Winona State Warriors

MW: Coach, how are you? What's the latest with Winona State Football?
Coach Sawyer: Well, we are on a bus right now riding to Chicago due to the passing of one of our players, Shawn Afryl.

MW: Yes, I'm aware of the situation. Very sorry to hear about that. Shawn was an old Niles West player who went to U of I, then came to you guys this year, yes?
Coach Sawyer: Yes. He was just into a workout session and went down, gone suddenly.

MW: That's a very difficult situation for his family, and for his new family at Winona State.
Coach Sawyer: Very much so. We are working through it and trying to comfort his family as well.

MW: Coach, during your time on the road let me ask a few questions about your football team.
Coach Sawyer: Sounds good.

MW: Last season you guys start off against Bemidji State University, ahead by 3 touchdowns heading into the 4th Quarter and end up having a total dumpster fire of a situation take place with your starting quarterback getting hurt and really not being able to get out of your own way offensively closing the game. Then you lose the following week to SCSU. Do you feel that you guys just dug too deep a hole to get out of with those 2 losses right out of the chute?
Coach Sawyer: Oh without a doubt. Having your starting quarterback go down is a big blow. We didn't respond well in that game and found a way to lose it. The following week we were up near the end of that football game and couldn't hold on to win it. But I think Jack Nelson really came on and showed us a lot when being called upon suddenly.


(Winona State RB: Theo Burnett)

MW: Taking a look at your team offensively, you once again lose your starting running back that had good production. You now have Paul Preston, Jordan Kos, and returning from 2 years worth of injury you have Theo Burnett. Who are you looking to give the keys to in that group?
Coach Sawyer: You mentioned Theo Burnett, yes he's back. He was a starter back a few years ago before he was struck with injuries. He was ready to go last year before getting hurt just before the season. We are expecting good things from him this season. I'd expect the next few guys to get a fair amount of carries also depending on the situation.

MW: With Theo and all the returning weapons you have offensively, you have to feel pretty good about how you are looking on that side of the ball?
Coach Sawyer: No question, yes we are. Guys like Alex Jensen (TE), Alan May (WR), Josh Mikes (WR), and others give us threats in the passing game and we expect to run the ball well also. Jack will have a year of experience in him, so yes, we expect to be a good offensive football team.

MW: Defensively your football team gave up some higher numbers than you were likely comfortable with. Where do you think that the Warriors need to get better during Fall camp?
Coach Sawyer: The back half of the defense, for sure. We gave up too many big plays and just need to shore-up our back half. We feel that we've done that with the addition of UND transfer Ryan Cain, a player that should give us a boost. Along with Ryan we have some other newer guys like Andrew Spencer and Nick Horne who will help compete for spots back there as well. We also get back Safety Pat Lazarra who's been one of our defensive leaders for the last few seasons.


SMSU Mustangs

MW: First off coach, congrats on the best season at SMSU in a long time. The first time the team has played in the post-season in about 15 years right?
Coach Sauter: Thanks Matt. Yes, it was a great year for the Mustang football program for sure.

MW: I have to ask. The program goes 7-4 in the NSIC and the team is on a high, you are playing in a post-season Bowl Game and then all the sudden Pitt State gets up big on you guys early and one of those snowball games occurs where things just keep going wrong, and they end up putting up 90 points. The highs and low of the season and the Bowl Game had to be an odd pairing.
Coach Sauter: Yeah, that Pitt State team was a really good squad. If we play them 100 times I'm not real sure we find a way to beat them. Giving credit to them, they were that good.

MW: Agreed, I thought they were a top 10 team entering the post-season but that they'd just tripped up in the final week of the season to end their regular season on a sour note.
Coach Sauter: Yes, they were a very good football team and when we got closer in that game they pulled away again. That said, it doesn't take away from the strong season the guys had and changing of the culture of this program. We were very pleased with some of the strides this program made last year.

MW: I can see what you mean. Coming down the stretch you had 2 huge wins against teams that were frankly very accustomed to beating the Mustangs. You win a thriller against Winona State and then beat Augie in Sioux Falls. In both games your squad showed a lot of heart in winning those contests. Do you think those 2 wins are really instrumental to the program turning the page and moving onto new chapters of SMSU Football?
Coach Sauter: Those type of wins certainly give a team confidence, for sure. In both of them we just focused on playing our best football no matter whom we were going against, playing our game and mere doing that. It's the same thing we will need to do this next year.

MW: While you guys put up huge offensive numbers this last season, you were kinda like the old Dan Fouts San Diego Chargers teams of the early 80's, you scored 40-50 points, but risked giving up that same point total. Down the stretch you had 4 straight games of giving up 40 points a contest. How do you plan on changing things on that side of the ball so you're not in fire-fights on a weekly basis?
Coach Sauter: Yes we will need to get better on that side of that ball, as you mentioned. We feel very good about our corners, we feel we have as good as they come in this league. We also liked how we were able to get turnovers, but we need to get the defensive off the field and get stops too. We felt that we looked better on defense during the Spring and with some new additions, along with some position changes, that we will be better defensively in 2014.

MW: Are there any new additions to the program or any guys that have looked promising in Spring?
Coach Sauter: Yes, a few guys come to mind immediately. Running backs Ashanti Payne and Davontay Stevens have both looked good and should help us offensively. Tyler Flud (LB) had a great Spring and should help us better things on the defensive side of the ball.

MW: I see former Upper Iowa Offensive Coordinator Brian Frana joined your staff and will be your Offensive Line Coach. How did that materialize?
Coach Sauter: Well, our O-Line Coach went down to Florida, so we had an opening. I had known Coach Frana from being in the league, and when the spot opened up he was immediately someone we had in mind. Having been an OC he really adds something to our staff with that type of experience and he's a great guy.

MW: Moving to the offensive side of the ball, you broke a NSIC record with 6300 yards. Tyler Tonderum had 2145 yards and is a preseason All-American. That said, you lose some very key parts to this offense that made it successful. You lose a lot on the offensive line and you lose your deep ball playmaker Anthony Dean. What most concerns you offensively coming into 2014?
Coach Sauter: Losing all 5 starters on the offensive line is the biggest concern without any question. We have guys in-place that we think are ready to step in and do the job, but we simply just don't have the experience.



(SMSU RB: Tyler Tonderum)

MW: People are going to expect another 2100 yard monster-year from Tyler, but when looking at essentially replacing your offensive line that can't be a realistic expectation can it?
Coach Sauter: We'd love to put up huge numbers again offensively, but it's not the focus of what we are doing. We are looking to win football games and play our best football weekly. We also expect guys like Kevin Parks (WR), Ty Steffensen (WR), and Adam Olson (WR), to make big plays in the passing game. Charlie Kern (QB) will certainly play his part as well, and offensively I think we should be a very good football team.

MW: Coach, I have to ask about the 212 hashtag that's being used by the Mustang football program. What's that about exactly?
Coach Sauter: It's the boiling point of water. We need to play at 212, not 211.
(Coach goes into a long explanation of this, but I stop him towards the end and mention that USF's Defense also is using this 212 hashtag for essentially the same reason. When they play it will be the battle of the 212. He laughs and mentions that he was not aware of this. For the record, Coach mentions that they were using this hashtag since last year. USF has adopted their 212 about 6 months ago.)

MW: Looking ahead at the schedule, you open up at Mary. They have basically an entirely new staff on both side of the ball and a new head coach as well. What can you expect when you play them? Does watching film help you much in a case like that for an opener?
Coach Sauter: That's just it, you're really not sure what you're gonna get from them due to all those reasons. That's once again why we need to concern ourselves with being the best we can be in terms of execution as a football team and not worry about who's lining up on the other side.


UMD Bulldogs

MW: Coach Wiese: MW: I noticed that you picked up defensive back and UND transfer Daryl Brown. He will be a Senior, what should fans expect from this addition?
Coach Wiese: MW: What areas are you looking to most address in Fall camp with your football team?
Coach Wiese: We need to solidify both our offensive and defensive lines. We graduated a very good senior class and a lot of good leadership.

MW: Coach Wiese: Yes, Buma is going to miss the year medically. With Austin, return has not been talked about at this time. Austin will be focusing on getting healthy and resting at home.

MW: Coach Wiese: MW: You team is bringing back most of your playmakers from a 10-2 football team in 2013. After your loss in Maryville (MO) what areas did you see for improvement for this 2014 season in your quest for the trophy?
Coach Wiese: MW: Coach, thanks again for making the time.
Coach Wiese: