Winona State kicks off its 2015 home slate on Saturday, Sept. 12 at 1 p.m. in the first football game on the WSU's newly-named Altra Federal Credit Union Stadium. The Warriors and Beavers are meeting for just the second time and the first time in Winona.
Hear the call live on 89.5 FM KQAL or kqal.org with broadcasters TJ Leverentz and John Wojcik. Watch live with Justin Barrientos and Bob Urness on HBC TV 25 and online at http://winonastatewarriors.com/watch.
LAST WEEK: The Warriors opened the 2015 season with a 42-17 loss at MSU Moorhead last Thursday.
MAY'S BIG DAY: Senior wide receiver
Alan May was a bright spot for the Warriors, hauling in 11 passes for 161 yards. The 11 catches is tied for the fifth-most in WSU single-game history, while the 161 receiving yards goes in the books as the 24th-most receiving yards by a WSU wideout.
NELSON TOPS THE CHART: Despite what the score may suggest, the Warriors were able to get their passing attack going last week against the Dragons.
Jack Nelson threw for a league-most 349 yards while finding nine different receivers.
CAREER FIRST: Redshirt freshman
Will Claussen caught his first career touchdown pass in his first game last week against MSU Moorhead in the waning moments of the game. The catch also kept alive QB
Jack Nelson's streak of throwing at least one touchdown pass in all 22 games of his career.
RUNNING BACK ROTATION: With incumbent starter Paul Prestion not i , the Warriors turned to a trio of underclassmen to carry the work load on the ground. Redshirt freshmen
Elliot Cox and
Eric Birth each carried the ball eight times for 61 and 34 yards, respectively, while sophomore
Direll Clark had 10 carries for 29 yards.
KICKOFF FORECAST: It should be a perfect fall-like day in Winona Saturday, with temperatues in the mid 60s, sunny skies and no threat of rain.
NOT MUCH HISTORY: The Warriors and Beavers have met just once in series history, a 2013 meeting  in Minot that went the way of the Warriors by a 49-14 score. Nelson was just 8-of-17 through the air in the game, but accounted for three touchdowns, including an 84-yard pass to Tony Mueller - the seventh-longest scoring pass in team history. Chichi Ojika got it done on the ground, rushing for 242 yards and a pair of scores.
A LOOK AT THE BEAVERS: Head coach Tyler Hughes is in his second season as Minot State head coach. Hughes has a record of 1-11 at MSU, including a 1-10 mark in his inaugural campaign. The Beavers had a 21-20 setback at the hands of Southwest Minnesota State last week. Backup quarterback Lucas Romanski took over for starter Zac Cunha early in the game, throwing a pair of TD passes to top target Porter Sturm. Defensively, the Beavers are led by Trevin Swensen and Isaiah Steinwand, who each recorded 13 tackles in the loss.
