CROOKSTON, Minn. - The University of Minnesota Crookston football team will open up play in the NSIC (Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference) North Division on Sat., Oct. 1 at 2 p.m. against St. Cloud State University. The game will be played on their home turf at Ed Widseth Field. UMC enters with an 0-4 mark, while St. Cloud State in 1-3 on the season.

Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles
Head Coach: Mike Fritze
Record at UMC: 3-34 Season at UMC: Fourth Season

St. Cloud State Huskies
Head Coach: Scott Underwood
Record at SCSU: 65-33 Season at SCSU: Ninth Season

Oct. 1, 2016 • Crookston, Minn. • Ed Widseth Field • 2 p.m.
Video: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/crk/#liveEventsTab
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/umcrookston/football/
Live Audio: www.kroxam.com
Radio: 1260 KROX AM/105.7 FM (Matt Bishop, PXP, Chris Fee, Color)

#5StoryLines 
1. Can Adam Connette be a major factor offensively for the Golden Eagles? 

2. Can a young secondary limit the touches in the pass game from Jameson Parsons?

3. Can UMC win the field position game by moving the ball offensively and the play of special teams?

4. Can the 1-2 punch of Andre Person and Shane Curtis wear down the St. Cloud State defense?

5. Who will step up to make the big play defensively? 

#DontCrossHim
UMC redshirt freshman linebacker Will Cross continues to come into his own. The youngster led the Golden Eagles with 12 tackles last week against Southwest Minnesota State. He chipped in one tackle for loss. Look for Will to continue to progress at the middle linebacker position as he gets more 
comfortable with the pace of the game and the defensive scheme.

#ChasingRecords
UMC wide receiver Adam Connette continues to be the go-to target in the passing game for Nathan Cole. Connette has had a great two-and-a-half years in the Maroon and Gold. The Corona, Calif. native has 129 receptions for 1,551 yards in his career. Connette needs just seven receptions and 79 yards to move to No. 2 on both career charts. In addition, Adam is in need of just 20 receptions and 212 yards to break both records. 


#ANewDuo
UMC senior running back Andre Person gained a new back-up running back last week in redshirt freshman Shane Curtis. Both players did a strong job in the backfield. Person would. rush 22 times for 82 yards, while Curtis would have six carries for 51 yards, including a season-long for any UMC running back with a 34-yard carry. The pair would help the Golden Eagles to 146 yards rushing. Person and Curtis will look to be instrumental for UMC against St. Cloud State this weekend.


#StingLikeABee
UMC linebacker Ali Alkhatib continues to lead the defense for the Golden Eagles. The redshirt sophomore from Rosemount has 32 tackles on the season with 3.5 tackles for loss. In addition, Ali has caused two fumbles, including one last week against Southwest Minnesota State, in which he forced the ball out at the one-yard line as the Mustang receiver was about to get in for seven. So this Ali might not quite be the great Muhammad Ali, but he is etching his own path early on for the Golden Eagles. 

#Tidbits

- Minnesota Crookston enters the weekend with an 0-4 record. The Golden Eagles have played well at home, at times, especially  for one half. However, they have been unable to sustain it throughout the game. That will be a key as they take on St. Cloud State this weekend at Ed Widseth Field. UMC was out-scored 26-6 in the second half of last weekend's game against Southwest Minnesota State. 

- The Golden Eagles will look for consistency at quarterback heading into the weekend. Nathan Cole has gotten the ball in all four starts and is scheduled to start against the Huskies. Cole was doing well through the first three games of not turning the ball over, but he struggled with three picks against Southwest Minnesota State. The senior will look to improve his efficiency against St. Cloud State this weekend. Look for redshirt freshman Taylor Spier to possibly get more snaps this week after coming into the game against the Mustangs. 

- The Golden Eagles have been much better at putting pressure on the quarterback this season. A lot of that has been due to continued improvement on the defensive line, led by Bubba Cook. Cook leads the way with 2.5 sacks, while Casey Kraska is also much improved with two sacks on the season. UMC has seven sacks through four games, compared to just 12 on the season.

- Minnesota Crookston has to be better at forcing turnovers defensively. The Golden Eagles have just three forced fumbles and no interceptions through four games so far this season. UMC will look to increase that total on Saturday against St. Cloud State.

- Stephen Day has done a good job in the punting game so far this season for the Golden Eagles. The Eveleth, Minn. native currently leads all UMC punters with the best season average of 40.8 yards per punt. Day has a long punt of 60 on the season with two touchbacks and three inside of the 20. He has six punts over 50 on the year. Punter has been an inconsistent spot for the Golden Eagles in the past, but it is quickly becoming less of a question mark with the strong play of Day.

- St. Cloud State enters the weekend with a 1-3 mark. The Huskies have struggled at times but two of those losses are to Top-25 teams in University of Sioux Falls and Minnesota State University. St. Cloud State lost last weekend despite scoring with 20 seconds remaining in the game against Wayne State College. 

- The Huskies have been a pass-first team so far this season led by former South Dakota State University transfer Nate Meyer. Meyer has thrown for over 1,150 yards with seven touchdowns this season, but he also has seven interceptions. His top target has been the reliable Jameson Parsons with catches for 520 yards and four touchdowns, while John Pass has 20 grabs for 285 yards and two touchdowns.

- SCSU has a history of running the ball well against the Golden Eagles with the likes of Ledell White and  Kenneth Walker. However, both of those players are gone and it is now Jaden Huff leading the way. Huff has 196 yards rushing this season. He has only averaged 2.6 yards per carry through the first four games. UMC will look to maintain contain on Huff this weekend.

- The St. Cloud State defense has struggled at times, giving up 452.5 yards per game to their opponents. The Huskies are giving up over 250 through the air and over 200 yards per game on the ground to their foes. They have sacked opposing quarterbacks just five times this season.