ST. PAUL, Minn. - Golden Bear football (0-2) returns to Sea Foam Stadium this Saturday night, hosting Sioux Falls (2-0) for Military Appreciation Day with a 6:30 p.m. kickoff in a NSIC North-South Division contest.

THE SKINNY
The Golden Bears enter play coming off of their best rushing performance since 2019, putting up 262 yards on the ground at SMSU in a 14-6 loss last week, led by Jaylin Richardson's 14-175 performance including 9-151 in the second half. CSP's offensive front ranks third in the NSIC in fewest tackles for loss allowed per game (4.50) and third in the Northern Sun in fewest sacks allowed per game (1.00). The Golden Bear defense is seventh in the country in interceptions (4) and fewest passing yards allowed per game (84.0), issuing the league's top pass efficiency defense (89.39), the 22nd-ranked mark in the country.

They'll go up against a Sioux Falls squad that has been dominating opposing backfields, ranking ninth in the nation with 10.5 TFLs per game, second in the country with 6.50 sacks per game and second in the country with -11 rushing yards allowed per contest. The Cougars also run the ball well, averaging a league-best 263.5 yards per game to rank 12th in the country, while the USF offensive line hasn't allowed a sack through two weeks and is second in the nation with 1.50 TFLs allowed per game.

MILITARY APPRECIATION GAME
Veterans will receive a $5 discount, applicable only to tickets purchased at the gate. The pre-game will feature a 30-foot by 60-foot American Flag displayed for the playing of the Star Spangled Banner.

The contest features the presence of four branches of the U.S. military: Army, Air Forces, Marines and Navy.

To honor the armed forces, honorary captains will be recognized:
Army: Sergeant Yang and Staff Sergeant Moo
Air Force: Technical Sergeant Adrian Sahagun & Staff Sergeant Shaun Tant
Marines: Sergeant Lia Xiong
Navy: BM2(SW) Tyler Ocana, Boatswain's Mate 2nd Class

Please stop by each branch's table inside the stadium to help us thank them for their service to protecting our country at home and abroad!

WEATHER OUTLOOK
Saturday evening's weather features a 41 percent chance of scattered thunderstorms during the evening with a high temperature of 81 for the day, cooling to 64 degrees later in the evening. Winds are expected to be light, 5-10mph SSW.

BUY TICKETS ONLINE – AVOID THE LINE!
Fans are encouraged to buy tickets in advance and bring your QR code to the gates to skip the line! Friends and families who utilize the pass list will also be utilizing the online ticketing service while all students, faculty & staff will access their free CSP tickets through the service. Fans do not need to create a login, remember a username or password or download an app to purchase tickets, and tickets can still be purchased with cash at the gates. Find out more in the partnership announcement between CSP Athletics and HomeTown Ticketing.
 
WATCH ONLINE – NSIC NETWORK
All Golden Bear NSIC football games will be available to watch online, free of charge, powered by the NSIC Network, and supported by BlueFrame Technology.
 
Visit nsicnetwork.com/cspbears on a laptop or desktop computer, download the NSIC Network app on your mobile device or watch on your supported OTT provider such as Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Android TV. Search "NSIC Network" and download the app for the league's full sport and team lineups. NSIC NETWORK FAQ
 
All home games will feature the play-by-play broadcasting provided by Dan Flanagan, the voice of the Golden Bears for over a decade. The St. Paul, Minnesota native studied broadcasting at Fordham University (N.Y.) where he was the voice of the Rams' football and basketball teams in the NCAA Division I Patriot League.
 
DOWNLOAD THE APP
Fans can download the CSP Bears fan app, free of charge and available in the App Store or on Google Play. The app contains rosters, schedules, scores, stats, news, social media and more! Customize your options to get notifications to your favorite teams, as well. Search "CSP Bears" in the app store to stay up-to-date on Golden Bear athletics.

LISTEN TO THE COACHES SHOW
The Coaches Show with Shannon Currier is back on the Twin Cities airwaves for a fourth season, once again hosted by Wally Langfellow of Minnesota Score. The show airs following the Minnesota high school football game of the week, typically on Friday evenings in the 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. hour on KYCR 1440 AM radio, available in the Twin Cities metro area.

This week's show airs live on Friday night and features senior defensive end Luke Dunsmoor and junior offensive lineman Taylon Hensley.

For fans who miss the show or are outside of the radio station's Twin Cities reach, the entire show is accessible via the CSP Bears Podcast, available in Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Google Play Music. It will typically be uploaded late Friday night (after the initial air time) or Saturday morning prior to the game. Search 'CSP Bears' into your favorite podcast provider!
 
CHEEKS TO WEAR #26 IN HONOR OF BILLY BROWN, JR.
Sophomore safety Davaris Cheeks changed jersey numbers from his new number (14) to #26 to honor the memory of Billy Brown, Jr., a linebacker who graduated from CSP in May of 2018. Billy passed away in 2018 shortly after graduating while working out near his home in the Twin Cities that summer. Head coach Shannon Currier has opted to honor Brown by selecting a player who fits Billy's work ethic and commitment to the program to wear the number each season.
 
Cheeks, a native of Aurora, Illinois, debuted in game action in 2021 with the jersey number 31, after redshirting in 2019 and missing 2020 due to the COVID-19 season cancellation. As a third-year member of the program, Cheeks played in seven games, including four starts at safety, finishing the year with 17 tackles (10 solo) with a season-high six tackles at UMD (10/16).
 
He served last year as the CSP Student-Athlete Advisory Committee President and this year was appointed as the NSIC's NCAA Division II National SAAC representative. Further, he was elected as the 2022-23 CSP Student Body President and appointed as one of the first two student-athletes to serve on the NCAA Division II President's Council, the highest-ranking body of NCAA DII governance.
 
Cheeks is a public relations major at Concordia with a minor in business management and marketing.
 
"Billy Brown's legacy has been talked about since the day I became a part of this football program, and rightfully so. The mark he left was one that was full of love for this team, passion for the game, and doing whatever it took to win. It is an honor to be able to wear that jersey as I know he is watching down on us and has sowed a seed that will never be forgotten."
 
Past players selected to wear Brown's #26 include:
2018: Brandon Russell (23 to 26)
2019: Jackson Dobbs (98 to 26)
2020: season cancellation
2021: Dalton Smerchek (32 to 26)
2022: Davaris Cheeks (14 to 26)
 
WEEK 3 GAME CAPTAINS
CSP head coach Shannon Currier and the Golden Bear coaching staff have continued the program's tradition of selecting rotating weekly game captains for the fourth season in a row. Captains are selected by the coaching staff based on performance on the field and as a leader in practice and day-to-day activities.
 
The week three game captains are junior center Sam Marshalek (3x) and sophomore running back Jaylin Richardson (2x) Conner Cordts on offense, along with senior safety Rhett Sheehan (3x) and senior defensive end Luke Dunsmoor (1x).

SERIES HISTORY: SIOUX FALLS 13, CONCORDIA 2
The Golden Bears and Cougars will tangle for the 16th time in a series that began in 1971 - CSP's third season of football. The teams met annually from 1971 to 1974 with the Comets winning the first meeting 24-16, with Sioux Falls winning the next three.

The teams rekindled the rivalry in 1982 and 1983, with the Cougars continuing their winning streak, extending it to five games.

The programs then took a hiatus from squaring off on the gridiron and didn't meet again until USF joined the NSIC, making the jump from the NAIA to NCAA Division II ranks in 2012. USF won the first seven games between the schools at the DII level, pushing the streak to 12 games in the series.

In 2019 at Sea Foam Stadium, the Golden Bears snapped USF's winning streak in a big way with a 41-17 statement in the season opener before the Cougars picked up another win last year in Sioux Falls.

In Northern Sun play, USF holds an 8-1 edge and is 3-1 in four trips to Sea Foam Stadium. Coach Currier holds a 1-4 record against USF in five meetings since returning to Concordia in 2016.

LAST MEETING, 2021: SIOUX FALLS 50, CONCORDIA 14
On a warm, windy, fall afternoon, featuring a steady 15-20mph wind with strong, sustained gusts, the Cougars won the coin toss and capitalized on the wind in the first quarter to build a lead stronger than the sustained winds.

With CSP trailing 17-0 late in the first quarter and about to punt from deep in its own territroy, Sioux Falls KWSN radio voice Tom Frederick noted the impact, stating to his broadcast partner Tim Hiatt, "The most important play of the day (so far)? The coin toss!"

Concordia compiled just 24 yards facing the southern wind in the first quarter with one first down while the Cougars accumulated 118 yards and eight first downs despite advantageous field position, starting on the CSP 18 and 49 yard lines on its first two possessions.

In the second quarter, with field position flipped, punter Parker Dahlman showed his skills, ripping a 69-yard punt to the USF 6 yard line, giving the Golden Bear defense some momentum, which led to a USF punt from its own 22 yard line. The result was an 11-yard USF punt as CSP finally had a chance to start deep in Cougar territory.

A 30-yard pass from Conner Cordts to Isaiah Koran set-up a 1-yard Jaylin Richardson touchdown run on 4th-and-goal inside the one.

The momentum wouldn't last, though as the 17-7 deficit was quickly ballooned to 31-7 at the half after TD runs of 51 and 25 yards by USF RBs Thuro Reisdorfer and Landon Freeman.

The Cougars added 10 more third quarter points to build a 41-7 advantage as part of a 24-0 scoring run in the second and third quarters.

Late in the third, with the direction advantage about to flip back to the Cougars, Cordts connected with Nathan Gimza for a 65-yard scoring strike.

It was not enough to start a comeback, though, as the Cougars added nine more fourth quarter points.

Cordts battled the conditions, completing 9-20 for 161 yards, averaging 17.9 per completion with one touchdown and no turnovers.

Richardson led the ground game with 25 rushing yards and a long run of 15.

The defense was led by Foster Conzet and Preston Piltoff's eight tackles each, with Piltoff adding a pass breakup in coverage. Richard Ficociello had four tackles, two for loss and a sack.

The Cougars were led by Reisdorfer's 160 rushing yards on 14 carries while Freeman was 19-105 with the Cougars rushing for 393 yards on 56 team carries.

LAST WEEK: SMSU 14, CONCORDIA 6
The Golden Bears and Mustangs engaged in a ground-game battle in week two in Marshall, combining for 536 rushing yards between the two sidelines, with the Mustangs holding a slight edge, 274-262.

The two teams each had 19 first downs and converted similarly on third down (CSP 5-14, SMSU 6-13) with CSP executing its lone fourth down conversion while stopping SMSU on its lone fourth down attempt.

But the Golden Bears lost the turnover battle 3-2, went 2-4 on field goal tries to SMSU's 0-1.

Further, while the Golden Bear defense snuffed out the Mustangs on all three of its red zone trips, holding SMSU scoreless inside the 20, the Golden Bears countered by visiting the red zone twice and coming away with six points.

The game's difference came down to a pair of big plays by SMSU, as Jesse Sherwood broke free for a 63-yard touchdown early in the first quarter after CSP's first turnover of the day, while Eric Lira broke loose on a 52-yard TD run early in the fourth.

Concordia's pass defense once again stepped up, holding SMSU quarterback Justus McComb to 8-17 for 106 yards and a pair of interceptions by Cyrus McClure and Brayden Hilgemann.

While McClure secured his third INT of the year, fellow-safety Rhett Sheehan once again had a big day, tying his career-high with 10 tackles, adding one for loss. Hilgemann, a linebacker making his second start, had seven tackles while defensive end Luke Dunsmoor had a career-high nine stops up front.

The CSP ground game was led by sophomore Jaylin Richardson, who had 9-151 in the second half on his way to a career-best 175 yard rushing performance, averaging 12.5 yards per carry on 14 totes. He ripped off second half runs of 20, 31 and 74 yards in the second half, getting stronger as the game went on.

It was a group effort on the ground, with Jaire Moore adding 11-41 and a 26-yard reception with Gayflor Flomo adding 7-36 with a 5.1 average.

Conner Cordts completed 17-28 for 170 yards, playing interception-free football while distributing his 17 completions to eight different receivers while targeting nine options. Drew Enke (3-36), Joey Farley (3-22) and Evan Peterson (3-20) each had three catches and four different Golden Bears had 20-plus yard catches: Enke (22), Farley (20), Jack Munsterteiger (25) and Moore (26).

SMSU was led by Sherwood's 32-196 rushing and 3-29 receiving performance.

The special teams standout was CSP punter Parker Dahlman, who pinned SMSU inside the 20 on all three of his punts, averaging 41.0 yards with a long of 45.

ABOUT THE SIOUX FALLS COUGARS
The Cougars are dominating the line of scrimmage to start the 2022 season, having not allowed a sack, surrendering just 1.50 TFLs per game to rank second in the nation while rushing for 263.5 yards per game to lead the NSIC and rank 12th in Division II.

Defensively, USF is allowing -11 rushing yards per game, has piled up 6.50 sacks per game to rank second in the in each team statistic while adding 10.5 TFLs per game, ninth-best in the country.

Their total offense (506.5) ranks sixth nationally while their total defense (149.0) is even better at third.

They've picked up 53 first downs (6th, NCAA) while allowing just 19 (8th, NCAA) and the Cougars pick up 58.3 percent on third down, sixth-best nationally while holding opponents to 24.1 percent (15th).

Signal-caller Adam Mullen is the league's second-ranked passer with 486 yards while ranking fifth with a 118.9 efficiency rating.

Running back Thuro Reisdorfer is the third-leading rusher in the league with 228 yards, adding five TDs. He's one of three backs on the squad with 100-plus yards, and all three have 5 total TDs.

Carter Slykhuis leads the receivers with 9-108 in a group that features five players with at least four catches and 70 yards on the year while 10 different players have at least a reception.

Defensively, Zach Durfee leads USF with 6.0 sacks and a pair of forced fumbles while Conor Rice adds 3.0 sacks and a forced fumble as six different players have secured sacks for the Cougars.

In the secondary, Joseph Sapp has four pass breakups and Giovanni Purpura has a pair of INTs.

On special teams, Nick Hernandez is 4-4 on FG and 7-7 on PAT attempts with a long of 40 and has delivered three kickoff touchbacks.