NORTHERN STATE STORYLINES

• The Wolves return to Dacotah Bank Stadium looking for their first win of 2023 after a pair of contest against postseason contenders Bemidji State and Minnesota Duluth
• Northern is averaging 17.0 points, 119.5 yards rushing, 265.0 yards passing, and 384.5 yards of total offense this season
• The Wolves are hold conversion percentages of 40.6% on third down and 20.0% on fourth down
• The NSU defense forced one fumble in the season opener and has one interception and one sack on the year
• Colton Hackel stepped into the starting role last week and leads the team with 167 rushing yards and two touchdowns, averaging 83.5 per game, and 360 passing yards with two touchdowns
• Brett Brenton is second on the team with 49 rushing yards, averaging 4.9 yards per carry and 24.5 yards per game
• Dewaylon Ingram and Dakota Larson led the Wolves receiving front with 285 and 130 yards respectively, as well as a combined three touchdowns
• Larson broke the school record last weekend for career receiving yards with 2,836 overall
• Trey King and Charlie Larson led the defensive attack with 12.0 tackles apiece this season; Larson has a team high 2.5 tackles for a loss, while King has the squad’s lone sack

UNIVERSITY OF MARY STORYLINES

• UMary enters the weekend with an 0-2 record falling to Augustana (38-7) and Sioux Falls (36-17) to open 2023
• The Marauders are averaging 12.0 points, 49.0 yards rushing, 206.5 yards passing, and 255.5 yards of total offense this season
• They hold conversion percentages of 29.2% on third down and 33.3% on fourth down
• The Mary defense has three fumble recoveries, two sacks, and one interception through the first two games
• Sofian Massoud and Jesse Forknell tag team the quarter back position with over 100 yards a piece; Massoud leads the attack with 253 yards passing, one touchdown, and a 76.3 completion percentage
• Andrew Trandahl is the team’s main rusher with 23 attempts and 45 total yards in 2023, while Mujeeb Rufai leads the receivers with 144 total yards and one touchdown
• Reginald Morrow holds a team high 13.0 tackles, followed by Mason Phillips with 12
• Phillips is also the team leader with 2.0 sacks for a total loss of 14 yards and one forced fumble
• The Marauders are led by head coach Shann Schillinger in his first season with the program

LAST MATCH-UP

• The Wolves fell to the Marauders 27-26 a season ago on the road
• The contest headed to overtime where each team scored a touchdown, however UMary secured the extra point and the win
• Stanley Haskins Jr. was the lone returner to score in the contest
• NSU recorded a game high 192 yards rushing, 20 first downs, and 307 yards of total offense
• In addition, the defense recorded five sacks for a loss of 29 Marauder yards
• Northern is 8-8 all-time against the University of Mary, falling in the last two match-ups

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.