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Trojans play final regular-season football game at Mayville State Saturday
November 3, 2011
THIS WEEK: Dakota State (1-9 overall record) plays their final regular-season game on the road on Saturday. The Trojans visit their former Dakota Athletic Conference (DAC) rival Mayville State (4-6). Kickoff from the Jerome Berg Field is set for 2 p.m. (it was originally scheduled for 2:30 p.m., but had been pushed back to 2 p.m. to avoid the conflicts with DSU's basketball doubleheader at Mayville State Saturday night).
THE SERIES: Saturday's game will mark the 22nd meeting between Dakota State and Mayville State. The series began in 1986 where Mayville State had won nine straight meetings with DSU. When Dakota State and Mayville State joined the DAC conference in 2000, the Trojans had won 11 straight meetings versus the Comets from 2001 to 2010. DSU outscored the Comets 375-163 during the 11-game winning streak stretch versus the Comets. Mayville State ended the skid in both teams' last meeting in Mayville, N.D. on Nov. 7, 2010 with the score of 21-14. Dakota State owns an all-time series record of 11-10.
LAST TIME OUT: Dakota State lost to their former Dakota Athletic Conference foe South Dakota Mines 42-17 last Saturday, Oct. 29 in Rapid City, S.D. The Trojans scored the first points of the game and trailed 14-7 at halftime. The Hardrockers outscored the Trojans 28-10 in the second-half. Mayville State lost a 28-14 decision to their rival Valley City State (current No. 15 ranking in the NAIA Football national poll). The Vikings jumped to a 21-0 halftime lead and held on to defeat the Comets. VCSU outpassed the Comets 245-52, but were outrushed by Mayville State 254-109.
FOOTBALL FORECAST: Saturday's forecast calls for a high of 57 degrees and a partly cloudy skies in Mayville, N.D.
NATIONAL RANKINGS: Robert Ortiz ranks first in the nation in total kick-off return yards with 1127. Wes Dauz is fourth in the nation in total receptions with 56, while Carl Curtis is 24th in the nation with 41 total receptions. Eric Liles ranks 12th in tackles per game (10.0) Brandon Large is sixth in the nation in total offense yards with 237.6 yards per game and seventh in total passing with 2248 yards. As a team, Dakota State ranks 11th in the nation in total pass offense (2251) and 22nd in pass offense per game (225.1).
DSU QUICK LEADERS: Jeb Olsen leads the team in rushing with a total of 639 yards, an average of 79.9 yards per game. Brandon Large averages 224.8 passing yards with a completion percentage of 57.8. Wes Dauz leads the team with 56 receptions, an average of 5.9 catches per game. Eric Liles records 80 tackles for the Trojans. Blake Schlagel have 3.5 quarterback sacks this season for DSU.
LARGE BREAKS DSU SCHOOL RECORDS: Brandon Large had set a new DSU school record for most completions in a single season. He set a new record of 222 completions through 10 games this season. The previous old record mark was set by Justin Thielke with 199 completions in 1999. Large also set a new school record for most pass attempts in a single season with 384, previously set by current DSU's assistant football coach Tom Nielsen (377 attempts in 2003).
DSU FOOTBALL HISTORY LESSON: Dakota State is in its 92nd year of competition. The Trojans own an all-time record of 267-442-17. DSU opened their first year of competition in 1908 with an overall record of 4-1-1.
FOLLOW LIVE COVERAGE: Follow DSU-Mayville State football game live paid coverage from America One Networks. The link will be available on www.dsuathletics.com, above the 'Upcoming Events' on the 'Live Game' tab.
STAY CONNECTED: Follow Dakota State all season long on its official online home, www.dsuathletics.com.
UP NEXT: Stay tuned to Dakota State University's athletic website (www.dsuathletics.com) for DSU's 2010 football schedule. The schedule will be announced on a later date.
Nick Huntimer, Dakota State University Sports Information Director
