MINOT, N.D. -- Throughout fall camp first-year Minot State head coach Mike Aldrich has brought his team together at the end of each practice and given them a word of the day. The words have ranged from excellence to appreciation to family to respect, and each word carries a meaning which he conveyed to the team as he looks to turn around the Beaver fortunes. One word that was used early in fall camp was opportunity, and the new-look Beavers get their first opportunity to showcase their talents on Thursday (Aug. 31) when they face Concordia-St. Paul at 7 p.m. in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Game of the Week.

Not only will Minot State usher in the Mike Aldrich era to its fans, but the game will be carried live on the Midco Sports Network which is the leader for collegiate and high school sports programming in North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota.

The Beavers, who posted a 3-8 overall record last season, will feature experienced players on both sides of the ball in 2017.

After a pitched battle in the fall, sixth-year senior Zac Cunha earned the nod as the Beavers starting quarterback. Cunha, who has missed the majority of the last two seasons due to injury, has played in 35 games in his career and is 544-1026 for 6,557 yards and has thrown 43 touchdowns.

Cunha will be protected by a veteran offensive line that includes seniors Logan Gunderson, Brody Myers and Christopher Carnes. Sophomores Eric Besalda and Kyle Miskelley also return after earning starts during their freshmen seasons.

Cunha has plenty of options to which to throw as seniors Taylor Maloney and Ryan Fila return as does sophomore Lavante Bushnell and senior Ray Watkins. Sophomore Devon Owens and freshman Sebastian Gutierrez will both see time at tight end.

The running game will feature two seniors in Larry Overstreet and Leroy Arnold, while Nehemiah Perez and Hayden Van Winkle will back up that duo.

The defense will be led by a strong, experienced secondary which includes three seniors. Donnell Vercher led the Beavers with three interceptions last season, while Bryce Broome and Justin Gonzales also return for Minot State. The trio is joined by Kiante Goudeau giving Minot State one of the top defensive backfields in the conference.

Seniors Sam Stange, Nikko Walker and Fed Joseph all return at linebacker for the Beavers. Joseph led the returning group with 30 tackles in 2016.

The defensive line is occupied by seniors Elijah Mosley, Travis Pride and Nathan Rauhauser and sophomore Kolby Lang. Mosley had 37 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss and recovered a fumble last season.

The kicking duties will be handled by sophomore JoseLuis Moreno as he looks to replace Aaron La Deaux.

In addition to being seen on the Midco Sports Network, the game can be heard locally on KCJB 910 AM.