NORTHERN STATE STORYLINES

• The Wolves return to Dacotah Bank Stadium looking for their second home victory of 2023
• Northern is averaging 23.4 points, 133.0 yards rushing, 267.2 yards passing, and 400.2 yards of total offense this season; they are converting 42.7% on third down and 29.4% on fourth down
• The NSU defense has 11 sacks and three interceptions this season
• Anthony Vespo is back in the saddle for the NSU, averaging 206 yards passing per game with four touchdowns and a 59.0 pass completion percentage
• Stanley Haskins Jr. and Brett Brenton are a tag-team on the ground with 200 and 196 yards rushing respectively; the pair have two touchdowns apiece
• The Wolves one-two punch continues in the air with Dewaylon Ingram and Dakota Larson recording 536 and 440 yards receiving respectively
• Ingram leads the NSIC averaging 107.2 yards per games
• Drew Smook has taken on a larger kicking rolling with 5-of-6 made field goals, including a 47-yard long, and 752 total kicking yards
• The Northern State defense is led by Charlie Larson with 37.0 total tackles in 2023, including 4.0 tackles for a loss
• Trey King follows with 32.0 tackles, 3.0 tackles for a loss, and 1.0 sack
• Luke Gunderson and Logan Grossinger each have 2.0 sacks this season, while Lynden Williams, Trevor Johnson, and Corey Scott account for the team’s three interceptions

MINOT STATE STORYLINES

• The Beavers head to Aberdeen with a winless record, going 0-5 to open 2023
• Minot State is averaging 16.8 points, 199.4 yards rushing, 90.2 yards passing, and 289.6 yards of total offense per game
• They are converting 21.9% on third down and 46.2% on fourth down
• The Beaver defense has 11 sacks on the year, as well as two interceptions
• Myles West and Evan Lovett lead the rushing attack with 328 and 271 yards respectively this season; each recording two touchdowns and averaging 5.9 yards per carry
• Dawson Macleary is averaging 71.4 yards passing per game with three touchdowns and 357 total yards
• Daniel Stokes leads the receiving core with 176 total yards and two touchdowns, averaging 19.6 yards per catch
• Isaiah Bigby and Carson Cayko lead the Beaver defense with 35.0 tackles apiece, while Cayko has a team leading 7.0 tackles for a loss and 3.0 sacks
• Knylen Miller-Levi and Ike Mikaele have the team’s two interceptions, while Emmett Espino matches Cayko’s total with 3.0 sacks in 2023
• Isaiah Griffin and Stokes lead the returners averaging 20.0 and 21.0 yards per kick return this season
• Minot State is led by head coach Ian Shields in his first season at the helm

LAST MATCH-UP

• The Wolves defeated the Beavers 38-10 on the road in 2022
• Returning scorers for the Wolves include Luke Gunderson on an 87-yard kick return and Payton Hughes on a 5-yard blocked punt and return
• NSU recorded 265 yards of total offense in the win
• The defense tallied eight sacks for a loss of 50 yards and Ian Marshall broke the single game school record with four sacks of his own
• Northern is 18-6-1 all-time against Minot State and on a 12-game win streak

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.