What Lies Ahead:  The 25th-ranked Minnesota State football team hits the road this weekend as it travels to Winona, Minn., for a 6 p.m., contest against Winona State.  The game represents MSU's final night game of the season.

What's in a Win:  A win would give MSU its 371st win in school history...A victory would be the 23rd victory for head coach Todd Hoffner at MSU and the 69th victory of his career...A win would mark the third consecutive road win for Minnesota State...Finally, a win would mark the 21st win for the Mavericks in the NSIC.

A Little History Lesson: The 2010 season marks the school's 84th season playing football.  The Mavericks are 370-368-28 (.501) in 766 games since their inception as a varsity sport in 1922.  Minnesota State is in its third season in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and owns a 19-2 record in league action.  Over the course of its history, MSU has claimed 17 conference championships including 15 NIC titles.

Scouting Winona State: Winona State enters this weekends match-up with a 3-1 record, including a 2-1 mark in the NSIC.  Last weekend, WSU earned a 42-14 victory at Upper Iowa, scoring the game's final 28-points.  WSU ran 77 plays in the victory and accumulated 501 yards of total offense, 349 of which were through the air.
   
Sophomore quarterback Evan Aber led WSU in the win, completing 26-of-39 passes for 347 yards and four touchdowns.  Sophomore wideout Derrick Engel hauled in eight passes for 141 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while sophomore running back Rayon Simmons rushed 13 times for 73 yards.  
   
For the season, WSU is averaging 37.5 points per game, while allowing 17.2.  On the ground, WSU is averaging 156 yards per game, while it covers 292 yards per contest through the air.  Simmons leads all rushers with 61 carries for 310 yards this season, averaging 77.5 yards per game and 5.1 yards per carry.  Aber has completed 58.4 percent (80-of-137) of his passes for 1,076 yards and 10 touchdowns while throwing just three interceptions.  Aber is averaging 269 yards per game and 13.45 yards per completion.  Engel leads all receivers for WSU with 22  catches for 375 yards and four touchdowns. He is averaging 93.8 yards per game and 17 yards per catch.
   
Defensively,  senior linebacker Cody Dummer leads the team in tackles with 30, 16 of which are of the solo variety.  Dummer also has 2.5 tackles for a loss.  Ryan Jirgl – older brother of MSU linebacker Ross Jirgl – is second on the team in tackles with 27.

Weather Report:  According to www.weather.com, Saturday's forecast in Winona calls for a high of 54 degrees with a few showers and no chance of rain.

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