WINONA, Minn. – No. 12 Winona State hosts No. 8 Texas A&M-Commerce in the NCAA DII Super Region Four Quarterfinals at Altra Federal Credit Union Stadium Saturday at 1 p.m. This marks the first-ever meeting between the two teams.
The Warriors (10-1) and Lions (9-1) each finished second in their respective conferences. WSU is the four seed and A&M-Commerce is seeded fifth in the region.
The Warriors are making their first NCAA Playoff appearance since 2007 and hosting their first postseason home game since 2004.
HBC Sports will televise the game and KQAL Radio will also broadcast the event. The HBC feed is also available via the Winona State Stretch Internet Portal.
Tickets for Saturday's game can be purchased, HERE. Due to NCAA regulations, no season tickets or complimentary passes will be accepted. Winona's University Programming Activities Committee will cover the cost of the first 400 students free.
The Warrior Game Day Experience will begin at 11 a.m. on Johnson Street. Stadium gates and ticket windows will open at 11:30 a.m.
NOTES
SUPER REGION FOUR: The winner of Saturday's game between WSU & AM-Commerce will travel to top-seeded Central Washington for the Super Region Four Semifinals on Saturday, November 25. Central Washington (11-0) is ranked No. 7 in the AFCA Coaches Poll and earned a first round bye after being awarded the region's top seed. A complete NCAA DII Playoff bracket is included in the notes.
PLAYOFF HISTORY: Saturday marks Winona State's 10th all-time postseason appearance and sixth NCAA Division II berth. Included in the Warriors' postseason history is one NAIA Championship appearance (1993) and three Mineral Water Bowl Games. WSU is 3-7 all-time in the postseason and 1-5 in NCAA playoff games. The Warriors are 1-1 all-time in the postseason in Winona. WSU won its first-ever home playoff game against Emporia State in 2003, 10-3, and lost at home the following season to Grand Valley State, 16-13.
STRENGTH VS. STRENGTH: Winona's ball-hawking defensive backs will face off against the nation's top passer in Luis Perez. The Warriors' 24 interceptions this season are the most in the country. Perez leads the NCAA with 342.9 passing yards per game. The Lions' senior QB ranks fourth in the country with 36 touchdowns and has been intercepted six times. Winona's passing defense ranked fourth in the NSIC this year by allowing just 178.4 yards per game. If the swarming Warrior defense wasn't enough for Perez to contend with, the Chula Vista, California native will also have to combat the brisk Winona winter air.
TENACIOUS D: The Warrior defense has scored at least one touchdown in five games this season, including two straight entering the playoffs. Winona ranks second in the country with seven defensive touchdowns this year. The Warriors' 36 total turnovers gained rank second in the country, and their +14 turnover margin ranks fourth. WSU is eighth in the NCAA in scoring defense, allowing just 14.1 points per game. Scoring points on the Lions could prove to be equally as challenging for the Warriors as A&M-Commerce ranks 13th in the country in scoring defense (14.9 ppg).
CATCH ME IF YOU CAN: Sophomore Jake Balliu ranks fifth in the country for combined return yards this season (895). He has returned a punt (79 yards) and a kickoff (90 yards) for a touchdown in each of the past two weeks, respectively, and has three combined return TDs on the year. Balliu's 481 punt return yards this year are a WSU single-season record. The Lions rank first in the nation in kickoff return defense, allowing just 12.82 yards/return. AM-Commerce also poses a threat in the return game as the Lions rank fifth nationally at 27.24 yards/return, just ahead of Winona (27.0)
RECEIVING DEPARTMENT: Winona led the NSIC this season with 20 different receivers catching at least one pass. Isaiah Frandsen leads the group in catches (33), yards (549) and touchdowns (7). A total of eight different Warriors have caught touchdown passes this season.
RUSH TO CONLUSIONS: Winona's 1-2 punch of Eric Birth and Javian Roebuck face off against a Lion defense that surrendered 109.4 rushing yards/game this season. The Warriors, averaging 174.5 rushing yards/game, are 7-0 when rushing for over 100 yards this season, and have done so in seven of their last eight games. WSU has eclipsed the 200-yard mark on the ground five times and has a season high of 335 rushing yards. A&M-Commerce has allowed an opponent to rush for over 200 yards twice this year. Roebuck's 6.4 yards/carry average ranks seventh in the NSIC this season. He and Birth have each scored seven rushing touchdowns. Freshman Landon Jacobson has rushed for six touchdowns this year.
SOUNDS LIKE A BROKEN RECORD: Senior Carter McCauley has re-written both the school and conference record books this season. The Owatonna, Minnesota native set a new WSU single-game record for kicking points (17) at Minot State earlier this year. McCauley's 53 career field goals tops both the WSU and NSIC leaderboard, and his 98 kicking points this season are a new Winona single-season record.
ELITE COMPANY: Senior Andrew Spencer was named the 2017 NSIC Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the sixth Warrior in program history to earn the award, and first since 2006. The previous five recipients won in consecutive seasons from 2002-06, including Deric Sieck (2x), Jim Stanek and John Tackmann (2x), receptively. Spencer ranked second in the NSIC and fifth in NCAA DII with a career-high seven INTs. He returned two of those for touchdowns vs. Upper Iowa. The defensive back ranked eighth in the NSIC in solo tackles (53) and led the Warriors with a career-best 76 total tackles. He totaled two sacks, two forced fumbles and seven pass break-ups on the year. Spencer's 119 INT yards are a new WSU single-season record, and his 336 career return yards are a program record. His seven INTs rank seventh in a single-season, and his 14 career INTs are ninth all-time.
THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER: Head coach Tom Sawyer has established a culture of excellence along the banks of the Mississippi River at Winona State and takes home NSIC Coach of the Year honors for the fifth time in 2017. He previously won the award in 1997, 2000, 2001 and 2004. Sawyer guided the Warriors from a 4-7 record in 2014 to a 10-1 mark and home playoff game in 2017. The Warriors have won 10 games six times in program history and made the NCAA Playoffs six times – all of which have come with Sawyer at the helm. Sawyer owns a career 174-77 record in 22 seasons as Winona.
THE GREAT EIGHT: The 2017 Warriors and the 1998 squad are the only teams in program history to begin the year 8-0. The Warriors' eight-game winning streak earlier this year was their longest at any point of a season in a decade. Six teams in WSU history have owned at least an eight-game winning streak – each of which has been coached by Tom Sawyer.
HOME SWEET HOME: The Warriors posted a perfect 5-0 home record this year and own a 10-1 mark at Altra Federal Credit Union Stadium dating back to last season.
