Photo by Samantha Davis: Sophomore quarterback Wyatt Oak throws a pass in the Mustang’s first practice on Wednesday morning at Mattke Field. SMSU will open the season on Sept. 7 at home against Minot State.

MARSHALL — After an eventful offseason full of action in the transfer portal, the Southwest Minnesota State University football team returns to action today when it kicks off its season hosting Minot State for the Ag Bowl.

Heading into today’s matchup, SMSU is 9-1 all-time against Minot State and is searching for its eighth consecutive win against the Beavers.

The Mustangs’ offense in particular is full of new faces. Just three of SMSU’s starters on the depth chart ahead of today’s game were starters in the Mustangs’ season finale last year against Sioux Falls. 

While having Tyler Nebelung and Jake Schetinski returning on the offensive line gives the team some stability in the run and pass game, Brock Ward, Alex Maxwell and Roman Ordonez will each step into larger roles in the trenches for SMSU. Colin Maher also returns as a starting wideout for the team.

In the backfield, SMSU will have new blood with Jacob Honstetter taking over at running back and Wyatt Oak starting at quarterback. Both Honstetter and Oak are West Coast transfers, with Honstetter coming off his sophomore season at East Los Angeles College and Oak coming off his freshman season at Pasadena City College.

At PCC, Oak threw 54 passes for 307 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He showed some promise with his legs, carrying the ball 25 times for 195 yards and three touchdowns. He’ll look to add some stability to a team that struggled to throw the ball last season. In 10 starts, Marcus Martin threw 13 interceptions and 10 touchdowns on 285 attempts for 1,984 yards.

Leading the rushing attack, Honstetter ran for 383 yards on 86 attempts at ELAC. He did not score a touchdown on the season for ELA but will look to find the end zone with SMSU. He’ll have large shoes to fill after Donny Austin rushed for 1,615 yards last season, good for 13th in SMSU history and earning himself an All-NSIC second-team nod.

Minot State hosted the Mustangs in North Dakota for last year’s season opener. SMSU scored 28 unanswered points to overcome a 17-0 deficit for a 28-23 win to start the season on a high note, though they lost each of their nine games after.

The Beavers finished last in the 13-team Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference last year, going 1-10 overall and 1-9 in conference, while SMSU’s 2-8 conference record tied them with Concordia-St. Paul and UMary for 10th. 

Preseason expectations for this year also look bleak early, with the Mustangs and Beavers projected to finish 11th and 12th respectively in the NSIC coaches poll, ahead of only UMary.

Carson Chrisman will be taking snaps under center for the Beavers. In his first game as a starting quarterback when Minot State defeated Valley City 38-7 last week, Chrisman ran for 133 yards and four touchdowns while teammate Evan Lovett ran for 149 yards and another touchdown. As a team, the Beavers rushed for 416 yards on 7.2 yards per carry.

Chrisman threw just one pass, an incompletion, in the victory.

SMSU will return many of its key defensive pieces. Josiah Hedensten led the team with 88 total tackles last year, followed by fellow returning linebackers Gideon Ervasti and Thomas Mergen with 65 and 62 respectively. 

Marquise Ogletree also returns to the field after an injury in last year’s game against Minot resulted in him taking a medical redshirt season. The Mustangs’ top cornerback will be joined by Missouri Valley College transfer Keshaun Reynolds on the opposite side of the field and returning safeties Amarion Meshack and Diego Maldonado.

The game will also be the first game in which SMSU serves alcohol to fans 21 and older. Fans need to show an ID and then get a wristband in order to purchase alcohol, with a two-drink limit per transaction. Alcohol will be served starting one hour before kickoff and service will end after the third quarter.

Kickoff for today’s game is scheduled for 5 p.m. with a radio broadcast available at 105.1 FM KARL and live video available at SMSUmustangs.com.