The Scoop
The University of Minnesota Crookston football team hits the road for the final time this season as they trek to Swisher Field in Aberdeen, S.D. to take on Northern State University at 1 p.m. Sat., Nov. 3. 

Previewing the Golden Eagles
Minnesota Crookston comes into the weekend with a 1-9 mark on the 2018 season. The Golden Eagles have continued to show improvement and are looking to end the season on a strong note.

Minnesota Crookston comes in averaging 238.4 yards per game on offense with 144.4 per contest through the air and 94.0 yards per game on the ground. The Golden Eagles are led by their junior quarterback Jalin Scott, who can beat you on the ground or through the air. Scott has 256 yards rushing on the ground with four touchdowns on the year. In addition, he is 69-of-140 for 964 yards with three touchdown passes on the season.

The Golden Eagles will look to senior running back Kevin Evans on the ground. Evans has rushed for 121 yards this season.

In the passing attack, look for freshman Andy Groebner to continue to build on his great season. Groebner has 29 catches for 513 yards and two touchdown. Groebner is just off the freshman pace of Golden Eagle all-time leading receiver Adam Connette, who had 534 yards through the air in his first 10 games. In addition, junior Jonattan Mudd has caught 19 balls for 248 yards, while senior Rod Stewart had 16 grabs for 240 yards and two touchdowns.

Defensively, Minnesota Crookston is allowing 448.3 yards per game. They have vastly improved from the 2017 season and look to make their mark in the last two games. The Golden Eagles have been led in tackles this 

season by senior safety Will Cole, who has 71 tackles, four tackles for loss and five pass break-ups. Ali Alkhatib is one of the program's all-time leading tacklers. Alkhatib has 64 tackles with six tackles for loss, a sack, and an interception this season. Austin Steele has continued to improve and make his mark in his first season on the field. Steele leads the team with two sacks, and has 57 tackles, along with four tackles for loss.

In the kicking game, Jared McLemore has given the Golden Eagles a weapon they lacked in 2017. McLemore is 4-of-6 with a long of 47 yards on the 2018 season. 

Previewing the Wolves
Northern State comes into the weekend with a 3-6 mark. The Wolves are currently on a two-game losing streak with their last win coming over Concordia-St. Paul. Northern State narrowly slipped by UMary last weekend 28-23. The Wolves have been in a lot of close games this season but are losing by an average of 6.4 points per game.

 Northern State is averaging 374.9 yards per contest with 116.0 yards per game on the ground and 258.9 yards per contest through the air. Hunter Trautman leads the offensive attack at quarterback with 2,273 yards passing and 21 touchdowns. His top target is Jacob Streit, who has 45 receptions for 643 yards and six touchdowns. Dakota Larson has added 44 grabs for 794 yards and seven touchdowns. Zech Culbreath is a short-yardage receiver as he has 22 catches for 186 yards for an average of 8.5 yards per catch.

In the running game, the Wolves have been more limited this season. Chaka Kelly leads the way with 469 yards on 146 carries with three touchdowns. Trautman has added 162 yards rushing on the 2018 season.

Defensively, Northern State is giving up 425.1 yards per contest to their foes. The Wolves have been particularly exposed in the pass game, where they are allowing 269.6 yards per tilt. Noah MacPherson leads the way for Northern State with 75 tackles. He has added a team-high six sacks and has notched 9.5 tackles for loss, good for second on the team. Preston Droessler has added 62 tackles with a team-high 10 tackles for loss. Alex Gray and T.J. Roberts are the team's co-leaders with two interceptions.

In the kicking game, the Wolves have used both Jacob Wiedrich and Mitch Taschakert. Wiedrich is 2-of-3 with a season long of 38 yards. Tschakert is 2-of-6 with a long of 32 on the year. 

Northern State
3-6 Overall
2-3 NSIC North
Head Coach:
Tom Dosch

Minnesota Crookston
1-8 Overall
1-4 NSIC North
Head Coach:
Mark Dufner

Date: Nov. 3, 2018
Time: 1 p.m.
Site: Aberdeen, S.D.
Stadium: Swisher Field
Surface: Turf
Capacity: 6,000
Series: Northern State leads 18-1
Last: Northern State won 62-20 on 
Nov. 11, 2017 in Crookston, Minn.
Video: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/crk/#liveEventsTab
Live Stats: https://goldeneaglesports.com/sidearmstats/football/summary
Radio: 1260 KROX AM/105.7 FM
Leo Blavin (Play by Play)
www.kroxam.com
App: MN Crookston Athletics on Google Play and Apple Store

#StingLikeABee
Ali Alkhatib, might not be the same Ali who floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee, but Alkhatib has been a force for the Golden Eagles for the last four seasons. Alkhatib is second on the team in tackles with 64 and tied with Skyler Quinn for the team lead for tackles for loss with six. He has 277 career tackles. Alkhatib needs 40 tackles to surpass Cecil Brown, Jr. for second all-time in total tackles for a career. He needs three tackles to move past Neil Austin for second all-time in solo tackles and seven tackles to move past Jim Mages for the career lead for tackles for loss. 

#TheOtherRodStewart
Minnesota Crookston senior wide receiver Rod Stewart is coming to the end of a great career for the Golden Eagles. Stewart enters Saturday fourth all-time for receptions with 131. Stewart needs just five to move past Carl Aho for third all-time. In addition, he has 1,718 career receiving yards. Stewart needs 45 yards to surpass Aho for second all-time in that category. He also has 10 career touchdowns. Stewart will look to make his mark on the final two games whether through the air or in the return game. 

#Quinning
Minnesota Crookston redshirt sophomore defensive end Skyler Quinn has been stepping up in recent weeks for the Golden Eagles. Quinn had 16 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and one quarterback hurry during the month of October. On the 2018 season, the Evansville, Minn., native has notched 27 tackles, with a team-high six tackles for loss. He also has 1.5 tackles for loss on the season. Quinn will look to pressure the quarterback and come up with some big plays Saturday against Northern State.

#ManOfSteele
Redshirt freshman linebacker Austin Steele has done a good job of replacing team leader Will Cross, who has been out this season with an injury. Steele has stepped up with 57 tackles (fifth on the team), four tackles for loss (second on the team) and two sacks (first on the team). He also has a forced fumble on the season. The La Crosse, Wis. native will look to make a major impact Saturday at Northern State. 

#5StoryLines
1. Can the Golden Eagles expose the pass defense for Northern State?

2. Can the defense force mistakes by NSU quarterback Hunter Trautman?

3. Can Minnesota Crookston make plays on the ground?

4. Can the defense come away with big turnovers?

5. Will the Golden Eagles make big plays on special teams?