Foreshadowing: Fresh off its 21-17 road victory over the #13 Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs, the second-rated Minnesota State football team returns home Saturday for its annual homecoming weekend as it hosts the Northern State Wolves. The opening kickoff is set for 2 p.m.

Our History: The 2013 season marks the school's 87th season playing football. The Mavericks are 398-376-28 (.513) in 802 games since their inception as a varsity sport in 1922.  Minnesota State is in its sixth season in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and owns a 45-9 (.833) record in league action. Over the course of its history, MSU has claimed 18 conference championships, including 16 NIC titles. Last season, the Mavericks advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament.

Grabbing the Reigns: The 2013 season marks the second season with interim Head Football Coach Aaron Keen patrolling the sidelines for Minnesota State. Last season, Keen guided the Mavericks to a 13-1 record, en route to an appearance in the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament. Keen currently boasts a head coaching record of 39-28, including an unblemished mark of 14-0 in NSIC play. He boasts a 16-1 record at Minnesota State.

Mutual History: Saturday's encounter between Minnesota State and Northern State will mark the seventh time the Mavericks and the Wolves have crossed paths. MSU currently leads the all-time series with a 5-1 record. The Mavericks have won the last two encounters, including a 32-10 win over the Wolves back in the 2011 season.

Notes from Last Weekend: Junior Nathan Hancock made his presence felt on defense all night long as he posted one interception, one fumble recovery, 10 tackles and one forced fumble. Freshman Mat Andriano recovered UMD's other fumble, while sophomore Tyler Henderson led the team with 11 tackles, including one sack.

On offense, the Mavericks rushed for 154 yards, including a team-high 72 yards from senior Jon Wolf. Wolf, who also rushed for one touchdown, threw for 115 yards, to go along with two touchdown passes. Sophomore Connor Thomas rushed for 65 yards as well.

Senior Dennis Carter led the Maverick receiving corps with 44 receiving yards and a touchdown, with junior Austin Rieder posting 42 receiving yards as well. Sophomore Kyle Riggot tallied 14 receiving yards and a touchdown.
 
Concerning the Wolves: The Northern State Wolves fell to 1-2 last week as they suffered a 24-17 loss to the Upper Iowa Peacocks. NSU mustered just 263 total yards of offense, including 158 rushing yards and 105 passing yards.

Jared Jacobson leads the NSU rushing attack with 182 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the season. John Hughes has posted 132 rushing yards as well. Jacobson has also completed 43-of-105 passes for 528 yards and six touchdowns. He has also thrown two interceptions.

On defense, the Wolves have forced four turnovers on the season, including two interceptions  and two fumble recoveries.

Blaine Schmidt leads the NSU defense with 24 tackles and has posted one interception and one fumble recovery. Logan Dosch has tallied 20 tackles and including three for a loss.

Homecoming History: MSU owns a 45-33-2 record in homecoming games, including a 4-1 record in its last five homecoming games. This will be the first time the Mavericks have hosted a homecoming game against Northern State.

Monday Night Coaches Show: Join the Minnesota State coaching staff each Monday night for the Maverick Coaches Show live from the downtown Buffalo Wild Wings location. The show, hosted by Mike Sullivan, airs on AM 1230 KYSM the Fan Mankato and runs from 7-7:30.

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