What Lies Ahead:  The Minnesota State football team hosts Hillsdale Saturday at Noon in the opening round of the 2009 NCAA Division II Playoffs.

What's in a Win: A win would push MSU's record to 11-1, which would establish a school record for wins in a season...The previous record was held by the 1993 team which finished 10-3...MSU has never started 11-0...A win would give MSU its third-ever playoff victory and first-ever playoff victory in Blakeslee Stadium...A win would snap a two-game losing streak in the playoffs...A win would push MSU's winning streak in Blakeslee Stadium to 11 games.

Hillsdale Happenings:   Hillsdale enters Saturday's game the owners of a 9-2 record, including an 8-2 record in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, where it finished second.  The Chargers – who have won their last five games – are averaging 37 points per game while giving up 21.3.  Offensively, Hillsdale is averaging 163.0 yards per game on the ground and 273.3 yards in the air while their defense is giving up 120 yards per game on the ground and 191.4 yards per game in the air.
   
Senior running back Vinnie Panizzi leads the team in rushing with 251 carries for 1,306 yards and 21 touchdowns.  He is averaging 5.2 yards per carry and 118.7 yards per game.  Junior quarterback Troy Weatherhead has completed 65.9 percent of his passes this year (220-of-334) for 2,706 yards and 16 touchdowns against six interceptions.  He is averaging 246 yards per game in the air and has a quarterback efficiency rating of 146.1.  Senior wide receiver A.J. Kegg and junior wideout Andrew Holmes each have over 800 yards of receiving.  Holmes has caught 62 passes for 867 yards and six touchdowns and is averaging 78.8 yards per game and 14 yards per catch, while Kegg has caught 69 passes for 820 yards and four touchdowns.  He is averaging 74.5 yards per game and 11.9 yards per catch.
   
Defensively, senior linebacker Mat Szula leads the team with 78 tackles – 39 solo, 39 assisted.  Senior defensive lineman Drew Berube has 36 tackles on the year, 17.5 for a loss of 113 yards and 13 sacks for a loss of 97 yards.
  
The Chargers – who are making their first ever NCAA playoff appearance – are coached by Keith Otterbein who is in his ninth year with the program and owns a 170-80-3 career record.   

Weather Forecast:  According to www.weather.com, Saturday's forecast is calling for a high of 49 degrees with mostly cloudy skies and a 10 percent chance of rain.

A Little History Lesson: The 2009 season marks the school's 83rd season playing football.  The Mavericks are 371-377-27 (.498) in 772 games since their inception as a varsity sport in 1922.  Minnesota State is in its second season in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and owns a 18-2 record in league action.  Over the course of its history, MSU has claimed 17 conference championships including 15 NIC titles.

Can't Make It To The Game:  Fans who can't make the journey to Blakeslee Stadium can follow the action live in a variety of ways.  Video of the game will be streamed live and for free on www.ncaa.com, livestats can be located at: http://www.sidearmstats.com/mnsu/football/ and you can listen to the Minnesota State audio broadcast at: www3.mnsu.edu/athletics

Ticket Information:  Tickets for Saturday's game can be purchased in advance and at the ticket window Saturday morning.

Fans who wish to purchase their tickets in advance may do so by logging onto www.MSUMaverickTickets.com
   
Reserved seats (home side only) are $15, $10 for general admission adult tickets, $5 for students (k-12) and seniors (65 and older) and $3 for any college student with a valid college identification card.

To view the complete version of this release, click HERE

A copy of the 2009 Postseason Media Guide is available by clicking on the "2009 Postseason Media Guide" link to the right.