FULL PDF NOTEBOOK  |  LIVE STATS  |  LIVE VIDEO   |  TICKETS

RECORDS: Both Minot State and Concordia University, St. Paul enter their matchup with 0-0 records. In 2012, the Beavers ended with 3-8 overall record while the Golden Bears finished with a 2-9 overall record.

Coaches Corner: Minot State's head coach is Paul Rudolph, who is in his seventh season at the helm of the Beaver football program. Rudolph sports  a 31-31 record while at MISU and a career record of 74-78. Concordia, St. Paul is led by third-year head coach Ryan Williams. Williams has a head coaching career record of 8-14. Prior to being named head coach for the Golden Bears in 2011, Williams served as offensive coordinator for Concordia, St. Paul for six seasons.

Follow The Beavers: The game is broadcast locally on KCJB 910-AM with Scott Kittell calling the play-by-play. Live audio can be accessed online at kcjb.com. MISU provides live video and live stats as well as links to the live audio at MSUBeavers.com. Minot State Athletics also is active on Facebook, Twitter and You Tube with all feeds accessible through the home page.

Rankings: Neither team received any votes in the American Football Coaches Association Preseason Poll. In the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, the Golden Bears were picked No. 10 while the Beavers were tabbed No. 14 out of the 16 teams in the league.

Recent History: In Minot State's annual Red & White Fall Scrimmage on Aug. 29, it was a variety of new and old faces making an impact. Michael Jenkins (Fr., DB, Orlando, Fla.) returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown and also snagged an interception during work with the first-team defense. Randel Barber (So., RB, Maricopa, Ariz.) also had a solid performance as he broke multiple tackles and outran everybody for  a 50 yard touchdown run. Seniors Chad Marshall (LB, Hazen, N.D.) and Wayne Peters (WR, Carson, Calif.) were both named Preseason 'Players to Watch' by NSIC officials. Concordia University, St. Paul's defensive lineman Zach Moore was named NSIC South Preseason Defensive Player of the Year honors. A year ago, Moore finished No. 5 in the national with 14 sacks and was named First Team All-American by the AFCA. The Golden Bears return seven starters on offense and 10 starters on defense.

Overall Series: Minot State and Concordia University, St. Paul have faced each other four times prior to the 2013 season. Concordia, St. Paul leads the all-time series 3-1 winning games in 2008, 2010 and 2011. The Beavers defeated Concordia University, St. Paul in 2009 at Herb Parker Stadium in Minot by a score of 24-21.
Noting the Golden Bears: Concordia University, St. Paul will rely heavily on defense in 2013. Zach Moore, who was named NSIC South Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, leads a strong defensive unit that returns 10 starters from a year ago. The Golden Bear defense ranked fourth in the league in sacks, collecting 26 sacks on the year. However, they ranked No. 11 in Total Defense allowing 419 yards per game… On the offensive side of the ball, quarterback James Peterson will lead the Golden Bears. Last season as a sophomore, Peterson ranked No. 8 in the NSIC in Total Offense, averaging 248.3 yards per game. Peterson also threw at least one touchdown in all 11 games (21 touchdowns total).

Tackle Leaders Return: The Minot State defensive unit is primed to have a solid season as they return eight starters from 2012. Seven of the top ten tacklers on the team return, including leader Casey Weinmann (Jr., LB, Selz, N.D.) and Chad Marshall (Sr., LB, Hazen, N.D.). The duo combined for 162 tackles (11.5 tackles for a loss) a season ago while both earning post season honors from the NSIC.

More Touches for Barber: As a true freshman a season ago, Randel Barber (So., RB, Maricopa, Ariz.) shared time with Blake Eggl in the backfield. In 2013, Barber will look to control the majority of the carriers for the Beavers. In 2012, he averaged 4.8 yards per carry while totaling 479 yards on the season. Barber will get the majority of the carriers this season, but Jarvis Mustipher (R-Fr., RB, Melbourne, Fla.) will also get some touches in 2013.

Hanging On To The Ball: The Beavers ranked last in the NSIC in Turnover Margin last season (-22). MISU lost the ball 36 times while only taking it away from opponents 14 times. However, when the Beavers won back-to-back games against Minnesota Crookston (Oct. 20, 38-14) and Minnesota State-Moorhead (Oct. 27, 31-10), the team's Turnover Margin was even.

California Connection: Quarterback Zac Cunha (So., Rocklin, Calif.) and Wide Receiver Wayne Peters (Sr., Carson, Calif.) share a connection both on and off the field. The two California natives worked well with each other on the football field in 2012, connecting 39 times for 531 yards and four touchdowns.

Moving The Chains: The Minot State offense averaged just over 15 first downs per game in 2012, which ranked them near the bottom of the NSIC rankings. The offensive unit will look to improve those numbers in week one against a defense (Concordia University, St. Paul) which allowed 22 first downs per game a season ago.

By the Numbers
82.4: In 2012, Minot State averaged 82.4 yards per game on opponent's penalties. 92 penalties for 906 yards helped the Beavers in field position while they only committed 75 penalties for 639 yards. This will be a key statistic when measuring the success and discipline of the team.

50 Percent: When the Minot State offense put the ball in the 'Red Zone' in 2012, they converted for a touchdown 50 percent of the time. 26 trips were made inside the opponent's 20 yard line with just 13 touchdowns coming from those trips.

6: The Beaver defense will return six players who made at least four tackles for a loss in 2012. Josh Weidler (Sr., LB, Velva, N.D.) led the unit a year ago with 9.5 tackles for a loss of 55 yards.