Game Notes

Gameday Info
Location: Winona, Minn.
Away Team: University of Minnesota, Crookston (0-0, 0-0 NSIC)
Home Team: Winona State University (0-0, 0-0 NSIC)
Date: Thur., Aug. 30
Stadium: Verizon Wireless Stadium
Seating Capacity: 5,000
Online Video: NMTV
Radio: KROX 1260 AM
Play by Play Announcer: Chris Fee
Twitter: UMCAthletics
Facebook: Golden Eagle Sports


UMC Quick Glance
Top Statistical Returnees
Rushing
Sr. RB 7 Richard Haley
(305, 1,556 yards, 8 TD)
Passing
So. QB 6 A.J. Barge
(78-156-732-5 TD-5 INT)
Receiving
Sr. RB 7 Richard Haley
(14-75-0 TD)
Tackles
Jr. S 26 Freedom McCullough
(73 total tackles)
Interceptions
Jr. S 26 Freedom McCullough
(2 interceptions)
Sacks
So. LB 22 Brody Davidson
(1.5 sacks)
Kicking
Sr. K 83 Chris Secrest
(4-9, 44 yard long)
Punting
Sr. P 83 Chris Secrest
(36, 35.7 yard average)


WSU Quick Glance
Top Statistical Returnees
Rushing
Sr. RB 1 Rayon Simmons, Jr.
(206 carries, 1,326 yards, 16 TD)
Passing
Jr. QB 17 Bryan Bradshaw
(64-101-736 yards-3 TD-4 INT)
Receiving
Sr. WR 7 Tyler Speer
(32 receptions, 518 yards, 2 TD)
Tackles
Sr. SS 24 Ryan Williams
(97 total tackles)
Interceptions
Sr. CB 4 Chris Norgaard
(4 interceptions)
Sacks
Sr. DL 96 Lewis Johnson
(5 sacks)
Kicking
None
Punting
None


Quick Hits
• Richard Haley Named Preseason All-American
    University of Minnesota, Crookston running back Richard Haley (Sr., Detroit, Mich.) was selected to the Beyond College Sports Network (BSN) Preseason All-American Second Team prior to the start of his senior season. Haley is coming off a stellar senior year in which he ran for 1,556 yards and surpassed the Golden Eagle mark for most yards in a season. Haley will look to mirror his first year at UMC as he heads into his second year in the Maroon and Gold.

• Paul Miller takes over reins of UMC Football
    Paul Miller, who has 35 years of coaching experience across NCAA Division II, Division III and high school level. Miller has previously been a head coach at St. Olaf College and Hamline University. He served as offensive coordinator last year for UMC during one the program's most successful offensive seasons in which they averaged 304.5 yards of offense, including 231.5 yards on the ground per game.

• Golden Eagles Picked 16th in league
    UMC has nowhere to go but up in the minds of the league as they were picked 16th in the NSIC Preseason poll. The Golden Eagles will look to prove the league wrong this season as they welcome in over 40 new faces on top of a strong core of returnees who showed improvement on the gridiron last season.

• Miller Assembles Top-Notch Staff
    UMC head coach Paul Miller's first staff came together quite brilliantly as he brought in two coaches with NFL pedigrees in Richie Wessman (QB/WR) and Ty Knott (DC). Miller also welcomes in former Boise State player and Fresno State staff member Jeff Cheek (OC) and former Tulane player and Tennessee Tech staffer Andrew Higgins (OL), who both bring a DIvision I pedigree to Crookston. Returning to the staff are Sean Knox (DB/ST) and Mark Dufner (LB).


The Scoop
The Game
    The biggest story on paper for this game is the battle of the league's two best retuning running backs in Richard Haley of University of Minnesota, Crookston and Rayon Simmons of Winona State. Both players are looking to build on very strong seasons in 2011. Winona State has captured the last meeting between the two schools back in 2009, 70-7.

Minnesota, Crookston
    The University of Minnesota, Crookston returns a plethora of experienced players to the fold for Paul Miller's first campaign as head coach for the Golden Eagles. Leading the fray for UMC will be 2011 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) North Division First Team All-Conference running back Richard Haley (Sr., Detroit, Mich.), who led the league in rushing yards with 1,556 in his first year with the squad. Haley will look to build on last season's performance as he enters 2012 as a BSN Preseason Second Team All-America pick. Heading into 2012, UMC's strength remains in the rushing game as the third-ranked rushing offense in the NSIC returns Haley, along with quarterback A.J. Barge (So., Carrollton, Ga.), who ran for 712 yards on 162 carries as a freshman. Joining Haley and Barge will be UMC's leading rusher in 2010, Keith McBride (Sr., Lodi, Wis.), who returns after missing most of 2011 due to an injury. McBride has rushed for 1,667 yards in his career and will look to provide a lethal 1-2 punch in the backfield for the Golden Eagles in 2011. UMC also returns Tyler Hansen (So., Morris, Minn.) to the backfield. Hansen rushed for 142 yards in 2011.

Unlike the rushing game, UMC's targets in the passing game aren't as seasoned. Returning is 2011 starter Andrew Steinfeldt (Jr., Green Bay, Wis.), who had four receptions for 46 yards. Outside of Steinfeldt, the Golden Eagles only returnees are Marcus Cheatham (Jr., Stockton, Calif.) and Grant Lokken (So., Eau Claire, Wis.). Look for UMC's group of newcomers to play an immediate impact at wide receiver led by junior college transfer Keith Osgood (Jr., Goulds, Fla.).

Defensively, the University of Minnesota, Crookston returns its top three tacklers including 2010 NSIC North Division Honorable Mention pick Cecil Brown (Sr., DB, Edison, Ga.) and 2012 NSIC Player to Watch Tevin Kellum (Jr., DB, Detroit, Mich.). Brown and Kellum are joined by the team's leading tackler in 2011, Freedom McCullough (Jr., DB, Valley Village, Calif.), to give the Golden Eagles a solid core in the defensive backfield.

Also returning to the defense will be 2011 NSIC North Division Honorable Mention pick Brody Davidson (So., Crookston, Minn.), who amassed 67 tackles including three tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. Key players from 2011 Jonique Andrews (So., DL, Stockton, Calif.) and Joe Stearly (Sr., LB, Blaine Minn.)  also return.

On special teams, UMC will once again look to Chris Secrest (Sr., K/P, Hollywood, Fla.) for most of its kicking and punting duties. Also look for Stephen Henderson (Sr., TE, Chatswoth, Calif.) to see time as a kickoff specialist and punter for the Golden Eagles.

Winona State
    Winona State University is coming off a 7-4 (7-3 NSIC) record last season. As head coach Tom Sawyer enters his 17th year at Winona State University, the Warriors will look to build on a positive season in 2011 in which they went 7-4 (7-3 NSIC). Returning to the lead the way for the Warriors is a very potent backfield led by 2011 NSIC South Division First Team running back Rayon Simmons, who rushed for 1,326 yards and 16 TD last season. He will be backed up by 2011 NSIC South Division Second Team running back Theo Burnkett, who rushed for 327 yards on the ground, along with five touchdowns.

At quarterback, the Warriors will look to Bryan Bradshaw or John Teigland. Bradshaw threw for over 700 yards last season with three touchdowns and four interceptions. The Warriors return their top two targets at wide reciever from a season ago as Tyler Speer and Jay Adams are both back. Speer racked up 518 yards on 32 receptions last year while Adams amassed 367 yards on 32 receptions.

On defense, Winona State is led by four returnees who all earned NSIC South Division Second Team All-Conference accolades. Leading tackler Ryan Williams leads the group that also includes linebacker Ryan Gerts, corner Chris Norgaard and defensive lineman Lewis Johnson.


The Rundown
• The Golden Eagles are 0-10 against the Winona State Warriors. UMC and Winona State last played in 2009 with the Warriors defeating the Golden Eagles 70-7 in Winona.

• Paul Miller will coach his first game as the head coach of the Golden Eagles against Winona State.

• UMC will be playing with a new defensive line in 2012 as there is very little playing experience among the starters heading into this season. It will be key to the Golden Eagle defense what the defensive line is able to do. Drew Selvestra, Cole Jackson, Jonique Andrews and Rene Lawson are slated to start up front for UMC.

• Newcomers will play a key role for UMC in 2012 as 17 players who are new to the Golden Eagle program are listed in this week's two-deep. Amomg those 17, five are slated to start (Kevin Williams, Rene Lawson, Cole Jackson, Ricky Jacobs and Barry Lenon).

• In the theme of the recently completed Olympics, UMC defensive lineman Cole Jackson is the son of former Olympic Gold Medalist Kevin Jackson, who is the current head wrestling coach at Iowa State University.

• Three players who earned All-Conference honors in 2011 return for UMC. Jeremy Kelly (Honorable Mention), along with Richard Haley (First Team) and Brody Davidson (Honorable Mention) return to the fray for the Golden Eagles.

• UMC returns six starters on offense and four on defense from the 2011 squad. UMC's most experienced positions groups are the offensive line (Jeremy Kelly, Mike Johnson and Sam Smith) and the defensive backfield (Cecil Brown, Freedom McCullough and Tevin Kellum).

• New UMC quarterbacks/wide receivers coach Richie Wessman was a back-up quarterback behind three current NFL players at the University of Southern California
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