NORTHERN STATE STORYLINES

• Northern returns home with a 3-4 record overall and in the league
• The Wolves are averaging 26.7 points, 158.4 yards rushing, 250.0 yards passing, and 408.4 yards of total offense this season
• They are converting 40.0% of the time on third down and 45.8% of the time on fourth down, scoring 20-of-27 times they have entered the red-zone
• The defense has 13 sacks and four interceptions this season, as well as 11 forced fumbles
• Brett Brenton tallied a career high 116 yards rushing last week and leads the team with 396 total yards and five touchdowns
• Colton Hackel is back in the saddle at QB, completing 50.5% of his passing for 912 yards and six touchdowns
• The Wolves main receivers are Dewaylon Ingram and Dakota Larson with 737 and 592 yards respectively, combining for 12 touchdowns in 2023
• Trey King leads the Northern State defense with 45.0 total tackles and 9.0 tackles for a loss of 26 yards
• Corey Scott leads the secondary with two interceptions, while Luke Gunderson, Logan Grossinger, and Ismael Kante each have 2.0 sacks
• Drew Smook is 6-of-9 in field goal attempts this season with a 47-yard long and is averaging 55.8 yards per kickoff 
• Ethan Barnett has taken every punt for the Wolves this season, averaging 37.0 yards per boot with a 64-yard long

WAYNE STATE STORYLINES

• Wayne State heads into the weekend with a 5-2 record overall and 4-2 mark in the Northern Sun
• The Wildcats are averaging 33.0 points, 144.3 yards rushing, 274.7 yards passing, and 419.0 yards of total offense this season
• Defensively they have 13 forced fumbles, 11 interceptions, and eight sacks; holding their opponents to conversion rates of 44.0% on third down and 38.9% on fourth down
• Nick Bohn has 1,901 yards passing this season with 14 touchdowns and a 57.3 pass completion percentage
• The receiving core is led by Kendrick Watkins-Hogue and Ashten Schmaderer with 537 and 444 yards respectively, combining for nine touchdowns in 2023
• Latravious Boyd leads the rushers with 538 total yards and six touchdowns, averaging 8.0 yards per carry
• The WSC defense is led by Dexter Larsen and Alex Schall with 53.0 and 51.0 tackles respectively and a combined 10.0 tackles for a loss
• Four players have two interceptions apiece in 2023 led by Jacob Byrd and Tate Hinrichs with over 30 tackles each as well
• In the kicking front, Boston Hensley is 5-of-6 in field goal attempts
• The Wildcats are led by head coach Logan Masters in his second season

LAST MATCH-UP

• Northern fell 13-6 to Wayne State on the road in 2022
• NSU’s six points came off two field goals from Payton Eue
• The Wolves led the contest with 17 first downs, 154 yards passing, and 270 yards of total offense; however went just 2-of-5 in red-zone score chances and threw three picks
• The NSU defense held WSC to 4-of-15 of third down and 0-of-2 on fourth down, adding two sacks
• The Wolves are 18-11 all-time versus the Wildcats

Entrances to the Facility & Gate Opening Times

The facility offers four entrance locations for fans (outlined below) with gates opening two hours prior to kick-off for premium seat holders (club, loge, suite, party deck) through the main VIP entrance and 90 minutes prior for all general admission and other ticket sales. Tickets can be purchased online at nsuwolves.universitytickets.com. Individuals included in the Northern State passbook must enter the stadium through the Main Entrance. There is no re-entry into the facility.

• Main Entrance: Located off 15th Ave SE. This location includes game day ticket sales, will call pick-up, online ticket scanning, and the Northern State passbook.
• South Entrance: Located between Dacotah Bank Stadium & Koehler Hall of Fame Field. This location includes online ticket scanning.
• East Entrance: Located at the corner of South State Street and 15th Ave SE. This location includes online ticket scanning.
• Barnett Center Entrance: Located in the south end of the main Barnett Center hallway. This location includes game day ticket sales and online ticket scanning.

Concessions, Team Store, Kids Zone, Program Sales, and More!

The Northern State concession stands are operated by Sodexo and offer a wide range of options for fans of all ages. Enjoy an ice-cold Coca-Cola product, bite into a soft pretzel with cheese, a world famous Wolf dog, or walking taco. Don’t forget to grab a freshly made popcorn or batch of Wisconsin cheese curds from one of the concession stands near you at all home Wolves athletic events. New in 2023-24, Northern State University students can use their Thunder Bucks at all concessions locations. In addition, Sodexo supports local non-profits through a variety of opportunities. Contact NSU Dining Services at 605-626-2928 to learn more. 

The NSU Nike Team Store will be open in its Barnett Center location as well as at a mobile kiosk (on the second floor) within Dacotah Bank Stadium on game day. The Barnett Center location will officially open two hours before kick-off and closes after the first quarter. The mobile kiosk opens one hour prior to kick-off and closes after the third quarter.

The Northern State Kids Zone is located just north of the main gate to Dacotah Bank Stadium, in the green grass lot between the stadium and the Barnett Center (pictured in the parking map above). The Kids Zone is free and open to all kids under the age of 18 on game day. The Kids Zone includes inflatables, temporary tattoos, stickers, and mini footballs.

Program sales will take place in the tailgate lots and throughout the stands of Dacotah Bank Stadium. All game day program sales are cash only. Game day programs feature Northern State football history, game day information, opponent information, and a variety of promotions and coupons for Northern State fans. 

Game Day Parking

Northern offers a variety of parking options at Dacotah Bank Stadium, viewable at the parking map linked HERE

• Free parking: There are more than 400 free parking spots available on campus, located in the Washington Street lots and the lot north of the South Dakota School for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Additionally, there is free parking available off campus in the city parking lot located at the nearby Aberdeen Aquatic Center.
• Paid parking: There is nearly 600 reserved parking spots on campus. This includes the parking lots located to the west and southwest of Dacotah Bank Stadium, as well as the main Barnett Center lot, which require a pass purchase. Game day purchases are available in the Barnett Center lot for a price of $10 per vehicle.

Tailgating Information

The Northern State tailgate lots will open five hours prior to kick-off for set-up and three hours prior to kick-off for tailgating festivities, which includes the consumption of alcohol in the designated tailgating lots. In addition, all tailgate lots will close 30 minutes prior to kick-off; spots must be cleared and full cleaned at the closing time. The Northern State University football team will do the Wolves Walk through the premier tailgate lot two hours prior to the kickoff of each home contest. 

Tailgating is permissible in the Wolves Club Premier and Wolves Club Reserved lots on Northern State football home dates. Individuals can purchase a season tailgating spot or on a game-by-game basis. For an available spot listing in the Wolves Club Premier lot contact Steven McKee at steven.a.mckee@northern.edu. Wolves Club Reserved spots are $20 on game day with the entrance and payment booth located off S State Street. Full tailgating policies are outlined HERE.

Alcohol Policy

Northern State University and all other members of the South Dakota Board of Regents system have been granted the opportunity to allow alcohol sales at athletic events on campus per BOR policy 6:14. To safely and legally facilitate, the sale of alcoholic beverages and to comply with BOR policy, NSU will following the initial conditions, processes and procedures outlined in the Northern State University Institutional Policy HERE; recognizing the need for modification and refinement as experience informs them. A brief outline of this information is below:

• The sale of alcoholic beverages may start no sooner than one hour before the scheduled start of the event and must end at least thirty minutes prior to the scheduled end of the event (e.g., end of the third quarter of a football game).
• The point of sale for alcoholic beverages must be separate and apart from required food service general concessions. For alcohol sales at football games in Dacotah Bank Stadium, four points of sale (one on main level concourse, one on the loge level, one in the Teal Lounge on the suite level and one located inside the Kessler’s Champions Room) will be established separate from existing concession stand locations within the stadium.
• No attendee under the age of 21 may purchase, consume, or possess alcoholic beverages.  A valid ID is required to purchase, consume, or possess alcoholic beverages.
• A limit of two alcoholic beverages may be purchased at one time by an individual bearing a legal ID.
• No one who is visibly intoxicated may be served, consume, or possess an alcoholic beverage.
• Adequate security personnel shall be in place to monitor attendee behavior and ensure compliance with this policy and applicable law.
• There must be at least one alcohol free zone, of comparable viewing to alcohol zones, designated and appropriately marked for the event where no alcoholic beverage may be sold, consumed, or possessed.