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DSU welcomes Peru State (Neb.) in season football opener at Trojan Field Saturday
August 22, 2012
THIS WEEK: Dakota State (0-0 overall record) opens their 2012 campaign Saturday afternoon, hosting Peru State (Neb.) (0-0) from the Heart of American Athletic Conference. DSU and PSC will meet for the first time since 1972. Kick-off is set for 4 p.m. at the Trojan Field in both teams' season opener. There will be a tailgate prior the game, starting at 2 p.m. in the parking field of the Trojan Field.
THE SERIES: Saturday's game will mark the fourth time both team met in series history. Peru State currently lead the all-time series 2-1. The series began in 1949 where Peru State won 33-19. The Trojans defeated the Bobcats 45-13 in 1971, the year when the Trojans won the Boothill Bowl game. Peru State took the series lead in 1972 as they defeated DSU by the score of 14-8.
LAST TIME OUT: Dakota State fell short to Mayville State (N.D.) 6-0 in the final regular-season game on Nov. 5, 2011 in Mayville, N.D. The Comets scored all of their points in the second quarter. The Trojans outgained Mayville State 236-201 in total offensive yards and 197-156 in total rushing yards. Peru State suffered a 26-23 home defeat to Avila (Mo.) in their last regular-season game on Nov. 12, 2011.
FOOTBALL FORECAST: As of Wednesday afternoon, the Saturday's weather forecast calls for a high of 79 degrees with partly cloudy skies. There is a 30 percent chance of isolated storms.
TROJANS NAME TEAM CAPTAINS: The Dakota State University football team announced four seniors to serve as Trojans' team captains for the 2012 season. They are quarterback Brandon Large, linebacker Eric Liles, running back John Niesen and defensive end Blake Schlagel. Large and Liles were the team captain during the 2011 season.
NIESEN NOMINATED TO ALLSTATE AFCA GOOD WORKS TEAM®: John Niesen was one of the 117 nominees for the 2012 Allstate American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Good Works Team®. As one of college football's most prestigious off-the-field honors, the award recognizes a select group of college football players committed to making a difference in their communities. In addition, Niesen was named to Daktronics-NAIA Scholar Athlete.
LILES EARNS FOOTBALL PRESEASON HONOR: Eric Liles was named to the 2012 Beyond Sports Network (BSN) NAIA Preseason All-American second team. Liles led the Trojans with 94 tackles during the 2011 season. He averaged 10.4 tackles per game, which was sixth in the nation according to the DakStats-NAIA statistical website. Liles amassed a total of 268 tackles during his career at DSU.
2011 IN REVIEW: Dakota State ended their 17-game losing streak with a 24-16 victory over Briar Cliff on Oct. 15, 2011 at the Trojan Field. Four DSU football players (Wes Dauz, Wade Hoffman, Bryce Logan and Mike Kapperman) were named to Association of Independent Institutions (A.I.I.) All-Conference teams. The Trojans broke school records in most first downs in a single game (31), 229 passing completions in a single season and recorded the most first downs in a single season with 184. Brandon Large broke the DSU school record in most passing attempts (405), 228 completions and most total offensive yards (2.512) in a single season. In addition, he tied the school record for the most pass completions in a single game with 31 twice.
DSU FOOTBALL HISTORY LESSON: Dakota State is in its 93rd year of competition. The Trojans own an all-time record of 268-452-17. DSU opened their first year of competition in 1908 with an overall record of 4-1-1. Dakota State is in their second year membership with the Association of Independent Institutions (A.I.I.).
WATCH IT: All Dakota State home football matches will be webcast live video and audio. There is no charge to the webcast. Fans wanting to follow the action can go to the following link: www.streaming.dsu.edu/Athletics-Live. The link also will be available on www.dsuathletics.com in the 'Live Games' tab above the 'Upcoming Events.'
LIVE STATS/PLAY-BY-PLAY: Live stats and play-by-play will be available in all Dakota State's home games. The live stats link is available on game day on www.dsuathletics.com under 'Live Games' tab above the 'Upcoming Events.'
STAY CONNECTED: Stay connected with Dakota State football and athletics all season long on www.dsuathletics.com. The Trojans are also on Twitter, just log onto www.twitter.com/GoDaSUAthletics. The Dakota State University Athletics group page can be found on Facebook.
UP NEXT: Dakota State will head on the road for the next two Saturdays. The Trojans will face a pair of Great Plains Athletic Conference members. DSU heads to Mitchell, S.D. on Sept. 1 to take on their long-time rival Dakota Wesleyan with a kick-off scheduled for 7 p.m. On Sept. 8, the Trojans head to Crete, Neb. for a match-up with Doane. Kick-off is slated for 7 p.m.
Nick Huntimer, Dakota State University Sports Information Director
