MANKATO, Minn. --- #1 Minnesota State continues its season on Saturday as it hosts the Concordia-St. Paul Golden Bears at Blakeslee Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.

Our History: The 2018 season marks the school's 92nd season playing football. The Mavericks are 453-384-28 (.539) in 865 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 93-13 (.877) 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 81-20 (.801) record, including four NSIC Championships and five trips to the NCAA Tournament in 2008, 2009, 2014, 2015 and 2017.

Against the Golden Bears: Saturday's game between Minnesota State and Concordia-St. Paul marks their 13th meeting, with MSU leading the all-time series 10-2. MSU has won its last seven games against the Golden Bears, including a 47-10 victory on the road last season. The Mavericks own a 5-1 record against CSP at Blakeslee Stadium

Last season, the Mavericks put on a rushing clinic against the Golden Bears as they tallied 479 rushing yards and six touchdown carries. Junior Nate Gunn led the way with 173 rushing yards and two touchdown carries, while sophomore Justin Taormina added 103 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore JD Ekowa posted 84 rushing yards and two touchdowns as well.

Junior Ryan Schlichte completed six passes for 99 yards and junior Tyler Schmidt led MSU receivers with 61 receiving yards.

On defense, the Mavericks were paced by junior Alex Goettl who led the team with six tackles and a sack. Senior Michael Palme added three tackle, including one for a loss, and a sack as well.

Running back Darnelle Rolle tallied 19 rushing yards, while Blake Evans led the CSP defense with 10 tackles. Dion Wallisch also recorded an interception.

Last Week for the Mavericks: Minnesota State improved to 2-0 on the season as it defeated Augustana on the road last weekend. MSU has now won its last eight encounters with the Vikings.

As a team, MSU tallied 570 yards of total offense against the Vikings, including 344 passing yards. The Mavericks allowed 521 yards of offense, but kept the AU rushing attack in check as they managed just 70 rushing yards.

Junior Nate Gunn finished with 131 rushing yards and three touchdown carries. Gunn has now rushed for more than 100 yards 12 times in his career, including two times this season. 

Junior Ryan Schlichte tallied a career-high 332 passing yards, while junior Shane Zylstra caught seven passes for 134 yards and a touchdown.

Junior Jack Curtis recorded a team-high eight tackles, while senior Keyshawn Davis and junior Zach Robertson each posted six.

Last Week for the Golden Bears: Concordia-St. Paul improved 1-1 last weekend as it bested Upper Iowa 34-7.

As a team, CSP tallied 455 yards of offense against the Peacocks, including 271 rushing yards. The Golden Bear defense held UIU to 353 yards of offense, including just 17 rushing yards.

Dom McKinzy finished with 184 passing yards and two touchdowns, while Shaq Johnson posted 110 rushing yards. MJ Williams caught six passed for 93 yards and a touchdown as well.

Blake Evans led the Golden Bear defense with 10 tackles, while Marcus Haskins tallied one interception and broke up six passes.

Concerning the Mavericks: Minnesota State improved to 2-0 last weekend with its 38-36 win over Augustana. MSU has now won its last 15 NSIC games.

As a team, MSU is averaging 544 yards of offense a game, compared to its opponents 428 yards a game. The Mavericks are averaging 297 yards passing and 247 yards rushing. Minnesota State is also averaging 43.5 points and game, while allowing just 24.5 points.

Junior Nate Gunn leads the MSU rushing attack with an average of 125 yards a game and five touchdown carries. Sophomore JD Ekowa is second on the team in rushing yards with 106.

Junior Ryan Schlichte has thrown for 533 yards and three touchdowns this season. He is averaging 266.5 passing yards a game and has completed 68.4% of his passes.

The Maverick receiving corps is led by the duo of juniors Shane Zylstra and Justin Arnold. Zylstra has tallied 175 receiving yards and two touchdown catches, while Arnold has caught eight passes for 157 yards.

Sophomore Cole Schroedermeier leads the Maverick defense with 15 tackles, with sophomore Cade Johnson following right behind with 13 tackles. Junior Alex Goettl has also tallied nine tackles and a sack.

Concerning the Golden Bears: Concordia-St. Paul owns a 1-1 on the season, including its 34-7 win over Upper Iowa at home last weekend.

As a team, CSP is averaging 29.0 points and 404.0 yards of offense a game this season. Its opponents have averaged 17.0 points and 378.5 yards per game. CSP's offense has featured a balanced attack as it has averaged 194 rushing yards and 210 passing yards a game.

The Golden Bear rushing attack has been anchored by Shaq Johnson and Lajuan Preston. Johnson has posted 176 rushing yards, while Preston has tallied 100 yards and a touchdown.

Quarterback Dom McKinzy has thrown for 420 yards and five touchdowns this season, and is averaging 210 passing yards a game, while completing 58.5% of his passes.

Marcus Gustaveson leads the CSP receiving corps with 147 yards and a touchdown. Shaq Johnson has caught three touchdown passes as well.

Blake Evans leads the Golden Bear defense with 16 tackles on the season. Marcus Haskins has recorded eight tackles and a team-best two interceptions, while defending nine passes. Chris Garrett has notched nine tackles, including two for a loss and 1.5 sacks as well.