FULL PDF RELEASE  |  LIVE VIDEO  |  LIVE STATS  |  LIVE AUDIO  |  TICKETS

RECORDS: Both teams will be making their 2014 debut. Minot State finished 2-9 overall last season and 2-9 in the Northern Sun. USF finished 5-4 overall and in the NSIC last year.

COACHES CORNER: Minot State's head coach is Tyler Hughes, who begins his first season at the helm. He is 20-4 overall as a head coach, all at Snow College in Ephraim, Utah, where he coached from 2011-12. Hughes spent last season as an assistant coach with Urban Meyer at Ohio State. USF is coached by Jed Stugart, who is 34-12 in four 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: Minot State did not receive votes in the preseason American Football Coaches Association Poll. The University of Sioux Falls earned seven votes in the preseason poll to be in the receiving votes category.

RECENT HISTORY: Minot State lost its final three games last season and endured a crazy offseason in which the Beavers officially had four head coaches in the 2014 calendar year. The Beavers were topped by their Minnesota mascot counterpart, Bemidji State, 35-14 in their final game. USF beat Wayne State College in the season finale last year to end a two-game losing streak in 2013.

OVERALL SERIES: MISU and USF have only met five times in football in nearly 100 years of both schools fielding teams, but have played each other four times in the past seven years. USF holds a 4-1 lead including winning four straight contests. The Cougars defeated Minot State 42-20 in Minot in 2012 in the two school's last match up.

NOTING THE COUGARS: The University of Sioux Falls returns 18 of their 25 starters from a team that went 6-5 overall in 2013 and 10 of 11 starters on defense… Cornerback John Tidwell is a defensive standout for the Cougars, earning first team All-NSIC last season as he had 56 tackles and 12 pass breakups. He has 118 career tackles… USF is young in its skilled positions as six of its listed 12 players at quarterback, running back, H-back, tight end and wide receiver are freshmen or sophomores and only Nephi Garcia, Sioux Falls' staring running back, is a senior… Garcia had the team's fifth highest single season in rushing total in 10 years during the 2013 campaign.

OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT: While Minot State is looking to give first-year head coach Tyler Hughes a win in game one, the Beavers are also looking to reverse a trend. Minot State has lost its last 11 season opening games dating back to 2002. The Beavers last win in to open the season was a 35-28 win over Bemidji State when MISU was an NAIA program.

PLEASE REPLACE THE CORK: Minot State will need to replace four key defensive players from a year ago, including all-time leading tackler Chad Marshall and linebackers Josh Weidler and Uepati Fatilua as well as defensive lineman Luke Artz. The foursome combined to make 256 tackles in 2013 as Marshall led the way with 100.

MAINSTAY-ING IN THE LINEUP: MISU's Levi Freidt (Sr., DB, Minot, N.D.) and Casey Weinmann (Sr., LB, Selz, N.D.) have combined to play in 64 games for the Beavers, tying for the top active career games played with 32 apiece. Freidt leads the way with 26 starts, while Weinmann has made 17 starts in his career. Only starting quarterback Zac Cunha (Jr., Rocklin, Calif.) has more start starts than the duo as Cunha will be making his 22 straight start Saturday (22 of 23 career games), nine better than Freidt's 12 consecutive starts streak.

WEINMAN RACKING UP HITS: Senior Casey Weinmann (LB, Selz, N.D.) has been one of the most consistant defensive players for the Beavers over the past three seasons. He led Minot State in 2012 with 83 tackles and was second with 75 last year. He is just 20 shy of making 200 tackles in his career. His 14 tackles two seasons ago in game 2 against Wayne State College are the most by any active MSU player.

A DOUBLE SHOT IN THE SPECIAL TEAM'S ARM: Minot State will have two players making a return to action as kicker Aaron La Deaux (So., Port Orchard, Wash.) and wide receiver/return specialist Glyn Borel (Sr., San Jose, Calif.) will start after a year off. Borel did not play last year for personal reasons, but was an All-NSIC special team's player as a junior in 2012. La Deaux was also a second-team All-NSIC performer in 2012 after making 6-of-10 field goals – including a 49-yard kick – an averaged 37.5 yards per punt.

LA DEAUX-AL THREAT: Joining Aaron La Deaux (So., Port Orchard, Wash.) as a special team's threat is older brother Leon La Deaux (Sr., Port Orchard, Wash.). Leon La Deaux emerged as a dangerous return man as he raced 98-yards for a kick-off return TD against Minnesota State University-Moorhead. He was second on the team with 54 receptions for 625 yards and four TDs in just nine games in 2013.

LEAN AND MEAN: Minot State starting running back Jarvis Mustipher (So., Melbourne, Fla.) she nearly 20 pounds in the offseason to come in at a solid 212 pounds and looks to add to his team-leading 692 yards rushing for 2013. Mustipher averaged a solid 4.6 per carry, but found the end zone just once. The Beavers as a team had just six rushing TDs a year ago.

BEHIND THE NUMBERS
6: The number of Utah born players for the Beavers in 2014. Minot State's head coach Tyler Hughes' presence was felt in recruiting right away as he signed six players from his home state after the Beavers had no Utah players in each of the previous five seasons.

31: Number of turnovers for the Beavers in 2013. Minot State has been plagued by turnovers since its move from NAIA to NCAA Division II. The Beavers had 13 interceptions in 2013 and 18 fumbles. MISU actually coughed up the ball 28 times, but recovered 11 of those last season.

39: Points for kicker Brian Gutierrez (Sr., Granada Hills, Calif.) last season. Gutierrez, who changed his number from the formidable 99 to a less imposing but more position appropriate 19 in the offseason, led Minot State with 39 points, hitting seven of 13 field goals and 18 out of 19 extra points.