MINOT, N.D. – For the first time since joining the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, the Minot State football team is going to kick off against a non-NSIC foe.

The Beavers make a nearly 12-hour journey to Michigan this Saturday to take on the Michigan Tech Huskies of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC), the first non-conference game for Minot State since the 2011 season when the Beavers were transitioning to the NCAA Division II level.

"It'll be a good trip, it's not a short trip," Minot State coach Ian Shields said.

"We'll be ready, they've got a good team, they've got a talented group, but like I said, we're excited to keep playing."

The Beavers head into the contest with matching 1-8 overall and NSIC records looking to bounce back after a near-miss against in-state rival the University of Mary last weekend.

"We're improving, the record doesn't show that," Shields said. "There's probably three or four games that could have gone our way that were one touchdown games, or one play games in some cases, so disappointed in those results, but not disappointed in the progress we're making."

As for the Huskies (4-4 overall, 1-4 GLIAC), they too roll into the weekend looking to rebound after very tough back-to-back weekends, losing to two-time defending national champion Ferris State and at home to No. 3-ranked Grand Valley State.

Despite recent losses, Coach Shields knows that the Huskies present a significant challenge.

"They have a bunch of good players, that's always concerning," he said, highlighting quarterback Alex Fries, receivers Darius Willis and Ethan Champney, and linebacker Marc Sippel.

Fries, a 6-2 junior, leads the GLIAC in passing yards per game averaging 211.1 ypg, and is 134-of-234 for 1,689 yards and 11 touchdowns, while Sippel, a 6-2 junior linebacker, leads the league averaging 9.9 tackles per game with 48 totals tackles.

Willis, a 5-8 junior receiver, has been Fries top target with 45 catches for 557 yards and 4 TDs, while Champney, a 6-3 sophomore receiver, has been most prolific with 27 catches for 590 yards and 6 TDs.

While those playmakers might be a focus, the bigger focus for the Beavers remains their own play.

"Our focus really is getting better and playing together," Shields said, "be better fundamentally, be better technique-wise, execute at a little higher rate, and then go compete.

"How do we handle the road trip and how excited can we get up to play?" Minot State's coach added. "If we're excited and ready to play then that will bold well for us."

Of course, as usual, the Minot State coach added that the turnover battle remains a key, along with time of possession on offense.

And one other key.

"We have a young team, we have to handle the ebbs and the flows of the game, the mental game against a really talented team here on the road," Shields said.

Which could lead to a very productive road trip for Minot State, which winds down its season with this and one final game at Winona State, next weekend, left to be played this fall.