MANKATO, Minn. --- #1 Minnesota State will wrap up its regular season schedule at Blakeslee Stadium this Saturday as it hosts the Upper Iowa Peacocks. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.

Our History: The 2018 season marks the school's 92nd season playing football. The Mavericks are 461-384-28 (.544) in 873 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 a 99-13 (.883) record in league action. Over the course of its history, MSU has claimed 22 conference championships, including 14 NIC titles and five NSIC championships. The Mavericks also made their 10th appearance in the NCAA Tournament last season. MSU owns a 9-10 overall record in NCAA postseason play. 

Grabbing the Reins: The 2018 season marks the ninth season with Head Coach Todd Hoffner on the sidelines. During his nine seasons at Minnesota State, Hoffner has compiled an 89-20 (.816) record, including four NSIC Championships and five trips to the NCAA Tournament in 2008, 2009, 2014, 2015 and 2017.

Against the Peacocks: Saturday's game between Minnesota State and Upper Iowa marks their 13th all-time meeting, MSU winning all 12 of their previous encounters. The Mavericks own a 6-0 record against the Peacocks at Blakeslee Stadium. Last season, MSU defeated Upper Iowa 52-7 on the road.

During their most recent outing against the Peacocks, the Mavericks tallied 588 yards of offense, including 359 yards on the ground. In comparison, UIU was limited to 150 yards of offense, with 136 coming through the air.

The duo of junior Nate Gunn and sophomore Justin Taormina each exceeded 100 rushing yards, with Taormina leading the way with 118 yards and a touchdown. Gunn added 111 rushing yards of his own.

Junior Ryan Schlichte threw for 168 yards and three touchdowns against the Peacocks, while sophomore Parker Gloudemans caught three passes for 77 yards and a touchdown. Juniors Tyler Schmidt and Shane Zylstra each caught a touchdown pass as well. 

Sophomore Michael Buetow led the Maverick defense with six tackles, while junior Zach Robertson recovered a fumble.

Last Week for the Mavericks: Minnesota State improved to 10-0 last weekend as it defeated Sioux Falls 31-21 at Blakeslee Stadium. MSU won the NSIC South Division championship and has now won 23 straight NSIC games.

The Mavericks posted 431 yards of total offense against the Cougars, including 243 passing yards. MSU limited USF to 323 yards of offense, including 170 passing yards.

Junior Nate Gunn rushed for 121 yards and three touchdowns, marking the sixth time this season he has passed the 100 rushing yard plateau. 

Sophomore JD Ekowa threw for 196 yards and a touchdown, while junior Justin Arnold led the Maverick receiving corps with four catches for 103 yards. Junior Tyler Schmidt caught a touchdown pass as well.

Junior Alex Goettl led the Maverick defense with 10 tackles and an interception. Senior Jayme LaPlante, who tallied 1.5 tackles for a loss, blocked a field goal as well.

Last Week for the Peacocks: Upper Iowa dropped to 3-7 last weekend as it fell to Wayne State 42-35 at home. The Peacocks have lost their last three games.

As a team, Upper Iowa tallied 523 yards of offense against the Wildcats, including 356 passing yards. WSC notched 248 yards of offense, including 149 passing yards.

Brent Lammers completed 31 passes for 356 yards and a touchdown, while Ryan Parmely ran for 38 yards and three touchdowns.

Alexander Stevens led the UIU receiving corps with nine catches for 161 yards, while Skylar Lehman tallied seven catches for 92 yards.

Jordan Rommes posted a team-leading 11 tackles against WSC, while Jordan Wymer recorded two interceptions.
 
Concerning the Mavericks: Minnesota State improved to 10-0 last weekend as it defeated Sioux Falls 31-21 at Blakeslee Stadium.

As a team, MSU has averaged 44.6 points and 478.0 yards of offense a game this season. Its opponents have averaged 16.9 points and 291.7 yards of offense a game.

Junior Nate Gunn leads the MSU rushing attack with 1,089 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns. Gunn's 18 rushing touchdowns are the most in a season in team history. Sophomore Justin Taormina has notched 359 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while sophomore JD Ekowa has added 334 yards and three touchdowns.

Junior Ryan Schlichte has thrown for 1,502 yards and 14 touchdowns this season. He is averaging 150.2 passing yards a game and has completed 59.4% of his passes.

The Maverick receiving corps is led by a duo of juniors, Shane Zylstra and Justin Arnold. Zylstra has tallied 915 receiving yards and 11 touchdown catches, while Arnold has caught 32 passes for 547 yards and two touchdowns.

Junior Alex Goettl leads the MSU defense with 60 tackles, including 10 for a loss and 4.0 sacks. Sophomore Chance Bowen has tallied 25 tackles, including 10.5 for a loss and 9.5 sacks as well. Senior Michael Palme has notched 46 tackles, including five for a loss, and two sacks.

Concerning the Upper Iowa: Upper Iowa fell to 3-7 on the season after dropping a 42-35 decision to Wayne State last weekend as home. 

As a team, UIU has averaged 24.6 points and 399.1 yards of offense a game this season. Upper Iowa has done most of its damage through the air as it averages 275.7 passing yards a game.

Quarterback Brent Lammers has tallied 2,742 passing yards and 17 touchdowns this season. Alexander Stevens leads the UIU receiving corps with 791 receiving yards and six touchdown catches. Skylar Lehman has caught 45 passes for 470 yards and four touchdowns as well.

Antoine Conner leads the Upper Iowa rushing attack with 325 yard and five touchdowns.

Nic Patterson leads the Peacock defense with 89 tackles, while Jason Rommes has notched 80 tackles, including 13 for a loss, and six sacks. Daniel Ruffin Jr. has tallied a team-leading four interceptions as well.

Regional Rankings: Minnesota State held the #1 spot in the third edition of the NCAA Super Region 4 rankings. The top seven teams in each super region advance to the NCAA Tournament, with each #1 seed receiving a first round bye. The NCAA Selection Show will take place on Sunday, at 4:00 p.m., and will be streamed on NCAA.com.