SIOUX FALLS -- With a season-high four-game winning streak, the University of Sioux Falls Football Team (6-2, 6-2 NSIC), which will plan its 100th game at the NCAA DII level, will travel to face Upper Iowa (2-6, 2-6 NSIC) at noon on Saturday, Nov. 2 at Fayettel, Iowa.

After a 35-13 win over Northern State, USF wrapped up its swing to NSIC North schools with a 4-0 mark and moved to 28-4 all-time against the North. Now USF has three games (Upper Iowa, No. 3 Minnesota State and Wayne State) against South foes to close the regular season.

USF, which received nine vote points in the AFCA Week 8 NCAA DII Coaches Poll (or 29th overall), is 3-1 at home and 3-1 in road games with their most win against NSU and a 52-14 win over Minnesota Crookston, 52-14, as well as a 51-7 road win at Southwest Minnesota State. The Cougars lost the opener to Concordia-St. Paul, 41-24. As a result, USF has a 162-to-75 edge in points in road contests.

Fans can tune into the radio broadcast on KWSN with veteran announcer Tom Frederick and analyst Tim Hiatt. Live video and stats will be available at USFCougars.com.

The Cougars, which will be led by head coach Jon Anderson (22-9) enter the game with a four-game winning streak after defeating Northern State for a fourth straight time as a member of the NSIC..  With the win over NSU, Anderson recorded his 22nd career win at USF and now sits fifth all-time in wins by a head coach at USF.   

#USF clinches 26th straight winning season
After a 35-13 win at Northern State, the Cougars clinched a 26th straight winning season, which is a mark fourth-best across all divisions. 
Active Streaks
1. Linfield (Ore.), 63 years, 1956 (5-1 this year)
2. Mount Union (Ohio), 41 years, 1979 (7-0 this year)
3. Wartburg (Iowa), 27 years, 1993 (7-0 this year)
4. USF, 26 years, 1994, (6-2 this year)
5. Hobart (Ind.), 22 years, 1997 (5-2 this year)
6. Wheaton (Ill.), 21 years, 1998 (7-0 this year)
7. LSU, 21 years, 1999 (8-0 this year)
8. Oklahoma, 21 years, 1999 (7-1 this year)

#Cougars ranked 8th in first region rankings
 The first NCAA Regional football rankings have been released and the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) has four teams ranked in Super Region Four. Minnesota State (8-0) ranks second while Augustana (6-2) is seventh, Sioux Falls (6-2) is eighth and Winona State (6-2) is ninth in the first of three rankings. The NSIC, the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC), the Lone Star Conference (LSC) and the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) make up the 41-team NCAA Super Region Four this season. The Division II Football Championship provides for a maximum field of 28 teams, seven from each of the four super regions. Twelve (12) first-round games will be conducted on the campus of one of the competing institutions. The top seed in each selection region (super regional) will receive a bye in the first round of the playoffs. The NCAA DII Football selection show is set to air on NCAA.com on Sun., Nov. 17.

#Walters continues to lead NSIC in total offense
USF quarterback Caden Walters, a senior from Dodge City, Kan., who was named the NSIC Offensive Player of the Week for the first time in his career on Oct. 14, continues to lead the NSIC in total offense and ranks third in passing.

Walters also leads the NSIC in completion percentage (60.0 percent) and is tied for the lead in TD passes with 13. A Dodge City, Kan., senior, Walters has completed 117-of-195 passes with 13TDs against two interceptions and has a result owns the league's top pass efficiency ranking of 152.4. With 2,032 total yards or 254.0 per game, Walters ranks first in total offense per game. He has a career-high of 334 yards total offense in the win over Minnesota Crookston. Against NSU last week he met his average with 254. Walters had just two interceptions this season and a pass streak of 94 straight passes without a pick.

One of the league's top dual-threat signal callers, Walters has 70 carries for 351 yards (5.0 avg.) with seven TDs this season. He has 120 carries for 494 yards and nine TDs in his career.  As for his career passing numbers, he is now 263-of-419 for 62.8 percent for 3,714 yards with 27 TDs and nine interceptions in his career. He ranks ninth in school history in passing yards 3,714 and is 12th in total offense with 4,210 yards (589 plays, 7.14 yards per play – fourth all-time).  

#USF ranks 1st  in DII in total defense  
USF is ranked first in total defense, passing efficiency defense and yards allowed per play, according to statistics released by the NCAA on Sunday. USF is first in total defense for the first time in DII program history. In total, USF is ranked in the top 10 nationally in eight categories on defense. Over the past six games, USF has allowed a combined 1,125 total yards with three games when they held an opponent 200 yards and two under 140.  In total defense, USF is allowing a paltry 208.5 yards per game and have a passing defense efficiency mark of 81.36. USF has allowed 1,668 yards in 494 plays for a nation's best 3.38 yards per play. The Cougars have shown substantial improvement in total defense this season over a year ago when they allowed 355.5 yards per game (through eight games in 2018) and 4.9 yards per play. After giving up just 31 yards in 29 plays to Northern State, USF is fifth in DII in rushing defense at 61.3 yards per game and 1.98 yards per carry. The Cougars have allowed 490 yards on 248 carries.  In the past four games, USF has allowed just two offensive touchdowns including one by rushing. In the past six games, teams are averaging only 187.5 yards in total offense with 47.5 rushing yards (285 total rush yards).  A year ago, the Cougars had allowed 916 rushing yards or 114.5 yards per game and 3.2 per carry at this point in the season. The Cougars also rank seventh in first down defense (104), sixth in interceptions with 15, eighth in passing yards allowed (147.3 yards per game) eighth in turnovers gained (20) and ninth in scoring defense (13.8 ppg). Additionally, USF is 15th in third down conversions at 28 percent (33-of-118) and 19th in turnover margin at 1.0 (20 turnovers forced, 12 committed). Another major improvement by USF is with third down conversion defense when they gave up conversions at 40 percent with opponents at 49-of-124 attempts a year ago. USF has a 12 percent improvement. On offense, USF sits 27th in total offense at 439.9 yards per game (6.63 yards per game). The Cougars also rank 28th in rushing offense at 222.4 yards per game. USF has 348 carries for 1,779 yards and average 5.1 yards per carry. In scoring USF is 36th at 34.4 points per game and 33rd in team passing efficiency at 147.88. Individually, junior linebacker Harvey (Michael) Enalls ranks second in fumbles recovered with three. Senior quarterback Caden Walters ranks in the top 30 in three categories including 20th in yards per pass at 8.62; 24th in passing efficiency at 152.4 and 28th in total offense at 254.0 yards per game. Sophomore running back Thuro Reisdorfer is ranked in nationally in eight individual statistical categories. Reisdorfer, who has 103 carries for 706 yards, ranks seventh in total TDs with 13 (10 rushing, 2 receiving, 1 kickoff return), eighth in total points with 78, 13th in rushing yards per carry at 6.85; 10th in scoring with 13 TDs; 14th in rushing TDs with 10 and 35th in rushing yards at 706.
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#USF owns a 6-1 series lead against UIU
The Cougars stand 6-1 all-time vs. Upper Iowa and have six straight wins.  A year ago, USF rolled up 616 yards in total offense and shut down the explosive Upper Iowa offense in recording a 34-7 victory at Bob Young Field.  USF, which held a 36:06-to-23:54 time of possession advantage, opened up a 21-0 lead in the first quarter. The Cougars held a 421-to-93 total yards edge in the first half and cruised to a 31-0 advantage at the break. The Peacocks put up a touchdown in the fourth quarter but it was too little too late. Gabriel Watson had 29 carries for 185 yards and two touchdowns. Colton Myles provided 13 carries for 84 yards and a two-yard touchdown run while QB Caden Walters completed 21-of-27 passes for a career-best 283 yards and threw a touchdown pass. In 2017, USF defeated the Peacocks, 19-7, as Jason Towns had 201 all purpose yards and Kyle Campiotti had a 67-yard interception return. In 2016, the USF took a 51-7 decision as Luke Papilion threw for 269 yards and a TD while Max Mickey had 92 yards rushing and two TDs. Papilion threw for 331 yards and three TDs while Solomon St. Pierre and John Tidwell had interception touchdown returns for USF in a 69-20 win over UIU in 2015. The Cougars took a 45-24 decision in 2014 at Bob Young Field. Papilion threw for 287 yards and three TDs as USF led, 24-0, at half. USF had a 282-to-36 advantage in rushing yards. UIU took a 30-28 decision in 2013 at Harms-Eischeid Stadium as Chris Smith ran for 258 yards and three TDs. Carrington Hanna had 298 yards pass and two TDs to lead USF. In 2012, USF outscored UIU, 54-41, at Bob Young Field. In the high scoring affair, Kristian Porter racked up 108 rushing yards and two TDs. USF QB Taylor Perkins charted his sixth game of the season with three or more passing TDs and finished 15-of-25 for 230 yards and three TDs. Jeremiah Oates had 162 yards receiving. Cole Jaeschke threw for 606 yards and five TDs to lead UIU.

#Johnson, Collier continue to lead USF receiving group 
In the receiving corps, USF has two of the top nine pass catchers in the league. In his first year at USF, junior Karnell Collier has accumulated 34 catches for 486 yards and a TD which ranks him ninth in the NSIC. He had his first career 100-yard receiving game in the win over Winona State with seven catches for 108 yards. Against SMSU, he had one catch for a career-best 91 yards. He set his career-high catch total with eight receptions for 89 yards against Augustana. Collier caught his first career TD at USF with a 20-yard pitch and catch from Walters in the UMD win. Senior Nate Johnson ranks fifth in the NSIC with 35 catches for 552 yards and five TDs. He averages 15.8 yards per catch and 69.0 yards per game. In his career, Johnson has 57 in his  career for 959  yards and nine  TDs. He had a season-career high 10 receptions for 82 yards against Augustana on Sept. 26. Against U-Mary he tied his career-high with three TDs (SMSU, 2018) and set a career-best with 186 receiving yards, which is the most at USF since 2003 when Grant Brecher had 10 catches for 187 yards. Johnson's 186-yard game total ranks sixth best all-time at USF.  In addition, Johnson has 692 all purpose yards this season (552 receiving, 118 punt returns, 22 kick off returns) for 86.5per game.

#Grantham and company continue to shine on defense
On defense, senior Brody Grantham leads USF with 44 tackles. He has 29 solo stops, 6.0 TFLs, an interception and a pass breakup in his six games on the balanced defense employed by defensive coordinator Nick Benedetto. In his career, he has played 36 games with 146 tackles which included 80 solo stops. He has accumulated 15.5 tackles for loss with 2.5 sacks, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries. 

Senior Ryan Nieman registered his sixth career interception  and first-ever defensive TD against U-Mary with a 37-yard return in the second quarter of a 39-0 win. He has three picks this year. So far, he has three interceptions for 129 yards or 43.0 yards per carry. For his career he has 138 yards in interception returns on those six picks. He has 30 tackles this year with 17 solos. He has 57 tackles with 39 solos in his career. 

Junior defensive end Joey Wehrkamp has 20 tackles with a team-high 8.0 TFLs, four sacks and now has totaled 75 tackles with 19 TFLs and 8.5 sacks in his career.   

Also for USF, junior linebacker Harvey (Michael) Enalls has 111 career stops, 10.0 TFLs and seven sacks. He has 31 tackles(19 solos), five TFLs and 4.5 sacks in 2019 which ranks eighth in the NSIC.  Plus he has three fumble recoveries which is tied for the league lead and ranks second in NCAA DII. 

Senior safety Tucker Stout has 31 tackles and 21 solo stops with two interceptions in 2019 as he has built his career numbers to 112 tackles with 78 solo stops and three interceptions and a fumble recovery.   

Senior cornerback Parker Gregston has 26 tackles with 21 solo stops, two interceptions and 1,5 tackles for loss in 2019. With nine passes defended, Gregston ranks second in the NSIC. In his career, he has 88 tackles with 59 solo stops, 2.5 tackles for loss, sack, 20 passes defended, 14 pass breakups and six interceptions.

#Reisdorfer leads the NSIC in scoring and ranks 4th in rushing
In the backfield, redshirt sophomore Thuro Reisdorfer has 103 carries for 706 yards and 10 rushing TDs or 88.2 yards per game, which ranks fourth in the NSIC in rushing yards per game.  Against NSU last week, Reisdorfer rushed 11 times for 133 yards with two TDs. Reisdorfer's 98-yard TD run against the Wolves is the longest offensive play in the NSIC and second longest in NCAA DII (99 yards, Daniel McCants, Tarleton State).

However, he  leads the NSIC in scoring with 13 total TDs for 9.8 points per game. Reisdorfer's scoring ranks 10th in DII. He also ranks seventh nationally with 13 total TDs. He established a career high with 171 yards on 13 carries and two TDs against UMD. He also had 13 carries for 92 yards against CSP and 20 carries for 82 yards and his first two career TDs in the 34-12 win over Winona State. He had 113 yards and a career-high four TDs with a personal-best 50-yard TD run on 13 carries  against SMSU. Against Augustana, he had 17 carries for 50 yards and caught a career-first 50-yard TD reception. Against UMC he had 135 all purpose yards which included three catches for 20 yards and a three-yard TD pass and an 80-yard kickoff return for a TD. The return was his first-ever kickoff return TD.  Reisdorfer has three 100-yard rushing games.

Sophomore Ja'Tai Jenkins is 11th  in the NSIC in rushing at 56.1 yards per game He has 82 carries for 449 yards for 5.5 per carry and has two TDs with a long of 51.  Against SMSU, he had a career best 102 yards rushing on 10 carries with a career-best 51-yard TD run. Against U-Mary, he led USF in rushing with 80 yards on 13 carries and a TD. This season he has three receptions for 15 yards and a TD. He added 14 carries for 92 yards against Minnesota Crookston. Against UMD, he had 12 carries for 75 yards with a long of 29 yards. Between Jenkins and Reisdorfer, USF has four 100-yard rushing games this year. In the past 19 games, USF has 17 100-yard or better rushing performances.

#Esparza and Chapiin continue to have solid years for USF
USF's junior placekicker Daniel Esparza earned his first career Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Special Teams Player of the Week honor after making a career-best 50-yard field goal against Winona State. Esparza, originally of Dallas, Texas, scored 10 points as the USF Football Team earned a 34-12 victory over Winona State in a key NSIC South contest at Bob Young Field on Saturday (Sept. 14). In his first year at USF, Esparza has made five of seven field goals (17, 19, 38, 50 and 36 yards) and is 32-of-35 on extra points.  Against Winona State, he made a career-best 50-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, which was the longest kick since former USF standout Stu Vanden Heuvel connected from 50-yards on Sept. 9, 2017 also at Bob Young Field.  With his 47 points, he ranks fifth in the NSIC in scoring at 6.0 points per game. 

USF punter Thomas Chapin is averaging 38.0 yards per punt with a long of 56 yards and nine kicks placed inside the 20-yard line. He has three punts over 50 yards and 35 punts for 1,331 yards. In his career, he has placed 20 punts into the 20 yard line and has 10 punts of 50 yards or more with a long of 72 yards.  

#Team Captains for 2019
Tucker Stout, Logan Dykstra, Nick Zimmerman, Caden Walters, Gabriel Watson and Brody Grantham are serving as team captains this season for USF. Dykstra, and Stout are two-year team captains.

#Upper Iowa has recorded two wins in a row
Upper Iowa, which is directed by head coach Tom Shea, opened 0-6 before turning things around with wins over Minnesota Crookston, 45-24, in Fayette, Iowa and Minnesota Duluth, 23-13, in Duluth, Minn. Upper Iowa averages 18.0 ppg while permitting 34.7 per game in league play.  In total offense, the Peacocks accumulated 295.6 yards per game (16th in the NSIC) and give up 396.4, which is 12th in the league. Levon Bellemy is seventh in the league with 433 yards rushing on 117 carries and four TDs.

#Cougars own 275-to-110 scoring edge
USF has outscored opponents, 68-16, in the first quarter and 112-to-54 in the second quarter for a 180-to-70 halftime advantage. The Cougars also have a 52-19 edge in the third quarter and 43-to-21 in the fourth quarter.

#Cougars have 74 wins at DII level - playing 100th game
The University of Sioux Falls is 69-21 (.766) since joining the NSIC (67-18 in league games) and 74-25 (.747) all-time in NCAA DII. USF is 39-14 (.750) mark against South opponents and 28-4 (.875) vs. the North. The Cougars are 32-10  (.762) in road NSIC games and 35-8  (.833) in home NSIC games. In North Division road games, the Cougars are 13-3 and 15-1 at home against NSIC North teams. USF stands 20-7 against South opponents at home and is 19-7 on the road.  

#USF has scored in 169 straight games
Since moving to DII in 2011, the Cougars have scored 3,448 points in 99 games or 34.83 ppg. USF has scored in 169 straight games, which dates 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.  

#Year 100  for USF Football
It is year 100 for University of Sioux Falls Football. As the Cougars start the milestone year, they do it with 448 wins in school history, a 25-year streak of winning seasons, which ranks among the best across all NCAA divisions, and four postseason appearances in the past five years. The Cougars have won four NAIA national titles, an NSIC crown in 2016 when they finished 11-0 in conference play and have totaled 20 league titles.