ST. PAUL, Minn. - This Saturday at noon, Concordia-St. Paul (2-3 NSIC, 2-2 South) hosts Northern State (1-4 NSIC, 1-3 North) for Homecoming 2018, "Come Together" at Sea Foam Stadium in the second of four weeks of NSIC North-South Division crossover play.

HOMECOMING 2018: COME TOGETHER
Make sure to maximize your homecoming experience at CSP by registering for a wristband (also available for purchase at the stadium on gameday). A homecoming wristband is $25 for adults, $10 for children (4-12) and free for CSP students (with ID) and young children (0-3). The wristband allows admission to the football game (12p), Comet's Carnival (2p-5p) and the volleyball game against Minot State (5p). Online registration for wristbands closes on Wednesday, October 3 but will be available for the same prices on gameday.

Comet's Carnival is a tremendous value for families, with unlimited rides and carnival food and two drink tickets for adults in the Bear Garden.

FOUR FOOTBALL ALUMNI HEADED TO HALL OF FAME
This year, four Comets/Golden Bears will head to the CSP Athletic Hall of Fame, being inducted in a pregame ceremony as part of a 10-member class. Three of the four, Brian D. Doyle ('05), James McNear III ('07) and Chris Washington ('04) played for head coach Shannon Currier in his first term as head coach from 2000 to 2003. The three were teammates in 2002 and 2003, helping the program capture its first NSIC Championship in 2003 along with the first-ever postseason game for the football program with a bid to the 2003 Mineral Water Bowl. Together, the three new Hall of Famers were part of establishing "The Griff Myth," a 19-game home winning streak at Griffin Stadium with undefeated home seasons spanning the 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005 campaigns.

Tying it together is the induction of Philip Fandrei, a 1951 academy graduate who was an All-Conference player for the Comets and member of the first football team on campus in the prep years prior to the start of the college program in 1969. Fandrei, a co-captain and two-way player as a center and linebacker, helped the Comets to a 4-2-1 season that included a four game winning streak. But above his playing career, Frandrei's Hall of Fame accolades include his support of CSP athletics. The offices that house the team locker room and training facility, football staff and meeting space (along with soccer, lacrosse, track & field, golf and administrative offices) were named the Fandrei Center in 2007; and his gift of $5 million on behalf of Sea Foam Sales, Co. allowed the construction of Sea Foam Stadium to bring the football, soccer, track & field (and later lacrosse) teams a permanent on-campus home.

WEATHER OUTLOOK
As of Wednesday afternoon, Saturday's weather forecast features a high of 49 and low of 41 with a 10 percent chance of rain under a cloudy sky with wind in the 10-15mph range from the northwest.

LIVE COVERAGE
The game can be watched online, free of charge as School Space Media produces a multiple camera broadcast with veteran broadcaster Dan Flanagan handling the play-by-play. The St. Paul native is a graduate of Fordham University (N.Y.) where he trained in broadcasting in multiple sports including the Rams football team in the Patriot League. Flanagan has been broadcasting for Golden Bear athletics since 2008. He'll be joined by color commentator Logan Anderson, former voice of Morningside College on 620 AM KMNS in Sioux City, Iowa where he earned a degree in mass communications.

Additionally, live stats are available as is the NSIC live scoreboard to follow league action in real-time.

STREAMING DEVICES
The School Space Media streamed webcast is now available through widely used streaming devices like the Roku, Amazon FireTV, Apple TV and Android TV. Simply search for NSIC to find the Stretch Internet application for the conference to watch games on your TV and in HD (where available).

DOWNLOAD THE CSP BEARS GAMEDAY FAN APP
Follow the Golden Bear football team along with the rest of your favorite CSP Bears squads by downloading the new gameday fan app, hosted by From Now On. The app provides users with a unique and customizable experience, allowing each user to select the sports they want to follow and how they are connected to CSP (fans, students, faculty/staff, alumni, etc). The app will also be a new way to stay updated on the action as well as to be the first to find out about promotions and special events!

LISTEN TO THE COACHES SHOW WITH COACH CURRIER FRIDAY NIGHT
New this year, the Coach Shannon Currier Show debuted on 1440 AM KYCR radio in the Twin Cities following the prep football game of the week. The show is hosted by Wally Langfellow of Minnesota Score, and will be a weekly airing following the prep football game of the week, typically in the 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. hour. This week's show is the third episode and features player guest interviews with sophomore running back Lajuan Preston and junior defensive lineman Kelly Pierce.

For fans who miss the show or are outside of the radio station's Twin Cities reach, the entire show will also be accessible via the CSP Bears Podcast, available in Spotify, iTunes, Google Play Music, Stitcher and TuneIn Radio. It will be available either late Friday night after the initial airing or on Saturday morning.

2018 TEAM CAPTAINS
Concordia head coach Shannon Currier has announced plans to have rotating team captains each week throughout the fall season, starting back in the first week of fall training camp. Captains are selected by the coaching staff based on performance on the field and as a leader in practice, meetings and in general day-to-day activities.

For the sixth straight week, junior defensive end Jackson Dobbs has been named a captain, joined on defense by fellow junior defensive lineman Kelly Pierce; while junior offensive guard Rich Kelly earns the honor for the third time this season and is joined on special teams by senior kicker Jonas Schenderlein.

SERIES HISTORY: CONCORDIA 7, NORTHERN STATE 7
The Golden Bears and Wolves tangle for the 15th time in a series that began when Concordia joined the NSIC in 1999. NSU won the first two and the last three meetings with CSP winning 7-of-9 in the middle between 2001 and 2011. The Golden Bears are 5-2 at home against NSU, while the Wolves make their third trip to Sea Foam Stadium with the teams even at 1-1 since CSP moved back to campus in 2009. Under head coach Shannon Currier (2000-03 & 2016-present), CSP is 3-2 in five contests with NSU's wins on the bookend of Currier's tenures.

It's been a closely contested series, with 10 of the 14 games being decided by 10 points or less, eight decided by one score (8 pts) or less and three games decided by three points or less with two of those being one point final margins.

LAST MEETING, 2016: AT NORTHERN STATE 31, CONCORDIA 7
Concordia and Northern State last faced off in the 2016 season, when the Wolves beat the Golden Bears 31-7 on their home turf in Aberdeen, South Dakota.

Northern State got the scoring started with a 3-yard rushing TD halfway through the first quarter and doubled their lead to 14-0 with a 46-yard TD late in the opening period.

A two-yard touchdown pass by the Wolves widened the margin to 21-0, which would be the score at halftime.

After a field goal in the third quarter put the Wolves up 24-0, the Golden Bears got on the scoreboard with a 15-yard touchdown from Ron Johnson to Marcus Gustaveson. The Wolves would close out the scoring with a 15-yard passing touchdown of their own as the third quarter expired.

Ron Johnson led the Golden Bears in yards, as the then-junior quarterback passed 11-23 for 163 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Senior running back Darius Chapes led the rushing attack, running for 33 yards on nine carries. Receiver Gabe Steed led the team with three catches for 51 yards.

NSU quarterback Christian McAlvain had a big day for the Wolves. The senior passed 14-19 for 128 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed 17 times for 157 yards and a touchdown. Junior running back Nicholas Truen ran for 87 yards on 17 carries and also recorded a touchdown.

Linebacker David Reed led the Golden Bears in tackles on that Saturday afternoon, as he collected 14 (including one for loss). Seven Golden Bears collected a tackle for loss, including one by current CSP defensive lineman Kelly Pierce. Jamie Fore also forced a fumble in the loss while pitching in six tackles (one for loss).

Northern State also recorded seven tackles for loss, and were led by defensive lineman Chad Stoterau. The senior racked up eight tackles and also recorded a tackle for loss and a forced fumble.

The biggest difference on the afternoon was Northern State's 311 yards rushing compared to 32 for the Golden Bears. CSP did edge the Wolves in passing yards, 163-128.

HASKINS EXTENDS INT STREAK
One of the more impressive starts to a college football career, redshirt freshman cornerback Marcus Haskins has intercepted a pass in all five games this season, ranking second in the country. He's also broken up 11 passes on the year, with his 16 total passes defended leading the country. The rookie corner leads the CSP secondary with 24 tackles and leads the team with 20 solo stops. He has also forced a fumble, factoring into six of Concordia's 10 turnovers created on the season. He also ranks seventh on the team with 94 all-purpose yards, picking up 10 on the ground, 37 via kickoff return and 47 on interception returns.

GUSTAVESON REACHES 100 CATCHES
Junior wide receiver Marcus Gustaveson hit the 100 catch milestone with his 2-for-30 effort at #8 Minnesota Duluth. He became the 11th player in team history to reach the mark. He's also cracked the top-10 in school history with 16 receiving touchdowns and his 1,540 career receiving yards is also closing in on the top-10 list.

PRESTON REACHES 100 YARDS
Sophomore running back Lajuan Preston had his first career 100 yard performance at #8 UMD last Saturday, rushing 13 times for 111 yards for an average of 8.5 per carry and a long of 16. Across 33 carries this season, Preston holds a strong 7.5 average with 247 yards and a long run of 73 for a touchdown on a 1-play scoring drive in week two against Upper Iowa. A true sophomore, the Fort Myers, Florida native has 379 yards on 65 career attempts, averaging 5.8 yards per carry as a Golden Bear.

HOME SWEET FOAM
Prior to head coach Shannon Currier returning to lead the Golden Bears, CSP had posted an 11-24 record at Sea Foam Stadium and had never posted more than two home wins in a row with just two winning seasons since football returned to campus in 2009.

In his first two seasons, Currier and the Golden Bears won just three home games (3-8), but the 2017 team won its home opener and home finale, starting the season on a high note and then finishing strong.

The 37-20 win in the 2017 finale over SMSU started a three game home winning streak for the first time in Sea Foam Stadium's history and the first three game home winning streak since the 2005 NSIC Championship season, played down the street at St. Paul Central High School's Griffin Stadium.

In Currier's first term leading the Bears, he posted an 18-2 home record at Griffin Stadium, starting the "Griff Myth," a 19-game home winning streak that began in 2002 and spanned four full seasons of perfect home football (2002, 2003, 2004, 2005).

Currier now holds a 23-10 career record in home games at Concordia and has the Bears off to a 2-0 start to the 2018 home slate.

TOUGH ROAD SLATE IN 2018
The Golden Bears have had among the strongest road schedules to start the 2018 season. Last week's 32-3 loss at #8 Minnesota Duluth marked the third-straight nationally-ranked opponent to start the 2018 season. Concordia opened the year with a heart-breaking 27-24 loss at #20 Sioux Falls despite leading 24-20 after a field goal extended the lead with 32 seconds left. The Cougars started on their own 40 with 26 seconds to play and scored in four plays, completing three straight passes and scoring with three seconds to play. Concordia then fell 46-13 at #2 Minnesota State in week three, taking a 14-6 deficit into the second quarter despite being even in first downs (6-6) and trailing by just five yards of total offense (139-134) at the quarter break. Minnesota State then converted a 3rd-and-17 with a 27-yard touchdown pass early in the second quarter. The back-breaking score not only put MSU ahead 21-6 in the second quarter in Mankato, it was the start of a 32-0 quarter for MSU that included a pair of safeties on back-to-back defensive plays for MSU.

CSP's last win over a nationally-ranked team was a 27-24 win vs #24 Wayne State in 2011 at Sea Foam Stadium and the last win over a nationally-ranked team on the road was a 28-26 win at #11 Minnesota State in CSP's 2010 Mineral Water Bowl campaign. CSP has now lost 17 straight games to ranked teams, but the 2018 schedule does not feature another ranked opponent in the AFCA Coaches Poll.

SOUTH DIVISION TURNAROUND
With Concordia's 37-20 win in the 2017 season finale over SMSU, the Golden Bears snapped a 20-game losing streak in the NSIC South Division. After ending 2014 on a four game winning streak - all South Division wins - to end the year 4-3 in the NSIC South, the Golden Bears went winless in the division in 2015 and 2016 before dropping the first six of the 2017 division slate before the finale victory over the Mustangs.

The Golden Bears have now won three of their last five NSIC South contests, with all three wins coming at Sea Foam Stadium.

SCOUTING THE WOLVES
Northern State comes into the matchup with the Golden Bears sporting a 1-4 record. However, the Wolves have been competitive in nearly every game, averaging 23.2 points compared to 27.4 for opponents.

The passing game has big a part of the offense for the Wolves. Sophomore Hunter Trautman has thrown for 1314 yards, 11 TDs, and five INT on 54.5% passing. Trautman has thrown for 262.8 yards per game through five games.

Senior running back Chacka Kelly has led the rushing attack for the Wolves. Kelly has run for 57.0 yards per game, averaging 3.2 yards per carry. Trautman has been second in rushing for Northern State, running for 32.4 yards per game and 2.5 yards a rush.

A pair of receivers have caught a majority of Trautman's passes. Sixth in the NSIC in catches is redshirt freshman Jacob Streit, who has caught 25 passes for 322 yards and four TDs. Second in the conference is receiving yards is freshman receiver Dakota Larson, who has hauled in 23 passes for 457 yards per game and three TDs.

Linebacker Noah MacPherson has been a force for Northern State's defense. The senior is seventh in the NSIC with 40 tackles on the season (8.0 per game). He also has recorded 4.5 TFLs, resulting in 22 yards lost. Linebacker Preston Droessler has also posted 4.5 TFLs, and has collected 34 total tackles.

In the secondary, seniors Alex Gray and Etienne Ezeff have been playmakers. Gray is third on the team with 33 tackles (three for loss), and has also intercepted a pass. Ezeff has collected 19 tackles on the season and racked up pass break-ups, which ranks tied for fourth in the NSIC.

Northern State's defense has been stingy on 3rd down this season, allowing opponents to convert on 29.9% of 3rd downs (3rd NSIC). They have also been tough on 4th down this season, leading the NSIC with 33.3 conversion percentage against on 4th down.

Northern State leads the NSIC with 16 fourth down conversion attempts, converting on half of their tries. They have attempted just six field goals on the season, converting just two with a long of 32 yards.

The Wolves are last in the NSIC in kickoff return average, gaining an average of just 12.4 yards per return. The also rank 12th and 13th in the NSIC in net punting and net kickoff yards, respectively.