For Immediate Release
Monday, October 15, 2018
NSIC Media Relations
Media Packet
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NSIC Offensive Player of the Week
#9 Nickel Meyers (WR, 6-4, 200, Jr., Sioux Falls, S.D. / Lincoln HS) - Augustana
- Was all over the field on Saturday, finishing with a career-high 218 yards on 12 catches
- Is the first Viking to have more than 200 receiving yards since Charlie Hayes finished with 214 yards vs. MSU (10/2015)
- Scored Augustana’s first two touchdowns in a 42-21 win at NSU and now has seven on the season
- Stands second in the NSIC with 101.4 receiving yards per game.
NSIC Defensive Player of the Week
#23 Dez Bassett (SS, 6-1, 188, R-Fr., Mankato, Minn. / Mankato East HS) - Concordia-St. Paul
- Picked off his first career interception, returning it 77 yards for a touchdown in a 17-7 win at UMary
- The pick-6 broke a scoreless tie with 11:02 to play in the third quarter
- Was tied for third on the team with six tackles and is now second on the team this year with 37 total stops (41st NSIC)
- His pass breakup was on UMary’s final play, a 4th-and-12 from their own 23 yard line to seal the 17-7 win
- Ranks second on the team in both pass breakups (3) and passes defended (4)
NSIC Special Teams Player of the Week
#6 Justin Taormina (TB, 5-11, 190, So., Geneva, Ill. / Geneva Community HS) - Minnesota State
- Returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown as time expired in the first half in a 62-13 win over Minot State
- Averaged 48 yards in three kick returns for 144 yards and the score
- Led the NSIC in all-purpose yards last week with 243 (144 KR, 69 rush, 30 rec)
| Augustana University Vikings |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W, 42-21 at Northern State |
4-3, 2-2 NSIC South |
W1 |
6th Overall, 4th South |
| Team Notes |
- Tied at 21 all after three quarters, Augustana scored 21 unanswered points in the 4th quarter for a 42-21 win
- The Vikings racked up six touchdowns, 506 yards of offense, 460 passing yards from Kyle Saddler and 218 receiving yards from Nickel Meyers
- Augustana limited Northern to less than 260 yards of offense. The Vikings defense also finished with 10 TFL’s, three sacks, and two interceptions |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Nickel Meyers hauled in a career-best 12 grabs for 218 yards and two touchdowns
- Meyers becomes the first Viking to have more than 200 receiving yards since Charlie Hayes finished with 214 yards vs. Minnesota State (10/2015)
- Kyle Saddler dropped a career-high 460 yards and five touchdowns in the win
- Joey Newman racked up a career-high 3.5 tackles for a loss, one sack, and multiple QB hurries. He also forced one fumble and recovered it |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 20th vs. U-Mary - 1 p.m. |
| Bemidji State University Beavers |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 27-24 at UIU |
5-2, 3-1 North |
L1 |
5th Overall, 2nd North |
| Team Notes |
- Bemidji State dropped its second game of the season after a comeback by Upper Iowa in the third quarter
- BSU was outscored over the stretch, 21-0, after holding a 24-6 lead midway through the third quarter
- The Beavers scored touchdowns on their first two possessions of the game, including a 96-yard kickoff return on the first play of the game
- BSU totaled at least 200 rushing yards for the fifth time this season
- The “Gang Green” defense forced four turnovers against UIU to lead the NSIC with a 1.57 turnover margin on the season |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Senior running back Andrew Lackowski rushed for over 120 yards for the second straight game and added two rushing touchdowns
- Senior wide receiver Landon Jones took the opening kickoff back 96 yards for a touchdown
- Jones and sophomore wide receiver Mannie Kugmeh each totaled four catches, while Jones led the team with 54 receiving yards
- Senior defensive back Gunner Olszewski and senior linebacker Justin Van Houtan tied for the team lead with 12 tackles each |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 20 vs. No. 1 Minnesota State – 1 p.m. |
| Concordia University, St. Paul Golden Bears |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 17-7 at UMary |
3-4, 2-2 South |
W1 |
14th Overall, 7th South |
| Team Notes |
- The Golden Bears snapped a 13-game road losing streak dating back to week 2 of 2016
- Bruised UMary for a school record 63 rushing attempts with its 206 rushing yards totaling 56 more than UMary's total offense (150)
- CSP defense held UMary to under 100 rushing (32-61) and passing (7-20, 89)
- Held a 24-to-7 first down advantage and a 38:18-to-21:42 time of possession margin |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Redshirt freshman safety Dez Bassett put CSP on the scoreboard in the third quarter with a 77-yard INT for touchdown, he also added six tackles and a pass breakup and is now second on the team in tackles (37) and passes defended (4)
- Sophomore defensive end Chris Garrett tied his career-high with three sacks, but more importantly all three came on third down plays, the second sack ending the half in Marauder territory and the third sack coming with under 2 minutes left on Mary's final drive
- With six tackles, Garrett held UMary to three rushes for four yards and tacked on 20 lost yards on the three sacks (6 tackles for -16 yards)
- Senior quarterback Dom McKinzy led CSP on the ground with 20 rushes for 70 yards including a 26 yard touchdown on a 4th-and-2 and completed 12-of-22 for 129 yards in difficult wind conditions
- Junior wide receiver Marcus Gustaveson led CSP's offense with six catches for 70 yards with a long of 28 |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct 20 vs Minnesota Crookston – 12 p.m. |
| University of Mary Marauders |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 17-7 vs CSP |
0-7 / 0-4 North |
L7 |
15th Overall, 7th North |
| Team Notes |
|
- The Marauders didn’t allow the Golden Bears offense into the end zone until the final minutes of play
- UMary limited Concordia-St. Paul to 337 yards of offense, including 131 through the air
- Both are the second-lowest totals for the Marauders this season
- UMary forced three turnovers for the third straight week
- Former head football coach Myron Schulz and his 1999 UMary football team that advanced to the NAIA semifinals were inducted into the Marauders Hall of Fame on Friday
|
| Top Performer(s) |
- Soph. S Jarad Zittleman made a career-high 18 tackles against the Golden Bears. He had 11 solo stops
- Sr. DL Cyrano Rayfield had 1.5 sacks, forced a fumble and recovered a fumble
- Jr. LB Grady Blewett made an interception, shared credit on a sack and had nine tackles
- Sr. CB Ryan Naki returned a fumble 52 yards to set up the Marauders lone touchdown, broke up a pass and had eight tackles
- Jr P Bailey Meyer averaged 45 yards/punt on seven attempts. He had a long of 70 yards with three total over 50 with two punts downed inside the 20 |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 20 at Augustana – 1 p.m. |
| University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 51-13 vs. WSU |
1-6, 1-3 North |
L3 |
16th Overall, 8th North |
| Team Notes |
- Ali Alkhatib is one tackle away from tying Nick Starcevic for fifth all-time for tackles in a career with 269
- Alkhatib needs just five tackles to surpass Neil Austin for third all-time in solo tackles for a career
- Andy Groebner is just five yards behind Andy Connette’s freshman pace with 405 yards through seven games
- Tristan Robbins threw his second career touchdown pass on Saturday
- The freshman saw his most extensive action at quarterback this season |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Tristan Robbins went 11-of-20, 94 yards passing, 1 TD, 18 carries, 34 yards
- Shonte Smith had seven rushes for 18 yards and 1 TD, 2 catches, 10 yards, 1 TD
- Will Cole notched 11 tackles on the game
- Skyler Quinn had six tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 20 at Concordia-St. Paul – 12 p.m. |
| University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 42-13 vs SMSU |
7-0, 4-0 North |
W7 |
4th Overall, 1st North |
| Team Notes |
- No 6 UMD kept its perfect 2018 record intact and hiked its regular season winning streak to 15 games with a 42-13 Homecoming victory over Southwest Minnesota State
- The Bulldogs held a slim 7-0 second-quarter lead before outscoring the Mustangs 28-6 to go up 35-6 midway through the third quarter
- UMD’s two quarterbacks – John Larson and Mike Rybarczyk – were sacked six times on Saturday after the Bulldogs had come into the afternoon having allowed just five sacks all year
- The Bulldogs have outscored the opposition 70-3 in the first quarter this fall with the lone field goal coming in Week One at Minot State
- UMD ranks third among all NCAA II schools in both scoring defense (11.3 points per game) and total defense (223.6 yards per game)
- The Bulldogs have reeled off 13 straight regular season road victories since falling to Southwest Minnesota State in the 2016 opener |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Junior Mike Rybarczyk came off the bench in place of injured starting quarterback John Larson early in the second quarter (and with UMD on top 7-0) and proceeded to rush for a career-high 111 yards and on just 13 carries
- He also added another 97 yards and one touchdown through the air while going 11-for-15
- Senior inside linebacker Gus Wedig was credited with a game-high nine total tackles in Saturday’s takedown of Southwest Minnesota State and had one of the Bulldogs’ eight stops for a loss
- Redshirt freshman running back Wade Sullivan scored three touchdowns against Southwest Minnesota State to give him 11 on the season – the third highest total in the NSIC |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 20 at Winona State – 1 p.m. |
| Minnesota State University, Mankato Mavericks |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 62-13 vs MINOT |
7-0, 4-0 South |
W7 |
1st Overall, 1st South |
| Team Notes |
- Minnesota State recorded 595 yards of offense and 62 points against Minot State
- Both are the most in a game for the Mavericks since their 63-21 win over Midwestern State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season where they notched 605 yards of offense
- Junior Shane Zylstra caught three touchdown passes against Minot State
- This is the third time in his career that he has caught three touchdown passes in a game
- Sophomore Justin Taormina returned a Minot State kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown
- Junior Ryan Schlichte, sophomore JD Ekowa and freshman Brevin Kaiser each threw at least one touchdown pass against Minot State
- MSU has now won 20 straight NSIC games |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Shane Zylstra, 8 catches, 132 yards, 3 touchdown catches
- Nate Gunn, 82 rushing yards
- JD Ekowa, 168 passing yards, 2 touchdown passes |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 20 at Bemidji State – 1 p.m. |
| Minnesota State University Moorhead Dragons |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 28-22 at WSC OT |
5-2, 3-1 North |
W1 |
10th Overall, 5th North |
| Team Notes |
- MSUM is off to its first 5-2 start since 1999 after recording a thrilling 28-22 overtime win over Wayne State
- It was Dragons’ first overtime game since 2011
- Sophomore QB Jakup Sinani is sixth in NSIC at 222.3 passing yards per game and is fifth in total offense (245.0)
- Sophomore Grady Bresnahan leads the NSIC at 8.17 receptions per game
- Sophomore Jake Richter is tied for fifth in receptions per game (5.71) and is sixth in receiving yards per game (91.7)
- Junior Deiondre Taylor is tied for sixth in NSIC with three interceptions
- Sophomore DL Darius Woods-Steichen is tied for fourth in NSIC with six sacks |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Sophomore QB Jakup Sinani was 28-of-46 passing for 292 yards and two scores in OT win at WSC
- Sophomore WR Jake Richter caught eight passes for 102 yards and the winning score
- Sophomore RB Zach Simons rushed for 70 yards and a score
- Senior LB Michael Strand led defense with 10 tackles and a sack
- Freshman DB Alec Goffard had an interception in OT to help MSUM secure stop
- Sophomore DL Darius Woods-Steichen had a sack, his team best sixth of the season |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 20 vs. Sioux Falls - 2 p.m. |
| Minot State University Beavers |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 62-13 at MSU |
1-6, 1-3 North |
L4 |
13th Overall, 6th North |
| Team Notes |
- Minot State passed for 183 yards against Minnesota State, which marked its second highest total of the season
- The Beavers did not commit a turnover against the Mavericks
- Minot State will play its fifth home game of the season against Wayne State |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Kiante Goudeau recorded a career-high 12 tackles versus Minnesota State
- Lavante Bushnell caught six passes for 81 yards and two TD’s
- Kywan Owens posted his second double-figure tackling game of the season with 12 against the Mavericks |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 20 vs. Wayne State – 1 p.m. |
| Northern State University Wolves |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 42-21 vs. AU |
2-5, 1-3 North |
L1 |
8th Overall, 4th North |
| Team Notes |
- NSU fell to Augustana on Saturday afternoon, despite an evenly matched first three quarters
- The two teams were tied 21-21 through the third, however the Vikings broke things open with three touchdowns in the fourth
- NSU tallied 48 yards rushing and 206 yards passing in the loss
- On special teams, the Wolves averaged 18.7 more yards per punt and tallied 73 return yards
- The defense tallied one sack and held the Vikings on two fourth down conversion attempts |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Hunter Trautman tallied 206 yards passing and two touchdowns with a 27-yard long
- Chaka Kelly led the rushers with 42 total yards, averaging 2.6 yards per rush
- Dakota Larson recorded his third straight 100-plus yard game with 104 yards receiving and one touchdown
- Noah MacPherson led the defense with nine tackles
- Brayden McNeary tallied a blocked punt and return for a touchdown
- Zech Culbreath scored the final touchdown for the team |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 20 at Southwest Minnesota State – 5 p.m. |
| University of Sioux Falls Cougars |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 30-27 vs. SCSU |
4-3, 3-1 South |
L2 |
3rd Overall, 2nd South |
| Team Notes |
|
- USF outgained SCSU, 469-to-362, but committed three turnovers and lost a 27-24 decision in Hall of Fame game at Bob Young Field
- This season the Cougars have a 1-3 record in games decided by four or fewer points
- USF lost for the first time in four home games (3-1) this season
- The Cougars also dropped a game to an NSIC North Division team for the second straight week after 18 straight wins against North opponents
- The Cougars have now fallen to 67-9 all-time at Bob Young Field
- USF leads the NSIC in rushing at 277.0 yards per game and 6.1 yards per carry
- USF is third in the NSIC with 461.7 yards in total offense per game
|
| Top Performer(s) |
|
- Junior running back Gabriel Watson had 22 carries for 161 yards and a 67-yard TD run in a 30-27 loss to St. Cloud State
- Watson has now rushed for 100 yards in seven straight games, which ties him for the school record with David Ruter in 1997 and Nephi Garcia in 2013
- With his yardage against SCSU, Watson continues to lead the NSIC and ranks second nationally with 171.0 yards per game
- He has a league high 1,197 yards on 162 carries and a league high 16 rushing TDs
- He leads the NSIC by 495 yards over second place rusher Nate Gunn of Minnesota State at 702
- Junior quarterback Caden Walters completed 22-of-29 passes for 207 yards with a TD pass and an interception
- The USF receiving corps was led by junior tight end Clint Sigg with career-bests in catches with five and yards with 77
- USF redshirt sophomore linebacker Harvey (Michael) Enalls had seven tackles and a TFL to lead USF defenders
|
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 20 at MSU Moorhead - 2 p.m. |
| Southwest Minnesota State University Mustangs |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 42-13 at UMD |
3-4, 1-3 South |
L1 |
13th Overall, 8th South |
| Team Notes |
- SMSU had its three-game winning streak end at No. 6 UMD Saturday afternoon
- The SMSU defense recorded six sacks in the game, its highest total in a game since 2013. UMD entered the game having allowed just five sacks all season
- The SMSU offense was 8 of 15 on third down conversions in the loss. UMD entered the game ranked first in Division II in third down conversion defense
- The SMSU defense forced another turnover in the loss at UMD and now has forced a combined 13 turnovers in the past four games
- Junior wide receiver Daniel Davis ranks sixth in Division II in touchdown receptions (9) and is 11th in receptions per game (6.7)
- SMSU ranks seventh in the country in 18 turnovers gained
- SMSU ranks sixth in the country with five blocked kicks
- SMSU has three of its final four games at home to end the season |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Senior quarterback Blake Gimbel completed 21 of 38 passes for 216 yards and two touchdowns.
- Junior wide receiver Daniel Davis caught a game-high 11 passes for 80 yards with one touchdown
- Senior linebacker Shane Ratkovich had six tackles with one sack and also blocked a field goal |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 20 vs Northern State – 5 p.m. |
| St. Cloud State University Huskies |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 30-27 at USF |
5-2, 3-1 North |
W1 |
7th Overall, 3rd North |
| Team Notes |
|
- SCSU handed USF a rare home loss, as the team outscored the Cougars 21-10 in the first half
- Sophomore kicker Adam Stage clinched the win for the Huskies in the fourth quarter, as his 27-yard field goal at 9:59 proved to be the game winner
- This season, Stage is 11 of 15 on field goals and has made multiple 40+yarders
- In his return from injury, junior quarterback Dwayne Lawhorn threw for 238 yards against the Cougars, completing 20 of 32 passes with three touchdowns and no interceptions
- Senior linebacker Jack Horter set the tone early against Sioux Falls as his pick-6 in the second quarter kick started the scoring for St. Cloud State
- The senior also recorded four solo tackles on the afternoon
|
| Top Performer(s) |
- Dwayne Lawhorn passed for 238 yards on 20-32 passes with 3 TDs and 0 INTs
- Jack Horter had four tackles (4 solo) and a pick-6 resulted in the Huskies first TD of the game |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 20 vs. Upper Iowa – 2 p.m. |
| Upper Iowa University Peacocks |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 27-24 vs. BSU |
3-4, 1-3 South |
W2 |
11th Overall, 6th South |
| Team Notes |
|
- Upper Iowa rallied from a 24-6 deficit midway through the third quarter to post a 27-24 victory over Bemidji State
- The win was UIU's second win in eight match-ups with the Beavers
- The Beavers opened the game with 14 points in the first eight minutes of the game, but it was the Peacocks' 21 points in the final 21 minutes of the game that proved to be the difference
- Upper Iowa held Bemidji State to just 106 passing yards, but the Beavers did rush for 229 yards
- The Peacocks rushed for 151 and passed for 248 yards, but threw three interceptions in the game
|
| Top Performer(s) |
- Nic Patterson recorded 15 tackles including 10 solo stops and Mitchel Siech added 12 tackles
- Jordan Rommes rounded out the linebacking crew with 10 tackles
- Ryan Parmely rushed for 88 yards
- Brent Lammers threw for 248 yards on 23 completions
- Alexander Stevens caught 8 passes for 130 yards and a score
- Jonathan Argueta-Herrera added two more field goals and three extra points |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 20 at St. Cloud State - 2 p.m. |
| Wayne State College Wildcats |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 28-22 MSUM OT |
1-6, 1-3 South |
L5 |
9th Overall, 5th South |
| Team Notes |
- WSC lost at home to MSU Moorhead in overtime 28-22
- Second straight game and third time this season WSC has lost on last play of the game |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Senior wide receiver Nate Rogers had eight catches for 123 yards and two TD’s
- Rogers had his fourth 100-yard receiving game of the season
- Sophomore Maliki Wilson had 142 all-purpose yards (87 rushing, 55 receiving) with one TD |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, October 20th at Minot State – 1 p.m. |
| Winona State University Warriors |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 51-13 at UMC |
5-2, 2-2 South |
W3 |
2nd Overall, 2nd South |
| Team Notes |
- Riding a season-best three-game winning streak
- Scored over 50 points for the second week in a row and allowed 15 or fewer points for the third straight week
- Rushed for over 200 yards for the second straight week with a season-best 288
- Defense put points on the board for the 12th time in the Warriors’ last 16 games dating back to last year |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Sophomore Sam Santiago-Lloyd produced his first career 100-yard game (122) with two touchdowns
- Freshman Miguel Benjamin rushed for 85 yards including his first career score – a 70-yard touchdown run
- Junior Tanner Gran hauled in his team-leading fifth touchdown pass of the season
- Junior Alex Evans scored a touchdown on a fumble recovery |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 20 vs. Minnesota Duluth – 1 p.m. |
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