MANKATO, Minn. --- No. 1 Minnesota State will conclude its regular season home schedule on Saturday, Nov. 4, as it takes on the Wayne State Wildcats at Blakeslee Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.

Our History: The 2017 season marks the school's 91st season playing football. The Mavericks are 447-383-28 (.537) in 857 games since their inception as a varsity sport in 1922.  Minnesota State is in its 10th season in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and owns an 89-13 (.872) 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 2017 season marks the eighth season with Head Coach Todd Hoffner on the sidelines. During his eight seasons at Minnesota State, Hoffner has compiled a 75-19 (.797) record, including four trips to the NCAA Tournament in 2008, 2009,  2014 and 2015.

Senior Day: Saturday's game is Senior Day for Minnesota State as 11 Maverick seniors will play in their final regular season game at Blakeslee Stadium. Seniors include Corey Brent, Larry Moore, Ty Dennis, Jerry Nash III, Brendan Chrystal, Max Stewart, Randy Jones, Jake Porter, Erik Fuller, Evan Perrizo and Shola George.

Regional Rankings: Minnesota State was ranked second in the second edition of the NCAA Super Region 4 rankings. Teams from the NSIC, Lone Star Conference (LSC), Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) and Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) make up Super Region 4. Seven teams from each of the four super regions will be named to the NCAA Tournament, with #1 seeds receiving a first-round bye.

Against the Wildcats: Saturday's encounter between the Mavericks and the Wildcats marks their 10th all-time meeting, with MSU owning a 9-0 record. Last season, Minnesota State defeated Wayne State 41-30 on the road.

Senior Erik Fuller caught five passes for 43 yards and two touchdowns, while sophomore Justin Arnold added 53 receiving yards and a touchdown.

On defense, five Mavericks recorded at least five tackles against the Wildcats, including senior Corey Brent, senior Jerry Nash III, senior Brendan Chrystal and junior Zach Dodge. Dodge also tallied two sacks, while senior Evan Perrizo added one.

As a team, the Mavericks tallied 513 yards of offense against Wayne State, including 249 passing yards.

Last Week for the Mavericks: Minnesota State improved to 9-0 last week as it defeated Winona State 27-6 last weekend at Blakeslee Stadium. MSU has now won its last 11 games dating back to last season.

As a unit, the MSU tallied 319 yards of offense against the Warriors, including 205 yards through the air. WSU was limited to 233 yards, including just 17 rushing yards.

Freshman Justin Taormina led the MSU ground attack with 95 rushing yards and a touchdown, while senior Ty Dennis led MSU receivers with 89 receiving yards, while sophomore Shane Zylstra caught three passes for 44 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore Ryan Schlichte completed 14 passes for 205 yards and a touchdown as well.

The Maverick defense recorded six turnovers on the day, including four interceptions and two fumble recoveries. Sophomore Jack Curtis came away with two interceptions, while senior Corey Brent and sophomore Alex Goettl each tallied one. 

The trio Larry Moore, Evan Perrizo and Zach Dodge each tallied two sacks on the day. One of Moore's two sacks caused a fumble that Perrizo returned 12 yards for a touchdown. Moore led the Maverick defense with nine tackles, with senior Brendan Chrystal following right behind with seven.

Last Week for the Wildcats: Wayne State improved to 5-4 last weekend as it defeated Concordia-St. Paul 27-23 at home. WSC's win over CSP ended a two-game losing streak.

As a team, Wayne State tallied 309 yards of offense, including 200 rushing yards. CSP managed to post 315 yards against the Wildcats, including 170 yards through the air.

Rashad Trimble led the WSC rushing attack with 96 yards and a touchdown, while Layne Sullivan and Nate Rogers each caught a touchdown pass.

Ben Elznic led the Wayne State defense with nine tackles, while Ian Ailts tallied seven tackles, one interception and forced a fumble.

Concerning the Mavericks: Minnesota State owns an 9-0 record after defeating Winona State 27-6 last weekend. MSU has now won its last 11 games.

So far this season, MSU is averaging 494.0 yards of total offense a game, including 302.6 yards on the ground. In comparison, the MSU defense is allowing 259.8 yards of offense a game, including 65.2 yards on the ground.

Sophomore Nate Gunn leads the MSU rushing attack with 1,115 yards and 10 touchdowns, with freshman Justin Taormina following with 723 yards and eight touchdowns. 

Sophomore Shane Zylstra leads the MSU receiving corps with 618 receiving yards and 12 touchdown catches, while senior Ty Dennis has posted 362 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore quarterback Ryan Schlichte has thrown for 1,243 yards and 15 touchdowns this season.

Junior Michael Palme leads the Maverick defense with 47 tackles, to go along with 4.5 tackles for a loss and two sacks. Senior Evan Perrizo has a team-leading 12.5 tackles for a loss and 7.5 sacks. Both senior Corey Brent and sophomore Jack Curtis each have three interceptions this season as well.

Concerning the Wildcats: Wayne State enters the weekend with a 5-4 overall record, including a 27-23 win last weekend against Concordia-St. Paul at home

As a team, Wayne State is averaging 351.7 yards of offense a game, compared to 372.6 yards by its opponents. WSC is averaging 219.8 yards a game through the air this season.

Rashad Trimble leads the WSC rushing attack with 769 rushing yards and six touchdown carries. Nate Rogers has caught a team-leading 10 touchdown passes and Zach Osborn has thrown from 1,480 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Ian Ailts leads the WSC defense with 72 tackles this season. Glenn Harris has notched 23 tackles and an NSIC-leading seven interceptions. DeWayne Scott has 65 tackles, including a team-best seven tackles for a loss as well.