BEMIDJI, Minn. — Bemidji State University Football is set to host Southwest Minnesota State University Saturday at 3 p.m. to kickoff the 2026 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Schedule. Prior to Saturday's game, the Beavers will recognize their 2026 senior class.
 
BSU NOTES

• The Beavers enter the weekend at 0-1 after coming close to a comeback late last weekend against RV Michigan Technological University. The Huskies took the tie-breaking win (current era series now at 1-2 in favor of MTU) by a score of 31-29 after a failed two-point conversion attempt from BSU with under a minute to play. 
• Connor Carver leads the Beavers on the ground with 12 rushing attempts for 58 yards and two touchdowns. He also went 2-2-0 through the air last Thursday, grabbing the Beavers 16 yards. A true triple threat, Carver also lined up as a receiver and caught one pass for 16 yards. 
• Bart McAninch leads the passing game with five completions on 13 attempts last week. He threw for 150 yards and two touchdowns, marking a long play of 57 yards. 
• Zavery Guerra and Lucas Peterson saw the majority of targets in week one with Guerra grabbing three and Peterson with six. Guerra led the team in yardage with 119, a long play of 57. Peterson earned the Beavers two touchdowns and 79 yards with a long of 26. 
• Defensively, BSU is led by linebackers Ray Iglesias and Koehler Kilty, along with defensive backs Caden Bolte and L'Shawn Taylor. The four have combined for 30 of the Beavers' 56 tackles from Thursday.
• The last time the Beavers and Mustangs met, the Beavers earned a 33-0 shutout on home turf. BSU holds the all-time series advantage of 28-21-1 and has won the last six games. BSU is also 16-7-1 all time against the Mustangs at Chet Anderson Stadium. 
• Next weekend, BSU has its first road test, heading to Mankato, Minn. for a 6 p.m. matchup against No. 4/3 Minnesota State University Mankato. Last week, the Mavericks took down Colorado Mesa University, 38-14, in Grand Junction, Colo.

 
SMSU NOTES

• Last week, the Mustangs earned their first win in almost a year, defeating Valley City State University 10-7, to start the season 1-0. Prior to the win, the Mustangs had lost their last nine games of the 2025 season, finishing with a 1-10 record thanks to a win over University of Jamestown on September 13, 2025. 
• This season, SMSU's run game is led by second-year running back Josh Lancifort. Against the Vikings, Lancifort tallied 67 net yards with an average of 3.5 yards per rush. On the scoring side, Shaun Walrath, a third-year running back, grabbed the Mustangs' solo touchdown and 17 rushing yards.
• Senior quarterback Macloud Crowton was the Mustangs' solo passer against VCSU, grabbing 250 passing yards with 22 completions on 38 attempts with one interception. On the receiving end of Crowton's passes, Tryg Auten led SMSU with 66 receiving yards, averaging 11.00 yards per reception. 
• Defensively, SMSU is led by second-year linebacker Hunter Hanegraaf. He totaled 10 tackles last week with 2.5 tackles for a loss of nine yards. Two Mustangs also grabbed sacks against VCSU with Jack Meier taking one back for three yards and Malachi Kohls earning an eight-yard sack. 
• Next week, SMSU hosts Northern State University at 5 p.m. Sep. 15 for their annual Ag Bowl.

 
For more information on the Bemidji State Football program, tickets or schedules, visit BSUBeavers.com, follow the Beavers on X (@BSUBeaversFB), like them on Facebook (facebook.com/BSUBeavers) and like them on Instagram (@BSUBeaversFB).
 
Located on the shore of Lake Bemidji, Bemidji State University sponsors 15 varsity athletic programs with NCAA Division I men's and women's hockey membership in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association and Western Collegiate Hockey Association, while its 13 NCAA Division II programs hold membership in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).