Aberdeen, S.D. – Northern State opens the 2021 campaign on the road at No. 2 Minnesota State tomorrow. Kick-off is set for 6 p.m. from Blakeslee Stadium versus the Mavericks.
 
GAME & FAN INFORMATION
» The Wolves and Mavericks will kick-off at 6 p.m. from Blakeslee Stadium
» Live video, radio and stat links are available above or on the full schedule on nsuwolves.com
 
NORTHERN STATE STORYLINES
                » The Wolves will open their second season under the direction of head coach Mike Schmidt and their first official game with Schmidt at the helm
                » Schmidt holds a 27-13 career record as the head coach at his alma-mater Wisconsin-La Crosse
                » NSU is coming off a 6-5 record and fourth place North Division finish in 2019
                » Northern returns four offensive starters and five defensive starters from the 2019 roster with over 80 new additions since the season finale
                » Of those 80 new additions are 16 transfer student-athletes, including 3-time NDSU National Champion wide receiver Jimmy Kepouros
                » Dakota Larson and Hunter Hansen were tabbed as the team's players to watch, as the Wolves were picked eighth overall and fifth in the North
                » Larson was a 2019 first team All-Conference selection and CoSIDA Academic All-American, along with 2021 returners Isaiah Cherrier and Chance Olson who were named to the second team
                » The Wolves will likely start 10 newcomers to the Northern State roster in the 2021 season opener versus the Mavericks
 
MINNESOTA STATE STORYLINES
                » The Mavericks were picked to win both the NSIC Overall and South Division per the league coaches' poll
                » MSU posted a 14-1 record during 2019, advancing to their second NCAA Championship game in program history
                » Minnesota State returns 30 letterwinners from the 2019 squad, including quarterback JD Ekowa and Jack Leius, Ty'Shonan Brooks, and Bedale Naba on defense
                » In addition, the Mavericks return a talented offensive line comprised of all-conference performers Jared Gossen, Carter Dowdle, and Hunter Toppel
                » MSU is currently ranked No. 2 in both the NFCA and D2Football Top-25 national polls
                » Minnesota State is led by head coach Todd Hoffner in his 11th season at the helm, leading the program to seven postseason appearances
 
LAST MATCH-UP
                » The two teams matched up on a snowy day in early October in 2019 with MSU grabbing a 39-7 victory
                » Hunter Trautman connected with Dakota Larson for the Wolves lone touchdown in the contest, a 30-yard reception at 7:12 in the 3rd quarter
                » Chance Olson led the team defensively with nine tackles, while Jacob Howard tallied a sack for a total loss of seven yards
 
LOOKING BACK TO 2019
                » The Wolves went 6-5 overall and 4-3 in the NSIC North in 2019
                » The Mavericks went 14-1 overall in 2019 with a perfect 11-0 record in the NSIC and 7-0 in the South Division