ABERDEEN, S.D. - With just two games left in the 2011 season, Northern State gets set to close out the home portion of the campaign on Saturday, hosting Minnesota, Crookston in a 1 p.m. kick-off.  The Wolves have their sights set on several goals, including staying in the hunt for a North Division title.  At 4-1 in the North, the Wolves are tied with two other teams for the divisional lead.  A win on Saturday would push the Wolves to 5-1 in the North and secure the team's first winning season since 2005.  NSU will also honor ten seniors prior to the game.

Setting the Stage:
• Northern State is coming off two big wins over the last two weeks and is looking to carry that momentum into this weekend's match-up with Minnesota, Crookston.  At 4-1, NSU shares the NSIC North Division lead with two other teams.  Saturday's game will also be the last chance for ten NSU seniors to play in front of a home crowd.

Last Meeting:
• Northern State hosted the nation's top-ranked running back and sixth-ranked rushing offense in Minnesota, Crookston and turned the Golden Eagles' own game against them, racking up 322 yards on the ground, 474 overall, and rolling to a 45-21 victory over UMC in NSU's 56th Annual Shrine Game.  Junior tailback Kristin James posted 246 of those yards, fifth most on the NSU record books.  The effort marked the first 200-yard effort by an NSU player since Rudy Jones ran for 212 yards on Oct. 23, 2004.  James also found the end zone four times and hauled in one pass for seven yards.  The win snapped a five-game skid for the Wolves.

About the Golden Eagles:
• The Golden Eagles snapped what was a 59-game NSIC losing skid earlier this season, taking a 33-28 win over Southwest Minnesota State on homecoming back on Sept. 22.  UMC has since lost five straight and are coming off back-to-back 14-28 losses to Minot State and Minnesota-Duluth.  Senior running back Richard  Haley, who ranks second in the NSIC in rushing at 113.4 yards per game.

Last Week:
• NSU scored a school-record 65 points in a 65-17 win over U-Mary last week.  Sophomore quarterback Jared Jacobson threw for 422 yards, while the wide receiving trio of Mark Hanley, Chris Morton and Jordan Piatz all had 100+ yard days.

The series:
• NSU leads the all-time series 12-1.  UMC's lone win in the series came back on Oct. 21, 2000 when UMC claimed a 25-21 victory.

Time & Temp:
• Saturday's forecast calls for mild conditions with highs in the mid 50s. Mostly cloudy skies with winds out of the south/southeast at 5-15 mph.

About the NSIC:
• The NSIC has expanded once more in 2012 with the addition of Sioux Falls and Minot State as full-fledged members in the now 16-team league.  The institutions are the fifth and sixth additional members since the league expanded from 10 to 14 in 2008.