SETTING THE SCENE
It's the Mavericks vs. the Mavericks for the first time on the gridiron and the first time in 2026.  The No. 3/5 ranked Minnesota State football team enters the season with high expectations picked to defend its Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference South Division title in 2026.  Colorado Mesa enters after a 6-5 season in 2025 and the CMU Mavericks were picked fifth in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference preseason coaches' poll.  

CALLING THE GAME / HOW TO WATCH
Aaron Worm and John Harrington will have the call of Maverick Football all season long on the official home of MSU Football The Fan KFSP 1230 AM and 103.1 FM, Mankato's #1 station for sports talk radio and local sports broadcasting.  Fans also can listen online at https://radiomankato.com. The game will be streamed live through Colorado Mesa and the RMAC Network for a nominal fee.  Please visit CMU's streaming network to sign up at https://rmacnetwork.com/cmumavs/.   

WEEK ZERO AUGUST FOOTBALL
For the third-straight year the Minnesota Sate Mavericks have particpated in Week Zero football for NCAA Division II.  In 2024, MSU won at then-No. 22 Northwest Missouri State (36-22) and hosted NWMSU last season coming away with a 38-14 victory.  In addition, MSU is 10-4 all-time in August and has won seven-straight in August dating back to a 2008 loss on Aug. 28, at Central Missouri (29-9) in Coach Hoffner's first game at MSU.  The Mavericks are 5-2 on the road in August and 5-2 at Blakeslee Stadium in August.  This also will be the first time MSU has played a game on Aug. 27 in program history.

EARLY ROAD WARRIORS
Thursday's game at Colorado Mesa marks the first time MSU has opened on the road out of the Midwest since 1995 when it played at Portland State.  Over the first two weeks of the season, the Mavericks will log 1,532 miles in the trip at Colorado Mesa and next week at University of Mary in Bismarck, N.D.  This also is the first time MSU has began a season with two road games since 2008 when it played at Central Missouri and Bemidji State the first two weeks.

FOR OPENERS
The Mavericks are 50-42-7 all-time in season-openers and have won 13-straight dating back to a 31-24 loss at Northern Michigan on Sept. 1, 2001.  MSU is 23-23-1 all-time in season-openers on the road and has won the last eight road openers.  Colorado Mesa will be the 43rd different opponent the Mavericks have faced in a season-opener.

FIRST AND TEN NOTABLES

• Minnesota State finished the 2025 season with a 10-4 record. This marked the 17th-straight season that the Mavericks have put together a winning record. It is also the longest such stretch in program history.
• Twelve Mavericks received All-NSIC honors in 2025, including eight All-NSIC First Team honors. 
• Minnesota State averaged 35.1 points and 393.0 yards per game last season. MSU ranked third in scoring in the NSIC during the 2025 season and third in scoring defense, allowing 20.9 points per game.
• The Mavericks finished fourth in the NSIC in rushing with 207.7 rushing yards a game in 2025.
• Minnesota State finished 10th in the NSIC in passing with 185.3 passing yards a game. MSU's 19 touchdown passes were the seventh-most in the NSIC also.
• The Mavericks led the NSIC in interceptions with 20 and in fumble recoveries with 12. MSU's 20 interceptions were the second-most in NCAA Division II last season. MSU's 12 fumble recoveries were the ninth-most in Division II.
• Minnesota State ranked sixth in turnover margin in Division II last season at 1.14.
• Minnesota State boasted the best red zone offense in NCAA Division II last season it reached the red zone 58 times and scored on 57 trips (98.3%).
• The Maverick offensive line ranked 14th in Division II in sacks allowed with 12 (0.86 sacks per game).
• The Mavericks made their 16th appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 2025. MSU defeated Findlay (37-14) and UIndy (35-27) on the road before falling to Ferris State 52-29 in the quarterfinals.
• The Mavericks reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament for the seventh time in team history in 2025. The previous instances came during the 2012, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2024 seasons.

ABOUT COLORADO MESA
The Colorado Mesa Mavericks enter on the heels of a 6-5 campaign in 2025 and a 5-4 mark in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.  Head coach Miles Kochevar begins his fifth season at the helm of CMU.  He is 23-20 overall and has had stints at Colorado State Pueblo, West Texas A&M and Humboldt State, along with Northern Colorado and Colorado State.  CMU was picked fifth in the preseason RMAC poll and had four players named to the Preseason All-RMAC team.  Three of the four selections came on offense with Alex Turpin at tight end, Calem Grimble and Cooper Mumford earned spots on the offensive line, while Giblson Leafgreen earned a spot on defense.  He played in all 11 games last season, finishing  with 56 tackles, four passes defended and two INTs.  Leafgreen also earned a spot on the D2Football.com Elite 100 Preseason Team.  

MAVERICK PRESEASON ACCOLADES 
MSU sophomore linebacker Jefferson Mobry was named NSIC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, while junior running back Sam Backer was named MSU's Offensive Player to Watch.  Both were named to the D2Football.com Elite 100 Preseason Team, as were senior defensive backs Jason Dandridge and Jamal Spiyee.  Spiyee started all 14 games for the purple and gold in 2025, registering 43 total tackles earning NSIC First Team honors.  He had a key fumble recovery, an interception and blocked a 45-yard field goal in crucial win against Augustana last season.  Backer, a native of Chatfield, Minn., also earned All-NSIC First Team honors after a dominant 2025 campaign. He rushed for 980 yards on 196 carries with 19 touchdowns, while adding 29 receptions for 233 yards and two scores.

Mobry enjoyed an outstanding freshman season in 2025 and earned NSIC Defensive Preseason Player of the Year honors for 2026.  He earned All-NSIC First Team honors, was named the NSIC Defensive Newcomer of the Year, and received D2CCA Super Region Three Second Team recognition.  Mobry led the Mavericks with 72 total tackles and 39 solo tackles in 14 games. He also paced the team with four interceptions and added two fumble recoveries, establishing himself as one of the conference's premier defensive playmakers entering the 2026 season. Dandridge, a native of Berkeley, Calif., transferred to MSU from East Texas A&M prior to last season and played in all 14 games in 2025 with 11 starts for the Mavericks.  He finished with 33 tackles and 18 solo stops, while had a season-high four solo tackles against Minot State while earning second team all-league honors.  He finished with one interception for the season, four pass breakups, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and three tackles for loss for nine yards.

FOURNIER NAMED TO PRESEASON WATCH LIST FOR FRED MITCHELL AWARD
Minnesota State junior kicker Connor Fournier a Maple Grove, Minn., native, is one of 39 student-athletes selected to the initial 2026 watch list and one of 11 Division II kickers recognized. The honor comes after a strong 2025 season in which Fournier was a Fred Mitchell Award semifinalist and earned Don Hansen Second Team All-America honors. He played in all 14 games for Minnesota State, converting 16 of 20 field-goal attempts, including a career-long 51-yarder against Concordia-St. Paul. Fournier also earned D2CCA All-Super Region Second Team honors and was named to the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) First Team. He was selected as the NSIC Special Teams Player of the Week three times during the season.

100TH YEAR
The 2026 season marks the 100th playing season of Maverick football dating back to 1922.  The Mavericks are 527-408-28 (.561) all-time.  MSU did not play during World War II from 1943-1945, along with not playing in 1976 and then again in 2020 for COVID.  

COMING UP NEXT
The Mavericks travel to University of Mary for a 5:30 p.m. matchup on Sept. 5, in Bismarck, N.D., before returning home to open the 2026 home slate versus rival Bemidji State on Sept. 12 at 6 p.m. at Blakeslee Stadium.

A WIN OVER COLORADO MESA WOULD . . . 

• Give MSU a 1-0 record on the season and the 14th-straight year of beginning the season with a victory
• Be the 11th victory for the Mavericks all-time in August (10-4)
• Give Minnesota State a 51-42-7 record all-time in season-openers
• Be the 153rd win for head coach Todd Hoffner (152-41) at Minnesota State
• Give MSU a 9-2-1 record against current members of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
• Be the sixth-straight victory for MSU in night games beginning after 6 p.m., dating back to a 23-22 loss at Northern State on Sept. 17, 2022
• Give MSU a 2-1-1 record all-time in games played in Colorado and the first game in Centennial State since a 48-45 loss at Colorado School of Mines on Nov. 26, 2022
• Give MSU a 1-0 record all-time on August 27