 win at UMary
- Threw touchdown passes of 38, 64, 10, 18, and 16 yards in the game
- It was the 10th career 300-yard passing game for Gimbel and the fourth time he has thrown five touchdowns in a single-game
- Set a school career completions record in the victory as he now has completed 785 career passes, breaking the previous record of 769 set by Josh Shudlick (2005-08)
-Ranks first in career completions, first in completion percentage, second in touchdowns and third in passing yards in the SMSU career record book
NSIC Defensive Player of the Week
#49 Alex Goettl (LB, 6-3, 220, Jr., Mankato, Minn. / Mankato West HS) - Minnesota State
- Returned a fumble 38 yards to put MSU up 14-3 late in the second quarter
- Intercepted a pass and returned it 27 yards to the SCSU three on the Huskies opening drive of the third quarter; MSU scored a touchdown on the following play
- Forced a fumble and recorded five tackles, including 2.0 TFL and one sack
NSIC Special Teams Player of the Week
#36 Gunner Olszewski (KR/PR, 5-10, 180, Sr., Alvin, Texas / Alvin HS) - Bemidji State
- Totaled 100 return yards in a 27-10 win at Wayne State
- Recorded 54 punt return yards, including 36-yard return before pitching back to Michael Junker who ran it in for 56-yard touchdown
- Returned one kickoff for 64 yards
- Ranks third in the nation with 25.1 yards per return
| Augustana University Vikings |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 48-3 at UMC |
3-2, 2-2 South |
W1 |
6th Overall, 4th South |
| Team Notes |
- Augustana scored on all six first half possessions en route to a 48-3 win at Minnesota Crookston
- Racked up 574 yards of total offense, and continues to lead the NSIC in yards per game at 508.4
- Allowed just 131 yards of total offense; their lowest total of the year and best in four years (129, vs. U-Mary on 9/27/14) |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Kyle Saddler finished with 282 yards of passing and career-high five passing touchdowns. He leads the NSIC with 317 yards per game and 13 touchdowns
- Kyle Theis set a new career-high in sacks with two (-9 yards) and finished with 9 total tackles, including seven solo |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 6 vs. Minnesota Duluth - 1 p.m. |
| Bemidji State University Beavers |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 27-10 at WSC |
4-1, 3-1 North |
W1 |
5th Overall, 2nd North |
| Team Notes |
- Special teams was key in Bemidji State’s win to open NSIC interdivisional play against Wayne State
- BSU totaled nearly 200 return yards, including a combined 94-yard punt return touchdown
- The Beavers remain perfect in the red zone at 22-for-22 after three offensive touchdowns against the Wildcats
- All three offensive touchdowns came by way of the ground with 215 rushing yards on 51 carries
- Gang Green defense moves to nation’s best red zone defense at 44 percent and finished with 11 tackles for a loss against WSC
- Bemidji State is outscoring its opponents through three quarters, 167-25 |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Senior defensive back Gunner Olszewski totaled 100 total return yards on kickoff and punt return, including part of a 94-yard punt return touchdown with junior defensive back Michael Junker
- Olszewski returned a punt 36 yards before pitching to Junker near midfield who ran the final 56 yards for the touchdown
- Senior running back Andrew Lackowski paced BSU with 93 yards rushing and two touchdowns
- Junior quarterback Jared Henning ran for 63 yards with one touchdown, while adding 64 passing yards on seven completions
- Senior defensive back John Vogeler led the defense with five tackles
- Junior defensive lineman Alex Hoffman recorded four total tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss and 1.5 sacks |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 6 vs Sioux Falls – 2 p.m. |
| Concordia University, St. Paul Golden Bears |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 32-3 at UMD |
2-3, 2-2 South |
L1 |
14th Overall, 7th South |
| Team Notes |
- Lost turnover battle 3-1 for the first time, allowing opponents to score off turnovers for the first time in 2018 with a 9-0 deficit at UMD
- Defense held UMD on a pair of 4th down conversions in the first half, setting up CSP's lone field goal in the 2nd quarter |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Sophomore Lajuan Preston reached his first 100 yard rushing performance with 111 yards on 13 carries (8.5 avg) and is averaging 7.5 per carry with 247 yards through five games
- Redshirt freshman cornerback Marcus Haskins recorded an interception in a fifth consecutive game, leading the NSIC with five on the year and also added a pass breakup for a league-high 11. Haskins has consistently been among the national leaders in pass deflections (INT & PBU) and now has 16 on the year
- Junior Marcus Gustaveson had a pair of catches for 30 yards, reaching the 100 catch milestone in his career, the 11th in CSP history, he's 13th in the league in receiving yards (16-320, 2 TD) on the year, averaging 20.0 yards per reception
- Junior MJ Williams had five catches for 61 yards and has had at least four catches for 58 yards each of the last four weeks and is 14th in the league with 21 catches on the year (21-291, 3 TD) |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct 6 vs Northern State – 12 p.m. |
| University of Mary Marauders |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 54-24 vs. SMSU |
0-5 / 0-4 North |
L5 |
15th Overall, 7th North |
| Team Notes |
|
- The Marauders defense sacked the Mustangs quarterback four times, a season-high
- Additionally UMary’s defense forced and recovered three fumbles against SMSU, the first fumble recoveries of the season for the Marauders
- After two straight weeks at home, the Marauders visit Winona State on Oct. 6 before returning for Homecoming 2018 when Concordia-St. Paul visits Bismarck on Oct. 13
|
| Top Performer(s) |
- DeShawn Gay caught seven passes for 107 yards and two touchdowns (64 and 8 yards)
- Gay also returned seven kicks for 157 yards
- Jason Hoekstra completed 16-of-28 yards for 225 yards and two scores
- Bailey Meyer averaged 43.2 yards per kick and downed three of his nine attempts inside the 20 yard line
- LB Grady Blewett had 1.5 sacks and Fr. LB Max Askew had one sack and 2.0 TFL |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 6 at Winona State – 2 p.m. |
| University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 48-3 vs Augie |
1-4, 1-3 North |
L1 |
16th Overall, 8th North |
| Team Notes |
- The Golden Eagles picked up two turnovers against Augustana as they won the turnover battle on the day
- Ali Alkhatib picked up the team's first interception of the season, while Javon Chappell recovered a fumble |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Andy Groebner had three catches for 41 yards
- Ali Alkhatib notched 16 tackles with 1.5 TFL and an interception
- Jared McLemore was 1-of-1 for FG's with a 47-yarder |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 6 at Southwest Minnesota State - 5 p.m. |
| University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 32-3 vs. CSP |
5-0, 4-0 North |
W5 |
4th Overall, 1st North |
| Team Notes |
- The Bulldogs held the Golden Bears, who came into the day averaging 25.0 points per game, to a mere second-quarter field goal while holding the upper hand in virtually every statistical category
- That included total yards (417-240), first downs (27-15), passing yards (250-108), and rushing yards (167-132)
- The Bulldogs are off to a 5-0 start and in each of the last four times UMD opened a year with five straight wins (2014, 2010, 2008 and 2002), they ran the table (11-0) during the regular season
- The Bulldogs have reeled off eight consecutive wins at Augustana's expense and now own an 9-2 lead in the all-time series, which began with a 47-16 UMD home victory on Oct. 23, 2004
- UMD has won 12 straight regular season road games since being upended by Southwest Minnesota State (42-38) in the 2016 season opener
- The Bulldogs rank first among all NCAA II schools in both total defense (211.4 yards per game) and scoring offense (6th; 44.0 ppg) and scoring defense (9.8 points per game) |
| Top Performer(s) |
- John Larson completed 20 of 32 passes for 238 yards and one touchdown while rushing for a team-leading 69 yards and another score on 15 carries
- Redshirt freshman wide receiver Dain Hudson finished with game-high and career-best six pass receptions
- Senior cornerback Tareq Abulebbeh had one of UMD’s two picks to boost his 2018 interception total to a team-leading three |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 6 vs. Augustana – 1 p.m. |
| Minnesota State University, Mankato Mavericks |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 45-10 vs SCSU |
5-0, 4-0 South |
W5 |
1st Overall, 1st South |
| Team Notes |
- The Minnesota State defense allowed just 160 yards of offense against St. Cloud State
- Junior Nate Gunn rushed 100 yards marking the 14th time he has rushed for more than 100 yards in his career
- Senior Jayme LaPlante and junior Alex Goettl each returned a fumble for a touchdown
- As a unit, the Maverick defense recorded 11 tackles for a loss, to go along with six sacks
- Junior Shane Zylstra has caught a touchdown pass in all five games this season
- Junior Alex Goettl also recorded an interception that he returned 27 yards to the SCSU three yard line
- MSU has now won 18 straight NSIC games |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Alex Goettl, 6 tackles, 1 sack, 2.0 TFL, 1 interception returned 27 yards, 1 fumble recovery returned for a touchdown, 1 forced fumble
- Shane Zylstra, 5 catches, 87 yards, 1 touchdown catch |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 6 at MSU Moorhead – 2 p.m. |
| Minnesota State University Moorhead Dragons |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 17-13 at UIU |
4-1, 3-1 North |
W3 |
10th Overall, 5th North |
| Team Notes |
- The Dragons are off to their first 4-1 start to a season since 1996
- MSUM won for the first time in the Steve Laqua era when scoring less than 20 points
- The Dragons recorded a stop inside their own 5-yard line in final minute to secure the win
- Sophomore WR Grady Bresnahan leads NSIC at 8.0 receptions per game
- Sophomore WR Jake Richter is third in NSIC At 90.8 yards per game receiving
- Senior DB Aaron Doan is third in NSIC at 9.2 tackles per game |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Senior DB Aaron Doan had 14 tackles and a pass breakup in win over Upper Iowa
- Junior CB Deiondre Taylor had an interception and four pass breakups
- Sophomore DL Darius Woods-Steichen had a sack, his team-best fifth of the season
- Senior DB Jerry Raye had a sack, a forced fumble and a pass breakup
- Sophomore QB Jakup Sinani was 23-of-34 passing for 217 yards and a score while rushing for 74 yards
- Sophomore WR Jake Richter caught six passes for 103 yards and a score
- Sophomore WR Grady Bresnahan caught 11 passes for 83 yards |
| Up Next |
| Oct. 6 vs. No. 1 Minnesota State - 2 p.m. |
| Minot State University Beavers |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 56-14 at USF |
1-4, 1-3 North |
L2 |
13th Overall, 6th North |
| Team Notes |
- Forced a turnover for the fifth straight game and have created 14 turnovers on the year
- Minot State had 181 yards passing, which marked its second highest total of the season
- The Beavers forced two fumbles against Sioux Falls and have forced eight on the season |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Ben Bolinske rushed for a touchdown and threw a touchdown pass
- Lavante Bushnell hauled in a TD pass, which marked his third straight game with a touchdown reception
- Chris Rivers led the Beavers in tackles for the third time this season |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 6 Upper Iowa – 1 p.m. |
| Northern State University Wolves |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 22-15 vs. WSU |
1-4, 1-3 North |
L3 |
8th Overall, 4th North |
| Team Notes |
- NSU tallied 41 more yards of total offense, with 438 on the day in their 22-15 loss on Saturday
- NSU recorded 152 yards rushing and 286 yards passing
- The Wolves defense tallied two interceptions and one fumble recovery
- Northern tallied two passing touchdowns and a 31-yard field goal for their three scores on the afternoon |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Hunter Trautman recorded 286 yards passing with two touchdowns and a 53-yard long
- He added 90 yards rushing with a 21-yard long
- Dakota Larson led the receivers with 164 total yards
- Jacob Streit and Colten Drageset recorded the two receiving touchdowns for NSU
- Alex Gray had a career defensive day with nine tackles, 1.5 tackles for a loss, one fumble recovery, an interception, and one pass breakup
- Preston Droessler grabbed the lone sack on the afternoon, as well as a blocked field goal
- Jacob Wiedrich punted for 256 yards, averaging 42.7 yards per punt |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 6 at Concordia-St. Paul – 12 p.m. |
| University of Sioux Falls Cougars |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 56-14 vs. MINOT |
4-1, 3-1 South |
W3 |
3rd Overall, 2nd South |
| Team Notes |
|
- USF totaled a season-high 620 yards in total offense, including a season-high 444 rushing
- USF tied the program’s DII mark for rushing yards in a game with 444 on 56 carries and five TDs
- USF leads the NSIC in rushing at 302.0 yards per game, including league best 6.3 yards per carry
|
| Top Performer(s) |
|
- Junior running back Gabriel Watson had 15 carries for 205 yards and two TDs in one half of football
- Watson has five straight 100-yard rushing games and has a league-high 910 rushing yards on 113 carries
- Junior Colton Myles reached 100 yards rushing for the second straight game with 19 carries for 131 yards and a pair of TDs
- Caden Walters directed the USF attack as he completed 7-of-11 passes for 163 yards and a pair of TDs
|
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 6 at Bemidji State - 2 pm |
| Southwest Minnesota State University Mustangs |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 54-24 vs. UMary |
2-3, 1-3 South |
W2 |
13th Overall, 8th South |
| Team Notes |
- SMSU won its second straight game with a 54-24 road victory over UMary
- The SMSU defense forced three turnovers for the second straight game
- It was the first time SMSU has scored 30 or more points since week two of the 2017 season
- SMSU will be looking for its third straight victory, which would be its longest streak since winning three in a row in 2016 |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Senior quarterback Blake Gimbel completed 21 of 31 passes for 356 yards and five touchdowns. He also rushed for one touchdown
- Junior wide receiver Daniel Davis caught a three passes for 148 yards and two touchdowns
- Senior tight end Carter Kirk, who is in his first season playing football after four seasons playing basketball at SMSU, caught his first career touchdown in the win on Saturday
- Junior running back Max Simmons rushed for a game-high 119 yards on 12 carries, which included a 75-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second half
- Simmons has scored 29 touchdowns in his career which now moves him into a tie for eighth all-time in team history. He also has rushed for 1,705 career yards ranking 11th in team history
- Senior linebacker Shane Ratkovich recorded a team-high 11 tackles. It’s the fourth straight game he has led the team in tackles |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 6 vs. Minnesota Crookston – 5 p.m. |
| St. Cloud State University Huskies |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 45-10 at MSU |
3-2, 3-1 North |
L1 |
7th overall, 3rd NSIC North |
| Team Notes |
|
- The Huskies led the No. 1 Mavericks after the first quarter thanks to a 27-yard field goal from sophomore kicker Adam Stage
- This season, Stage leads the NSIC in made field goals (7) and field goals/game (1.4)
- Senior running back Gregory Lewis rushed for 100 yards against Minnesota State, the most of any running back this season, and also recorded the team’s lone touchdown in the third quarter
|
| Top Performer(s) |
| - Gregory Lewis rushed for a season-high 100 yards against the No. 1 rush defense in the conference; tallied 100 yards on 27 carries, including the 19-yard TD run) |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 6 vs. Wayne State – 1 p.m. |
| Upper Iowa University Peacocks |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 17-13 vs MSUM |
1-4, 1-3 South |
L2 |
11th Overall, 6th South |
| Team Notes |
- Upper Iowa suffered their third loss of four points or less this season
- The Peacocks were stopped on a fourth down try inside the Dragon 5-yard line with two minutes to play to seal the decision
- After the loss, UIU falls to 1-4 overall with three of the losses coming by a combined 8 points
- Upper Iowa recorded 387 yards of total offense fueled by 313 passing yards, while MSU Moorhead tallied 359 yards of total offense thanks to 142 rushing yards |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Brent Lammers threw for 313 yards and a touchdown on 27 completions and added 19 yards on the ground
- Lammers crossed over the 1,000 career rushing yards mark in the game
- Alex Stevens hauled in 6 passes for 103 yards, while Brandyn Tulloch pulled in 8 balls for 66 yards and Keagan Pinter and Skyler Lehman combined for 8 catches and 118 yards
- Defensively, the Peacocks were led by Nic Patterson (12 tackles) and Isaac Barrett (11 tackles), while Mitchel Siech added 8 tackles
- Tanner Thompson and Nic Corley both forced fumbles and Thompson recovered one |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 6 at Minot State – 1 p.m. |
| Wayne State College Wildcats |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 27-10 vs. BSU |
1-4, 1-3 South |
L3 |
9th Overall, 5th South |
| Team Notes |
| - WSC lost to Bemidji State 27-10 in their Homecoming Game Saturday at Cunningham Field |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Sophomore running back Marlon Warren had a 12 yard TD run
- Junior linebacker Tyler Thomsen had a game-high 11 tackles
- Senior wide receiver Nate Rogers had seven catches for 62 yards |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, October 6 at St. Cloud State – 1 p.m. |
| Winona State University Warriors |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 22-15 at NSU |
3-2, 2-2 South |
W1 |
2nd Overall, 2nd South |
| Team Notes |
- Scored the game-winning touchdown with 1:49 left on the clock after trailing 15-14
- Offense broke out of its red zone slump with a pair of touchdowns
- Rushed for over 100 yards for the fourth time this season
- Defense recorded at least one turnover for the fifth straight game this year |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Senior Eric Birth rushed for 77 yards and his first two scores of the season, including a 62-yard run in the 1st quarter
- Junior wide receiver Tanner Gran pulled in his third touchdown of the season
- Senior Isaiah Frandsen recorded season highs in catches (7) and yards (116)
- Sophomore quarterback Owen Burke threw for over 200 yards and at least one score for the fifth straight week
- Junior safety Romario Gayle recorded his team-leading fourth INT of the season |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 16 vs. UMary – 2 p.m. |
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