SIOUX FALLS -- No. 18 University of Sioux Falls Football Team (5-1, 1-1 NSIC South), which ranks second in NCAA DII in rushing and scoring defense, will travel to Wayne State (4-2, 2-0  NSIC South) for the NSIC Thursday Night Game of the Week at Bob Cunningham Field in Wayne, Neb. Kickoff for the Cougars and Wildcats matchup starts at 7:05 p.m.

Fans can listen to the NSIC contest at KWSN.com with Tom Frederick on play-by-play and Tim Hiatt serving as analyst. The game is the Midco Thursday Game of the Week with David Brown on play-by-play. Fans may also view the game through USF's live streaming portal (portal.stretchinternet.com/siouxfalls).

USF will play in its second Thursday night game of the season. In the opener on Aug. 31, the Cougars defeated then #10 Minnesota-Duluth, 26-7, ending the Bulldogs 22-game home winning streak. Last Saturday, #17 Winona State halted USF's 17-game NSIC winning streak with a 31-13 decision on Cougar Days at Bob Young Field. The Cougars will look to rebound after their first loss of the season. USF heads into the matchup with one of the nation's top defenses. The Cougars rank second in scoring (10.7 ppg) and rushing defense (59.7 ypg) and third in total defense (242.3 ypg). They have an offense that averages 395 yards per game including a highly productive rushing offense (205.5 yards per game).

Wayne State has opened 4-2 after a 20-6 victory over Southwest Minnesota State last weekend at Bob Cunningham Field. Rashad Trimble had 159 yards on 25 carries with a TD to lead the Wildcats to a victory on homecoming. Quarterback Zach Osborn was 14-of-30 for 147 yards with two interceptions and a TD. The Wildcats had 366 yards in total offense.  
     
Quick look at USF through five games
USF opened the season with a 26-7 win at then #10 Minnesota-Duluth. The Cougars defense held UMD to -19 net rushing yards. In week two, the Cougars opened their home schedule with a 37-7 win over Northern State. In that game, All-American running back Max Mickey had a career-best 87 yard run as he rolled up a personal-best of 217 rushing yards on 24 carries with two TDs.  Mickey added 150 yards on 24 carries and two TDs in a 38-7 road win over U-Mary. Jason Towns also had a pair of TDs. In week four, the Cougars registered 483 total yards, including 180 yards rushing from Mickey and 101 from Towns in a 34-0 shutout over UMC. Towns, who recorded his first career 100-yard rushing game, had two TDs for the second straight game, including a career-best 66-yard punt return and a 41-yard run. The Cougars moved to 5-0 with a 24-10 win over SMSU on Sept. 30. USF's defense had two more sacks (21 on the season, 3rd nationally), 11 TFLs and held an explosive Mustangs offense to 282 total yards or nearly 140 yards below its average. In week six, USF dropped a 31-13 decision to Winona State. The Cougars were outgained, 430 to 321. USF was hurt by mistakes, including four costly turnovers in dropping just their second homecoming game in seven tries at the NCAA DII level. Ian Fieber had a career high 256 yards passing with a TD. He surpassed 1,000 yards (1,009) with his performance against Winona State.
 
The Cougars are currently ranked No. 18 in both the AFCA Coaches DII Poll and D2Football.com. USF has been ranked as high as No. 6 in the AFCA Coaches Poll and No. 4 in the D2Football.com poll.  

USF leads all-time series, 5-0
2016 -- Sioux Falls 30 Wayne State 7, Bob Young Field
2015 -- Sioux Falls 59 Wayne State 10, Bob Cunningham Field
2014 -- Sioux Falls 63 Wayne State 28, Bob Young Field
2013 -- Sioux Falls 35 Wayne State 10, Bob Cunningham Field
2012 -- Sioux Falls 24 Wayne State 14, Bob Young Field
Summary: USF is 5-0 all-time vs. Wayne State College, including a 30-7 win at Bob Young Field on Nov. 12, 2016. In the victory, Max Mickey had 17 carries for 132 yards and two TDs while Nicholas Stanke caught three passes for 64 yards. In total, No. 4 USF outgained WSC, 466-to-289. Rashard Trimble had 25 carries for 151 yards and quarterback Zach Osborn completed 10-of-26 passes for 122 yards with two interceptions. USF had three sacks and six tackles for loss in the home win. On Oct. 3, 2015, USF took a 59-10 victory at Bob Cunningham Field. Luke Papilion completed 20-of-30 passes for 311 yards and three TDs while also recording two TD runs. The Cougars, ranked No. 4 nationally, led 28-10 at the halftime break before breaking out with a 28-point third quarter to put the game away. USF, which had a 77-yard interception return by Solomon St. Pierre, had a 466-to-244 total yards advantage. Brady Rose had eight receptions for 112 yards and a TD.  USF was led by nine tackles from Josh Butler and the defense finished with three sacks, two interceptions, including one by Cliff Redmond, and eight TFLs. In 2014 at Bob Young Field, the Cougars picked up a 63-28 victory on a snowy day on Nov. 15, 2014. USF, which was ranked No. 17, had 21 carries for 225 yards and three TDs from Nephi Garcia. Luke Papilion threw for 225 yards and four TDs. USF had a 28-point third quarter to extend a 28-14 half-time lead to 56-28. On Nov. 16, 2013, USF defeated the Wildcats, 35-10, at Bob Cunningham Field in Wayne, Neb. Solomon St. Pierre had his first career interception return for a TD (70-yards) and the Brady Rose had 111 yards rushing and two TDs.  Sioux Falls won the first-ever meeting between the two programs, 24-14, on Nov. 10, 2012 as John Tidwell had a 77-yard punt return for a TD to lead the then No. 22 ranked Cougars at Bob Young Field.

About Wayne State – Head Coach  Dan McLaughlin
Dan McLaughlin is in his 13th year as head football coach at Wayne State College. He is the all-time wins leader at WSC and has a career record of 70-70 (.500) overall and 66-59 (.528) in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. He is the second-longest tenured coach in the NSIC, trailing only Winona State's Tom Sawyer (22 years), and is the second-longest tenured coach at WSC, trailing only Del Stoltenberg's 14-year tenure from 1969-82.
Inheriting a struggling program when hired in 2005, McLaughlin turned Wayne State into a constant winner that included six straight winning seasons (2007-12), a feat never achieved in the program's 101-year history along with the schools' first-ever trip to the NCAA Division II playoffs (2008). Dan McLaughlin was hired as the 21st head football coach at Wayne State College on Dec. 9, 2004. He came to Wayne State after spending one
season as offensive coordinator at Minnesota State in Mankato, Minnesota where he helped the Mavericks to a 6-5 record in 2004 after the team went 0-11 in 2003. It was Minnesota State's first winning season in football since 1994. He also served as offensive line coach with the Mavericks under head coach Jeff Jamrog. In 2003, McLaughlin was a graduate assistant coach at the University of Nebraska, working as an assistant offensive line coach and assistant special teams coach while coordinating Nebraska's walk-on program. Before moving to the college ranks, McLaughlin achieved success at the high school level in Nebraska by winning state championships at three different schools. He was the head coach at Millard West from 1995 to 2002, guiding the Wildcats to seven consecutive playoff appearances. His 2001 team went 12-1 and captured the Class A state title. McLaughlin was the head coach at Norfolk High School from 1988 to 1994, leading the Panthers to the Class A state title in 1994. He also coached at Broken Bow High School in 1987 and led the school to the Class B state crown in his only season at Broken Bow. Believed to be the only head coach in Nebraska high school football history to win state titles at three different schools, McLaughlin compiled a high school coaching record of 110-59. McLaughlin earned his master's degree from Wayne State College in 1992. He is a native of Sheridan, MT, and is a 1982 graduate of Bellevue College. Dan and his wife Nadine have two sons, Scott and Sean, and reside in Wayne and they have three grandchildren

Quick Notes on WSC  
WSU has opened 4-2 with its most recent victory, a 20-6 decision over SMSU at home.  In the season opener WSC dropped a 23-16 decision at Northern State. They defeated U-Mary, 48-10 in week two before recording a 33-14 win over Minnesota Crookston. In week four, they fell in overtime to Minnesota-Duluth, 34-31, and defeated Augustana, 16-13, in Sioux Falls.  Through six games, WSU is averaging 27.3 points per game and allowing 16.7 per game, which ranks fourth in the NSIC. In total offense, the Wildcats are producing 387.5 yards per game, which is sixth in the NSIC. Of that total, they rush for 141.7 yards per game and throw for 245.8 yards per game.  Quarterback Zach Osborn needs 279 yards to reach 10,000 for his career. He has completed 100-of-164 passes for 1,335 yards with 13 TDs and five interceptions. At 267.0 yards per game, he ranks second. Rashad Trimble leads the Wildcats in rushing with 103.3 yards per game, a total which ranks third in the NSIC. He has 115 carries for 620 yards for five TDs. Layne Sullivan leads the receiving corps with 36 catches for 342 yards and a TD. Defensive lineman Tyler Thomsen has 54 tackles and two sacks while Glenn Harris has five interceptions.

USF vs the NSIC - Breaking it down
USF is 50-11 overall in the NSIC, which breaks down to a .820 winning percentage, the best all-time mark in the NSIC.  USF, which is 57-17 all-time in NCAA DII, has a 28-9 mark against South Division opponents and stands 22-2 vs. the North Division. The Cougars are 24-6 in road NSIC games and 26-5 in home NSIC games. In North Division road games, the Cougars are 10-2 and 12-0 at home against the North. USF stands 14-5 against South Division opponents at home and is 14-4 on the road. USF's clinched a 23rd straight winning season in 2016, 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.  

Mickey has gone over 200 three times
Eight-time All-American Max Mickey, who was a candidate for the Harlon Hill Trophy (DII's top player) a year ago, is off to a fast start in 2017 with 873 yards (2nd, nationally) on 146 carries and eight TDs in five games.  With 37 carries for 212 yards and two TDs in the 24-10 win over SMSU, Mickey had his third 200-yard rushing game of his career and was the NSIC Offensive Player of the Week for the second time in his career. He now has 10 games of 150 rushing yards or more in his career including four straight. The senior from Holden, Mo., ranks third in the country in yardage (873) and second in rushing yards per game (174.2).  Against Minnesota Crookston, Mickey had 24 carries for 180 yards and a TD. In a 38-7 win at U-Mary, Mickey had 24 carries for 150 yards and TDs of two and 27 yards.  In a 37-7 win over Northern State at Bob Young Field, Mickey set a career-best with 217 rushing yards on 24 carries with two TDs. Tied for third all-time at USF in 100-yard rush games with 18, he has five straight to open 2017 campaign. With his next 100 yard rushing game, Mickey will tie Mike Dvoracek (2003-06) for second on USF's all-time list for 100-yard rushing games with 19.

Among Mickey's eight scoring runs was a career-best 87-yard run in the first half of a 37-7 win over NSU.  Among Mickey's eight scoring runs was a career-best 87-yard run in the first half of a 37-7 win over NSU.  Mickey, who was the NSIC Preseason South Offensive Player of the Year, has 3,656 career rushing yards (4th all-time at USF) and 40 career rushing TDs (8th all-time at USF).

Mickey's totals - game-by-game in 2017
Minnesota-Duluth -- 37-114-1 TDs
Northern State -- 24-217-2 TDs
Mary -- 24-150-2 TDs
Minnesota Crookston --- 24-180-TD
SMSU -- 37-212-2 TDs.

In road games in 2017, Mickey  has 98 carries for 476 yards and five TDs. At home (Bob Young Field), he has 48 carries for 397 yards and three TDs. He is averaging 4.8 yards per carry in road games with a 8.2 per carry average in home games.  Mickey did not play against Winona State.

Butler closing in on 230 career tackles
With seven tackles against U-Mary, senior captain Josh Butler has 225 career stops with 143 solo stops and 24 passes defended. Butler has recorded two interceptions in his career and also has a sack. This season, Butler has 30 tackles, including 12 solo stops and six pass breakups.

Gardeck ranks fourth nationally in sacks
In six games with USF, senior linebacker Dennis Gardeck has a team high 37 tackles, including an NSIC-best eight sacks, which ranks second in NCAA DII at 1.33 per game. He had five sacks in the opening win over UMD and added a pair in week two. He also leads the NSIC with 11 TFLs and ranks 11th in the country with 1.8 per game. He also has a fumble recovery and forced fumble. A two-time All Mountain East performer before transferring to USF, Gardeck has 10 career games with double digit tackles. In his career, he now has 310 tackles with 26 career sacks and 48 tackles for loss and eight forced fumbles.

Cougars have scored 37 TDs on D/ST in DII era  
Through six games, the Cougars have registered four defensive or special teams TDs in 2017 which pushes their total to 37 during the DII era. The 37 TDs by USF includes 25 on defense and 12 on special teams. The most recent special teams score was a 66-yard punt return TD by Jason Towns against Minnesota Crookston. The latest defensive TD was senior safety Jeff Harman's 35-yard interception for a score against NSU.  In the opener against UMD, the Cougars had a 17-yard fumble recovery for a TD by Derek Landis and a 41-yard punt return for a TD by Towns.  

Cougars have three of top 10 in league in sacks
With Dennis Gardeck leading the NSIC with eight sacks, he is one of three USF players with three or more sacks. Both Derek Landis and Steven McKee both have three sacks. USF also has three of top 10 in TFLs. Gardeck has 11 while Campiotti has eight and Atonio has 6.5.

Scoring streak hits 145 games
Since moving to DII in 2011, the Cougars have scored 2,649 points in 74 games or 35.8 ppg. USF has scored in 145 straight games, dating to a 55-0 loss to Carroll College in the final game of the 2005 season. USF recorded 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.  

Butler, Mayberry, Springer and Mickey named Team Captains
Head Football Coach Jon Anderson has announced the team captains for the 2017 season. The captains, selected by vote of the team, include seniors Max Mickey, Holden, Mo.; Joshua Butler, Aurora, Colo.; Brian Mayberry, Littleton, Colo.; and Jesse Springer, Denver, Colo.

USF ranks second nationally in scoring and rushing defense
USF ranks second in NCAA DII in rushing defense and defensive scoring, according to the most recent statistics released Sunday by the NCAA.  In total, USF ranks in the top-10 in 13 categories and top-20 in 21 individual or team categories. Through six games, the Cougars have held opponents to a nation-leading 59.7 rushing yards per game. USF is also second nationally in defensive scoring and has given up just 62 total points, holding four opponents to seven points or less.

USF also ranks third in total defense at 242.3 yards per game. Also in the team stats, the Cougars stand ninth in team sacks (21) at 3.5 per game and sit fifth in first downs allowed with 74. USF is ninth in team tackles for loss at 9.3 per game.  USF sits ninth in fourth down conversion defense at 20 percent. Individually, senior Jason Towns has  recorded a nation-best two punt return TDs (41, 66). All-American running back Max Mickey  is third in total rushing yards (873) and second per game rushing average (174.6). He is 15th in rushing TDs with eight. Senior linebacker Dennis Gardeck is fourth in sacks (8 total,1.33 per game) and 12th in tackles for loss per game (11 total, 1.8 per game).

Fieber settling in at quarterback for USF
Ian Fieber, a junior quarterback, won the starting role this fall and is starting to settle in at the position. He has completed 86-of-153 passes for 56.2 percent. He has thrown for 1,009 yards with five TDs.  Fieber has a solid efficiency rating of 118.5.
 
Holmes, Smith, Stanke and Garrow leading receiving corps
Through six games,  junior wide out Anthony Holmes of Des Moines, Iowa leads USF in receiving with 22 catches for 327 yards and two TDs. He is averaging 14.9 yards per catch. Holmes had five catches for a career high 123 yards against Winona State. He has a career-best 45-yard TD reception (SMSU, 9/30).  Senior tight end Nicholas Stanke, a senior from Eau Claire, Wisc., has 17 receptions for 180 yards and a TD, with a long of 24 yards.  In his career, the 2016 all-league performer has 88 receptions for 899 yards and six TDs. Also making an impact is A.J. Garrow, a junior from Brandon, S.D., who has 16 receptions for 159 yards or 9.9 yards per catch. Ty Smith, a freshman from Sioux Falls, has added 17 catches for 217 yards and a 35-yard TD reception. He had a season-high five catches for 69 yards vs. Winona State.

Towns making an impact with five TDs in six games
Senior Jason Towns is making an impact for USF with 533 all purpose yards, including 267 rushing, 147 on punt returns and 114 on kickoff returns. He has five TDs, including two on punt returns of 42 and 66 yards. With those two TDs, he leads NCAA DII in punt return TDs. On punt returns, he is averaging 11.3 per return and owns a 22.8 per return average on kickoff returns.

Vanden Heuvel having a solid year punting and kicking
Stuart Vanden Heuvel is having a solid senior season in handling both the place-kicking and punting chores. With 13 more punts (tied for first in the NSIC) placed inside the 20 yard line, he now has 62 in his career.  Vanden Heuvel, who has 185 punts for 7,082 yards (38.28 avg.), established a career-best with a 64-yard punt in the win over Minnesota Crookston (Sept. 23). In that same game, he placed a punt inside the one-yard line. On the season, he has 38 punts for 1,436 yards for 37.8 average, which ranks tied for ninth in the league. However, he has a net punt return average of 36.6, which ranks second in the NSIC.  He has two punts over 50 yards. He is also 7-of-11 on field goals, including a long of 50 yards. He is 19-of-21 on extra points. Interestingly, he is 4-of-4 on field goals from 40 yards or longer.

Atonio, Campiotti off to solid starts on D
Seniors Michael Atonio of Kodiak, Alaska, and Kyle Campiotti of Livermore, Calif.,  are off to solid starts for USF. Campiotti, who was all-league a year ago, has 94 career tackles, including 27 stops this season. He has eight TFLs with a two sacks, pass breakup and pass defended.  He ranks fifth in the NSIC with eight TFLs or 1.33 per game. For his career, Campiotti has 9.5 TFLs, five passes defended and three sacks with one interception. Atonio has made an impact  at middle linebacker, stepping in for his best friend and All-America Michael Mehling. Atonio has 40 tackles, including 23 solo stops. He has 6.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, two forced fumble and fumble recovery.  He set a career record with a team-high 10 tackles in the win over SMSU on Sept. 30. After sitting out a year ago, Atonio now has 53 career tackles, including 32 solo stops in playing nine career games.