SIOUX FALLS -- The No. 23 University of Sioux Falls Football Team (3-1, 3-1 NSIC South), which has won two straight games, will host Minot State (1-3, 1-3 NSIC South) at 1 pm, Saturday (Sept. 29) on Cougars Day at Bob Young Field.   

Last Saturday (Sept. 22) at Kirkeby-Over Stadium, USF never trailed against city rival Augustana, totaling a season-high 576 yards in total offense, including a season-high 332 rushing, to take a 51-13 win. The decision was USF's sixth "Key to the City" victory against the Vikings in seven games at the DII level .

USF, which has won three straight "Key to the City" matchups,   put together the most dominating performance of the series with the 38-point differential,  which is the largest margin of victory in the seven meetings. USF, which improved to 4-0 at Kirkeby-Over Stadium, also scored over 50 points for the first time in the series. It is the most points scored by USF against Augustana since the Cougars recorded a 46-0 win in the first-ever contest between the rivals in 1916.

Against the Vikings, USF offense rolled up 576 on 63 plays for a 9.1 yard per play average, which tied USF's DII mark set against St. Cloud State on Sept. 1, 2016. The defense forced five turnovers, including four interceptions with one a defensive score on Parker Gregston's 75-yard TD return.  Now as the Cougars face Minot State, they bring in a 66-8 home record at Bob Young Field, including 2-0 in 2018.

#PREVIEWING MINOT STATE - As for Minot State, the Beavers dropped a 29-21 decision to Minnesota Crookston to fall to 1-3 on the season.  The Beavers have a 41-28 win over U-Mary and losses to Minnesota Crookston, Northern State (42-16) and Minnesota Duluth (49-3). Former Augustana head coach Mike Aldrich leads the Beavers and is 4-11 in his second year. Minot State averages 20.2 points and allows 37.0 points per game.  They have averaged 253.3 yards in total offense, including 129.75 passing. Quarterback Ben Bolinske has 61 carries for a team-high 217 yards with two TDs while completing 38-of-71 passes for 456 yards with four TDs and an interception. Chris Rivers leads the defense with 29 tackles and two interceptions.
  #GAME SPONSOR MIDCO DONATE TVS FOR GIVEAWAY-- Game sponsor Midco has donated two 50-inch Smart TV's to be given away at half-time of the game.  Please be sure to stop by the Midco table in the concourse pre-game to sign up for a chance to win these TV's.

#COUGAR DAY - CROWN ROYALTY AT HALF -- Among homecoming festivities on Saturday, USF Student Activities will once again crown the 2018 royalty during halftime. The event will include unveiling the royalty court with last year's king and queen crowning this year's royalty.

#WATSON, CHAPIN HONORED - BOTH MAKING IMPACT - Junior running back Gabriel Watson and redshirt freshman punter Thomas Chapin, who both played key roles in a 51-13 "Key to the City" win over Augustana Saturday (Sept. 22)  at Kirkeby-Over Stadium, have been named Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Players of the Week. Watson, who ranks second in NCAA DII in rushing (176.2 yards per game), continued his assault on opposing defenses after rushing for 140 yards on 23 carries with a career-best four TDs. In earning the NSIC Offensive Player of the Week, he also scored on runs of 33, 33, 19 and one yards all in the first half as USF roared to a 37-13 lead over the Vikings at the break. The junior from Piedmont, Calif., who earned his second NSIC Weekly honor in four weeks, recorded his fourth straight 100-yard or better game. He has accumulated totals of 200, 172, 193 and 140 rushing yards in his first four games of his career. Watson's four rushing TDs not only set a new Kirkeby-Over Stadium record but was the tied for the second most by a USF player in the program's DII era. Luke Papilion has the record with five rushing TDs against NSU in 2013. Papillion is also the last to score four TDs rushing in a game against MSU Moorhead in 2016. Watson, who leads NCAA DII in rushing touchdowns with 10 and scoring with 60 points, has rushed 98 times for 705 yards, which ranks second in the nation and leads the NSIC this year. Watson, who leads the NSIC in all-purpose yards with 721 yards or 180.2 per game, has helped USF rank 11th in nation and tied for first in the NSIC with 267.5 rushing yards per game. USF is also fifth in the NSIC in total offense at 458.8 yards per game.

As for Chapin, he picked up his first NSIC Special Teams Player of the Week honor after averaging 54.0 yards per game on four punts for 216 yards in the rivalry win over Augustana. Chapin, who ranks 13th in NCAA DII and leads the NSIC in punting at 44.0 yards per game, hammered a career-long 72-yard punt and placed two punts inside the Augustana's 20-yard line. On the season, Chapin of Fair Haven, N.J., has placed five kicks inside the 20-yard line and recorded six punts of 50-yards or more.

#USF LEADS MINOT STATE, 6-1, IN SERIES -  USF owns a 6-1 edge in the series with Minot State in a series that dates back to a 20-13 Minot State win in 1994 in the NAIA playoffs.  The last time the two teams faced each other, USF rolled up 453 yards in total offense, including 328 yards rushing in the 41-14 win in Minot, N.D., in 2016. In that victory, Luke Papilion had two TDs, including a 72-yard TD run, while rushing for 101 yards. Justin Fulks added 94 rushing yards and Max Mickey, totaled 77 rushing yards with two more TDs. In 2014, USF took a 41-14 decision in the season opener at Bob Young Field. USF built a 34-7 halftime lead as Luke Papilion (8-9-117-2 TDs) threw a pair of first quarter TD passes and Nephi Garcia had two TD runs to go with 89 yards rushing. On Sept. 15, 2012, USF took a 42-20 decision in Minot, N.D. After Minot State jumped to a 7-0 lead, USF wide receiver Jeremiah Oates went to work. He caught TD passes of 50, 7 and 38 yards from Taylor Perkins as USF built a 24-7 lead early in the third quarter. After two Zac Cunha TD throws, USF had a 37-yard TD reception by Carrington Hanna (Taylor Perkins), a Braden Wieking field goal (32) and a 34-yard TD interception return by Brett Jensen. In USF's transition year to DII in 2011, the Cougars defeated Minot State twice, winning at Minot State, 38-23 on Sept. 24 and taking a 29-10 decision on Oct. 29 in Sioux Falls. In a run to the 2009  NAIA title, USF defeated Minot State, 63-21 in the first round of the playoffs. The Cougars rushed for 318 yards and five TDs, including 10 carries for 140 yards and two TDs by Ryan Lowmiller. Kristian Porter added nine carries for 87 yards and two TDs in the playoff verdict.
       
#OFFENSE CHURNING  YARDS - After back-to-back weeks of 500 yards in total offense or more, the Cougars now rank fifth in the NSIC with 458.8 yards per game. USF is averaging 33.0 points per game, which ranks fourth in the NSIC.  With back-to-back 300 yard rushing games (304, 332), USF has moved into a tie with Bemidji State for the league's top rushing attack at 267.5 yards per game. The USF rushing average ranks 11th in NCAA DII.

#USF TIES TOTAL OFFENSE MARK AGAINST AUGIE -  In the 51-13 "Key to the City" road win against Augustana on Sept. 22, the USF offense rolled up 576 on 63 plays for a 9.1 yard per play average, which tied USF's DII mark set against St. Cloud State on Sept. 1, 2016. USF's back-to-back 500 yards in total offense in a game was reached for the first time since 2016 when USF had 562 in a 35-20 win over Augustana on Oct 1, 2016, and 670 yards in a 48-28 win over Southwest Minnesota State on Oct. 8, 2016.

#COO RECORD LARGEST VICTORY MARGIN SINCE 2016 - Against Augustana on Sept. 22, the Cougars had the largest margin of victory since a 51-7 win (44 points) at Upper Iowa on Nov. 5, 2016. In addition, the 37 points by halftime was the most since that Upper Iowa game.  Also against the Vikings, USF had the most yards rushing in a game since accumulating 346 in a 24-14 win over Minnesota State on Oct. 29, 2016. In addition, USF registered back-to-back rushing games over 300 yards for the first time since Sept. 17 (Minot State, 328) and Sept. 24 (Bemidji State, 406) in 2016.

#WALTERS NUMBERS INCREASING BY THE WEEK - Junior quarterback Caden Walters continues to show progress every week. Against Augustana, he completed 13-of-21 passes for a career-high 244 yards. In three plus games, the passing yardage numbers for Walters has increased every week, jumping from 127 vs. Concordia-St. Paul to 129 against Winona State to 196 vs. SMSU and 244 against the Vikings. He has completed 43-of-71 passes for 696 yards with a 60.6 percent rate. He has not thrown an interception since Winona State, a string of 41 straight passes.  He owns a 165.16 quarterback rating, which ranks second in the NSIC.

#DEFENSE RANKS 3RD IN DII IN TURNOVER MARGIN -- USF's defense has long held a tradition of creating turnovers, playing shutdown defense and scoring TDs. In the DII era, USF has scored 39 TDs on defense and special teams, including 27 on defense alone. Junior cornerback Parker Gregston put up the 39th TD with his 75-yard interception return for a TD in the second quarter of the USF win over Augustana on Sept. 22. It was Gregston's second pick of the game and his first two of his career. So far, USF has a differential of plus-eight (12-to-4) against opponents.  USF is second in the NSIC in both turnover margin (+8) and interceptions with eight. Of note, USF had eight total interceptions a year ago.  Also on defense, USF ranks third in the NSIC in scoring defense at 18.5 per game and fifth in rushing defense at 106.8 yards per game. The Cougars ranked seventh in the league in total defense at 386.2 yards per game.

#ROAD WARRIORS -- Since 2014, USF has won 22-of-26 road games. In 2014, USF was 4-1, followed by 6-1 in 2015, 5-0 in winning the league title in 2016 and 6-1 in the playoff season a year ago.  USF is 1-1 in 2018.
 
#WINNERS WIN -- After five nine-win campaigns in the past six years, the Cougars have continued the 2018 season with plenty of momentum, including recording three wins in four games. A tradition of success is embedded in the program. The motto, "Winners Win" continues as the program's mantra.

#COO 4-2 ON HOMECOMING -- Since joining the NSIC, USF has won 4-of-6 games on homecoming. Those six contests have proven to be high-scoring contests, adding excitement to homecoming festivities. In that span of games, USF has scored 245 points for a 40.83 points per game average and allowed 184 points or 30.66 points per game. Here is a run-down -
Oct. 27, 2012 -- USF 54 Upper Iowa 41 -  Att. - 2,140 att.
Oct. 12, 2013 -- Winona State 45 USF 40 -- Att. - 2,773
Oct. 4, 2014 -- USF 38 Concordia-St. Paul 9 -- Att. 2,495
Oct. 10, 2015 -- USF 51 Winona State 30 -- Att. 2,823
Oct. 8, 2016 -- USF 48 Southwest Minnesota State, 28 -- Att. 2,554
Oct. 7, 2017 -- Winona State 31 USF 13 -- Att. 2,130

#JOHNSON MAKING IMPACT -- In just four games, Nate Johnson is making an impact at USF. The junior wide receiver has 13 catches for 250 yards with three TDs. He ranks fourth in the NSIC in all-purpose yards with 472 yards or 118.0 per game. He has also recorded 61 punt return yards and 161 in kickoff returns. With a 12.2 punt return average, he ranks fifth in the league while his 32.2 yards per kickoff return is a league-high. He has returns five kicks for 161 yards, including a long of 50 yards.

#COO TRACKS -- Five-time All-American Dennis Gardeck, who helped lead the 2017 Cougars to the playoffs, has earned a spot on the Arizona Cardinals NFL roster. Gardeck was All-NSIC, Harlon Hill and Cliff Harris finalist and NSIC Newcomer of the Year after accumulating 75 tackles, 14 tackles and 21 tackles for loss.
~Senior offensive tackle Trey Pipkins has been named to the Senior Bowl Watch List and two preseason All-American Teams - D2Football.com and The Podyum. He has 173 career pancakes.
~Captains for the 2018 season will include Pipkins, senior wide receiver Michael Maxwell, junior safety Tucker Stout and senior All-NSIC defensive end Logan Dykstra.
~USF has both an offensive and defensive lineman named Nick Zimmerman. On offense, one of the Nicks hailed from Rosendale, Wisc., and is a 6-3, 296 starting center. A business administration major, he has been a starter for the past two seasons at dons No. 63. On defense, the other Nick is a 6-0, 282-pound starting defensive tackle from Oceanside, Calif. Zimmerman, who has a sack, two tackles and a TFL in two starts, is in his first season at USF. He is a psychology major.

#JUST WIN BABY - USF is 57-13 (.814) overall in the NSIC, the best all-time mark in the NSIC.  USF is 64-20 all-time in NCAA DII with a 35-11 mark against South opponents and 22-2 vs. the North. The Cougars are 28-7 in road NSIC games and 29-6 in home NSIC games. In North Division road games, the Cougars are 10-2 and 12-0 at home against NSIC North teams. USF stands 18-6 against South opponents at home and is 17-5 on the road. USF clinched their 24th straight winning season with a win over Wayne State on Oct. 12, 2017. It is 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.

#GAME SCORING STREAK AT 155 - Since moving to DII in 2011, the Cougars have scored 2,942 points in 84 games or 35.02 ppg. USF has scored in 155 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.