MSU football has its eyes set on 8th victory
Mavericks to battle the Golden Eagles on the road in Crookston
Mel Stramm
Staff Writer
This upcoming Saturday, the undefeated Minnesota State football team will travel to Grand Forks, North Dakota to face off against Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles.
After last week’s 74-17 blowout against the University of Mary, the Mavericks should have no problem dominating yet another team.
To date, MSU has never lost against the Golden Eagles and surely won’t do so this week, as Crookston is currently one of the last teams in the NSIC ranking and has lost all seven games to date.
In their last match in 2017, the Mavericks stomped on the Eagles with a 56-19 win. Looking at the stats, we can expect nothing but another great victory and for MSU to extend their winning streak to eight.
Seniors Ryan Schlichte, Shane Zylstra and Nate Gunn will once again be the players to look out for in this upcoming game. If the game turns out to be another easy win, however, there is a high possibility to see some more experimental plays and younger players taking the field.
The Mavericks are currently averaging 39.9 points and 508.0 offensive yards per game, as well as 299.0 rushing yards, while only allowing for 53.9 yards in defense.
Besides record holder Gunn, who’s tallied 923 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns, freshman Kaleb Sleezer has been able to gain 338 yards and three touchdowns this season.
At this point the question on everyone’s mind is not if we will make an appearance at the NCAA Tournament, but rather who they will be possibly facing in a championship game scenario in McKinney, Texas in December.
Currently on top of the NCAA ranking with MSU are Valdosta State, Tarleton State, as well as Ferris State, who the Mavericks took the loss against in last year’s semi-final during the tournament.
Header photo: Minnesota State quarterback Ryan Schlichte (5) looks to pass the ball during the first half of a football game against the University of Mary at the Blakeslee Stadium Saturday, Oct. 19, 2019 in Mankato, Minn. (Mansoor Ahmad/MSU Reporter)