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Notes courtesy of SMSU Athletics Communications.
THIS WEEK
•The Southwest Minnesota State University football program (0-0, 0-0 NSIC) opens its 58th season on Thursday night hosting Valley City State University (0-0, 0-0 Frontier Conference) with kickoff slated for 7 p.m. at Mattke Field at The Schwan Regional Event Center.
•Thursday's opener marks the fifth season for SMSU head coach Scott Underwood. Underwood, the 11th head coach in program history, was named to the position on Jan. 7, 2022.
•Thursday's game will tie (2005) for the earliest start to a football season in team history. It's the first time since 2023 the team has opened in the month of August and the 12th August game in program history.
•The Mustangs return five starters on offense and three starters on defense from the 2025 team that finished 1-10 overall, 1-9 NSIC. This season's team features 113 players with eight seniors, 20 juniors, 19 sophomores, 30 redshirt freshmen and 36 freshmen.
•SMSU is seeking to snap an 11-game home losing streak dating back to the final game of the 2023 season when the Mustangs defeated Sioux Falls (28-10) on Nov. 11, 2023.
•Thursday's game is SMSU's lone non-conference game of the season and just the fourth non-NSIC games since the 2014 season. SMSU has played a non-conference games in each of the past three seasons, losing all three games. SMSU has dropped its last five non-conference games since 2011. SMSU's last non-conference victory came in the 2010 season opener versus Northern State.
•Valley City State University, which is a member of NAIA and competes in the Frontier Conference, finished 6-4 last season and placed fourth in the seven-team Frontier Conference East Division. The six victories was the program's highest total since winning eight in 2021. The VCSU defense recorded three shutouts a season ago. The Vikings were selected to place fifth in the East Division in the 2026 conference coaches' poll released on Aug. 18.
•A preview of VCSU is located on page 4.
BROADCAST INFO
•Thursday's game will be broadcast on 105.1 FM KARL with 14th-year SMSU play-by-play voice Ryan Rohlik.
•Live stats, radio broadcast (free) and video ($) can be found at SMSUmustangs.com.
SEASON & HOME OPENER INFORMATION
•SMSU is 22-35 all-time in season openers after losing at home to MSU Moorhead in 2025.
•SMSU is 1-7 in its last eight home openers with the lone victory coming over Concordia-St. Paul in 2022.
SMSU HEAD COACH SCOTT UNDERWOOD
•Scott Underwood is in his fifth season as head coach with a record of 7-37. He was named the program's 11th head coach on Jan. 7, 2022.
•Underwood was the first SMSU head coach in team history (11 head coaches) to begin his SMSU coaching career with a 4-1 record. SMSU's four victories in 2022 was its highest victory total since 2018.
•Underwood compiled a record of 86-52 in 12 seasons as head coach at St. Cloud State (2008-19) and is now 93-89 overall in his 17th season as a head coach.
•SCSU recorded 10 winning seasons with three NCAA playoff appearances during his tenure. SCSU won seven or more games seven times, including a school record 12 victories in 2013.
•SCSU made NCAA playoff appearances in 2010, 2011 and 2013 and won a share of both the NSIC North Division and NSIC overall championship in 2011.
•He was also an assistant coach at SCSU (2001-07), North Dakota (1997-2000), Sioux Falls (1993-96) and Augustana (1988-92).
•A complete bio on Underwood can be found on page 19.
THE 2026 SMSU ROSTER
•The SMSU roster (as of Aug. 24) features 113 players with eight seniors, 20 juniors, 19 sophomores, 30 redshirt freshmen and 36 freshmen.
2026 NSIC PRESEASON POLL
•SMSU was picked to finish 14th overall and seventh in the NSIC South Division in the annual 14-team NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
•Mustang senior quarterback Macloud Crowton and senior defensive lineman Avery Johnson were tabbed a 'Player to Watch' in the NSIC.
SMSU OPENING DRIVE TIDBITS
•SMSU is expected to start senior Macloud Crowton at quarterback on Thursday night. If Crowton starts, it will be the first time since 2018 that SMSU will have the same quarterback start the season opener in back-to-back seasons. Blake Gimbel was the last Mustang to start back-to-back season openers in 2017 and 2018.
•Crowton started the first 10 games in 2025 before suffering an injury in week 10 and was replaced by Drew Kluender.
•Crowton finished the 2025 season completing 171 of 324 pass attempts for 2,167 yards with 10 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. He passed for a career-high 453 yards with three touchdowns in a loss to Augustana in week eight.
•Tryg Auten returns at wide receiver after finishing second on the squad a season ago with 38 receptions for 576 yards and tying for the team-high with four touchdown receptions.
•David Ola-Kazeem was third on the squad a season ago with 18 receptions for 227 yards.
•The SMSU defense must replace its top seven tacklers from a season ago. Linebacker Aiden Planer is the team's top returning tackler with 31 stops with 6.5 for loss last season.
•Defensive end Avery Johnson returns in 2025 after leading the team in sacks in 2024 with 5.5. He missed nearly the entire 2025 season after suffering a season-ending injury in week one.
•SMSU will have a new kicker and punter this season after the graduation of Mason Carver. Landon Hubbard will handle the placekicking duties after finishing 1 for 1 on field goal attempts last season. Transfer Kaleb Kirgan is expected to handle the punting duties this season.