(Pictured: Tahe Nomane-BSU, Trey Heid-AU, Tyler Flud-SMSU, Paul Preston-WSU)
(Photos: Winona Daily News, SMSU Athletics, BSU Athletics, MW)

After looking at 2 weeks worth of stats in the conference, here are some of the things that jump out..

-Both USF and SMSU are averaging 5 touchdowns per game but neither has attempted a Field Goal.




-Damon Gibson (MSUM) leads in receiving ypg (155) and in touchdowns with 4 (tied with Cam Johnson-WSU, Nate Rogers-WSC).

-Blake Gimbel (SMSU) spearheads the conference in passing yards (370ypg) and touchdowns (7), tied with Trey Heid (AU).

-Jordan Hein (BSU) has the most yards of total offense per game at 391.

-Dimitri Morales (UIU) has attempted an eye-popping 107 passes through 2 games.

-QB Luke Papilion (USF) has scored 6 times on the ground and is 4th in the conference in rushing (106ypg).

-Channing Barber (NSU) already has 3 picks (2 for scores)

-Gunner Olszewski (CB-BSU) leads the conference in tackles (25) and passes defended (6), and has 2 interceptions.


Saturday, September 17

Northern State (1-1) at Winona State (1-1), 1pm
Game of the Week in the NSIC. Northern is playing above the expectations of most, while Winona is also one of the more dangerous squads in the conference.The Warriors offense looked very explosive against UMD last weekend, hitting huge plays in the passing game while also getting chunk plays from RB Paul Preston. With Preston now a senior, it seems like he's been a very good player for the Warriors for a lot of years. QB Jack Nelson continues to throw one of the top balls in the Northern Sun, all while taking a lot of hits last week against Duluth. The WSU defense had a lot of troubles with the hard nosed attack of Duluth.

Northern has played very well against two strong opponents (AU, SMSU) and looks to be one of the top teams in the North, or maybe I'm just falling for it. Northern plays a similar style these days to UMD, smashmouth with a strong running back and a quarterback who runs well in the zone read scheme.

One would think WSU would be the favorite since this game is in Winona. But in watching the Warriors struggle at Maxwell Stadium a season ago (losses to SCSU, UIU, AU) I'm not sure I see this as a big advantage for Winona. With NSU playing very well at Augie in the opener, the Wolves seem comfy on the road. I like Northern having a similar style to UMD and also having success against the Warriors. The NSU defense knows how to get turnovers and turn them into points. I also have a feeling that loss to UMD might've taken some air out of the Warrior's balloon.

Wolves 38-27


Minnesota-Crookston (0-2) at Augustana (2-0), 1pm
with Mary last Saturday. The Vikings defense did suffer some injuries last at Mary, so the main question I have is will Augie pitch a shutout or will the Golden Eagles find the end zone? My guess is they will.

Vikings 66-13


Mary (0-2) at Southwest Minnesota State (1-1), 1pm



Upper Iowa (0-2) at Minnesota State-Moorhead (1-1), 2pm



Dragons 35-30


Sioux Falls (2-0) at Minot State (1-1), 3pm




Cougars 42-17


Minnesota State-Mankato at St. Cloud State, 3pm
The Mavs and Huskies will battle for the traveling training kit this Saturday. Before the season I had this game as a sure win for MSU (even with the rivalry), but after seeing SCSU play strong at UIU and the Mavericks laying an egg at home, this game suddenly becomes harder to figure.

One has to believe Ricky Lloyd will return as the starting QB for Mankato, and he's been listed as #1 on the depth chart. But Lloyd did take a fair amount of shots last week against BSU, so there's a chance he could be worse for wear. Either way, the Mavs offense needs to kick it into gear or they run the risk of rebuilding. I'm not prepared to suggest the Mavs are going to be down this year, but I do think their performance against SCSU will be very telling. MSU is not looking as good at the line of scrimmage as in the past. They also aren't looking explosive on offense.

The Mankato defense might be a bigger surprise. The Mavs have been the best defensive team in the conference over the last few seasons, but allowed 563 yards against the Beavers. This is the area that really needs to step up for MSU if they're going to be a playoff team.

SCSU has shown signs of being a solid defense, but the 3rd quarter against USF shows it can also get blown up for big scores. That said, my hunch is the Huskies defense will be good enough to keep this game interesting. Nate Meyer (QB) and his weapons offensively need to make plays to stay close. I think the receivers of SCSU are good enough to test Mankato and give them trouble.

Both teams area pretty bad in the kicking game so I'm not sure either squad is winning this game with a field goal. While most assume Mankato wins this game by 20, I think the Huskies hang around but come up just short in the end.

Mavericks 35-27


Minnesota-Duluth (1-1) at Concordia-St. Paul (2-0), 6pm
Ron Johnson has looked very solid so far as the new signal caller for the Golden Bears. As a unit they've been respectable offensively, but not great. The Concordia defense has been fantastic after 2 games, but they've played Mary and Crookston, so it's hard to judge.

UMD has performed well offensively, but has been blown up by two of the best passers in the NSIC. The Dogs were able to sack WSU QB Jack Nelson 6 times, but they allowed plenty of big plays for the 2nd straight week. The back half of the UMD defense has been over-matched against all-league players like Nate Huot and Cam Johnson. In the front seven Duluth has been the best team in the league against the rush.

The UMD offense has been great the first two weeks, playing well enough to be 2-0. QB Drew Bauer has been solid leading the Bulldogs, but needs to be careful how often he dives for additional yardage like he did in the WSU game. Bauer started off the season by sliding to keep himself healthy for the long haul. Last week he looked like he reverted back to his old self. Let's hope Bauer can finish the year on the field.

Will CSP stay unbeaten? I'd be shocked. Concordia simply hasn't seen a football team like Duluth this season, or anything close. UMD should be able to physically assert themselves in this one and play Bulldogs football.

Bulldogs 34-13


Wayne State (0-2) at Bemidji State (2-0), 6pm

Wayne State has been disappointing. The Wildcats offense should be better with the talent they have. There is a chance that WSC can get out of its funk offensively and compete with BSU, but I just see the Beavers as far too sound to allow Wayne to stick around.

Beavers 52-20


Witt's 2016 record: 10-6