Football | 11/17/2016 9:08:00 PM

SIOUX FALLS -- The #4 USF Football Team (11-0), which won the NSIC for the first time, is seeded second and will host #24 and seventh seeded  and GNAC champion Azusa Pacific (9-2) in the NCAA DII playoffs first round at noon on Saturday, Nov. 19 at Bob Young Field. This will be the first-ever home playoff game for USF in the D2 era (since 2011) at Bob Young Field where the Cougars are 12-0 all-time in playoff games.

In just five years, USF's will make a second straight appearance in the NCAA DII playoffs. A year ago, they dropped a 23-16 decision to #8 Henderson State (11-1) at Arkadelphia, Ark. This year opponent, Azusa Pacific which sits 9-2 and winners of the five-team Great Northwest Athletic Conference, will be in the playoffs for the first time after making eight appearances while a member of the NAIA. Azusa Pacific, 25-7 in the past three seasons, won all eight league games this season and lost twice out of conference to Colorado Mines, 27-23 on the road and at Colorado Mesa, 33-24.  

USF sits 37-13 all-time in postseason play
Before moving to DII in 2011, the Cougars had a highly successful run in NAIA, including winning national championships in 1996, 2006, 2008 and 2009. In the NAIA playoffs, USF was 36-12, including the four national titles, three runner-up finishes and three semifinal appearances. USF won its first ever league title in 1981 (SDIC) and with the NSIC title this season have 20 total conference crowns. USF's first unbeaten regular season was in 1988. This year, USF had its 16th, 10-win season, including two in the past three seasons. Overall USF has a 37-13 mark in postseason play, which includes a 42-10 win over Central Oklahoma in the 2014 Mineral Water Bowl.

Things to Know --
~ Of note, the Cougars will make its third appearance in the postseason, including two straight in the NCAA DII playoffs, in just five seasons at the DII level.
~ The Cougars recorded its 12th unbeaten regular season in school history. The other unbeaten regular season teams include 1988, 1995, 1996, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010. In 1996, 2006, 2008 and 2009 the Cougars won NAIA national titles.
~ USF had head coach Jed Stugart earn the NSIC Coach of the Year honor, the seventh USF coach to win coach of the year honors at the conference level.
~ The Cougars had 24 players, including eight first-team performers, named to the All-NSIC squad released on Thursday. Of that group, senior defensive back Delvin Batiste was named the NSIC Defensive Newcomer of the Year.
~ USF has 26 seniors, who were recognized on Senior Day last Saturday at Bob Young Field.

Cougars sit 60-5 all-time at Bob Young Field
USF has a home record at Bob Young Field of 60-5 (.923). In the playoffs, USF has a 12-0 record at Bob Young Field, including the most recent victory, a 38-0 win over MidAmerica Nazarene of Kansas on Dec. 4, 2010. The Cougars, which has won 16-of-18 home games, including 7-0 in 2016, were victorious the first 32 games at the stadium and have since taken 30-of-35 at the friendly confines of Young Field. Overall, including play at Howard Wood Field (through 2006), the Cougars have won 81 of the past 86 games and 71-of-75 home conference games, including 47 in the GPAC (NAIA) and 24 (25-4) as an NSIC member in NCAA DII.  Since 2000, USF is 98-10 at home. 

Series -- USF trails Azusa Pacific, 1-0
The only time the two teams have played was in a first round NAIA playoff game in 2004. In the only meeting between the schools, USF fell to APU, 24-3 in 2004 at Azusa, Calif., on a chilly (50 degrees) and rainy day before 1,000 in attendance at Cougar Field. USF had just 20 yards rushing on 29 carries and added 93 passing yards for 113 yards in total offense. APU had 45 carries for 206 yards rushing and 132 passing yards for 338 yards in total offense. USF was hurt by two fumbles in what was legendary head coach Bob Young's final game. Young finished 172-69-3 and Kalen DeBoer took over in 2005. Current offensive coordinator Dusty Hovorka played in the 2004 game, catching six passes for 56 yards. USF received 61 yards rushing from Mike Dvoracek and scored its only points on a 43-yard field goal by T.J. Fraser. Ben Buys, who is a coach on the APU squad this year, had 14 carries for 46 yards and scored the first TD of the game on a seven-yard run. It was the only points that APU would need. They added a 40-yard TD run by Marcus Lampkin (13-106-TD) in the third quarter and a eight yard TD pass from Sean Davis (11-19-132) to Ricky Burgan. Since that game, both teams have moved to NCAA DII and now meet at USF at Bob Young Field.

At Stake
    A win by USF will earn the  NSIC champion Cougars its first-ever DII playoffs victory. The winner of the USF/APU game moves on to the second round of the DII playoffs and will match up with the Harding/Central Missouri contest in a game to be played Saturday, Nov. 26.

NSIC in the Playoffs
This is the second straight playoff appearance for USF, which lost to Henderson State a year ago on the road. In total the NSIC was 0-3 a year ago in the playoffs but have a 24-24 overall mark. In 2008 and 2010 Minnesota Duluth was 15-0 and national champions with current USD head coach Bob Nielsen leading the way. In 2014 Minnesota State was runnerup to CSU Pueblo, falling 13-0 in the title game.

Cougars sit #4 nationally and finished #2 in Super Region 3
    USF is ranked #4 in the AFCA Coaches Poll and #5 in the D2Football.com Poll and #5 in David Boyce's DII Power Poll at NCAA.com rank. USF were named the #2 seed in the NCAA DII playoffs Super Region 3 field.
 
About Azusa Pacific
Also with the motto name of Cougars, Azusa Pacific, which is the Alma Mater of USF head coach Jed Stugart, who played linebacker, has a solid year in winning the GNAC and earning rankings in the top 25 most of the season, finishing at #24. They are led by quarterback Andrew Elffers, who completed 154-of-237 passes with 18 TDs and just two interceptions. He had 2,008 passing yards while rushing for 329 yards and seven TDs. In the backfield, APU is led by Kurt Scoby, who had 99 carries for 604 yards and five TDs. Weston Carr leads the wideouts with 46 catches for 837 yards and seven TDs. He caught an 85 yard TD pass. Ethan Zeidler had 44 catches for 662 yards and four TDs. Aaron Berry leads the team with 98 tackles, six TFLs and an interception. Mykal Walker had 95 stops, three sacks, two picks and 9.5 TFLs.  The team is directed by head coach Victor Santa Cruz, a 1995 graduate of Hawaii. He directed APU through the transition from NAIA to DII and had back to back 10 win seasons in 2013 and 2014. He came to APU in 2001, serving five years as an assistant before taking over head coaching duties in 2006. He is 67-51 in his career, including 26-32 in road games.

Cougars move to 45-10 in NSIC games
     USF is 45-10 in NSIC games and 51-15 in all DII games since the transition in 2011. USF's clinched a 23rd straight winning season three weeks ago, a streak which is unmatched in D2 and the fifth-longest streak across all divisions. The string of success began with an 8-3 season for legendary head coach Bob Young in 1994. In the four seasons in the NSIC, USF has gone 9-2, 6-5, 11-1 (Mineral Water Bowl champs) and 9-3 in 2015. 

Seniors have established a legacy of winning at USF
This playoff match up with Azusa Pacific will be another opportunity for 26 seniors to build in a significant legacy in the program.  The senior class is responsible for a 37-7 record overall, including 18-4 at Bob Young Field. USF, which was 19-5 on the road, compiled a 36-8 record in NSIC games. In the class are 23 student athletes who earned All-NSIC honors, combined four All-American honors, 18 Academic All-NSIC honors, an Academic All-American and three All-District Academic honors. In addition, the group extended USF's consecutive season winning streak to 23, was ranked 35 consecutive weeks in both the D2football.com and AFCA Coaches Poll, including 25 total top 10 rankings. With a 11-0 record in 2016, the Cougars have had the best start in a season at the DII level while recording a 11-win season for the second time in three seasons. Here is the senior class - Tosin Adedeji, CB, son of Bolaji and Kenny Adedeji, Business/Sports Management, Brooklyn Center, Minn.; Erik Albeck, WR, son of Danny and Sherry Ward, Criminal Justice, Janesville, Wisc.; Josh Angulo, WR, son of Amy and Tim Leeburton, Chiropractic Science, Sioux Falls, S.D.; Kyle Athmann, WR, son of Marty and Karla Athmann, Psychology/Criminal Justice, Bird Island, Minn.; Delvin Batiste, CB, son Stephanie Batiste and Lawrence Grant, media studies, Upland, Calif.; Keenan Baynard, RB, son of Tim and Karen Baynard, Applied Mathematics, Minneapolis, Minn.; Durant Foote, OL, son of Ray Foote, step mom Karen Foote and Laurie Brady, Sports Management, Reno, Nev; Evan Gentry, DE, son of Michael and the late Stephanie Gentry and stepmother Lynn Budd, Media Studies, Tallahassee, Fla.; Antonio Green, OL, son of Antonio Green, Sr., and Teresa Taylor, Sports Management, Dublin, Ga.; Richard Guarascio, OL, son of Louis and Elizabeth Guarascio, Exercise Science, Naples, Fla.; Justin Fulks, RB, son of Willis and Cynthia Fulks, Media Studies, Overland Park, Kan.,; Wyatt Hixon, DB, son of Derik and Kimberly Hixon, Graduate Studies, Los Angeles, Calif.; Terry Huber, OL, son of Dennis and Karen Huber, Secondary Education, Yankton, S.D.; Drew Jackson, DE, son of Derrick and Buffy Jackson, criminal justice, San Francisco, Calif.; Westly Johnson, DE, son of Westly Jr., and Savator Johnson, Media Studies, Grand Rapids, Mich.; Corbin Lawler, QB, son of John and Michele Lawler, Business/Sports Management, Tea, S.D.; Nathan Lucs, LB, Exercise Science, son of Erik and Heidi Lucs, West Des Moines, Iowa; Michael Mehling, LB, son of Michael and Kathleen Mehling, Media Studies/Theatre, Las Vegas, Nev.; Marques Mosley, DB, son of Alan Lagrosa and Caprice Mosley, Master of Business Administration, Upland, Calif.; Luke Papilion, QB, son of Pete and Linda Papilion, Business Administration, Denver, Colo.; Clifford Redmond, CB, son of Jenifer and Clifford Redmond, criminal justice, Elk Grove, Calif.; Brady Rose, HB, son of Barry and Tammy Rose, Business Administration/Sports Management, Cumberland, Wisc.; Connor Schoepp, LB, Exercise Science, son of Steve and Mary Schoepp, Watertown, S.D.; Pedro Sibiea, DL, son of Marjorie and Venance Sibiea, Master of Business Administration, Homestead, Fla.; Trevor Wescott, OL, son of Dale and Christy Wescott, Sports Management, Blue Springs, Mo.; and Jess Williams, LB, son of Gary and Debbie Williams, Psychology, Wall, S.D.

USF ranks third in nation in offense and rushing yards
Sioux Falls ranks third in total offense and rushing offense and rank in the top 29 in 27 DII statistical categories, according to statistics released by the NCAA on Sunday. Overall, the Cougars rank in the DII top-10 in 10 categories.  USF, which has had 500 yards or more total offense six times and over 400 yards in all 11 games this season, is third in DII in total offense at 532.0 yards per game. The Cougars, which have had at least 249 yards rushing 10 times, including over 300 five times, sits third in rushing at 323.2 yards per game. USF, which has the best per carry average in the nation at 7.3, has already surpassed last year's entire rushing total of 2,291 yards with its 3,555 yards this season.  It is a mark that is the best in school history through 10 games.  USF, which also ranks third nationally in yards per play at 7.34, has generated 505, 604, 453, 636, 562 670, 411, 432, 477, 557 and 466 yards in the 11 games this season.   

USF's "lightning strike" offense
USF has a quick strike offense with 40 drives in under three minutes in 2016, including two vs. Wayne State in a 30-7 home win and four in the 51-7 win over Upper Iowa.  Against Wayne State, USF had one in under three minutes (2:26) and another than took just 37 seconds. Of those four scores vs UIU, USF had two take less than one minute and one in a single play. In a week one win over SCSU, USF had six TDs with drives taking three minutes or less. Of those six TDs, five came in two minutes or less and two in under a minute. Against MSUM, five of the six scoring drives were under three minutes, including two in less than 20 seconds. USF added three more scoring drives in three minutes or less against Minot State.  Against Bemidji State, the Cougars scored 34 points in the third quarter, including three TDs in 6:27 to open the second half. All five TDs by USF were scored in less than three minutes of drive time with two under a minute vs. BSU. In the victory over Augustana, USF had two drives in three minutes or less. The Cougars had three TD drives of three minutes or less in the 48-24 win over SMSU. Against Winona State, USF had two drives of three minutes or less and added six against CSP, including three in less than a minute. USF added another sub-two minute scoring drive in the win over Minnesota State. This year USF has produced 11 TDs in 40 seconds or less. In 40 of the 58 TD drives in 2016, USF has taken less than three minutes and 27 in two minutes or less. A year ago, USF had 44 TD drives of three minutes or less drive time with 33 in under two minutes and 16 in one minute or less.  In the past two years USF has had 84 TD drives in three minutes or less. In the past two seasons, USF has 30 scoring driving in under one minute and 60 in under two minutes of time.

By the numbers under Stugart
USF is 61-3 when leading at halftime in the Stugart era.  They are 2-11 when trailing at halftime and 1-2 when tied at halftime. USF is 51-5 when scoring first and when opponents score first, the Cougars stand 16-11.

Papilion ranks fifth all-time in total offense in league history
Luke Papilion, a senior quarterback from Denver, Colo., has become USF's all-time leader in passing and total offense.  Papilion, the NSIC's only two-time Harlon Hill candidate, now has 12,107 yards, which ranks him fifth all-time in league history.  He is 195 yards away from 9K (8,805)in passing which would make him the school's only 9,000-3,000 quarterback and just one of two in league history. With 115 passing yards against Wayne State (11/12/16), Papilion has 8,805 passing yards which ranks first all-time. Plus he is the only USF QB ever to throw for 8,000 yards and rush for 3,000. He has 3,302 rushing yards, which ranks fifth all-time at USF and is first among quarterbacks.  He is second all-time in TD passes with 77. The all-time leader is Kurtiss Riggs, who had 85 TD passes from 1993-96. 
In NSIC play only, he has 8,302 yards passing, eighth all-time in league play, and 3,137 yards rushing, 11th all-time in league play, in NSIC only games with his 11,333 total yards in league play fifth all-time in NSIC history. He is the all-time leader in the NSIC in rushing yards by a quarterback and one of six who has had 2,000 yards rushing.
~ With 12, 100-yard rushing games, he owns the mark for the most by a  quarterback at USF and ranks tied for fourth all-time with Nephi Garcia, 2013-14. This season, Papilion has five 100-yard rushing games (149, 101, 163, 122 104). 
~ Ranks second on the NSIC all-time chart in total offense with 293.2 yards per game, trailing only Jeff Loots of Southwest Minnesota State at 343.2.
 
Angulo passes 200 receptions for his career
Senior wide receiver Josh Angulo has 55 receptions for 663 yards and eight TDs. With 205 receptions, Angulo has moved up to third on USF's all-time receiving list. He has a season-career best 15 catches for 164 yards (1, 4, 43) vs. Bemidji State (37-36 W, 9-24-16). Angulo's 15 catches in a win over then #22 Bemidji State tied a school record (Kalen DeBoer, Nov. 2, 1996 vs. Nebraska-Wesleyan) and is the most catches by a receiver while USF has been at DII. Also this season, he had two catches for 10 yards and a TD vs. SCSU (9-1-16), recorded four caches for 71 yards and two TDs against MSUM (9-10-16) at Bob Young Field, had one catch for 18 yards against Minot State (9-17-16) and seven catches for 80 yards and a TD in the "Key to the City" victory at Augustana. Angulo added four catches for 43 yards vs. SMSU on Oct. 8. He had five catches for 53 yards and a TD in the win over MSU (10-29-16).  Against Wayne State (11/12/16), Angulo had seven catches for 63 yards. This season, he has two TDs (37, 43) of 30 yards or more. Angulo ranks fifth all-time at USF in all three major receiving categories with 205 receptions, for 2,775 yards and 29 TDs.

Rose continues to climb receiving charts
Senior H-back Brady Rose  continues to build on his stellar  career at USF, both by rushing and receiving. Rose had four catches for 21 yards and a four-yard TD reception and had one carry for five yards in a 30-7 win over Wayne State. With four catches, he has 182 receptions for 2,359 yards, which ranks sixth at USF all-time in both categories. He also has tied Zach Rutten (1997-2001) for ninth all-time in TD receptions with 19.  Rose showed his flexibility in the USF offense by catching and throwing a TD vs. SCSU on Sept. 1 in the opener at Husky Stadium. In the win over SCSU on Sept. 1, he both caught and threw a TD.  Rose had seven catches for 16caughts and a 64-yard TD reception. He also threw a 39-yard TD pass to Kyle Groeneweg. Rose had five catches for 60 yards against MSUM on Sept. 10, three catches for 62 yards and a TD, and one catch for 11 yards vs. BSU (9-24-16). Against Augustana, he accumulated seven catches for 91 yards. Against SMSU (10-8-16), he set a career high with 12 catches and had 119 yards and added two catches for 40 yards vs. Winona State. TIn the 51-7 win over Upper Iowa, he had five touches for 41 yards, including three receptions for 25 yards and two rushes for 16 yards, including a 14-yard run. Through 11 games, he has 50 catches and a team high 668 yards receiving and three TDs. The 119 yards receiving vs. SMSU was his sixth career 100-yard receiving game.

Angulo and Rose form historical receiving duo
Josh Angulo and Brady Rose rank second all-time for a receiving duo at USF for receiving yards and receptions. The two seniors have 5,134 receiving yards, second to Alex Anderson and Jon Ryan, who had 6,474 yards from 2007-10. Angulo/Rose have 387 receptions, which is second to Anderson/Ryan total of 392.  Anderson/Ryan had 84 TDs to 49 for Rose/Angulo.

Scoring streak hits 137 games
Since moving to DII in 2011, the Cougars have scored 2,421 points in 66 games or 36.68 ppg. In 2016, USF is averaging 40.8 points per game, which ranks 13th nationally. It has been 137 games since USF has failed to score, which was a 55-0 loss to Carroll College in the final game of the 2005 season. USF had a DII-best 73 points vs. Minnesota State-Moorhead (Sept. 27) in 2014. The previous high was in 2011 when the Cougars defeated the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, 71-0. 

USF stands 67-0 all-time when scoring 50 or more
When the Cougars reach 50 points, they are 67-0 all-time and 25-0 when scoring over 60 points. They are 7-0 all-time when breaking the 70-point mark. When the Cougars have scored over 40, USF has a 158-2 mark, including 28-1 in DII. When scoring over 30 points, USF is 235-8. The two times USF has lost when scoring over 40 points was a 45-40 setback to Winona State on Oct. 12, 2013 at Bob Young Field while in DII and 52-49 to Dakota Wesleyan in 1990 while in NAIA.

Offense lighting it up
With 1,433 points in the past 35 games (start of 2014 season), USF is averaging 40.94. In the past 35 games, the Cougars have scored 192 TDs or 5.35 per game.  USF has averaged more than six yards a play in 22 of the last 28 games.  With 585 yards on 64 plays, against SCSU on Sept. 1, the Cougars averaged 9.1 yards per play, which is its best mark at the NCAA DII level and the best since averaging 11.4 yards per play (638 yards on 56 plays) in a 66-13 win over Doane College on Sept. 18, 2010. With 670 yards vs. SMSU, USF had the fifth largest total in school history and second best (680, Minnesota Crookston, 2013) in the DII era. USF has had 600 yards or more in offense three times this season and 12 times in the Jed Stugart era (since 2010).

Max Mickey ranks #1 in yards per carry; fourth in yards
Junior running back Max Mickey has been one of the nation's top backs all season. The standout from Holden, Mo., ranks first NCAA DII in rushing yards per carry at 9.1 and ranks fourth nationally in rushing yards per game at 140.9 per game while sitting fourth in rushing yards with 1,550 (170 carries).  Mickey is just one of five backs nationally with over 1,500 yards rushing. Incredibly, he has just 38 lost yards on 170 carries. He is part of a backfield and an offense that leads the NSIC and ranks third nationally in rushing yards at 323.2 per game. The Cougars have rushed for 343 yards (SCSU), 444 yards (MSUM), 328 (Minot State), 406 (Bemidji State), 282 (Augustana), 428 (SMSU), 251 (Winona State), 197 (Upper Iowa) and 281 (Wayne State) yards this season. Mickey had 13 carries for 178 yards and a TD in the win over SCSU and then produced 15 carries for 185 yards against MSUM before totaling 77 vs. Minot State on just nine carries and a career best 207 yards on 14 carries with a career-best 75-yard TD run against BSU on Sept. 24. He had 20 carries for 140 yards and two TDs vs. Augie and earned NSIC Offensive Player of the Week honors with 15 carries for 156 yards and a career-high four total TDs. against WSU, he had 14 carries for 91 yards and two TDs. He added 165 yards on the ground against Minnesota State and 17 carries for 92 yards and two TDs against  Upper Iowa (11-6-16). In the regular season finale, Mickey had 17 carries for 132 yards and two TDs. Justin Fulks (103 vs. SCSU) and Mickey (178) both had 100-yard rushing games against SCSU on the road. Mickey (185) and Luke Papilion (149) busted out for 100-yard rushing games against MSUM.  Papilion added 101 yards rushing on Sept. 17 week vs. Minot State. Against BSU Mickey had 207 yards, the most by a USF rusher since Nephi Garcia rumbled for 225 in the snow against Wayne State on Nov. 15, 2014, and Papilion had 163 yards on 17 carries with a 46 yard TD run.  So, USF, which had just five 100-yard rushing games all last year, already has surpassed that with 14 through 10 games this year. Mickey (156) Fulks (140) and Papilion (122) all had 100-yard rushing game vs. SMSU, which is a school record for most 100-yard rushing individuals in same game. Mickey now has 378 carries for 2,437 yards rushing, which ranks 9th all-time at USF. Mickey, who now has 10 career 100-yard rushing games, has scored 25 career TDs, including 14 this year. Fulks, who has three 100-yard rushing games at USF, has 99 carries for 707 yards and five TDs. He now has 225 carries for 1,269 yards and nine TDs at USF. Fulks, who has been on a playoff team three straight years (twice with Northwest Missouri State, who won a national title his freshman year), has 262 carries for 1,542 yards and 10 TDs in his time at USF and NMSU. 

Rushing Attack best ever at through 10 games
Through 11 games, USF has 490 carries for 3,555 yards (third in DII) and a nation's best 7.3 average. The total is the best at the DII era and best ever. The 2009 team finished with a school record 3,842 yards on 635 carries for a 6.1 yard average but went unbeaten at 15-0, four more games than the current team has play.  The 2008 team, which finished 14-0, had 3,299 yards on 724 carries at the end of the season but played three more times than this 2016 team has played to this point. This year, USF has had 15 individual games of 100 yards or more in a game, which gives the Cougars 40 since moving to DII in 2011. For the first time in school history, USF put three players over 100 yards in a 48-28 win over SMSU on Oct. 8 at Bob Young Field. Overall USF had 428 yards, the third time over 400 this year and received 100 yard games from Max Mickey (156), Justin Fulks (140) and Luke Papilion (122).
Top Five Team Rushing Totals after 11 Games   
Year    Att.    Yards    Avg. Per Carry
2016    490    3,555    7.3
2009    438    2,730    6.2
2008    567    2,609    4.6
2013    540    2,705    5.0
2004    473    2,662    5.6

USF's Offensive front making a huge impact
This season, the USF offensive line has again been one of the best in DII. They are ranked ninth in DII and tops in the NSIC with just 10 sacks allowed even while adjusting to a new blocking scheme employed by new offensive line coach Josh Breske. And, that blocking scheme? Well, it has proven productive in a big way for the USF rushing attack, which ranks third in NCAA DII with 323.2 yards per game. It has paved the way for  a third 1,000 yard rusher in four seasons. Max Mickey has 1,550 yards while quarterback Luke Papilion has 906 yards and Justin Folks, 707. All three are averaging over seven yards per carry with Mickey at 9.1 and Papilion, 7.79 to rank first and second in NCAA DII. It is noteworthy that USF's rushing attack is averaging 7.3 yards per carry and has over 3,000 rushing yards for the first time in school history after 10 games. The offensive line has graded out consistently high as one would expect with those numbers. Here are the breakdowns for the starting offensive wall.
All-American guard Antonio Green -- 86.4 percent grade, 697 reps, 602 positive reps, 73.5 knockdowns, 0 sacks allowed.
Offensive Tackle Trey Pipkins -- 92.4 percent grade, 709 reps with 655 positive reps, 34.5 knockdowns, one sack allowed
Offensive Tackle Terry Huber -- 87.4 percent grade, 713 reps, 623 positive reps, 25 knockdowns, 0.5 sacks
Offensive guard Jesse Springer -- 94.6 percent grade, 709 reps, 671 positive reps, 35.5 knockdowns, one sack allowed
Offensive Center Trevor Wescott -- 89.9 percent grade, 712 reps, 640 positive reps, 37.5 knockdowns, 1.5 sacks allowed

Cougars 2nd in sacks & picks; Mehling 2nd in league with 105 tackles
USF is second in the league in sacks with 40 (-273 yards in losses) and tied for first in interceptions with 18. Leading the way for Sioux Falls is senior middle linebacker Michael Mehling, who ranks second in the league in tackles with 105, including a league high 66 solo stops. He has 5.5 sacks and 13.0 TFLs (-63 yards) which ranks fourth in the league and first among linebackers. He has also forced a fumble, recorded a pick six for 36 yards against Minot State as well as registered three pass breakups and three quarterback hurries. Cornerback Cliff Redmond is one of the best in the league with five interceptions for 30 yards in returns. He had a pick-six against Upper Iowa. He has 50 tackles, including 38 solo stops along with a TFL, seven pass breakups and three fumble recoveries. Junior linebacker Kyle Campiotti has 56 tackles, 1.5 TFls, sack and two pass breakups. USF has had 12 different players record a sack. Junior Josh Butler has registered 69 tackles with a TFL, two interceptions and four pass breakups.