Augustana opens the 2013 season on Saturday, Sept. 7, hosting NSIC North Division foe MSU Moorhead. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Kirkeby-Over Stadium in Sioux Falls. Saturday marks the fourth straight season that Augustana has opened a season at home.  Augustana was picked to finish ninth overall and fifth in the South Division in the annual preseason coaches’ poll. Augustana is coming off its first losing season in six seasons. Jerry Olszewski enters his first season as the head coach at Augustana.   Olszewski brings 20 seasons of coaching experience to Augustana as he spent the last five seasons at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn., where he posted a 32-18 record.  In all five seasons at St. Olaf, Olszewski’s teams finished with a .500 or better record.  Augustana returns three All-NSIC performers from last season. Grant Gebhardt, Dajon Newell and Thomas Vanasek were all named to the All-NSIC South Division Second Team.

Bemidji State
Bemidji State finished the 2012 campaign 7-4 overall to tie for fifth and with a 6-1 record captured a share of the NSIC North Title with University of Minnesota Duluth. The Beavers welcome back just three starters from their offense, but are returning a core group on the defensive side. Last season, the Gang Green defense finished 15th nationally in total defense and rushing defense and 18th in scoring defense. BSU was tabbed sixth in the NSIC Preseason Coaches’ Poll. The reigning NSIC North Division Champions were placed fourth in the NSIC North poll. Seniors Avery Walker (RB, Milwaukee, Wis.) and Matthew Shaver (DL, St. Cloud, Minn.) were named BSU’s Players to Watch. Head coach Jeff Tesch enters his 18th season at Bemidji State and owns a 113-71 career record. The Beavers open the season Thursday, Sept. 5 at Winona State University in a 6 p.m. kickoff.  In the opening game, Tesch will go against the other coaching dean of the NSIC in Tom Sawyer, who is also in his 18th season as head coach of the Warriors. The Beavers are 29-43-1 all-time against Winona State, but won the last meeting against then-No. 20 WSU, 24-19 in Bemidji, Minn. Sept. 12, 2009.

Concordia-St. Paul
CU opens the season at home against Minot State with an 11 a.m. kickoff on Saturday at Sea Foam Stadium. The Golden Bears are 3-1 all-time vs. MISU and are 2-0 at home. In the last meeting between the teams in 2011, Concordia defeated Minot State 43-31 in Minot, N.D. The Golden Bears are 1-1 in season openers under third year head coach Ryan Williams and are 4-5 at Sea Foam Stadium in his tenure.
The biggest team news of the week is the announcement of the starting quarterback as junior Jared Russo edged out returning starter James Peterson. Russo was also voted as the team’s only offensive team captain while defenders Zach Moore and Mike Willett earned the other two captain nods. The fourth captain will be a rotating gameday captain each week.
Russo started three games and played in 10 as a r-freshman in 2011 while leading the team in passing attempts (170). He threw 10 touchdown passes and passed for 1,037 yards that season. Last year, Peterson won the starting job after returning from injury while passing for 2,560 yards (third in school history) and 21 touchdowns, just one off the school record. But he was intercepted 20 times and had a completion % just above 50% for the season.
Defensively, Moore is a preseason All-America first team pick by virtually all Division II outlets and is ranked as the fifth overall Division II talent by D2Football.com, including earning the second ranking among defensive ends and the third overall defensive player on the list. Last year he was fifth in the nation with 14.0 sacks and 11th with 21.5 tackles for loss. He enters the year with 26 career sacks, just four shy of the career record at Concordia. The Golden Bears are coming off of a 2-9 campaign that included five losses by eight points or less (one score).
The special teams unit is led by Fred Mitchell Award Watch List member Tom Obarski, one of the top kickers in the country. Last year he had the longest field goal in the nation at the Division II level with a 59-yarder which broke the school and NSIC record. He’s delivered three of the longest six field goals in league history and five of the longest six in team history. He’s also accurate close, making 12 of 13 inside of 40 yards. He also handles kickoff and punting duties, with his punting average increasing by over six yards per punt from his freshman to sophomore season.

University of Mary
Seniors Craig Bagnell, John Oyloe and Scott Maldonado and junior Nick Jolliffe were announced as the 2013 team captains for the University of Mary football team. Bagnell was chosen by his teammates as a captain for the third straight year and Oyloe for the second. Jolliffe and Maldonado are both first time captains for the Marauders.
  The Marauders open the 2013 season at home against defending NSIC champion Minnesota State on Saturday at 2:30 PM.
Myron Schulz, the man most associated with University of Mary football and the longest-tenured coach in school history, is resigning his head coaching position effective at the end of the 2013 season. Entering his 15th season at the helm of the Marauders football team, Schulz will become a faculty member in U-Mary’s Gary Tharaldson School of Business.
 As U-Mary prepares to celebrate its 25th anniversary of Marauders football, Schulz starts his 23rd season as a member of the squad’s coaching staff. His 97 wins are more than any other U-Mary head football coach. Schulz directed his teams to four conference crowns and six playoff appearances while posting nine straight winning seasons at the start of his tenure.

Minnesota Crookston
UMC will open up the season Friday, Sept. 6 under the lights of Ed Widseth Field at 6 p.m. versus Upper Iowa University. The Golden Eagles return eight starters from last season’s defense but do not have the same luxury on offense where only five starters return but one of those starters, wide receiver Josh Ross, will be out all season with an injury. Offensively, the leading threats returning are Marcus Cheatham at wide receiver and Keith McBride, who moves from fullback back to the feature back position after losing two-time All-NSIC back Richard Haley, who was a senior last year. Cheatham had 40 receptions for 498 yards and eight
touchdowns a year ago while McBride was more of a receiving threat than a running threat last year, with 23 catches for 245 yards after rushing for over 1,600 yards in his first two seasons.
      The biggest story line for the Golden Eagles will be at quarterback where they will look to two freshmen signal callers in Aliso Viejo, Calif. native Nathan Cole and Clayton, Wis. product Kyle Larson. How they acclimate to the NSIC climate as true freshmen may dictate the success of the Golden Eagle offense.
    Defensively, the Golden Eagles will be moving to a 4-2-5 defense but return a lot of their best players from last season especially at linebacker where the Golden Eagles return all three starters in Andrew Hall (60 tackles), Ricky Jacobs (55 tackles) and Brody Davidson (49 tackles). Jacobs was an All-NSIC North Honorable Mention pick in 2012. The Golden Eagles also return a lot of experience in the defensive backfield with 2012 All-NSIC North Honorable Mention pick Tevin Kellum, who makes the move from corner to safety, Freedom McCullough and Paul Webster, all who started in 2012.

#11 Minnesota Duluth
UMD will open its 81st season of play this Saturday night by hosting Sioux Falls at James S. Malosky Stadium ... the first-ever clash between the two clubs will also mark the Bulldog head coaching debut of Curt Wiese, who was promoted to the top post last winter after spending the past five seasons as UMD’s offensive coordinator.
The Bulldogs welcome back 50 lettermen from a club which went 10-2 one year ago, captured their fifth consecutive NSIC North Division title and made their fifth straight NCAA II playoff appearance. Among the holdovers are some 16 starters, including nine on offense and seven on defense, along with both the No. 1 punter (Alex Brown and placekicker (2013 All-NSIC North Division first team selection Andrew Brees).
For the first time since the 2004 season finale, someone other than Ted Schlafke (47 straight games between 2005-08), Jon Lynch (first two games in 2010) or Chase Vogler (last 52 games) will take the opening snap for the Bulldogs this Saturday. Last week, Wiese tabbed red-shirted freshman Drew Bauer for that honor. Bauer, like Vogler, hails from Inver Grove Heights, Minn.
The Bulldogs averaged a school-record 46.5 points per game one year ago, the third best mark in NCAA II football.
The senior quartet of strong safety Travis Nordhus, offensive guard Tom Olson, iinside linebacker Colby Ring and outside linebacker Nate Zuk, along with junior wide receiver/return specialist Aaron Roth, will also serve as Bulldog team captains this fall. Ring has paced the Bulldogs in tackles in each of the past two seasons while Olson started all 41 games over the past three seasons.

#2 Minnesota State
The Minnesota State football team begins its 87th season Saturday as it takes on the University of Mary on the road.
The Mavericks owns a 2-0 all-time record against the University of Mary, including a 35-14 win in Bismarck back in the 2009 season.
MSU returns its top four rushers from a season ago, including sophomore Connor Thomas, who led the team with 938 yards on the ground.
The Mavericks also welcome back senior quarterback Jon Wolf who threw for 1,755 passing yards and 17 touchdowns last season.
On defense, MSU returns three of its top-5 tacklers from last season, including junior Kris Fleigle, who boasted a team-high 73 tackles in 2012. The Mavericks also return senior Chris Schaudt, who led the team in sacks with 11.5 last season.

MSU Moorhead
The Dragons, who open the season Saturday at Augustana, return 10 starters on offense and six on defense from last year’s squad. MSUM returns 32 letterwinners overall. Sophomore Jake Hodge returns at quarterback after throwing for 1,423 yards and six touchdowns a year ago. Sophomore wide receiver Adam Jiskra returns after catching 41 passes for 617 yards and six touchdowns to lead MSUM in all three categories. At running back, junior Brandon Schell (370 yards, two touchdowns) and sophomore Zayne Medhaug (218 yards, five touchdowns) return. The top returner for the Dragon defense is sophomore linebacker Nick Seedorff, who had 96 tackles and two interceptions a year ago.  Sophomore cornerback Chris Binford returns after recording 47 tackles a year ago.

Minot State
Minot State University begins its second season in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference on the road Saturday at Concordia St. Paul (11 a.m.). Minot State will rely on an experience defensive unit as eight starters return from last season’s 10th ranked scoring defense. MISU returns all three starting defensive linemen and all four linebackers and has experience and depth in the front seven, including its top two leading tacklers #40 Casey Weinmann (LB, 6-0, 212, Jr., Selz, N.D. / Harvey High School) and #42 Chad Marshall (LB, 6-0, 234, Sr., Hazen, N.D. / Hazen High School). Weinmann had 83 stops while Marshall, a four-year starter, had79 tackles. Minot State also returns the bulk of its offensive specialists with sophomore #16 Zac Cunha (QB, 6-3, 233, So., Rocklin, Calif. / Roseville High School) returning as the Beavers No. 1 signal caller. Cunha threw for 1,982 yards and 14 TDs in 2012. He is joined by receivers #23 Wayne Peters (WR, 5-10, 187, Sr., Carson, Calif. / Carson High School) and #82 Porter Sturm (SR, 6-1, 185, So., Roy, Mont. / Roy High School), who combined for 78 catches and 1,119 yards last season.

Northern State
Northern State University begins its fourth season under Head Coach Tom Dosch on Saturday as the Wolves host Wayne State at 6 p.m. at Swisher Field. 2012’s 6-5 finish was the best at Northern since 2005, which was also the last time NSU posted a winning season. The Wolves return seven starters on offense from a year ago including honorable mention NSIC honoree Jared Jacobson (QB, 5-11, 210, JR., Rapid City, S.D. / St. Thomas More High School). Jacobson was the only player in the NSIC to rush for at least 600 yards and pass for at least 2,500 in 2012. Defensively, Northern returns six starters including First Team All-NSIC selection from 2012 Logan Dosch (Safety, 6-2, 210, Sr., Aberdeen, S.D. / Roncalli High School). Dosch was fifth in the league a season ago with four interceptions. Dosch also recorded 83 total tackles in 2012 including 52 solo stops which was top-10 in the league a season ago.

Sioux Falls
The 2012 edition of the USF football team completed their debut Northern Sun season with a 9-2 record and fourth place finish in the league standings. The Cougars graduated 25 seniors and will embark on their second year of NSIC play with virtually an entire new cast of characters. The Cougars’ top returner is senior Carrington Hanna, a 2012 all-conference wide receiver who racked up 898 yards and 10 TDs. Sixth-year senior Austin Vanhove also returns at tight end after catching 43 passes last year while Sophomore corner John Tidwell gave opposing offenses fits last season, as he picked off three passes and blocked two kicks along with posting 62 total tackles. Saturday’s opener versus Minnesota Duluth will also serve as the Cougar debut for true freshman quarterback Luke Papilion, who accumulated 1,939 yards (1,441 pass/498 rush) of total offense and 21 TDs (9 pass/12 rush) during his senior campaign at Cherry Creek High School (Colo.). This week’s matchup between USF and UMD is the first ever meeting between the two schools. USF is 37-50-6 alltime in season openers and 2-1 with fourth-year head coach Jed Stugart at the helm. The Cougars have posted a winning record in 19 consecutive seasons, dating back to the 1994 campaign.

Southwest Minnesota State
SMSU finished the 2012 season with a record of 4-7 and tied for 10th place in the 16-team NSIC.  SMSU finished 3-4 in the NSIC South, tying for fourth place in the eight-team division … SMSU head coach Cory Sauter begins his fourth season and has an overall record of 11-22 … SMSU quarterback Charlie Kern is expected to make his first career start on Saturday versus St. Cloud State … SMSU last season rushed for 1,888 rushing yards on 385 carries, which ranked as the second highest total in school single-season history … Four Mustang players received preseason accolades from various websites and publications.  USA?College Football named senior center Brandon Puffer to its preseason All-America second team, while senior left guard Jake Thiel was named third team. Senior safety Tate Bunkers and senior tackle Kyle Johnson were both named to the honorable mention team.

St. Cloud State
St. Cloud State, receiving votes in the 2013 AFCA Preseason Coaches Poll, will open the season on the road at Southwest Minnesota State University. The Huskies return 16 starters from the 2012 team that posted the Huskies fifth straight winning season under head coach Scott Underwood with a 7-4 record. St. Cloud State is picked to finish fourth overall in the NSIC and second in the NSIC North in 2013. The Huskies boast the NSIC North Division Offensive and Defensive Preseason Players of the Year in Phillip Klaphake (Sr., QB, Princton, Minn.) and Jack Moro (Sr., DB, Brookfield, Wis.). Klaphake is a fourth-year starter and three-year captain. He is the first Husky quarterback to pass for over 7,000 yards (7,713) and rush for over 1,000 yards (1,816) in a career. He holds seven single game records. Moro was named to five All-American teams in 2012 after leading the nation in interceptions with a school record 11 picks.  He is a third-year starter and has played in every game over the last three years. The Huskies are 15-1 all-time against the Mustangs since the series began in 1970. St. Cloud State is 2-0 against SMSU since joining the NSIC in 2008. The only Mustang win was in 1981 when both schools were members of the Northern Intercollegiate Conference (NIC), 13-6 in Marshall.

Upper Iowa
The Peacocks will kickoff their 2013 season this Friday at the University of Minnesota Crookston.  In their last meeting, the Peacocks won 31-21 in a game that also took place in northwest Minnesota.  UIU will look to unleash their quick strike offense that has seen the record books altered over the last two seasons.  Leading the way for the offense is redshirt junior quarterback Cole Jaeschke, along with junior running back and 2011 NSIC Offensive Player and Newcomer of the Year Chris Smith.  Joining the two former All-NSIC South Division performers are receivers Keaton Hosch, Shay Gutman, Lucas Hefty and Derek Giesking and offensive tackle Casey Beck.  Hosch, Gutman and Beck have all been named to previous All-NSIC South Division teams as well.  The defense for the Peacocks will take on a more aggressive look this season as recruiting focused on the corner back position.  The secondary this season is one of UIU’s deepest and will be led by Jordan Andera, a 2013 All-NSIC South Division performer.  At linebacker, one of the best hitters in the NSIC, Ethan Douglas returns for his final campaign in Peacock blue and white.  Douglas is just 23 tackles away from 300 in his career and has slid into the middle linebacker role this season.  After Friday night’s 6 p.m. kick in Crookston, UIU will return home for the 2013 opener of Harms-Eischeid Stadium.  The Peacocks will host the #11 Bulldogs of the University of Minnesota Duluth at 6 p.m. under the lights in Fayette.

Wayne State
Wayne State College opens the 2013 football season Saturday night at Northern State in Aberdeen.  The Wildcats are 4-4 under head coach Dan McLaughlin in season openers, winning four of their last five season debuts dating back to the 2008 season.  WSC and NSU did not face each other last season.  The Wildcats have won the last four meetings against the Wolves dating back to the 2006 season with the most recent game in 2011 when the Wildcats beat the Wolves in Aberdeen 37-10 on September 24, 2011.  Seniors Charlie Davidson and Austan Pomajzl are listed as Wildcats to Watch in the NSIC this season.  Davidson was the NSIC Offensive Newcomer of the Year last season after the running back from Wheaton, Illinois rushed for 880 yards on 178 carries with seven touchdowns.  Pomajzl was the top tackler for the Wildcats last season from his strong safety position as the Grand Island Northwest graduate recorded 96 tackles to go along with a team-high four interceptions.

Winona State
The Winona State football team will kick off its 2013 season Thursday night against Bemidji State. The Warriors are coming off a season that saw them go 10-2 and win the Mineral Water Bowl, their eighth postseason trip in the last 13 years. The team returns 11 starters, including four members of its offensive line and quarterback John Teigland. Teigland threw for over 2,900 yards and 24 touchdowns last year while leading the Warriors to the fifth ten-win season in program history. He will be protected on the offensive line by preseason All-Americans Richard Lilla and Vance Ross. Defensively, WSU returns three linebackers but will need to replace three starters from its secondary. Gametime of the Warrior opener Thursday is set for 6 pm at Verizon Wireless Stadium in Winona.

    #NSIC#