The Scoop
The University of Minnesota Crookston football team will host Minot State University Sat., Oct. 28 at 1 p.m. at Ed Widseth Field in Crookston, Minn. The last win for the Golden Eagles came against Minot State Nov. 7, 2015 with a 45-14 win over the Beavers.
Previewing the Golden Eagles
Minnesota Crookston is looking to get in the win column as they enter Saturday with an 0-8 (0-4 NSIC North). The Golden Eagles are coming off a 49-7 loss to Minnesota State University Moorhead Saturday at home.
Minnesota Crookston has struggled offensively this season as they are averaging just 227.0 yards per game, including 178.3 yards per contest through the air and just 48.8 yards per game on the ground. The Golden Eagles are also looking to improve on third down as they are just 31-of-117 for 26.5 percent on the year.
At quarterback, the Golden Eagles are slated to start
Joseph Nava, wh has passed for 914 yards and five touchdowns this season.
Kevin Evans leads the running game with 203 yards on the ground, but it must be better if Minnesota Crookston wants to win.
The Golden Eagles top pass targets are all-time leading receiver
Adam Connette and
Rod Stewart. Connette has notched 50 catches for 555 yards and six touchdowns on the season. Stewart comes into Saturday with 46 receptions for 434 yards and two touchdowns.
Defensively, Minnesota Crookston is giving up 537.1 yards per game, including 292.3 yards per contest on the ground and 244.8 yards per game through the air. The Golden Eagles are led by safety
Will Cole, who has notched 65 tackles and an interception.
Will Cross is looking to come back from injury. Cross has notched 52 tackles with 1.5 tackles for loss. In the pass rush, Minnesota Crookston is paced by
Austin Howard's 7.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.
Previewing the Beavers
The Beavers are averaging just 282.0 yards of offense with 105.4 yards per game on the ground and 176.6 per game through the air. Minot State is very comparable to the Golden Eagles. The Beavers look to senior quarterback Zac Cunha, who has passed for 1,109 yards with five touchdowns and eight interceptions. In the ground game, Larry Overstreet is the leader with 458 yards and five touchdowns. Cunha's top target through the air is Lavante Bushnell with 327 yards and three touchdowns.
Defensively, Minot State is giving up 411.0 yards per game. The Beavers look to Bryce Broome with 84 tackles, eight tackles for loss and an interception. In the pass rush, look for Elijah Mosley to lead the way with 2.5 sacks. Matt Marler enters the weekend with 62 tackles at linebacker to aid Minot State.
The Beavers lone victory on the season came with a 27-19 result over University of Mary Sept. 30. Minot State is coming off a 37-0 loss to University of Minnesota Duluth last Saturday.
- Last Meeting
Minot State picked up a 38-30 win over the Golden Eagles Oct. 22 in Minot, N.D. Minnesota Crookston notched 353 yards of offense, but gave up 515 yards to the Beavers. The Golden Eagles were led by 142 yards on the ground by
Andre Person.
Adam Connette notched six catches for 60 yards with two touchdowns. Minot State was led by Ben Zahniser, who rushed 27 times for 264 yards and four touchdowns. Ryan Fila led the receivers with three catches for 60 yards.
Minot State
1-7 Overall
1-3 NSIC North
Head Coach:
Mike Aldrich
Minnesota Crookston
0-8 Overall
0-4 NSIC North
Head Coach:
Mark Dufner
Date: Oct. 28, 2017
Time: 1 p.m. C.T.
Site: Crooskton, Minn.
Stadium: Ed Widseth Field
Surface: Natural Grass
Capacity: 2,000
Series: Minot State leads 4-1
Last: Minot State won 38-30
Oct. 22, 2016 in Minot, N.D.
Video: Stretch Internet
https://portal.stretchinternet.com/crk/#liveEventsTab
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/umcrookston/football/
#5StoryLines
1. Can the Golden Eagle get the ball in the hands of
Rod Stewart and
Adam Connette?
2. Will Minnesota Crookston have a running back or a running threat step up in the game?
3. Can the defense force errors by Minot State quarterback Zac Cunha?
4. Can special teams have a major impact on the game?
5. Who will win the field position battle?
#TakeItToTheHouseRod
Minnesota Crookston kick returner
Rod Stewart has been outstanding this season, averaging 32.3 yards per kickoff. Stewart is coming off a highlight reel 94-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against MSU Moorhead. He tallied over 40 yards a return last week versus the Dragons. He will look to set up the Golden Eagle offense in great position again this week!
#CurtainCall
Minnesota Crookston wide receiver
Adam Connette has had one of the most impressive careers of any player in program history. Connette is the program's all-time leading receiver with 227 receptions for 2,618 yards. Connette is looking to close his career out in the final three games on a strong note. Connette needs just three receiving touchdowns to tie Carl Aho's mark for receiving touchdowns in a career. Connette will look to make a bigger impact on the game this week after having just five catches for 27 yards versus MSU Moorhead. The previous week, Connette notched seven grabs for 116 yards.
#StingLikeABee
Minnesota Crookston junior linebacker
Ali Alkhatib, might not be the Ali synonymous with the "Float Like A Butterfly, Sting Like A Bee" quote, but he has made a name for himself in Crookston. Alkhatib comes into Saturday's game with Minot State with 60 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and a half sack. Alkhatib notched a season-high 12 tackles versus MSU Moorhead last weekend. He will look to have a similar game versus the Beavers.
#TheFuture
Freshman
Brendan Kinnee has shown glimpses of a bright future to come the last two weeks. The newcomer has notched 26 tackles in the past two games, leading the team with 12 tackles versus U-Mary and 14 against Minot State. Kinnee also notched a tackle for loss against the Marauders. He will look to make a major impact on the game, whether starting or off the bench versus Minot State.
