SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – (RV) Winona State University will face its first road test of the 2019 campaign at the University of Sioux Falls Saturday in an important battle between NSIC South foes. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m.
Receiving votes for the second straight week in the AFCA Coaches' Poll, the Warriors are riding high off a decisive win over Wayne State in Week 1; while Sioux Falls is looking to avoid just its third two-game losing streak dating back to the 2014 season.
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SCOUTING USF: The Cougars suffered a stunning 41-17 upset loss at Concordia, St. Paul last Thursday to open the 2019 season. USF owned a 7-4 record last year. Sioux Falls coughed up a pair of fumbles in the setback which led to 10 CSP points. Quarterback Caden Walters was sacked six times and was limited to 217 yards passing with just one touchdown. Sophomore Thuro Reisdorfer led the ground attack with 92 yards while Walters added a rushing score. Despite the loss, the Cougars out-gained CSP in total offense, 385-315. Winona State has won two straight meetings with USF, including a 31-13 victory at Sioux Falls in 2017 when the Cougars were ranked No. 6 in the country.
DIME A DOZEN: Junior quarterback Owen Burke showed the Warriors have no shortage of options in the passing game last Saturday as he aired out the ball to 12 different receivers for a career-high 313 yards passing (most in the NSIC). Jake Balliu led all players with six catches for 63 yards. Tyler Knutson, Dakota Matthees and Sawyer Maly were on the receiving end of Burke's trio of touchdown passes. Perhaps the most impressive was a 48-yard bomb to the lightning-quick true freshman Maly in the fourth quarter.
RUNNING DOWN A DREAM: Winona State's 222 rushing yards last week were the fourth-most in the league while Sioux Falls allowed 156 rushing yards at CSP. Last season, the Warriors rushed for 151 yards against the Cougars and gashed Sioux Falls for 204 yards on their home turf in 2017. WSU also showcased its depth on the ground last week with five different running backs in the mix. Sam Santiago-Lloyd led the way with 16 carries for 83 yards. Junior Landon Jacobson, who has battled injuries the last few seasons, flashed his potential with a 44-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
MOVE THE CHAINS: The Warriors racked up 29 first downs last week (second most in the NSIC) and controlled the ball for 37:48 vs. Wayne State (most in the NSIC). Winona State went 8-15 (53.3%) on third-down conversions and 1-1 on fourth-down conversion attempts.
RED ZONE REPORT: An area of improvement for the Warriors this week and throughout the 2019 campaign will be converting touchdowns in the red zone. Last year, Winona State was limited to 18 touchdowns in 41 red zone visits (44%), but managed to come away with points in 31 of those trips (76%). Last week against Wayne State, the Warriors drove into scoring territory five times, but crossed the goal line just once. However, kicker Paul Ortiz cashed in points on three trips with field goals from 25, 33 and 27 yards – all in the first half.
BALL HAWKS: Ranked third in the country in takeaways in 2017 with 37 and second in 2018 with 28, the Winona State defense got off to another fast start in the turnover category with three interceptions in the season opener versus Wayne State. Cam Gavin, who missed 10 games last year, returned with a pair of picks and senior linebacker David Smith recorded his second career INT last Saturday. The Warrior secondary added three pass breakups against Wayne State. Senior Cole Monckton led the team in tackles (9) last week and is flanked by All-American Isaiah Hall at the other corner with All-NSIC safety Romario Gayle roaming deep alongside Gavin.
