Aberdeen, S.D. – The 2018 season officially opens tomorrow for the Northern State University football team on the road at Bemidji State. The Wolves will face off against the Beavers at 6 p.m. from Chet Anderson Stadium.
 
The Northern State football team is coming off their third straight 6-5 season in 2017. A total of nine school records were broken a season ago including single game points scored, yards per rush, rushing touchdowns, touchdowns scored, and punting yards, as well as single season yards per rush and career field goals and PATs made. The Wolves were picked eighth overall in the league and fourth in the NSIC North. They return one NSIC All-Conference performer in Noah MacPherson. MacPherson was named All-Conference second team a season ago, leading the defense with 77 tackles, including five tackles for a loss. MacPherson was named one of the NSU Players to Watch in the league, alongside Zech Culbreath who started all 11 games in 2017, recording 253 yards receiving and two touchdowns. Culbreath led the returns with 424 kick return yards, a 97-yard long, and one touchdown. The Wolves will open the 2018 season with a new look, following the addition of offensive coordinator Myers Hendrickson. Northern returns six starters on offense, eight on defense, and one on special teams heading into the opener.
 
Weather Forecast
• Thursday calls for partly cloudy skies early. Scattered thunderstorms developing later at night with a 40% chance of rain. A high of 75 and low of 59, with south winds at 10 to 20 mph.
 
About the Beavers
• Bemidji State opens the season picked fifth overall in the league and second in the NSIC North Division.
• Senior defensive back Gunner Olszewski earned his second straight NSIC North Division Defensive Preseason Player of the Year honor. He earned All-NSIC North Division First Team Defense each of the past three seasons and All-NSIC Special Teams Second Team in 2017.
• Bemidji State returns seven starters on offense and four on defense, including seven All-NSIC selections (Lacowski, Daniello, Olszewski, Vogeler, Ames, Aanerud, and Gross) in total.
• The Beavers averaged 202.5 rushing yards, 194.0 passing yards, and 396.5 yards of total offense per game last season.
• In 2017, BSU sat second in the league in points scored per game (35.3) and third in the NSIC in interceptions (20) and yards per kick return (22.1).
• Andrew Lackowski returns for his final season, after finishing the year second in the league, averaging 87.2 rushing yards per game.
• BSU enters their second season under the direction of head coach Brent Bolte.
 
Last Match-Up
• The Wolves fell to the Beavers 44-17 in 2017, with BSU recording 544 yards of total offense.
• Hunter Trautman threw for a game high 218 yards, completing 26-of-50 attempts.
• Noah MacPherson led the game with 12 tackles, including a 0.5 sack for a total loss of four yards.
• Northern is 20-21-1 all-time against Bemidji State and 3-5 under the direction of Dosch.
• The Wolves last defeated the Beavers in 2014 with a score of 48-41.
 
A Season Ago
• The Wolves went 6-5 overall and 5-2 in the NSIC North Division in 2017, while the Beavers went
8-3 overall and 6-1 in the North.