SETTING THE SCENE
No. 5 Minnesota State returns to Blakeslee Stadium Saturday afternoon to host Concordia-St. Paul as part of Homecoming 2026. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.  The Mavericks enter the weekend as the lone undefeated team in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference with a 5-0 overall record and a 4-0 mark in league play. Minnesota State is coming off a 28-14 road win at Sioux Falls and has won each of its first five games by double-digit margins.  Concordia-St. Paul arrives with momentum of its own after winning back-to-back contests, including a 31-23 road victory at Jamestown last weekend. The Golden Bears are 3-2 overall and 2-2 in NSIC play entering Saturday's matchup.  Saturday's game marks the 20th meeting between the two programs, with Minnesota State owning a 17-2 advantage in the all-time series and carrying a 14-game winning streak against the Golden Bears.
 
CALLING THE GAME / HOW TO WATCH
Aaron Worm and John Harrington return to the broadcast booth this season and will have the call of Maverick Football on The Fan KFSP 1230 AM and 103.1 FM, the official radio home of Minnesota State football.  Fans can also listen online through Radio Mankato. Saturday's game will be streamed live on Midco Sports Plus, the exclusive streaming home of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. Every Minnesota State football game during the 2026 season will be available through Midco Sports Plus.
 
THE NEW MIDCO SPORTS PLUS NETWORK
The NSIC enters a new era of digital coverage this season with the launch of Midco Sports Plus.The platform serves as the centralized streaming home for all NSIC athletic events, providing live and on-demand coverage from each of the conference's 16 member institutions. Fans can purchase annual access for less than $7 per month, which includes NSIC and Summit League content. Monthly subscriptions are also available for $15.  The upgraded platform features improved navigation, expanded content access and enhanced viewing capabilities for fans throughout the conference footprint.
 
HOMECOMING 2026
Minnesota State hosts Concordia-St. Paul on Homecoming for the fourth time and has won all three previous Homecoming meetings against the Golden Bears. The Mavericks defeated CSP 58-10 in 2021, 45-10 in 2016 and 30-10 in 2012, outscoring the Golden Bears 133-30 in those contests.  Overall, Minnesota State owns a 56-34-2 record on Homecoming and defeated Sioux Falls 38-12 during last year's celebration. The Mavericks have won four of their last five Homecoming games, nine of their last 10 and 13 of their last 15. Last week, MSU spoiled Sioux Falls' Homecoming with a 28-14 victory and will visit Winona State next weekend during the Warriors' Homecoming festivities. The Mavericks have scored 2,032 points in Homecoming games throughout program history and have not been held below 20 points since a 31-17 loss to St. Cloud State in 2010.
 
RECAPPING THE SIOUX FALLS GAME
Despite difficult weather conditions, Minnesota State posted a 28-14 victory at Sioux Falls last Saturday. The Mavericks were limited to a season-low 338 yards of offense and just 109 passing yards, but the defense proved decisive. MSU forced four turnovers, including three interceptions and a fumble recovery. Senior defensive back Jamal Spiyee recorded his second interception return touchdown of the season, helping spark the Maverick victory Quarterback Mitchell Thompson rushed for a season-high 104 yards on 12 carries and scored twice on the ground, while Sam Backer added a key late touchdown with 2:55 remaining to secure the double-digit win. Defensively, the Mavericks recorded four sacks, including two by Ian Burau, who now has 3.5 sacks on the season. MSU limited the Cougars to 315 yards and just 4.4 yards per play while finishing 7-of-11 on third down offensively.
 
CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL LAST WEEK
Concordia-St. Paul enters Saturday's contest riding a two-game winning streak following a 31-23 road victory at Jamestown.  The Golden Bears raced out to a 24-7 lead midway through the second quarter before holding off a late Jimmie rally. CSP outgained Jamestown by 90 yards and received an efficient performance from quarterback Lincoln Graf, who completed 22-of-34 passes for 241 yards and three touchdowns. Running back Joel Lacy finished with 88 rushing yards and a touchdown on 14 carries, while also leading the receiving corps with six catches for 121 yards and another score.
 
INSIDE THE SERIES WITH CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL
Minnesota State owns a commanding 17-2 advantage in the all-time series and has won 14 consecutive meetings since a 28-26 loss in Mankato on Sept. 25, 2010.  The Mavericks are 8-1 against the Golden Bears at Blakeslee Stadium and 9-1 in St. Paul. Over the last 13 meetings, Minnesota State has held CSP below 20 points every time. The Golden Bears last reached the 20-point mark against MSU in a 57-34 Maverick victory on Sept. 24, 2011.  Head coach Todd Hoffner is 14-1 all-time against Concordia-St. Paul, while Golden Bear head coach Joshua Schumacher will face Minnesota State for the first time.
 
THOMPSON SEEING DOUBLE
Quarterback Mitchell Thompson has rushed for two touchdowns in each of the past three games and leads the Mavericks with seven rushing scores this season.  Nationally, Thompson ranks 11th in rushing touchdowns (7), 17th in total points scored (42) and 18th in points responsible for (74). Within the NSIC, he ranks fourth in rushing touchdowns, third in points responsible for and sixth in scoring.  For his career, Thompson has rushed for 1,151 yards and 19 touchdowns in 24 games.
 
CHASING 200
A victory Saturday would give head coach Todd Hoffner the 200th win of his collegiate head coaching career.  Now in his 24th season as a head coach, Hoffner owns a career record of 199-69 (.743). In his 17 seasons at Minnesota State, he has compiled a 157-41 (.793) record.  Before arriving in Mankato, Hoffner posted a 42-28 mark at Wisconsin-Eau Claire from 1999-2005.  Entering the week, Hoffner is tied with Ouachita Baptist's Todd Knight for the most career victories among active NCAA Division II head coaches.
 
HEY, THE DEFENSE CAN SCORE, TOO
Minnesota State's defense has made an impact on the scoreboard all season. The Mavericks recorded their second defensive touchdown of the year in last week's win at Sioux Falls when senior defensive back Jamal Spiyee returned an interception 69 yards for a touchdown. It marked Spiyee's second pick-six of the season and helped MSU build a 13-0 lead in the second quarter.  Spiyee leads the Mavericks with three interceptions and ranks among the NSIC leaders in the category. His 156 interception return yards lead the conference.  Earlier this season, Spiyee returned an interception 87 yards for a touchdown against Mary, the longest interception return touchdown in NCAA Division II this season.
 
LEADING THE NATION
Minnesota State enters the week as the national leader in interceptions with 11. The Mavericks have recorded multiple interceptions in four of their five games this season and have collected three interceptions in three different contests. MSU has posted three-interception performances in each of its last two games against Northern State and Sioux Falls. The Mavericks also lead NCAA Division II in turnovers gained with 14, collecting three fumble recoveries and 11 interceptions.
 
TOP TEN NATIONALLY
Minnesota State continues to rank among the national leaders in several statistical categories.  The Mavericks rank:

No opponent has scored more than 17 points against Minnesota State this season, and all five Maverick victories have come by double-digit margins.
 
IN THE POLLS
Minnesota State moved up to No. 5 in this week's AFCA Division II Top 25 Poll and remained No. 3 in the D2Football.com Top 25. CSU Pueblo moved ahead of the Mavericks into fourth place in the AFCA rankings after defeating Colorado Mesa 35-23. MSU accumulated 649 points in the poll, just five behind CSU Pueblo's 654. Grand Valley State sits sixth in the AFCA rankings, followed by Western Colorado, Slippery Rock, Indiana (Pa.) and Emporia State. Within the NSIC, both Augustana and Minnesota Duluth fell out of the Top 25 following losses last weekend and are now receiving votes. In the D2Football.com poll, Ferris State holds the top spot, followed by Harding, Minnesota State, Kutztown and Grand Valley State. CSU Pueblo ranks sixth, with Western Colorado, Central Washington, Slippery Rock and Emporia State rounding out the top 10. Minnesota Duluth is ranked 19th, while Northern State reentered the poll at No. 25.
 
THIS WEEK IN THE NSIC
Week 5 produced a pair of notable upsets across the NSIC. MSU Moorhead knocked off then-No. 19 Minnesota Duluth, 23-20, in overtime, while Winona State stunned Augustana, 42-41, in another overtime thriller. Key matchups around the conference this week include:

 
ABOUT CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL
Concordia-St. Paul enters Saturday's matchup with a 3-2 overall record and has matched its highest win total since the 2023 season. The Golden Bears have won consecutive games after opening the year 1-2. First-year head coach Joshua Schumacher took over the program after serving as associate head coach at Saginaw Valley State in 2025. Prior to that, Schumacher compiled a 59-25 record in eight seasons as head coach at Concordia Ann Arbor. The Golden Bears have been one of the nation's most efficient teams in protecting the football. CSP has not thrown an interception this season and ranks among the national leaders with just one turnover lost through five games. Defensively, Concordia-St. Paul leads the NSIC in tackles for loss at 6.6 per game and ranks among the conference leaders in turnover margin. The Golden Bears also lead the league in punt-return defense, allowing just 1.6 yards per return. Quarterback Lincoln Graf ranks among the NSIC leaders in nearly every passing category. He enters the week third in completion percentage (.632), passing efficiency (142.0), completions per game (19.6) and passing touchdowns (10). Graf has thrown for 1,091 yards this season, fourth-most in the conference. Joel Lacy serves as one of the conference's top all-purpose threats. He leads the team with seven total touchdowns and 25 receptions while adding 299 rushing yards and three rushing scores. Running back BJ Davis leads the Golden Bears on the ground with 310 rushing yards and four touchdowns on just 44 carries. Manny Harris leads the receiving corps with four touchdown receptions and ranks among the team's top targets with 221 receiving yards. Defensively, Jude Onuoha anchors the Golden Bear front. He leads the NSIC and ranks fifth nationally with 1.0 sack per game, totaling five sacks and six tackles for loss this season.
 
SETTING THE STAGE FOR SATURDAY
Saturday's matchup features two of the conference's hottest teams as Minnesota State carries a perfect 5-0 record into Homecoming while Concordia-St. Paul enters on a two-game winning streak. The Mavericks will look to remain the NSIC's lone unbeaten team, extend their 14-game winning streak against the Golden Bears, and potentially deliver the 200th career coaching victory for Todd Hoffner.
 
A WIN OVER CONCORDIA-ST. PAUL WOULD DO . . .