Photo courtesy of SMSU Athletic Communications Pictured above is the 2018 SMSU football team.

MARSHALL – Last season, the Southwest Minnesota State University football team got out to a good start, winning two of its first three games. Unfortunately for the Mustangs, the rest of the season was marred by injuries as SMSU lost its final eight games on its way to a 2-9 record.

This season, the Mustangs is back with a healthy roster and more experience and will look to bounce back to its winning ways in 2018.

The Mustangs return mutiple key players from 2017, and will have 17 seniors on their roster. Leading the way for SMSU this season will include senior quarterback Blake Gimbel, who’s returning after earning a medical redshirt after a torn labrum sidelined him after just a couple of games. Other key returning players for the Mustangs are running back Max Simmons, linebacker Alex Ney and defensive back Hunter Cushman and JD Jackson-Hanchett.

Gimbel returns under center after throwing for 734 yards and seven touchdowns in 2017. The gunslinger starts his final year sitting in first in program history in completion percentage (67.3), third in total completions (660) and fourth in both passing yards and touchdowns at 7,149 and 58, respectively.

At the running back position, the Mustangs field lots of depth, starting with the junior in Simmons, who returns after rushing for 436 yards and five scores. Joining Simmons in the backfield this season will include redshirt freshman Trey Sachs and sophomore Shawn Griffin.

A key storyline for SMSU this season will be its receiving corps, as the Mustangs look to replace Nate Huot, who led the team in receptions (85) for 949 yards and six touchdowns. The former wideout finished his career with a school and NSIC record in career receptions at 269.

Looking to fill Huot’s spot are a number of receivers who saw key playing time in 2017. Junior wideout Quadri Busari got on the field in all 11 games last year, finishing fifth on the team with a total of 22 receptions for 213 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns. Sophomore Gabe Galamue is also back after sitting out last year with an injury. In 2016, Galamue finished tied for second on the Mustangs with 39 catches and 449 yards and three scores.

A key newcomer to look out for this season on the offensive side of the ball will be senior tight end Carter Kirk. Kirk, who spent the majority of his time at SMSU on the hardwood for the men’s basketball team, joins the Mustangs on the gridiron and looks to be a vertical threat for Gimbel and the SMSU offense. Kirk finished with six receptions in last week’s season opener against Minnesota State University, Mankato.

Defensively, the Mustangs will be anchored by Alex Ney, who led the team in tackles and earned an All-NSIC South honorable mention recognition a season ago. The senior recorded 120 total tackles and was only the second Mustang to reach triple-digit tackles in a season since 2007.

SMSU will also be led defensively by Jackson-Hanchett and Cushman. Jackson-Hanchett recorded eight pass break-ups and had a team-high four interceptions while Cushman recorded 45 tackles and had a couple of interceptions as well.

The Mustangs opened up their season last week against the Mavericks, but a second-half push helped give MSU Mankato a 49-13 victory. SMSU returns home this weekend to face Wayne State College in the annual Ag Bowl game, starting at 6 p.m. at Mattke Field.