Name: Dickinson State University gears up for Homecoming showdown
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Dickinson State University gears up for Homecoming showdown

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SportsCollegeShareShare this articleNews reportingNews reportingBased on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.The Trust ProjectWhat is this?DICKINSON — There are no absolutes in the world of college football, but Saturday’s game between the recently returned Dickinson State University Blue Hawks and Dakota State comes kinda close, with DSU having won 10 straight and sitting on an overall 13-1 record here in recent history. It’s a particularly delicious matchup for Blue Hawks fans with the game coming on a true homecoming, after the team went on a month-long road trip that featured three of the four games in their winning streak — after an earth-shattering 41-18 home game versus Mayville State waaaay back on Sept. 2 — and compiling the best record in the North Star Athletic Association at 3-0 with a 4-1 overall record that the squad keeps building on every week.“We know, defensively, they've (Dakota State) always been a handful and have always been that way and we're fully expecting that from them as well,” DSU head coach Pete Stanton said. “We've been on the road, and the guys have played well and started well in those road-games and had some big road-wins and it's just really nice for them to be home.”He added, "I think the big thing is just now that you're home and back in your regular routine: Just to be focused on the task at hand, especially with a lot of things going on this week."Oddly enough, Saturday’s game actually is DSU vs. DSU, but we here at The Dickinson Press know there’s only ONE DSU for this community (besides, the visitors are from South Dakota).The most-recent meeting between the DSU and Dakota State was a 27-7 away victory for the Blue Hawks, who are coming home off a brilliantly executed 34-10 win over Valley City State’s Vikings last week. That game featured a massive number of interesting points, including (but not limited-to): A whopping 378 yards of total offense, another early lead for DSU at 17-3 in the first half with scores on the opening three possessions, a stunning run-defense for the Blue Hawks that limited the Vikings to 7 — yes, SEVEN — total yards rushing in the game and 190 yards of total offense from standout junior RB Braden Zuroff to go along with his two touchdowns and NSAA player of the week honors for the third time this season.That’s one tough hill to climb for the winless Dakota State Trojans, who are floundering through an 0-3 record in the NSAA and 0-5 overall — having been outscored 116-45 this season — which includes a 13-0 road loss to Mayville State last week. (Reminder: DSU beat Mayville State by 23 points.)Scanning the stat-map, Dakota State is averaging only 81.4 rushing yards-per-game and 240 yards of total offense — not-to-mention the paltry 9 PPG — which is a recipe-for disaster as DSU comes into the game limiting offenses to 58.2 rushing yards per contest and 291.4 yards of total offense per game.So, at least on paper, this homecoming game should delight fans and the weather is predicted to be a balmy 68 degrees (in October, no-less) for the 2 p.m. start-time at the Biesiot Activities Center. Calling the conditions “perfect for football” might be something of an understatement, all-things-considered.But the superlatives do not end there, insomuch as the Blue Hawks again swept the players-of-the-week honors for the NSAA, with the supremely-steady Chase Miller reeling in his fourth-such award on special teams with a 6-for-6 performance that included 4 PATs and field goals of 20- and 39-yards and Dickinson native Krew Mathern recording his second defensive player of the week recognition via a pair of tackles, a QB sack for a loss of 13 yards, a forced-fumble and a fumble-recovery.“That's just been our emphasis: When we're on the field and we're in our film study we have to do our thing,” Standon said. “Yes, there's going to be a few other things going on, but our job is to focus in and have a just good performance and prepare. We talked to our guys about you only get so many opportunities; you work hard all year long and you have 10 opportunities and each week to do your thing and this is an opportunity and we certainly don't want to do anything that would hurt our opportunity to perform at our very best."Whew, that’s some-kinda week for DSU’s gridiron giants. And they even pushed themselves up one step in the NAIA rankings, jumping from 23 to 22 after the Valley City win in Week 5.In any event, homecoming week would not be complete without a pep-rally tonight at 7:30 in the Scott Gym and a bowling bonanza at Paragon Bowl tonight at 9:30 for students-only. Also included in the fun will be a series of Friday happenings, including an alumni honors luncheon at 11 a.m. in the Roosevelt Grand Dakota, an all-years reunion at 3 p.m. at various sites around town, the hall-of-fame banquet at the Grand Dakota and a movie night at 8 p.m. for current matriculants in the Student Center.Add to that the family-friendly Saturday parade through the DSU campus at 9 a.m., the always-entertaining DSU Tailgate hosted by the Touchdown Club at 10 a.m. in the BAC parking lot and the game, thereafter.For more information about the DSU Blue Hawks, please keep reading your Dickinson Press and/or visithttps://www.dsubluehawks.com/sports/fball/index.ShareShare this articleNews reportingNews reportingBased on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.The Trust ProjectWhat is this?TagsTagsDICKINSONDICKINSON STATE BLUE HAWKSCOLLEGE FOOTBALLNORTH STAR ATHLETIC ASSOCIATIONNAIAMen's SportsKolpack and Izzo Podcast: Missouri State game previewPrepMidgets secure thrilling victory in WDA Play-In matchPrepWeek 8 Preview: Changing NDAPSSA RankingsADVERTISEMENTNewsBowman business advisor honored with 2023 State Star AwardPrepMidgets secure thrilling victory in WDA Play-In matchNewsUSDA Forest Service enacts fire restrictions to protect North Dakota's prairie landsPrepWeek 8 Preview: Changing NDAPSSA Rankings

SportsCollegeShareShare this articleNews reportingNews reportingBased on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.The Trust ProjectWhat is this?DICKINSON — There are no absolutes in the world of college football, but Saturday’s game between the recently returned Dickinson State University Blue Hawks and Dakota State comes kinda close, with DSU having won 10 straight and sitting on an overall 13-1 record here in recent history. It’s a particularly delicious matchup for Blue Hawks fans with the game coming on a true...

Dickinson State University gears up for Homecoming showdown

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