Photo by Jake McNeill Above: Southwest Minnesota State University quarterback Macloud Crowton (15) steps up in the pocket to make a throw during a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference football game against Minnesota State University–Moorhead on Saturday in Marshall.

JAMESTOWN, N.D. — Coming off a 51-3 to Minnesota State University-Moorhead in its season opener last weekend, the Southwest Minnesota State University football team will look to snap a 12-game losing streak on Saturday when it goes on the road to take on Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference newcomer Jamestown.​

Leveling up

This season is Jamestown’s first in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference after being granted expedited membership into the NCAA Division II level last year, and its first season playing Division II football. The Jimmies are provisional Division II members this season after making the jump from the NAIA, and will be granted full membership in the 2026-27 academic year if they meet all pending requirements.

As a member of the NAIA’s North Star Athletic Association last season, Jamestown went 3-7 overall and 3-5 in conference play. All three of Jamestown’s wins came in their final four games, defeating Dakota State, Mayville and Valley City State, and they lost 23-6 to the NSIC’s UMary in their season opener.

Rough return to the ranch

The Mustangs struggled when they hosted MSU-Moorhead in their Ag Bowl home opener on Saturday, falling 51-3. SMSU trailed 13-3 after the first quarter and was outscored 38-0 from there despite the Dragons subbing in their second unit for the bulk of the second half.

The ground game was the primary issue for SMSU. The Mustangs combined for -2 rushing yards on the day on 22 attempts. Excluding a 38-yard loss on a fumbled punt attempt, the Mustangs still averaged 1.7 yards per carry over the course of the game.

Parker Knutson was a bright spot in the Mustang secondary, intercepting NSIC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year Jack Strand twice and batting away another pair of passes. Still, the Dragons threw for 431 yards and seven touchdowns in the game.

SMSU also lost pass-rusher Avery Johnson due to injury early in the game. Johnson led SMSU with 5.5 sacks last season, but exited in the first quarter of his senior season on Saturday after being carted off the field with an aircast on his arm.

Crowton flashes potential in D2 debut

Senior transfer Macloud Crowton made his Division II collegiate debut as the Mustangs’ starting quarterback in the team’s season opener.

Crowton started his collegiate career at the University of Idaho without receiving much playing time, shined at the junior college level with Moorpark College in California, and then spent the spring season at the University of Utah and last fall at San Jose State University without seeing in-game reps. As such, Saturday’s game was his live action since 2023.

While Crowton threw three interceptions on the day, he did give viewers reason to believe in the potential. He completed 17 of his 38 attempts for 177 yards and threw some promising deep balls that were either just out of reach, dropped, or tipped away. The Mustangs appeared significantly more willing to attempt long passes than they have over the past few years.

Colin Maher and Sam Campbell each hauled in passes of 35 yards or longer, and Maher led the Mustangs with five catches for 66 yards in the game. Should the team be emboldened to continue attempting the deep ball, SMSU could open up the run for Jacob Honstetter, who toted the ball four times for 11 yards last week after briefly exiting the game due to injury early on.

Augie gives Jimmies warm welcome

Jamestown made its season debut against Augustana, ranked No. 2 in the NSIC’s preseason coaches poll. The Vikings opened the game with 37 unanswered points before Jamestown found the end zone in the final minute of the fourth quarter, and Augustana led 30-0 at halftime.

Cole Hentges got the Jimmies their first Division II points with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Nate Burke with 37 seconds remaining in the game.

Hentges completed five of his nine attempts for 39 yards in the game after taking over for Nicholas Martinez, who completed nine of his 23 attempts for 56 yards.

Overall, the Jimmies’ run game was sharp on the day. Jamestown ran for 121 yards on 4.5 yards per attempt, led by Zach Hammett’s 14 attempts for 66 yards and Hentges’ six attempts for 34 yards.

Defensively, Jackson Walters and Hershell Jefferson led the team with nine and eight total tackles. Zach Mueller and Ethan Gall also combined for a sack, but Augustana’s offense still went for 271 passing yards and 154 rushing yards.​

Must-win for Mustangs

Heading into the season, SMSU was tabbed 13th out of 14 teams in the conference rankings while Jamestown was ranked last. The Mustangs will have another game against 12th-ranked UMary on Sept. 20, but they’ll follow that with five of their next six games coming against teams ranked top-six in the conference, including No. 1 Minnesota State, No. 2 Augustana and No. 3 Minnesota Duluth.​

Where to watch

Kickoff for Saturday’s game is slated for 1 p.m. at Charlotte & Gordon Hansen Stadium in Jamestown, N.D. A radio broadcast of the game can be found on 105.1 FM KARL, live stats and video are available at SMSUmustangs.com and a full game story will be published in Tuesday’s edition of the Independent.