SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -  Cougar Football (3-2, 2-2 NSIC) will hit the road for the second time in two weeks to take on the #7 Minnesota State Mavericks (5-0, 4-0 NSIC) Saturday, October 5th at 2pm inside Blakeslee Stadium.

QUICK HITS: USF is coming off of a tough 26-22 road loss to Minot State as Camden Dean looks to become the 34th member of the 1,000 yard rushing club where he currently sits at 984 career rushing yards...The Cougar defense currently sits withing the top-5 of the NSIC while giving up roughly 311.8 total yards per game and just 139.2 in rushing...The USF defense ranks second in the conference in defensive efficiency with a rating of 111.5...Sioux falls is eyeing in on 100 NCAA DII wins and currently sits at 98.

MATCHUP HISTORY: Sioux Falls is 3-10 against Mankato dating back to 1936 when USF fell 27-0...The Coo picked up their first win against the Mavs in 1937 with a 7-0 shutout...Since entering the NCAA Division II era, Sioux Falls is 2-9 against Minnesota State with their largest DII win being in 2021 when the Cougars defeated the Mavericks 45-35 in Mankato...Sioux Falls is 3-3 on the road against Minnesota State with both DII wins coming from inside Blakeslee Stadium...The Mavericks have historically outscored the Cougars 297-377.

THE LAST TIME: The Cougars hosted the Mavericks during their 2023 season opener falling 54-26...Camden Dean led The Coo with 199-yards of total offense with two scores, but was sacked three times...Adam Mullen also recorded a passing touchdown when he connected with Carter Slykhuis to open the second quarter...The defense was led by Matt Goehring and Eli Schlangen each with 10 tackles on the day while Cain McWilliams returned a 60-yard interception.

PREGAME TIDBITS: USF is currently outscoring their opponents 149-110 while finding a bit more success in their passing game...Dylan Rudningen  & Carter Slykhuis lead The Coo with four touchdowns on the season followed by Hank Brown Jr. & Travis Yohnke with three...Camden Dean has thrown for 905-yards this season with 11 passing scores and two on the ground with 244 rushing yards...The Cougar defense has been led by Andy Henson, Matt Goehring and Garret Hoffman...Henson leads the team with 37 tackles following a career-high 13 tackle game against Minot while Goehring adds 33 tackles and has pulled down three interceptions the last three games for USF. Hoffman adds 31 tackles, a pass break-up and a recovered fumble.

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