MARSHALL, Minn. -- #5/7 University of Sioux Falls Football Team (4-0, 0-0 NSIC South), which leads the nation in rushing defense and sacks, will face a test against explosive Southwest Minnesota State (2-2, 0-0  NSIC South) on the Mustangs  Homecoming on Saturday at Mattke Field at  the Schwann Regional Event Center.  The two teams will open NSIC South Division play with kickoff set for 5 p.m.

This game presents a match up  of one of the league's best offenses (SMSU)  against the top defense in the league and perhaps across NCAA DII. SMSU, led by talented quarterback Blake Gimbel, will test their pass offense (269.2 yards per game)  against a USF defense that has allowed just 185.8 total yards per game. USF also leads the nation with 4.75 sacks per game and will look to apply pressure on the SMSU offense. The Mustangs, which pump out 425.0 yards in total offense per game, average 31.8 points per game. So far, USF has allowed just 21 points in four games, or 5.2 points per game, a total which ranks second in NCAA DII. Meanwhile, the Cougars offense continues to improve game-by-game. USF is averaging 391.5 yards per game, including 223.5 yards rushing, led by All-American Max Mickey (165.2 ypg). 

Since totaling 195 yards in the opener on the road against Minnesota Duluth (26-7 win), the Cougars have accumulated 415, 473 and 483  total yards in three more victories.

Last week, the Cougars recorded their first shutout since 2015 with a 34-0 home decision over Minnesota Crookston. SMSU had a two-game winning streak halted at Bemidji State in a 40-22 setback. In the game, Gimbel played just two series.  

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 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 put together 483 total yards, including 180 yards rushing from Mickey and 101 from Towns in a 34-0 shutout over UMC. Towns had two TDs for the second straight game, including a career-best 66-yard punt return for a score and a 41-yard run.

The Cougars have moved up from a national preseason rank of #17 to top-10 spots in both national polls. USF is ranked seventh in the most recent AFCA Coaches DII Poll and fifth in the D2Football.com Poll, moving into the top-five for the first time since Nov. 8, 2016 USF has been ranked in 40 straight polls in both AFCA and D2Football.com.

Quick Look at SMSU
The Mustangs are directed by eighth-year head coach Cory Sauter , who has an overall mark of 36-46, including 35-44 in league play. Sauter's 36 wins place him second all-time in program history (Gary Buer, 1979-92, 70).  Wide receiver Nate Huot, who has 26 receptions for 370 yards and three TDs, ranks tied for first in NSIC history with 210 career receptions (Brian Mark, Northern State, 2006-09). His next reception puts him over the top all-time in NSIC play.  In homecoming games, SMSU stands 22-25 but have won three straight . Gimbel is one of the league's top passers, hitting on a league-best 69.6 percent of his throws. He is 64-of-92 for 734 yards with seven TDs and two interceptions.  SMSU's rushing attack will be paced by Ashanti Payne, who has 316 yards rushing with five TDs. Sophomore Max Simmons has 239 yards and two TDs.  The Mustangs opened the season with a 41-26 setback at home to North leader St. Cloud State. They recovered with a 51-35 victory over MSU Moorhead on the road and defeated Minot State, 28-20, in Marshall. Last week, they lost at Bemidji State, 40-22.

Series Notes -- USF holds a 6-3 lead
USF owns a 6-3 lead in the all-time series with Southwest Minnesota State, but have won five straight in a series that started in 1968. USF is 3-1 in Marshall and 3-2 in Sioux Falls. A year ago, the Cougars defeated the Mustangs, 48-28, led by Max Mickey who had 15 carries for 156 yards and four total TDs, including three by rushing. USF produced 670 yards in total offense, including 428 yards on the ground and 8.1 yards per play.  In the game, USF had three players rush for 100 yards, including Mickey, Luke Papilion (122 yards) and Justin Fulks (140 yards, two TDs). QB Blake Gimbel of SMSU was 27-of-40 for 248 yards and three TDs. Two years ago, the Cougars recorded a 34-26 win at SMSU as Luke Papilion threw for 225 yards and two TDs while rushing for 92 yards and a TD. Mickey had 99 yards rushing while Josh Angulo finished with six catches for 77 yards and a TD. In 2014, USF defeated SMSU, 44-20, at Bob Young Field. In the win, USF forced seven turnovers, including three interceptions by Solomon St. Pierre, who had a pick six (35 yards). USF QB Luke Papilion threw for 282 yards and two TDs while rushing for 75 yards.  In the first meeting (1968) between the schools, USF took a 13-6 win over SMSU 2012. Two years ago, the Cougars won a shootout with SMSU, 55-48, in a game that produced 1,446 yards in total offense.  Three years ago, USF captured a 41-22 win. The last win by SMSU was a 24-6 decision on Oct. 20 1979.      

USF vs the NSIC - Breaking it down
USF sits 49-10 overall - an .831 winning percentage, the best all-time mark in the NSIC. The record breaks down to a 27-8 mark against South Division opponents and 22-2 vs. the North Division. The Cougars are 23-6 in road NSIC games and 26-4 in home NSIC games. In North Division road games, the Cougars are 10-2 and 12-0 at home. USF stands 14-4 vs. the South Division at home and 13-4 in road South Division match ups.

Mickey records 17th 100-yard rushing game
Eight-time All-American Max Mickey is off to a fast start with 661 yards on 109 carries and six TDs after four games.  He has nine games of 150 yards or more in his career with three coming in the past three games. The senior from Holden, Mo., ranks second in the country in yardage (661) and third in rushing yards per game (165.2).  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. He ranks fourth all-time at USF in 100-yard rush games with 17 with four straight to open 2017 campaign. Among Mickey's two scoring runs vs. NSU was a career-best 87 yard gallop in the first half for a 17-0 lead.  The NSIC Preseason South Offensive Player of the Year now has 3,444 career rushing yards (5th all-time at USF) and 38 career rushing TDs (8th all-time at USF). He now needs 11 yards to pass Jim Pehringer (3,454 yards, 1987-90) for fourth all-time at USF.  With one more 100-yard game, he ties USF Hall of Famer Nick Kortan (1999-02) with 18 career 100-yard rushing games, which is third on the all-time list at USF. Mickey also had 3,820 all-purpose yards with 41 total TDs. Mickey has 44 career receptions for 327 yards and three TDs.
 
Butler surpasses 210 career tackles
With seven tackles against U-Mary, senior captain Josh Butler has 212 career stops with 136 solo stops and 21 passes defended. Butler has recorded two interceptions in his career and also has a sack. This season, Butler has 17 tackles, including seven solo stops and three pass breakups.

Gardeck leads the way for USF defense
In four games with USF, senior linebacker Dennis Gardeck has a team high 27 tackles, including an NSIC-NCAA DII best seven sacks. He had five sacks in the opening win over UMD and added a pair in week two. A two-time All Mountain East performer before transferring to USF, Gardeck has 10 career games with double digit tackles after his opening season outing against UMD. In his career, he now has 300 tackles with 25 career sacks and 45 tackles for loss.

Cougars  "D" sets program mark in points allowed over 4 games
For the first time in USF's NCAA DII era, the Cougars have held an opponent to seven points or less for four consecutive games. In fact, USF has recorded the best four-game defensive scoring run (21 points allowed) since 2010.

USF leads nation in four individual or team categories, including rush defense and sacks
USF is ranked first in NCAA DII in rushing defense,  individual sacks and rank in the top 10 in 16 categories, according to national stats released on Sunday. The Cougars ranked in the top 20 in 27 statistical categories. In the opening four weeks, the Cougars have held opponents to a nation-leading 28.8 rushing yards per game. USF's defense ranks first in the nation with 4.75 sacks per game (19 overall), and second in total defense (185.8 yards per game) and scoring defense (5.2 ppg).

Individually, senior linebacker Dennis Gardeck leads DII with 1.75 sacks per game (7 overall) and ranks 12th in TFLs with 2.0 per game (8 overall). Jason Towns leads DII with two punt return TDs (42, 66) and sits 12th in punt return average at 15.7 per return.

All-American running back Max Mickey of Holden, Mo., ranks second in rushing yards with 661 and third in yards per game at 165.2. Mickey ranks seventh in DII with six rushing TDs. He is 12th in total TDs (6), 18th in total points with 36 and 25th in scoring at 9.0 ppg. In addition, he is 21st in all purpose yards at 164.75 per game.  Senior safety Ayinde Warren is fourth nationally in interceptions per game at 0.8 (3) while senior linebacker Michael Atonio is 13th in forced fumbles (0.50) and senior kicker Stuart Vanden Heuvel, 11th in field goals per game.  

Also in the team numbers, the Cougars are fourth in first downs allowed on defense with 41; fourth in turnover margin at 2.00; sixth in turnovers lost (3) seventh in team TFLs with 10.5 per game, eighth in third down conversion defense at 25 percent, 10th in fumbles covered with six, 13th in turnovers gained at 11, 16th in defensive TDs (2) and 16th in fourth down conversion defense at 18.2 percent. The Cougars are 22nd in passing yards allowed at 157.0.

Cougars have scored 37 TDs on D/ST in DII era  
Through four games, the Cougars have registered four defensive or special teams TDs in 2017 which pushes their total to 37 during the DII era. Among those scores are 25 on defense and 12 by special teams. The latest defensive TD was senior safety Jeffrey 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 Jason Towns. The Cougars pushed their total to 37 touchdowns by special teams or defense during the DII era (since 2011). USF has scored 25 defensive TDs since 2011 and 12 special teams TDs.

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 54-of-88 passes for 61.4 percent. He has thrown for 543 yards with three TDs and no interceptions. Matt Young has completed 12-of-18 passes for 114 yards.
 
Holmes, Smith and Maxwell leading receiving corps
Through four games, senior tight end Nicholas Stanke and junior wide out Anthony Holmes of Des Moines, Iowa lead USF in receiving. Stanke has 12 catches for 97 yards or 8.1 yards per catch. Holmes has 12 catches for 131 yards and a TD, including a long of 20 yards. Freshman Ty Smith of Sioux Falls has 11 catches for 126 yards, including a 35-yard TD  against NSU. Smith made an acrobatic catch to haul in the 35-yard TD strike from Fieber, which closed the first quarter in USF's win against NSU. Brandon, S.D. native A.J. Garrow also 11 catches for 114 yards, including a six-catch outing against U-Mary. Garrow has 10 catches in the past two games.

Towns making an impact with five TDs in four games
Senior Jason Towns is making an impact for USF with 422 all purpose yards, including 180 rushing, 141 on punt returns and 96 on kickoff returns. He has five TDs, including two on punt returns of 42 and 66 yards. On punt returns, he is averaging 15.7 per return, which ranks 13th nationally. He is averaging 24.0 per kickoff return.

Vanden Heuvel have a solid year with double duty in kicking
Stuart Vanden Heuvel is enjoying a solid senior season in handling both the place-kicking and punting chores. With eight more punts placed inside the 20 yard line, he now has 57 in his career.  Vanden Heuvel, who has 172 punts for 6,616 yards (38.46 avg.), established a career-best with a 64-yard punt in the win over Minnesota Crookston last week (Sept. 23). In that same game, he placed a punt inside the one-yard line. On the season, he has 25 punts for 970 yards for 38.8 average. He has two punts over 50 yards. He is also 6-of-9 on field goals, including a lot of 50 yards. He is 15-of-17 on extra points.

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 87 career tackles, including 20 stops this season. He has made six TFLs with two sacks, a pass breakup and a pass defended.  For his career, Campiotti has 7.5 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 22 tackles, including 14 solo stops. He has 4.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, two forced fumble and fumble recovery.  After sitting out a year ago, Atonio now has 35 career tackles, including 26 solo stops in playing eight games.

Scoring streak hits 143 games
Since moving to DII in 2011, the Cougars have scored 2,612 points in 72 games or 36.31 ppg. USF has scored in 143 games dating to 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.  

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.

Cougars Tracks
USF has the longest run of winning seasons in  NCAA DII at 23 straight winning campaigns, which ranks fifth best across all divisions at the NCAA level.