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Dakota State football team returns home Saturday, hosts Valley City State (N.D.)
September 12, 2012
THIS WEEK: The Dakota State University football team (0-3 overall record, 0-0 Association of Independent Institutions conference record) returns home Saturday late afternoon after playing two straight games on the road. The Trojans entertain Valley City State (N.D.) (1-1, 1-0 A.I.I.) in an Association of Independent Institutions (A.I.I.) conference match-up. The battle of former Dakota Athletic Conference foes is slated for 4 p.m. at the Trojan Field.
THE SERIES: Dakota State and Valley City State (No. 21 in the first edition of the NAIA Football Preseason national poll) will be meeting for the 21st time in series history. The Vikings had won the last five meetings with the Trojans, most recently a 44-27 victory in Valley City, N.D. on Sept. 17, 2011. The last time DSU defeated VCSU was in 2007 by the score of 31-21 in Valley City. The Vikings currently leads the all-time series record of 18-2.
LAST TIME OUT: On Sept. 8 in Crete, Neb., Doane jumped to a 28-0 lead to defeat the Trojans 35-14. The Tigers outgained DSU 484-329 in total offensive yards in the game. Valley City State recorded their first win of the season with a 38-14 victory over Mayville State (N.D.) in Valley City, N.D. on Sept. 8. The Vikings recorded 344 offensive yards compared to the Comets' 140.
FOOTBALL FORECAST: As of Wednesday, the weather forecast for Saturday calls for sunny skies with a high temperature of 81 degrees. There is a chance of a windy conditions with direction from the south at 15-25 miles-per-hour.
DSU OFFENSE, DEFENSE, SPECIAL TEAMS IN TOP 10: Dakota State ranks first in the nation in PAT kicking percentage of 100 percent. The Trojans are second in the nation in total pass offense (904 passing yards), sixth in pass offense per game (301.3 yards), seventh in pass efficiency (155.5) and ninth in opponent fourth-down conversion percentage (14.3 percent).
TWO DSU PLAYERS TOPS NATION: Two Dakota State University football players are top in the nation, according to the NAIA-DakStats statistical website. Stacey Berg ranks first in all-purpose yards of 499 and total receiving yards of 437. Nic Behrens records a 100 percentage in PAT extra point kick, which tops the nation.
TROJANS RANK NATIONALLY: Craig Hertz ranks second in the nation in tackles per game (14.3). Brandon Large is 3rd in total passing yards (798), 4th in total offense (810), 9th in passing yards per game (266.0), 10th in total offense yards per game (270.0) and 18th in passing efficiency (142.8). Stacey Berg ranks third in the nation in receiving yards per game (145.7), 6th in total receptions (17), 7th in all purpose yards per game (166.3) and 20th in receptions per game (5.7). Eric Liles records an average of 12.3 tackles per game, which ranks fifth in the nation. Carl Curtis have 11 receptions this season, ranking him 32nd in the nation. He records 144 receiving yards, which is 46th in the nation.
A.I.I. INDEPENDENT LEADERS: Dakota State lands three players lead in three different categories in the Association of Independent Institutions (A.I.I.) conference. Brandon Large leads independent in the passing category. He averages 266 passing yards per game with a 57.5 percent completion rate. Stacey Berg records 17 catches (5.7 receptions per game), which tops in independent conference. Craig Hertz leads the independent in tackles of 43 (14.3 per game).
DSU QUICK LEADERS: Brandon Large leads the Trojans' offense attack with 798 passing yards. He is 50-for-87 (57.5 completion rate) with four touchdown passes and two rushing touchdowns this season. Kris Dearie records 116 rushing yards and averages 38.7 rushing yards per game. Stacey Berg had 17 catches for 437 yards. He recorded his longest catch of 82 yards on Sept. 8 at Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.). Craig Hertz leads the team in total tackles with 43 (14.3 tackles per game).
TROJAN ANNUAL HOMECOMING: The annual Trojan homecoming game is set for Saturday, Sept. 29. Dakota State welcomes Concordia (Neb.) at the Trojan Field. Kick-off is set for 4 p.m.
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: http://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 heads on the road to Orange City, Iowa on Sept. 22. The Trojans visit Northwestern (Iowa) of the Great Plains Athletic Conference. Kick-off is set for 1 p.m. on Korver Field at DeValois Stadium.
Nick Huntimer, Dakota State University Sports Information Director
