MANKATO, Minn. --- Minnesota State continues its season on the road this Saturday, at 1:00 p.m., as it faces an old rival in Augustana.

Our History: The 2016 season marks the school's 90th season playing football. The Mavericks are 434-382-28 (.530) in 844 games since their inception as a varsity sport in 1922.  Minnesota State is in its ninth season in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and owns a 76-12 (.863) record in league action. Over the course of its history, MSU has claimed 21 conference championships, including 16 NIC titles. The Mavericks have also made nine appearances in the NCAA Tournament. MSU owns a 7-9 overall record in NCAA postseason play. 

Grabbing the Reins: The 2016 season marks the seventh season with Head Coach Todd Hoffner on the sidelines. During his seven seasons at Minnesota State, Hoffner has compiled a 62-18 (.775) record, including four trips to the NCAA Tournament in 2008, 2009,  2014 and 2015.

Against the Vikings: Saturday's game between the Mavericks and the Vikings represents the 47th meeting between them, with the series locked at 23-23. Minnesota State has won the last five meetings against AU and six of the last seven dating back to the 2009 season. Last year, the Mavericks defeated the Vikings 35-27 at Blakeslee Stadium.

During their 2015 meeting, senior Ricky Lloyd completed nine passes for 192 yards and three touchdowns. Junior Ty Dennis led the Maverick receiving corps with six catches, for 153 yards and two touchdowns. On defense, senior Marcus Gooden recorded six tackles, while junior Evan Perrizo notched four tackles, including 1.5 for a loss.

Trey Heid completed 20 passes for 278 yards and two touchdowns last season against the Mavericks. Matt Heller also caught eight passes for 144 yards and a touchdown. On defense, Jordan Johnson tallied eight tackles.

Last Week for the Mavericks: Minnesota State won its sixth straight homecoming game last weekend as it defeated Concordia-St. Paul 45-10 at Blakeslee Stadium. Its win also represented its sixth straight win over CSP.

In total, Minnesota State put up 484 yards of total offense, including 291 yards through the air. In comparison, the Golden Bears tallied 254 yards of offense, including 128 rushing yards.

Senior Nick Pieruccini, senior Ricky Lloyd and freshman Ryan Schlichte each threw at least one touchdown pass against the Golden Bears. Pieruccini led the passing attack with 197 passing yards and two touchdowns. Both junior Erik Fuller and freshman Shane Zylstra caught two touchdown passes. Senior Virgil Hammond led the Maverick rushing attack with 115 rushing yards as well.

On defense, senior Ruben Ibarra led the Mavericks with 12 tackles, while sophomore Zach Dodge posted three tackles for a loss. MSU also blocked a pair of CSP punts, one of which was returned by freshman Nate Tranel  31 yards for a touchdown.

Concerning the Mavericks: Through six games this season the Mavericks have tallied 2,517 yards of total offense and are averaging 33.5 points per game.

MSU has tallied 1,130 yards on the ground this season, with seniors Nick Pieruccini and Virgil Hammond leading the way with 429 yards and 355 yards, respectively. Pieruccini also has four touchdown carries.

Through the air, Minnesota State has tallied 1,384 passing yards and 16 touchdown passes. Pieruccini has thrown for 887 yards and 12 touchdowns.

The Maverick defense has allowed 2,156 yards of total offense this season, along with 20.3 points per game. 

Senior Ruben Ibarra has posted 57 tackles this season, with senior Marcus Gooden following right behind with 51. Junior Evan Perrizo has tallied a team-leading 7.5 tackles for a loss as well.

Last Week for the Vikings: Last weekend, Augustana University snapped a two-game losing streak as it defeated Wayne State 44-31 on the road. AU now owns a 4-2 overall record, including a 1-1 south division record.

The Vikings tallied 480 yards of total offense against the Wildcats, including 328 passing yards.  

Quarterback Trey Heid threw for 310 yards and four touchdowns against WSC. He also rushed for 68 yards and a touchdown.

Matt Heller led the AU receiving corps with 169 receiving yards and two touchdown catches, while Charlie Hayes caught two touchdown passes of his own.

On defense, the Vikings were led by Kirby Hora who tallied nine tackles. Jake Denn registered six tackles, including 2.5 for a loss.

Concerning the Vikings: On the season, Augustana has tallied 2,871 yards of offense, including 1,972 passing yards. AU is averaging 43 points a game, and is giving up an averaged of 24 points a game.

Quarterback Trey Heid has thrown for 1,834 yards and 21 touchdowns this season, compared to six interceptions. He is also leading the AU rushing attack with 328 rushing yards.

Matt Heller leads the Viking receivers with 38 catches for 797 yards and 10 touchdowns. Charlie Hayes and Nathan Merriman have each caught three touchdown passes as well.

Kirby Hora leads the Viking defense with 62 tackles this season. Bryson Hamilton leads Au with seven tackles for loss and three sacks.