Trending
All notes courtesy of SMSU athletics communications.
THIS WEEK
•The Southwest Minnesota State University football team (1-7, 0-7 NSIC, 0-3 NSIC South), following a road game, a bye week and another road game, returns home this Saturday for a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference South Division game versus No. 3/5 Minnesota State University (8-0, 7-0 NSIC, 4-0 NSIC South) at Mattke Field at The Schwan Regional Event Center with kickoff set for 12 p.m.
•SMSU will be looking to snap a seven-game losing skid since opening the season with a non-conference home victory over Valley City State (N.D.). SMSU will also be searching for its first-ever win over MSU with the Mavericks holding a 22-0 all-time series advantage.
•MSU, No. 3 in this week’s D2Football.com Top 25 poll and No. 5 in the AFCA Top 25 poll, is ranked No. 3 in the NCAA NPI Super Region 3 rankings released on Sunday. The Mavericks are the lone unbeaten team remaining in the NSIC and one of 10 in Division II.
•Saturday’s game will be the fifth for SMSU interim head coach, Levi Bullerman, who was named to the position on Sept. 20 following the retirement of head coach, Scott Underwood.
•SMSU begins the week ranked No. 1 in Division II in fewest penalty yards per game.
BROADCAST INFO
•Saturday’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.
SMSU INTERIM HEAD COACH LEVI BULLERMAN
•Levi Bullerman was named interim head coach on Sept. 20 and is 0-3 during his tenure. He is in his ninth season on the SMSU coaching staff and fifth as defensive coordinator. He also coaches the team’s linebackers.
•He played linebacker at SMSU from 2005-09, where he was a four-year letter winner and three-year starter, playing in 44 games with 154 tackles and three interceptions. He served as team captain in 2009.
•Bullerman took over for Scott Underwood, who retired as head coach on Sept. 20. Underwood was in his fifth season as head coach with a record of 8-40. He was named the program’s 11th head coach on Jan. 7, 2022.
SMSU vs. MSU Series Notes
SMSU and MSU meet for the 23rd time with MSU leading 22-0 in a series that began on Sept. 4, 1971 … MSU won last season, 42-7, in Mankato … MSU has been ranked in the Top 20 in nine of the last 12 meetings … MSU is 9-0 all-time in games played in Marshall … Saturday’s game will be MSU’s first in Marshall since 2021 … Saturday’s game will be the 20th time the two schools have met as members of the same conference … SMSU has been held to 17 or less points in 14 of the 22 games … MSU has scored 30 or more points in the last 17 meetings.
The Last Time – SMSU vs. MSU
Minnesota State, ranked No. 18/21 nationally, opened a 13-7 halftime lead with 35 second half points with the MSU defense recording three interceptions, to earn a 48-7 victory over SMSU on Nov 1., 2025. MSU scored three touchdowns on plays of 46 or more yards in the first three quarters and added an interception return for a touchdown to pull away in the second half. MSU rushed for 337 yards on 52 carries and closed the game with 493 yards and 25 first downs. SMSU ended the game with 286 yards of offense with 15 first downs. Josiah Hedensten paced the Mustangs with a career-high 18 tackles. SMSU’s Macloud Crowton completed 28 of 39 passes for 278 yards but was intercepted three times and sacked three times. Colin Maher, David Ola-Kazeem and Jacob Honstetter each finished with four receptions. Maher closed with a game-high 86 yards receiving.
SMSU vs. MSU Series Information
Overall: MSU leads 22-0
In Marshall: MSU leads 9-0
In Mankato: MSU leads 13-0
Last SMSU win: –
Last MSU win: Nov. 1, 2025 (42-7)
Largest win for SMSU: –
Largest win for MSU: 52 (52-0, 2021)
Longest win streak for SMSU: –
Longest win streak for MSU: 21 (1971-present)
Current win streak: MSU, 22
Bullerman vs. Minnesota State: 0-0
Hoffner vs. SMSU: 14-0
SMSU OPENING DRIVE TIDBITS
•SMSU ranks first in Division II in fewest penalty yards per game (28.1).
•Sophomore linebacker Hunter Hanegraaf ranks sixth in the country in tackles for loss (1.6) and 52nd in tackles (8.4).
•SMSU rushed for a season-high 151 yards in last week’s loss at Augustana.
•Sophomore quarterback Tommy Hoffman rushed for a career-high 53 yards on 13 carries last week.
•Hoffman made his first career start on Oct. 10 at Sioux Falls and completed 17 of 36 passes for 233 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. He also rushed for 36 yards and one touchdown.
•Junior quarterback Drew Kluender made his second start of the season last week at Augustana, completing 5 of 11 passes for 20 yards. Kluender completed 26 of 43 passes for a career-high 314 yards and three touchdown passes in his first start of the season versus Wayne State on Sept. 26 but missed the Minnesota Duluth and Sioux Falls games with an injury.
•Freshman wide receiver Cooper Murphy caught a career-high six passes for a career-best 144 yards and two touchdowns to Wayne State on Sept. 26. Murphy is the first SMSU player to have more than 100 yards receiving in a game since Colin Maher on Oct. 25, 2025.
•SMSU had seven players on defense and three on offense make their first career collegiate starts in the victory over Valley City State on Aug. 27.
•The SMSU defense, which recorded a pair of interceptions in the season-opening win over Valley City State, limited VCSU to 26 yards rushing. It was the first time SMSU held an opponent to less than 50 yards rushing since the final game of the 2009 season.
•Crowton started at quarterback in the season-opening victory versus VCSU. It was the first time since 2018 that SMSU had the same quarterback start the first game of the season in back-to-back seasons. Blake Gimbel was the last Mustang to start back-to-back season openers in 2017 and 2018.
SMSU SEASON NUMBERS
•Sophomore running back Josh Lancifort leads SMSU in rushing with 215 yards on 74 carries.
•Senior wide receiver Tryg Auten has caught a team-high 33 passes for 299 yards.
•Freshman wide receiver Cooper Murphy ranks second with 21 receptions for 277 yards and two touchdowns.
•Senior wide receiver David Ola-Kazeem has amassed 18 catches for 194 yards.
•Sophomore quarterback Tommy Hoffman has played in four games with one start and has completed 43 of 75 passes for 524 yards with two touchdowns and four interceptions.
•Junior quarterback Drew Kluender has played in four games making two starts and has completed 38 of 73 passes for 432 yards with three touchdowns and four interceptions.
•Fifth year quarterback Macloud Crowton, who has started five games, has completed 63 of 124 passes for 559 yards with five interceptions.
•Junior safety Keegan Patterson leads the team with three interceptions.
•Sophomore linebacker Hunter Hanegraaf has racked up a team-high 67 tackles with 13 for loss.
•Senior linebacker Aiden Planer ranks second on the squad with 47 tackles, including eight for loss.
•Sophomore linebacker Jack Meier is third on the team with 40 tackles.
•Fifth year defensive end Avery Johnson is third on the team with six tackles for loss.
SMSU & MSU IN THE 2026 NCAA RANKINGS
•The following is where SMSU and MSU rank in this week’s NCAA statistics.
(159 teams ranked) SMSU MSU
Scoring Offense 158th 18th
Rushing Offense 154th 11th
Passing Offense 98th 103rd
Total Offense 144th 26th
Scoring Defense 127th 3rd
Rushing Defense 126th 7th
Pass Defense 131st 41st
Pass Efficiency Defense 117th 9th
Total Defense 140th 11th
Net Punting 94th 74th
Punt Returns 61st 119th
Kickoff Returns 127th 25th
Turnover Margin 155th 12th
Fewest Penalty Yards/Gm. 1st 20th
Time of Possession 140th 47th
3rd Down Conversions 156th 4th
3rd Down Conversion Defense 109th 54th
SCOUTING MINNESOTA STATE
•Todd Hoffner is in his 17th season as head coach and has a record of 160-41 with seven league titles and 11 NCAA tournament appearances. MSU has made the NCAA playoffs in each of the past four seasons. He has a career record of 202-69 following six seasons at Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
•The Mavericks are coming off a 35-0 home victory over Wayne State last Saturday afternoon.
•The MSU defense has not allowed more than 17 points in a game this season.
•Junior running back Sam Backer leads the Maverick rushing attack with 567 yards and eight touchdowns, while junior running back Carter Henderson has tallied 495 yards and two touchdowns.
•Junior quarterback Mitchell Thompson has passed for 613 yards and five touchdowns, while rushing for 428 yards and 10 touchdowns.
•Sophomore quarterback Maximus Sims has completed 55 of 102 passes for 813 yards and six touchdowns.
•Redshirt freshman wide receiver El Staley has tallied a team-high 19 receptions with a team-high 264 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
•Senior linebacker Nathan Drumm has amassed a team-high 41 tackles, while senior defensive lineman Jack Hawkinson has recorded 11 tackles for loss with eight sacks, which ranks third in Division II.