SETTING THE SCENE
The No. 5 Minnesota State football team returns home to host No. 22 Wayne State College in a key Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference matchup Saturday afternoon at Blakeslee Stadium.  The Mavericks are undefeated at 7-0 overall and 6-0 in NSIC play, while Wayne State enters at 6-1 overall and 5-1 in NSIC play.  Both teams are undefeated in NSIC South Division play with MSU at 3-0 in the division and WSC at 2-0.     
 
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.
 
RANKED ON RANKED
Saturday marks the first ranked on ranked matchup for the Mavericks of the season and the first since the national quarterfinals last season at Ferris State.  It is the first ranked on ranked matchup at Blakeslee Stadium since a 34-16 loss to then-No. 25 Augustana on Oct. 26, 2024, while the Mavericks were No. 13 that week.
 
FAMILY WEEKEND AND TACKLE CANCER
Saturday marks Family Weekend at Blakeslee Stadium and to Tackle Cancer supporting the Randy Shaver Cancer Research and Community Fund.  The Mavericks will wear white helmets, black jerseys and white pants, accented with pink tape in support of Tackle Cancer. The Minnesota Football Coaches Association (MFCA) partners annually with the Randy Shaver Cancer Research and Community Fund to raise money for cancer research, treatment programs and community assistance through football games across Minnesota.
 
NPI RANKINGS
The Mavericks learned Monday they were third in the new NPI Super Region Three rankings, released by the NCAA.  Newly instituted for 2026, the NCAA Power Index (NPI) will determine this year's NCAA Championship tournament field, replacing ranking committees and previously used selection criteria. The NCAA will release NPI rankings each Sunday throughout the remainder of the regular season leading up to the NCAA Selection Show Sunday, Nov. 15. MSU's initial NPI ranking is 61.783 for third in the region behind Northwood (63.760) and Ferris State (63.531).  MSU's best win to date, according to the NPI, is against Northern State (No. 46 overall) as the Wolves are 11th in the region rankings.  Northwood (Mich.) leads the regional rankings, followed by Ferris State, Minnesota State, Davenport (Mich.) and Michigan Tech. Findlay (Ohio) is sixth, followed by Minnesota Duluth, Augustana, MSU Moorhead and Tiffin (Ohio), which rounds out the top 10.  Wayne State is 11th in the NPI rankings this week.
 
FORMER MAVERICK SET AS HONORARY CAPTAIN FOR SATURDAY
Minnesota State will recognize former Maverick football student-athlete Scott Christiansen as an Honorary Distinguished Letterwinner during its home football game against Wayne State on Saturday, October 24. Christiansen will also serve as an honorary captain, returning to the program he represented as a student-athlete more than 50 years ago.  Originally from Racine, Wisconsin, Christiansen attended what was then Mankato State University from September 1974 through February 1976, pursuing a degree in physical education on a full athletic scholarship. A sophomore football student-athlete who played safety, Christiansen was building his future as a Maverick when a devastating automobile accident in February 1976 abruptly changed the course of his life.
 
MSU MOORHEAD GAME CHANGE OF VENUE
The Mavericks' final regular season game, at MSU Moorhead, scheduled for Nov. 14 has moved to the Fargodome in Fargo, N.D.  
 
RECAPPING WINONA STATE
Minnesota State was in a 10-10 dogfight at halftime at Winona State on Oct. 10, but outscored the Warriors 24-6 in the second half for a 34-16 win.  MSU junior running back Sam Backer had two huge touchdown runs of 51 and 44 yards in the fourth quarter to help the Mavericks to their seventh-straight victory.  MSU scored the first ten points of the game in the first quarter, but WSU responded with ten in the second frame for the first tie at halftime for the Mavericks this season.  MSU scored on its opening possession of the second half for a 17-10 lead as WSU never got closer than four points the rest of the game.  Backer finished with 13 carries for 131 yards and the two scores, while sophomore quarterback Maximus Sims went 10 of 16 passing for 162 yards and two touchdowns.  The Maverick "D" held WSU to 314 yards of offense and forced six tackles for loss and three sacks. 
 
INSIDE THE SERIES WITH WAYNE STATE
The Mavericks lead the all-time series 15-3, but the teams have gone 3-3 over the last six meetings.  WSC won 35-20 last season in Wayne, Neb., upsetting the No. 9-ranked Mavericks.  It also was the largest margin of victory for WSC in the series.  The Mavericks are 8-1 all-time in Mankato against Wayne State, but the Wildcats won 35-24 on Oct. 9, 2021.  MSU has won the last two in the series at home in 2022 and 2023.  Head coach Todd Hoffner is 13-3 against WSC, while Wildcat head coach Logan Masters is 2-3 against the Mavericks.
 
200 COMPLETE
MSU head coach Todd Hoffner won his 200th game of his head coaching career on Oct. 3.  Now in his 24th season as a head coach, Hoffner owns a career record of 201-69 (.743). In his 17 seasons at Minnesota State, he has compiled a 159-41 (.793) record at. Before arriving in Mankato, Hoffner posted a 42-28 mark at Wisconsin-Eau Claire from 1999-2005.  Hoffner is tied with Ouachita Baptist's Todd Knight for the most career victories (200) among active NCAA Division II head coaches.
 
BALL HAWKING(SON)
MSU senior defensive lineman Jack Hawkinson is second nationally in sacks per game at a 1.07 clip.  He has 7.5 sacks for the season for 39 yards, while he has 8.5 tackles for loss for 40 yards for 34th nationally in tackles for loss per game at 1.21 per contest.  Hawkinson has earned NSIC Player of the Week once this season on Oct. 5.
 
LOOSE MOOSE SALOON FRIDAY FOR TOUCHDOWN CLUB
MSU will have its Touchdown Club Luncheon on Friday at Loose Moose Saloon at 11:30 a.m.  The luncheon will feature select players and coaching talking about this week's game showdown and recapping the last game in a 34-16 victory at Winona State.  The luncheon will feature a coaching presentation, along with a Q&A with Maverick football student-athletes and video.  The luncheons are open to the public. Following the game on Saturday, the 5th Quarter will also be at Loose Moose Saloon.
 
TOP TEN NATIONALLY FOR THE MAVERICKS
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 six Maverick victories have come by double-digit margins, while MSU has not scored less than 28 points in a game this season.
 
BACK-TO-BACK BACKER
Junior Sam Backer had another outstanding game with two rushing scores (both long runs in the fourth quarter) helping the Mavericks to a 34-16 win at Winona State (Oct. 10).  Backer finished with 13 carries for a season-high, for 131 yards and two scores.  He has eight rushing touchdowns for the season.  He has scored two touchdowns in back-to-back games and went over 100 yards rushing for the second time this season.  Backer leads the team in rushing with 539 yards on 74 carries for a 77.0 average per game, while his 7.3 average per carry is good for ninth nationally and third in the NSIC.
 
NEGATIVE RUSHING
The Mavericks held CSP to minus-27 yards rushing on Oct. 3, marking the first time MSU has held a team to negative rushing numbers since holding Northwest Missouri State to minus-17 on Aug. 29, 2024.  Saturday was the sixth time holding a team to negative rushing yards since 2012, as the school-record is minus-44 set on Aug. 30, 2012, against Minot State. MSU is sixth nationally in rushing defense allowing just 83.3 yards on the ground per game through seven contests.  
 
BACK-TO-BACK SIMS
Sophomore quarterback Marcus Sims tied his season-high with ten completions in the win at Winona State (Oct. 10).  He went 10 of 16 passing for a season-high 162 yards and two passing touchdowns.  Sims has thrown four touchdowns in the last two games combined and had two touchdowns through the first five games.  For the season, Sims is 51 of 93 passing for 798 yards with three interceptions and six touchdowns. 
 
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 the win at Sioux Falls (9/26) 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.  Against CSP on Saturday, the Mavericks tallied their 12th INT of the season with an interception from junior Antoine Johnson, Jr., for 12 yards and his second interception of the season.  The 12 INTs by MSU are third nationally behind 16 interceptions from UT Permian Basin.  The Mavericks have garnered 297 yards of INT returns this season which is tied for fifth-most all-time in school history (2014) with the school-record being 354 yards set in 2009 on a school-record 29 INTs.  
 
IN THE POLLS
Minnesota State held steady at No. 5 in this week's AFCA Division II Top 25 Poll and remained No. 3 in the D2Football.com Top 25. Minnesota Duluth is 21st in the AFCA poll, while it is 17th in D2Football.  Wayne State is 22nd in the AFCA Poll this week, moving up from 25th, while the Wildcats are 24th in the D2Football.com Top 25.  Augustana is receiving votes in the AFCA poll.  
 
THIS WEEK IN THE NSIC
Each of the NSIC teams were on byes last week as the teams return to action on Oct. 24 with Northern State traveling to MSU Moorhead and No. 21 Minnesota Duluth visiting Mary highlighting other conference action.  Arguably the Game of the Week is No. 22 Winona State at No. 5 Minnesota State.    
 
ABOUT WAYNE STATE
The Wildcats used a 24-point second quarter in a 45-13 rout at Bemidji State on Oct. 10.  The 'Cats rushed for 271 yards and gained 457 yards in the win. Junior quarterback Brady McGill completed 15 of 23 passes for 186 yards and two scores while running backs Dawson Forgy and Brennan Hayes each gained 84 yards and scored a combined three touchdowns. WSC also got its first punt return for a touchdown since 1994 when Brayden Chaney raced 73 yards for a punt return touchdown in the second quarter.  Wayne State is 6-1 overall, 5-1 in the NSIC and 2-0 in the South Division.  The 'Cats are ranked 22nd in this week's AFCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll and re-entered the D2Football.com Top 25 Media Poll at #24. WSC is 4-0 on the road and 2-1 in home games this season coming off the bye week.  As a team, WSC ranks fifth in the league in scoring offense (30.4) and is third in scoring defense at 18.0 points per game. The Wildcats gain 415.4 yards per game on offense (4th-NSIC) and allow 315.7 on defense (3rd-NSIC).  The Wildcats rank third in the league in rushing offense (210.0) and are fifth in passing offense (205.4) while defensively ranking fifth in rush defense (136.0) and third in pass defense (176.0).  WSC is third in the league in punt return average (13.8), 10th in kick return average (17.4) and seventh in net punting average (36.2). The 'Cats are fourth in red zone offense (21-24) and in red zone defense (12-16).  Running backs Dawson Forgy and Brennan Hayes continue to lead the Wildcat rushing attack. Forgy, who missed nearly two full games with injury earlier this year, rushed for 84 yards on 17 carries with one score at Bemidji State two weeks ago. He ranks fourth in the league in rushing yards per game (91.7) and is tied for eighth in the league with seven rushing TD's. For the year he has 550 yards on 91 carries. Hayes is ninth in the league averaging 69.3 yards per game and has 92 rushes for 485 yards (5.3 avg) and also seven TD's. Junior quarterback Brady McGill is 105-188 passing for 1408 yards and 10 TD's with just one interception. He ranks fourth in the league in passing yards per game and is third in total offense per game (223.4). Senior Keaten Bonderson is the leading receiver for the Wildcats with 22 receptions for 489 yards and two TD's. He is seventh in the league in receiving yards per game (69.9) and second in yards per catch at 22.2. Sophomore Charlie Lamski adds 17 catches for 141 yards and one TD.  Senior placekicker Boston Hensley is 6-9 on fi eld goals this season with a long of 49 yards and has made 25-27 PAT kicks. He is also averaging 38.8 yards per punt.  Defensively, fifth-year linebacker Clyde Hinton leads WSC in tackles with 49, tied for eighth in the league (7.0/game). Linebacker Kaden Johnson is right behind with 48 stops and 11th in the league (6.9). Both players have team-highs 5.0 tackles for loss.  Senior defensive lineman Luke Lambert adds 37 tackles with 4.0 tackles for loss for 20 yards. Senior defensive back Brayden Chaney is second in the league with seven passes defended and has a team-high six breakups while senior defensive end James Frank is tied for ninth in the league with 3.5 sacks for 18 yards.
 
RECAPPING LAST YEAR'S MEETING
Wayne State upset the No. 9-ranked Mavericks 35-20 as the Wildcats rushed for 388 yards and had 488 yards of total offense, holding MSU to just 302 yards of offense.  Mitchell Thompson went 12 of 18 passing for 155 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, while he had a team-high 65 yards on the ground on 17 carries.  Former Maverick Nassir Jones had four catches for 41 yards, while Hudson Dillon also caught a touchdown pass.  For WSC, Brennan Hayes ran for 184 yards on just 13 carries with TD runs of 75 and 69 yards while Dawson Forgy added another 137 yards on 24 rushes and one score.  It marked the third win in the last six games for WSC as MSU began the series with 12-straight wins.  
 
LOOKING AHEAD
Following the game Saturday, MSU returns to the road to close out October on Halloween at 12 p.m. at Southwest Minnesota State. 
 
A WIN OVER WAYNE STATE WOULD . . .