WINONA, Minn. – Winona State University heads into its annual rivalry game with Minnesota State Mankato riding high off a 28-0 victory over Upper Iowa last Thursday. The Warrior defense will look to carry over last week's shutout against an explosive Maverick rushing offense.
Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Blakeslee Stadium in the Warriors' first of two straight road games.
Minnesota State has won the NSIC South in each of the last two seasons and five times over the past six years. The Mavericks have won back-to-back matchups vs. WSU which halted a string of two straight Warrior wins, including a 31-27 Winona State victory at Mankato in 2015.
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SCOUTING MANKATO: The Mavericks (3-0) are one of three undefeated teams remaining in the NSIC and the only in the South Division. After surrendering 23 points to SMSU in Week 1, Mankato has allowed just 10 combined points over its last two games. The Mavericks rank third in the NSIC in scoring defense (11.0 ppg) and fourth in scoring offense (31.3). The Mankato offense leads the league in total yardage (495.3 yards/game) and rushing (316 yards/game). The Mavericks also lead the NSIC in first downs/game (25.7) and the defensive unit ranks second in opponent third-down conversion rate (20.5%). Senior Nate Gunn leads the NSIC in rushing (161 yards/game) and has scored four touchdowns this season. Under center, the Mavericks have featured an equal timeshare between two quarterbacks in JD Ekowa and Ryan Schlichte. The pair has combined for four touchdowns on just 73 pass attempts over the first three weeks with Schlichte throwing three interceptions.
ONE IF BY LAND: The Warrior defense can expect a heavy dose of Nate Gunn and the Maverick ground attack on Saturday. Last year, Gunn rushed for 126 yards at WSU, including three second-half touchdowns to help lead Mankato to a 31-21 comeback win after the Mavericks trailed 21-7 at halftime. Winona State will need a big game out of its star-studded defense to slow Gunn and the ground game. Defensive captains Michael Gomez, Devon Moore and Nick Pridgeon have applied pressure at the line of scrimmage this season – combing for 7.5 TFL . After a pair of modest games to begin the year, Moore and Pridgeon made their present felt last week, combing for 13 tackles and 4.0 TFL.
AERIAL OPPORTUNITY: Defensively, the Mavericks are allowing just 33.0 rushing yards/game, but have shown vulnerability in the air – allowing 237 passing yards/game (third-worst in the NSIC). The Warriors will rely on Owen Burke to exploit the Maverick secondary. Burke completed 69.7% of his passes in Week 1 while throwing for a career-best 313 yards and three touchdowns vs. Wayne State. The junior quarterback scuffled against Sioux Falls, throwing a career-high three interceptions, but responded last week by completing over 60% of his passes once again. Burke ranked fourth in the NSIC in touchdown passes (22) and passing yards (2,448) as a sophomore in 2018.
HAVE A DAY: Last week against Upper Iowa, Sam Santiago-Lloyd rushed for a career-best 143 yards with a touchdown against Upper Iowa. The junior running back's score came on a 59-yard surge in the fourth quarter. Santiago-Lloyd also threw his first career touchdown pass on a reverse in the first quarter for WSU. The bruising back will face a tough test against the Mavericks who have held the Warriors to a combined 65 rushing yards in the last two meetings.
GOOSE EGGS: The Warrior defense pitched its first shutout of the year last week against Upper Iowa and has now posted eight quarters this season without yielding any points. Winona State also blanked Wayne State in the opener for the first three quarters of the contest. The Warriors enter the weekend ranked fourth in the NSIC in scoring defense (18 ppg) and ninth in total defense (356 yards/game). Winona State has a +4 turnover margin with four INTs and two fumble recoveries defensively. Cam Gavin intercepted a pair of passes in the opener vs. Wayne State.
RETURN GAME: With points expected to be at a premium Saturday, special teams could play a big part in the outcome. The Warriors have a pair of homerun options in the return game with Jake Balliu and Isaiah Hall. WSU leads the NSIC in kickoff return average (26.7 yards/return) and ranks sixth in punt return average (10.8). Balliu returned two punts and one kickoff for a TD in 2017 while ranking fifth in the country in combined return yards. Hall racked up 670 combined return yards in 2018 filling in for Balliu.
THE ROAD AHEAD: Following Saturday's showdown, the Warriors return to the road next week for their first NSIC North competition at MSU Moorhead. When the two-game road trip is complete, Winona State returns to Altra Federal Credit Union Stadium for the 2019 Homecoming Game on Saturday, October 12 vs. Minot State.
