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SCSU GAME NOTES
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THE GAME: Northern State University heads to St. Cloud, Minn. to take on the St. Cloud State Huskies at Husky Stadium with a start time at 6:00 p.m.  This will be the 11th matchup between the two schools.  Gene Reich will handle the play-by-play on 94.1 KSDN-FM “The Rock“.

St. Cloud State will have livestats available HERE
and the NSIC Webcast of the game HERE.

THE MATCHUP: The Wolves of Northern State are currently mirred in an eight-game losing streak dating back to last season, and are 0-3 (0-2 NSIC) on the year.  The Wolves were picked to finish 11th in the conference and tied for fifth in the North Division prior to the 2009 season by the league's coaches.
    The Huskies are also 0-3 (0-2 NSIC), losing last weekend to #23 Wayne State by a score of 41-20.  The Huskies were picked to finish second in the North Division, and received one first-place vote.  They were picked to finish fourth in the conference, ahead of Winona State, who beat the Wolves 52-17 back on September 5th in Aberdeen.

SERIES HISTORY:  St. Cloud State owns the overall series advantage by a 9-1 mark, with Northern State's only win coming by a 14-6 final score in 1947.  The Huskies have won the last eight meetings between the two schools, including a 17-12 victory last season in Aberdeen.

NSIC SCHEDULE THIS WEEK
Saturday, September 5
1:00 pm *MSU Moorhead at Bemidji State            
1:00 pm *Mary at Minnesota Crookston            
1:00 pm *Upper Iowa at Southwest Minnesota State            
6:00 pm *Wayne State (NE) at Minnesota State            
6:00 pm *Winona State at Concordia St. Paul
6:00 pm *Northern State at St. Cloud State
6:00 pm *Augustana at Minnesota Duluth
    *NSIC Game

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
NSU                                                             SCSU
0-3                  2009 Record                         0-3
0-2                  NSIC Record                         0-2
63                   First Downs                            59
139.0             Rushing Offense/gm          132.7
198.3             Passing Offense/gm          176.0
337.3             Total Offense/gm                 308.7
230.7             Rushing Defense/gm         188.7
238.3             Passing Defense/gm         209.3
469.0             Total Defense/gm               398.0
22.0                Points Per Game                 21.0
47.7                Points Allowed Per Game  37.7
4.6                  Avg. Yards/Play                     4.4
15/102           Penalties/Yards                 10/105
1/2                  Field Goals/Attempts          3/4
14/46/30%    3rd Down Conv./Att/%     14/42/33%
11/4                Giveaway/Takeaway            5/4

Series History
Last 10 Years

2008    Northern State 12, St. Cloud State 17
2007    Northern State 7, St. Cloud State 17
2005    Northern State 7, St. Cloud State 38
2004    Northern State 7, St. Cloud State 42
2003    Northern State 13, St. Cloud State 27
2002    Northern State 15, St. Cloud State 47
2001    Northern State 0, St. Cloud State 24

DEUCE IS WILD:  Northern State junior running back Montrel Richardson was the offensive spark-plug last week against Upper Iowa as he accounted for 298 all-purpose yards in the Wolves 42-35 overtime loss to the Peacocks. His 298 all-purpose yards were the sixth most by an NSU player since 1998.
    Richardson's impressive day featured a 47-yard touchdown run and a 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.  He finished his day with 157 rushing yards on 17 carries (9.2 ypc) and 136 return yards on three kickoff returns.
    He currently leads the NSIC and is ninth overall in the country in kickoff return average with an astonishing 33.83 yards per return. He has also led the Wolves in rushing in each of their three games this year
    So far this season he has amassed 278 yards on 46 carries (6.0 ypc) and one touchdown, for an average of 92.7 yards per contest.

ABOUT NORTHERN STATE:  The Wolves have gotten off to their second-straight 0-3 start after opening up with tough opponents in Missouri Western State and Winona State, and then dropping a heart-breaker last week at Upper Iowa in Fayette, Iowa.   
    The Wolves had been stagnant on offense through their first two games, scoring only 15.5 points per contest, before exploding for 35 points and 488 yards of total offense against the Peacocks last week. 
    They are currently ranked ninth in the conference in rushing offense, averaging 139.0 yards per contest.  They're slightly better at passing by averaging 198.33 yards per, which is currently eighth in the NSIC.  They're eighth in the conference in total offense, averaging 337.3 yards per.
    Defensively, the Wolves have struggled mightily, as they are currently 135th in the country in rushing defense and last in the NSIC, allowing 230.7 rushing yards a game.  They are also last in the NSIC and 137th in the country in total defense, allowing a staggering 469.0 yards per game to their opponents.  Their pass defense is 12th in the NSIC, allowing 238.3 yards a game.
    They Wolves are averaging 22.0 points per game while giving up 47.67 points thus far this season.  The latter being last in the NSIC.

ST. CLOUD STATE:  The Huskies enter Saturday's contest with a record of 0-3, including an 0-2 mark in the NSIC.  They have lost to two nationally ranked teams in Augustana College and Wayne State, and nearly pulled off an upset over 2008 FCS playoff participant University of Maine, a game they lost in overtime.
    They finished 2008 with a 7-4 record, with one of their seven wins being over Northern State by a score of 17-12 last year in Aberdeen.
    Brandon Geiss leads the “Clouds“ with 245 rushing yards on 60 attempts, including four touchdowns on the season.  Mitch Watkins has thrown for 528 yards, and four touchdowns, with only two interceptions through three games.  Fred Williams leads the Huskies receiving corps with a line of 28 catches for 276 yards (9.9 ypc) and three touchdowns.  He averages 92.0 receiving yards per.  Defensively, Tony Kubes leads the squad with 24 tackles and four TFL.

DESLAURIERS STORIES:  Northern State junior wideout, and captain,  Trent DesLauriers continues to be one of the better offensive performers for the Wolves this season, and Saturday vs. Upper Iowa was no different.  DesLauriers caught his second touchdown pass of the season and finished with six catches for 65 yards and a touchdown-the exact same line he had vs. Missouri Western State.
    He leads the team with 18 catches for 226 yards and is tied for the team lead with two TD receptions.  He is averaging 75.3 receiving yards per game, and has the season-long reception for the Wolves...a 57-yarder coming against Winona State on September 5th.

SHRINE GAME:  The Wolves will be hosting their annual Shrine Game on September, 26th when the Bemidji State Beavers come to town.  All proceeds from the game go to the local Shriner Hospital.

DID YOU KNOW?:  Northern Normal and Industrial School beat Britton High School by a score of 91-0 in 1908, the biggest winning margin in school history and the most points scored by a Northern team.  However, Yankton College gave the Wolves a drubbing by a score of 95-0 in 1919 for the largest margin of defeat in school history, and also the most points surrendered by a Northern team.

Northern State University is an NCAA Division II affiliated school participating in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and is located in Aberdeen, South Dakota.

**GO WOLVES**