SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE FOOTBALL - WEEK ONE
18th Annual AG BOWL presented by RALCO
TONIGHT
- The SMSU football program (0-0, 0-0 NSIC) opens its 56th season tonight hosting Minot State University (1-0, 0-0 NSIC) for the annual Ag Bowl, presented by Ralco.
- Tonight's opener marks the third season for SMSU head coach Scott Underwood, who led SMSU to a 4-7 mark in 2022, followed by a 2-9 season in 2023. Underwood, the 11th head coach in program history, was named to the position on Jan. 7, 2022.
- The Mustangs have 33 returning letter winners, including three starters on offense, eight starters on defense and its punter from the 2023 team. The 2024 roster features 10 seniors, 24 juniors, 10 sophomores, 25 redshirt freshmen and 35 freshmen.
- Minot State, which finished 1-10 last season, opened its 2024 season last Thursday earning a 38-7 home victory over NAIA Valley City State.
SMSU VS. MSU SERIES HISTORY
- Southwest Minnesota State and Minot State meet for the 11th time on Saturday night with SMSU holding a 9-1 advantage in a series that started on Sept. 15, 1990 ... SMSU is 4-1 all-time in games played in Marshall, including earning a 27-20 overtime victory in the last meeting in Marshall on Sept. 24, 2022 ... SMSU has won the last seven games in the series, including all six with both schools members of the NSIC ... SMSU won last season’s meeting, 28-23 in Minot, N.D. ... MSU earned its lone victory in the series in Marshall during the 1996 season ... SMSU won the first two games of the series in 1990 and 1991 scoring a combined 124 points.
OPENING DRIVE TIDBITS
- SMSU returns nearly its entire coaching staff from a season ago with Levi Bullerman (7th season), Doug Patterson (3rd season), Paddy Devlin (3rd season), Charles Alexander (2nd season) and Zac Chuna (2nd season) all returning. Anders Faaren also returns as a staff assistant. Newcomers to the staff include Paul Anderson, Brady Underwood and Evan Peterson.
- For the second straight season, the NSIC will not have a divisional format in football. Each team will play 10 NSIC games with five at home and five on the road.
- SMSU will have a new starting quarterback this season with the departures of both Marcus Martin (10) and Tomele Staples (1), who combined to start all 11 games last season.
- It will be the sixth straight season SMSU will have a new quarterback starting week one. Blake Gimbel was the last Mustang to start back-to-back season openers in 2017 and 2018. Steven Nava started week one in 2019, with Andrew Haidet in 2021, followed by Justus McComb in 2022, and Marcus Martin in 2023.
- The SMSU offense will have a new look this season having to replace its starting quarterback along with its top rusher and receiver from 2023.
- Junior wide receiver Colin Maher is the team’s top returning receiver after catching 15 passes for 189 yards in 2023. Junior Jake Anderson caught 11 passes for 195 yards a season ago.
- Sophomore running back Treay Taylor, who rushed 19 times for 35 yards in 2023, is the teams’ top returning rusher.
- The offensive line will be anchored by junior left tackle Tyler Nebelung, who started all 11 games and has played in every games the past two seasons.
- Junior guard Jake Schetinski started five games in 2023, while sophomore guard Eddie Garcia made four starts.
- Junior center Alex Maxwell returns after starting the first two games of the 2023 season before suffering a season-ending injury.
- On defense, SMSU returns its top three and six of its top eight tacklers from a season ago.
- Junior linebacker Josiah Hedensten, who was named All-NSIC second team, started all 11 games and led SMSU with 88 tackles, while ranking second in both tackles for loss (7.5) and sacks (3).
- Junior linebacker Gideon Ervasti ranked second last season with 65 tackles and tied for second with 7.5 tackles for loss.
- Senior linebacker Thomas Mergen ranked third on the squad last season with 62 tackles with seven for loss.
- Junior safety Diego Maldonado finished sixth on the team in 2023 with 38 tackles with senior safety Tate Gaul registering 37 tackles.
- Sophomore cornerback Amarion Meshack ranked eighth on the team last year with 37 tackles and had five pass break-ups.
- Junior defensive end Avery Johnson also returns after racking up a team-high 10.5 tackles for loss with a team-leading five sacks in 10 games. He registered three sacks and had four tackles for loss versus MSU Moorhead last season becoming the first SMSU player to record three sacks in a game since Jason Jacobs in 1998.
- SMSU will gain the return of senior cornerback Marquise Ogletree, who led the team with three interceptions in 2022. He was injured in the first quarter of the 2023 season opener and missed the remainder of the season.
- Sophomore punter Mason Carver returns after recording a 36.5-yard punt average with 16 inside the opponents’ 20-yard line last season.
MUSTANG HISTORY
- This season marks the 56th year of college football at SMSU (including the 2020 season that was canceled) dating to 1968.
- SMSU owns an all-time record of 209-358-5, including 147-260-5 in conference play.
- SMSU has recorded 10 winning seasons, which includes two NAIA playoff appearances (1987 and 1991) and one Mineral Water Bowl appearance (2013).
- The program earned its lone conference championship in 1990.
SEASON & HOME OPENER INFORMATION
- SMSU is 23-31 all-time in season openers after winning at Minot State in 2023. The victory snapped a five-game losing streak in season lid-lifters dating back to 2017.
- SMSU lost, 34-14, to Bemidji State in last season’s home opener. SMSU is 1-5 in its last six home openers with the lone victory coming over Concordia-St. Paul in 2022.
SCOUTING MINOT STATE
- Ian Shields is in his second season as head coach after spending three seasons an assistant coach at UNLV. Shields spent four years as the head coach at Division I FCS Jacksonville University (Fla.), two years as the head coach at Division II Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.), and two seasons as head coach at NAIA Eastern Oregon University.
- MSU opened the season last Thursday with a 38-7 home victory over Valley City State (N.D.). It’s the program’s first opening day victory since 2002.
- The Beavers ran 59 plays in the win with only one pass attempt. MSU closed the game rushing for a school record 416 yards on 58 attempts.
- Senior running back Evan Lovett rushed for a game-high 139 yards and one touchdown on 18 carries, while junior quarterback Carson Chrisman rushed for a school record tying four touchdowns and 133 yards on 15 attempts. Chrisman was a defensive back his first three seasons before converting to quarterback this fall.
- Sophomore cornerback Brayan Augustin racked up a team-high seven tackles in the victory, while senior linebacker Carson Cayko registered six tackles with three for loss.
- Sophomore defensive back Myzel Williams recorded five tackles and one interception, while freshman cornerback Nalu Cordeiro added one interception.
- The Beavers finished 1-10 last season with its lone victory coming in week seven versus Concordia-St. Paul.