For Immediate Release
Monday, October 22, 2018
NSIC Media Relations
Media Packet
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NSIC Offensive Player of the Week
#33 Gabriel Watson (RB, 6-1, 221, Piedmont, Calif. / Piedmont HS) - Sioux Falls
- Set a school record with 19 carries for 320 yards and five touchdowns in a 55-21 win at MSUM
- Has now rushed for 100 yards in a school record eight straight games
- Continues to lead the NSIC and now leads NCAA DII in rushing with 181 carries for 1,517 yards
- Now has a Division II best 21 touchdowns on the season
- Set a school record with 269 rushing yards at halftime
- Surpassed 200 yards in a game for the third time this season
- Tied USF’s DII mark for rushing TDs in a game with five
- Is 463 yards from breaking the NSIC single season rushing record of 1,979 (Tyler Tonderum, SMSU, 2013)
- Named NSIC Player of the Week for the third time this season (9/4/18 & 9/24/18)
NSIC Defensive Player of the Week
#98 Jackson Dobbs (DE, 6-2, 250, Jr., Little Canada, Minn. / Roseville Area HS) - Concordia-St. Paul
- Tallied 9 tackles, 4.5 TFL and 4.0 sacks in a 21-13 win over UMC
- The TFL & sacks were a single game high in the NSIC in week 8
- The TFL & sack totals rank second in the Northern Sun on the season
- His four sack performance is third-most in the country for a single game
- Dobbs’ four sack performance is the first for CSP since Dion Roche on 9/27/14, also against UMC
- Ranks fourth in the NSIC with 6.5 total sacks on the season
NSIC Special Teams Player of the Week
#15 Casey Bednarski (K, 6-1, 215, Sr., Oconomowoc, Wis. / Oconomowoc / DuPage) - Minnesota State
- Went 4-for-4 in field goal attempts and 5-for-5 in extra points for 17 points
- Connected on a season-long 55 yard field goal
- Recorded three touchbacks in nine kickoff attempts
| Augustana University Vikings |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 48-16 vs. U-Mary |
5-3, 2-2 South |
W2 |
6th Overall, 4th South |
| Team Notes |
|
- Scored 21 1st quarter points and 48 total for the third time this season
- Scored in all three phases (offense, defense, and special teams) for the 1st time this year, and finished with seven (7) total touchdowns
- Totaled 20 first downs and 363 total yards of offense, while limiting U-Mary to 241 total yards (39 rushing)
- Surpassed last year's win total (4) and picked up back-to-back wins for the first time this year
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| Top Performer(s) |
|
- Nickel Meyers recorded five more catches for 93 yards and two touchdowns; he now has seven scores in the last four games
- Kyle Saddler racked up 277 yards and 2 touchdowns. He leads the NSIC at 308.4 passing yards per game
- Sam Roble had the best game of his young career, blocking a punt, recording a sack, and limiting U-Mary to just 241 total yards
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| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 27 at Concordia St Paul - 1 p.m. |
| Bemidji State University Beavers |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 47-20 vs MSU |
5-3, 3-1 North |
L2 |
5th Overall, 2nd North |
| Team Notes |
- Bemidji State suffered its first home loss of the season and its first back-to-back losses under Head Coach Brent Bolte
- BSU was outscored in the second and third quarters, 38-10
- The Beavers held a 3-0 lead before the Mavericks scored 27 of the next 30 points in the game
- Both teams combined for six field goals, including two from Bemidji State
- Minnesota State converted 16-of-23 third down plays on the day |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Senior running back Andrew Lackowski rushed for over 120 yards for the third straight game, averaging 6.4 yards per carry
- Junior wide receiver Jacob Anderson led the offense with four catches for 51 yards and one touchdown
- Sophomore wide receiver Mannie Kugmeh posted 78 receiving yards on three catches
- Junior linebacker Grant Bushinski and sophomore linebacker Gabe Ames led the defense with 15 tackles each, which are both career highs |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 27 at St. Cloud State – 1 p.m. |
| Concordia University, St. Paul Golden Bears |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 21-13 vs UMC |
4-4, 2-2 South |
W2 |
14th Overall, 7th South |
| Team Notes |
- Head coach Shannon Currier ties the CSP all-time wins record with 40 (40-34) in his seven seasons (2000-03 & 2016-pres)
- The team extends its win streak over UMC to 12 games, improving to 13-3 all-time against UMC
- CSP Rushed for a season-high 283 yards, the 5th 200-yard rushing performance of the year and third in a row (44-283, 6.4)
- CSP's defense racked up 13.0 TFL & 6.0 sacks, holding UMC to 1.7 yards per carry on 50 rushing attempts (50-85) |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Junior defensive end Jackson Dobbs had 9 tackles, NSIC week 8 highs of 4.5 TFL & 4.0 sacks, the second most in the league this year
- Sophomore defensive end Chris Garrett registered his ninth sack of the year, leading the NSIC with 1.29 sacks/game while adding 2.0 TFL to give him 10.5 TFL on the season to rank 4th in the league with 1.50 TFL/game
- Redshirt freshman Marcus Haskins had three pass breakups, leading the league with 17 on the year
- Haskins leads the country with 2.8 passes defended per game and Garrett is third in DII football with 1.29 sacks per game
- Senior quarterback Dom McKinzy led CSP's ground attack with 15 carries for 131 yards and a TD, adding 70 passing yards on 2 completions including a 31-yard touchdown
- Sophomore running back Lajuan Preston had his third 100-yard game in the last four weeks with 13-106 (8.2) and seventh in the NSIC with 551 rushing yards and is second among runners with 50-plus carries with a 6.7 average per carry |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct 27 vs Augustana – 12 p.m. |
| University of Mary Marauders |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 48-16 at Augustana |
0-7, 0-4 North |
L7 |
15th Overall, 7th North |
| Team Notes |
|
- The Marauders forced multiple turnovers for the fifth straight week and 13 total during this streak
- On the season the Marauders have forced 16 turnovers, 4th highest mark in the NSIC
- UMary limited Augie to 366 total yards, 100 less than the Vikings average
-The Marauders held Augie to a 1-for-12 conversion rate on third down
- The Marauders defense has intercepted eight passed this season by eight different players
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| Top Performer(s) |
- JR LB Paul Guptill returned an Augie fumble 49 yards for the Marauders 1st defensive touchdown of the season
- JR WR Garrett Weissinger caught a career-high nine passes for 85 yards
- FR WR Danny Kittner caught his third touchdown pass of the season and finished with a career-high seven catches for 39 yards
- Cyrano Rayfield had four tackles, 1.0 TFL, one PBU and two hurries |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 27 vs. Northern State – 2 p.m. |
| University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 21-13 at CSP |
1-7, 1-3 North |
L4 |
16th Overall, 8th North |
| Team Notes |
- Ali Alkhatib is now ranked third all-time in total tackles after his nine tackles against Concordia-St. Paul. Alkhatib surpassed Nick Starcevic, Neil Austin, and Mike Nordby and now has 286 career tackles
- Alkhatib need 39 tackles to tie and 40 tackles to surpass Cecil Brown, Jr. in second place
- Alkhatib needs three tackles to surpass Neil Austin for third all-time in solo tackles and seven tackles for loss to surpass Jim Mages for No. 1 all-time in tackles for loss
- Andy Groebner is off to one of the best starts a freshman receiver has had at Minnesota Crookston since Adam Connette in 2014
- Groebner is 16 yards ahead of the pace of Connette as he has 27 catches for 478 yards through the first eight games of his career.
- Rod Stewart needs five receptions to move past Carl Aho for No. 3 all-time in career receptions
- In addition, he needs 45 yards to surpass Aho for No. 2 all-time in career receiving yards. He comes into the weekend with 1,718 career receiving yards |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Jalin Scott was 20-of-34 for 270 yards and a touchdown against Concordia-St. Paul
- Rod Stewart had five catches for 77 yards and a touchdown Saturday against the Golden Bears
- Andy Groebner notched six grabs for 73 yards versus Concordia-St. Paul
- Ali Alkhatib tallied nine tackles, a tackle for loss and a fumble recovery Saturday
- Jared McLemore was 2-of-2 on field goals, hitting from 19 yards and 31 yards out |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 27 vs. Minnesota Duluth – 1 p.m. |
| University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 37-17 at WSU |
8-0, 4-0 North |
W8 |
4th Overall, 1st North |
| Team Notes |
- No. 5 UMD posted its 16th consecutive regular season victory by downing Winona State 37-17on Saturday
- UMD held the Warriors to just 5 rushing yards (on 25 attempts) and 193 yards overall
- That marked the fourth time in eight games this season the opposition failed to crack the 200 total yardage barrier
- The Bulldogs are 8-0 for the seventh time in their 86-year history and in five of those previous occasions (2014, 2010, 2008, 2002 and 1980), UMD ran the table during the regular season
- UMD has outscored the opposition 83-3 in the first quarter this fall with the lone field goal coming in Week One at Minot State
- They’ve also only trailed for 3:49 all season and that occurred in its 26-19 double overtime triumph over Bemidji State
- The Bulldogs have given up just one rushing touchdown the entire 2018 season
- UMD ranks second among all NCAA II schools in total defense (219.8 yards per game) and is third in both scoring defense (12.0 ppg) and rushing defense (70.4 ypg) |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Junior quarterback Mike Rybarczyk, making his first start since the second weekend of the 2017 season, ran for a pair of touchdowns and also was on the receiving end of another scoring strike (from senior wide out Nate Ricci) Saturday in Winona
- He also paced all Bulldogs in rushing for the second straight week with 83 yards on 15 carries
- Senior cornerback Mitchell Martin-Johnson registered his second fumble recovery touchdown in as many weeks against Winona State as he picked up a Warrior miscue and took it seven yards for a score on the final play of the first quarter
- Senior free safety Bill Atkins was credited with a team-high nine total tackles Saturday |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 27 at Minnesota Crookston – 1 p.m. |
| Minnesota State University, Mankato Mavericks |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Standings |
| W 47-20 at BSU |
8-0, 4-0 South |
W8 |
T-1st Overall, 1st South |
| Team Notes |
- Minnesota State recorded posted 511 yard of offense against Bemidji State, including 248 rushing and 263 receiving yards
- Junior Nate Gunn rushed for a season-high 187 yards
- Junior Justin Taormina posted a career-high 123 receiving yards
- MSU converted on 16-of-23 (.695) of its third down attempts
- The Mavericks boasted a time of possession of 42:14 against Bemidji State
- Senior Casey Bednarski went 4-of-4 in field goal attempts vs. BSU |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Nate Gunn, 187 rushing yards, 1 touchdown, 4.6 yards per carry
- Justin Arnold, 123 receiving yards, 1 touchdown, 5 catches
- Casey Bednarski, 4-for-4 in field goal attempts including a 55 yarder |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 27 at Wayne State – 1 p.m. |
| Minnesota State University Moorhead Dragons |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 21-55 to USF |
5-3, 3-1 NSIC North |
L2 |
10th Overall, 5th North |
| Team Notes |
- MSUM fell to 5-3 with a 55-21 home loss to Sioux Falls on Saturday; Dragons fell to 0-4 all time against the Cougars
- MSUM finished 2-2 against NSIC South foes this season
- Sophomore QB Jakup Sinani is sixth in NSIC at 214.9 passing yards per game and is fifth in total offense (237.0)
- Sophomore WR Grady Bresnahan leads the league at 8.14 receptions per game
- Sophomore WR Jake Richter is seventh in receptions per game (5.25) and is sixth in receiving yards per game (84.4)
- Junior CB Deiondre Taylor is tied for sixth in NSIC with three interceptions and is tied for seventh with 11 passes defended
- Sophomore DL Darius Woods-Steichen is tied for sixth in NSIC with six sacks
- Sophomore LB Matt Schoh has two fumble recoveries this season |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Sophomore QB Jakup Sinani was 12-of-27 passing for 170 yards and a score
- Sophomore WR Grady Bresnahan had eight catches for 83 yards and a score
- Sophomore RB Zach Simons rushed for two touchdowns
- Senior safety Aaron Doan had 10 tackles on defense
- Senior LB Michael Strand forced a fumble to go along with five tackles
- Sophomore LB Matt Schoh had a fumble recovery |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 27 vs. Minot State - 2 p.m. |
| Minot State University Beavers |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 34-0 at WSC |
1-7, 1-3 North |
L5 |
13th Overall, 6th North |
| Team Notes |
- Minot State rushed for 145 yards against Wayne State, which marked its second-highest total of the season
- The Beavers had 6.0 tackles for loss against the Wildcats
- Minot State has 13 punts over 50 yards on the season |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Derek Wax had 10 tackles, 1.0 sacks and 4.0 tackles for loss
- Kywan Owens recorded his third double-figure tackling game of the season with 13
- Ben Bolinske rushed for 86 yards, which marked his second-highest output of the season |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 27 at MSU Moorhead – 1 p.m. |
| Northern State University Wolves |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 35-7 vs. SMSU |
2-6, 1-3 North |
L2 |
8th Overall, 4th North |
| Team Notes |
- The Northern State University football team fell to Southwest Minnesota State 35-7
- The Mustangs led 7-0 at the half, however broke things open in the final 30 minutes of action
- Northern tallied a game high 135 yards rushing, while adding 225 yards passing
- NSU recorded 57 kickoff return yards to lead the game
- The defense recorded one interception, and two sacks |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Hunter Trautman threw for 185 yards with a touchdown and a 30-yard long
- Gerald Maxwell led the rushers with 53 total yards
- Jacob Streit tallied 95 yards receiving with the team’s lone touchdown
- Zach Bohnenkamp and Preston Droessler led the defense with seven tackles each
- TJ Roberts tallied the interception, while Droessler notched a fumble recovery |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 27 at UMary – 2 p.m. |
| University of Sioux Falls Cougars |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 55-21 vs. MSUM |
5-3, 5-3 South |
W1 |
3rd Overall, 2nd South |
| Team Notes |
|
- USF outgained MSUM, 583-to-327, including 404-to-118 in rushing yards
- With the 55-21 win, USF snapped a rare two-game losing streak
- The Cougars also concluded North Division play with a 2-2 record; USF is 24-4 all-time against the North
- USF leads the NSIC in rushing at 292.9 yards per game and 6.5 yards per carry
- USF is second in the NSIC with 476.9 yards in total offense per game
- USF leads the NSIC in yards per play at 7.4
- The USF defense held the explosive Dragons to 327 yards in total offense, including 88 yards in the second half
- USF allowed just 118 yards rushing on 45 carries for 2.6 yards per carry
- USF had six sacks, nine tackles for loss and an interception
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| Top Performer(s) |
|
- Junior running back Gabriel Watson set a school record with 19 carries for 320 yards and five TDs run in a 55-21 road win
- Watson has now rushed for 100 yards in a school record eight straight games
- With his 320 yards, Watson passed the previous record total of 315 yards on 33 carries with four TDs by USF Hall of Fame running back David Ruter in a playoff win over U-Mary on Nov. 23, 1996 in USF's first NAIA national championship run
- With his yardage against MSUM, Watson continues to lead the NSIC and now leads NCAA DII in rushing with 181 carries for 1,517 yards and a DII-best 21 TDs
- Watson needs 463 yards to set an NSIC rushing record held by Tyler Tonderum, SMSU, who had 1,979 yards in 2013
- Watson is 248 yards from setting USF’s single season record of Max Mickey, 1,764 yards in 2016
- Watson, who set a school record with 269 rushing yards at halftime, recorded a school record eighth straight 100-yard rushing game
- On a day, when Watson averaged a gaudy 16.8 yards per carry, he also surpassed 200 yards in a game for the third time this season and has had at least 150 yards in a game six times
- He also tied USF's DII mark for rushing TDs in a game with five, which was set by former USF All-American quarterback Luke Papilion, who had five TDs and 240 yards rushing against Northern State on Sept. 14, 2013.
- Senior captain and wide receiver Michael Maxwell had five catches for a career-best 112 yards and a 52-yard TD reception; Maxwell recorded his first career 100-yard receiving game
- Nate Johnson had a career-first when he returned a kickoff 86 yards for a TD just before halftime
- Junior safety Tucker Stout set a career high with 12 tackles while junior linebacker Brody Grantham had 10 tackles, and career highs with 2.5 sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss
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| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 27 vs. Upper Iowa - 1 p.m. |
| Southwest Minnesota State University Mustangs |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 35-7 vs NSU |
4-4, 1-3 South |
W1 |
13th Overall / 8th South |
| Team Notes |
- SMSU has won four of its last five games following a 35-7 win over Northern State on Saturday night
- SMSU recorded season-highs in both total yards (556) and first downs (29) in the win
- The SMSU defense limited NSU to 4 of 15 on third down conversions and 0 for 6 on fourth down
- The seven points allowed was the fewest by an SMSU defense since the 2015 season
- Junior wide receiver Daniel Davis ranks eighth in Division II in touchdown receptions (9) and is 12th in receptions per game (7.1) and 12th in receiving yards per game (103)
- SMSU ranks 22nd in the country in 18 turnovers gained
- SMSU ranks seventh in the country with five blocked kicks
- SMSU has two of its final three games at home to end the season
- SMSU and WSU play the fourth annual “Battle for the Sledge” trophy game this Saturday |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Senior quarterback Blake Gimbel completed 29 of 42 passes for 449 yards and two touchdowns
- Junior wide receiver Daniel Davis caught a game-high 10 passes for a career-high 162 yards
- Senior linebacker Shane Ratkovich had a game-high 13 tackles with three for loss and one sack. He ranks seventh in Division II with 1.9 tackles for loss per game and is 27th in total tackles per game (10.1) |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 27 at Winona State – 1 p.m. |
| St. Cloud State University Huskies |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 34-14 vs. UIU |
6-2, 3-1 North |
W3 |
7th Overall, 3rd North |
| Team Notes |
|
- St. Cloud State improved to 6-2 through eight games for the second straight season
- It’s also the team’s best start to the season since 2013, when St. Cloud State went 7-1 through its first eight games and qualified for the NCAA tournament
- Junior wide receiver John Solberg caught three of the Huskies season-high four receiving touchdowns on Saturday
- He also accounted for 102 of St. Cloud State’s 269 yards in the air and recorded his fourth 100-yard receiving game this season
- Two Husky seniors recorded a team-leading 13 tackles in the win over Upper Iowa, both of which were season-highs. Safety Jamari Manuel recorded 13 tackles, a team-leading nine of which were solo, during the game, while Jack Horter continued his impressive year with thirteen tackles (6 solo, 7 assist), .5 tackles for loss and two quarterback hurries
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| Top Performer(s) |
- Dwayne Lawhorn (269 yards, 15-28, 4TD, 1 INT)
- Jack Horter (13 tackles (6 solo), .5 tackle for loss of two yards, two QB hurries; recorded two tackles on fourth-and-goal to prevent Peacocks from scoring)
- Jamari Manuel (13 tackles, 9 solo)
- John Solberg (102 yards, 3 TDs, 6 receptions; recorded his fourth 100+ yard receiving game; Huskies are 4-0 when Solberg records at least 100 yards in the air) |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 27 vs. Bemidji State – 1 p.m. |
| Upper Iowa University Peacocks |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 34-14 at SCSU |
3-5, 1-3 South |
L1 |
11th Overall, 6th South |
| Team Notes |
- The Peacock football team fell to 3-5 on the season after a 34-14 loss at St. Cloud State University on Saturday
- The Huskies used stingy goalline defense to force a pair of turnovers on downs at their own 2 and 1-yard lines
- SCSU combined their defense with three touchdowns on their first three possessions of the third quarter to take a 34-7 lead
- UIU got the final score of the game at the end of the third quarter as both defenses locked down the ball in the fourth quarter
- Upper Iowa threw the ball for 322 yards and 2 touchdowns in the game, but only managed 61 yards on the ground on 34 attempts
- On the other sideline, St. Cloud State threw for 269 yards and ran for a 179 picking up 65 more yards of total offense |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Brent Lammers threw for 310 yards and 2 scores and added 12 yards on the ground
- Alexander Stevens hauled in 10 catches for 75 yards and a score, while Brandyn Tulloch added 8 grabs for 57 yards and Skyler Lehman nabbed 5 catches for 37 yards
- Nic Patterson continued to lead the defense with 10 tackles including one for a loss, while Tanner Thompson added 7 tackles and an interception |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 27 at Sioux Falls - 1 p.m. |
| Wayne State College Wildcats |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| W 34-0 at MINOT |
2-6, 1-3 South |
W1 |
9th Overall, 5th South |
| Team Notes |
- Wayne State College recorded its first shutout win since 2011 (7-0 over #1 UMD in Wayne on 9/17/11)
- Wildcats force five turnovers in win, holding Minot State to 242 yards of offense
- The Wildcats finished the game with 442 yards of total offense compared to 242 for Minot State
- WSC gained 224 yards on the ground and 218 through the air
- WSC held the Beavers to145 yards rushing and 97 passing |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Maliki Wilson paced the Wildcats in rushing with the team's first 100-yard rushing performance of the season, gaining 145 yards on 27 carries and one score
- Aaron Bleil completed 10 of 20 passes for 185 yards and two TD's while Thramer was 2 for 2 for 33 yards and one TD
- Mason Lee and Nate Rogers each had four catches for 74 yards and one TD
- Tyler Thomsen had 11 tackles and one fumble recovery to lead the Wildcats
- Emile Hope added seven stops with one interception |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, October 27 vs. #1 Minnesota State – 1 p.m. |
| Winona State University Warriors |
| Last Week |
Season Record |
Streak |
Preseason Poll |
| L 37-17 vs. UMD |
5-3, 2-2 South |
L1 |
2nd Overall, 2nd South |
| Team Notes |
- Three-game win streak snapped by No. 5 Minnesota Duluth
- Limited to a season-low five yards rushing
- Held UMD to under 200 yards passing … WSU defense has successfully done so five times this year
- Marked just the second time this season the WSU defense hasn’t forced a turnover |
| Top Performer(s) |
- Starting quarterback Owen Burke threw for at least one touchdown in his eighth consecutive game
- Redshirt freshman quarterback Dawson Davis threw his first career touchdown pass
- Senior Isaiah Frandsen caught his fifth touchdown of the year and went over 100 yards receiving for the third time |
| Up Next |
| Saturday, Oct. 27 vs. SMSU – 1 p.m. |
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