September 11, 2026
GAME 3 AT A GLANCE
11TH ANNUAL AG BOWL GAME

Date: Saturday, September 11 vs. Nebraska Wesleyan Location: Brian Kern Family Stadium on Blankley Field
Start Time: 6 p.m.
Tailgate Start Time:  3 p.m. (Ag Bowl meal to follow at 3:30 p.m.)

THIS WEEK
Dakota State (S.D.) (1-1 overall record, No. 25 in NAIA Football Coaches' Top 25 Preseason Poll) returns home Saturday evening as they host NCAA Division III Nebraska Wesleyan (0-1 overall reocrd) in the 11th annual Ag Bowl game.  Kick-off is set for 6 p.m. at Brian Kern Family Stadium on Blankley Field, with the tailgate area opening at 3 p.m. with Ag Bowl meal to open at approximately 3:30 p.m.

The Trojans will be at home for four times in their next five games through Oct. 10.  DSU looks to extend their six-game home winning streak at Brian Kern Family Stadium on Blankley Field.

THE SERIES
Series Overall: Dakota State leads series 2-0
Series Notes: The two squads will meet for the third time overall on Saturday evening. The series dates back to 2024 in Lincoln, Neb., where DSU won the first ever meeting 41-25.  The Trojans are averaging 39.0 points per game in both meeting with the Prairie Wolves.
Last Year Ag Bowl: Both teams played in last year's meeting at Brian Kern Family Stadium on Blankley Field as part of the 10th annual Ag Bowl game.  Dakota State used a dominate defensive effort and a balanced offensive attack, racking up 37 points in 37-7 victory over Nebraska Wesleyan.  The Trojans outgained the Prairie Wolves 338-226 in total offensive yards.

2026 STATS COMPARISON
 

0.0	Scoring Offense	33.0
46.0	Rushing Offense	57.5
118.0	Passing Offense	413.5
164.0	Total Offense	471.0
28.0	Scoring Defense	35.5
229.0	Rushing Defense	179.0
206.0	Passing Defense	275.5
435.0	Total Defense	454.5
1	Interceptions	3
8/41.4	Punts/Avg.	8/43.6
3-7	Sacks-Yards Lost	1-4

AG BOWL HISTORY
 
LAST TIME OUT
Dakota State ventured west to renew a former South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference (SDIC) rivalry against Black Hills State (S.D.). This marked the first meeting between the Trojans and Yellow Jackets since 2010.

It was a high-power offensive shootout, with both teams combining for over 1,000 yards of total offense and 10 touchdowns. Black Hills State raced out to a 14-0 lead midway through the first quarter before Tray Hettick connected with Melek Ford for a 14-yard touchdown. This would be the first of four touchdowns for Ford on  Saturday afternoon.

DSU cut the lead to two early in the third quarter on a Trajan Davis 45-yard touchdown run, but that was as close as the Trojans were able to come, as BHSU extended their lead to 16 mid-way through the third quarter and maintained a two-score advantage the rest of the game.

ABOUT NEBRASKA WESLEYAN
Nebraska Wesleyan was once a member of the NAIA and the Great Plains Athletic Conference. After a long tenure in the GPAC and the NAIA, NWU shifted its athletic affiliation to NCAA Division III in 2016, where they now compete in the American Rivers Conference (ARC).

The Prairie Wolves opened their season at home against Concordia (Minn.) of Moorhead. Concordia defeated NWU 28-0. This marks their seventh straight loss dating back to last season.

Jacob Donohoe enters his first season as head coach at Nebraska Wesleyan. Donohoe takes over for legendary long-time coach Brian Keller, who spent 30 seasons at the helm for Nebraska Wesleyan. Donohoe previously served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Coe College.

NWU finishes their non-conference schedule with a road contest against the University of Chicago before starting their seven-game ARC conference schedule. NWU was picked to finish seventh in the ARC preseason poll.

LAST GAME HIGHLIGHTS
Quarterback Tray Hettick continued his impressive start to the season, completing 29-of-49 passes for 398 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions.

Melek Ford was Hettick's primary target, hauling in 10 receptions for 136 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Trajan Davis had an efficient day on the ground, rushing nine times for 85 yards and a touchdown.

Michael Foster and Aidan Jahns each led the Trojans' defense with eight tackles and 0.5 tackles-for-loss.  Kaden Van Otterloo added seven tackles.  

FRONTIER CONFERENCE CROSS-OVER
The Frontier Conference will have their cross-over games for two Saturdays on Sept. 19 and Sept. 26.  The East Division teams take on West Division teams, flipping the schedule from last year.

DSU next begins their two-week cross-over contests with the Frontier Conference's West Division. The Trojans host Arizona Christian on Sept. 19 at 1 p.m. before heading to Southern Oregon on Sept. 26 to finish out cross-divisional play.

The Frontier East divisional games begin on Oct. 3 as the Trojans host Montana Tech, followed by Dickinson State (N.D.) on Oct. 10 at Brian Kern Family Stadium on Blankley Field.

TROJANS IN THE NAIA AND FC EAST RANKS
According to the NAIA-PrestoStats as of Thursday, Dakota State quarterback Tray Hettick leads NAIA in passing yards with 827 yards. He is also tied for second in the nation for passing touchdowns with 9. 

Melek Ford leads the NAIA in receptions (19), receiving yards (378), receiving touchdowns (6), and points scored (36).

Sam Marcus ranks second in the NAIA in punt average at 43.6 yards per punt.

Dakota State ranks second in the Frontier East Division with 33.0 points per game.  The Trojans lead the division with 942 total offensive yards (942) and 471.0 offensive yards per game.  

AG BOWL QUICK FACTS
Saturday's game will mark the 11th annual Ag Bowl contest at Dakota State, the second year that will be held at the Brian Kern Family Stadium. DSU's Ag Bowl serves to celebrate and say thank you to the agriculture community for their economic and social impact of the Madison areas. 

The event is a partnership between DSU Athletics and local businesses, offering free admission and a meal to farmers and producers.

DSU's Ag Bowl began in 2016 with the Trojans defeating Waldorf (Iowa) 36-14 at the former Trojan Field.

Dakota State is 7-3 all-time in Ag Bowl games, with other opponents including rival Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.), Presentation (S.D.), Briar Cliff (Iowa), Dickinson State (N.D.) and Wisconsin-La Crosse.

The Trojans have won four out of the last five Ag Bowl
contests, including last year's 37-7 win against Nebraska Wesleyan at Brian Kern Family Stadium.

DAKOTA STATE 2026 REMAINING HOME SCHEDULE
DSU's 2026 home slate features six contests at Brian Kern Family Stadium on Blankley Field. The Trojans finished last year with a perfect 5-0 home record and extended their home winning streak to six games after defeating rival Dakota Wesleyan in the season opener.

DSU kicks off FC East Division action against preseason favorite Montana Tech on Oct. 3. The Trojans finish their home stand against Dickinson State (N.D.) in the annual Homecoming/Senior Day contest on Oct. 10.  The final home contest is against Mayville State (N.D.), set for Oct. 31 at 1 p.m.

2026 DAKOTA STATE FOOTBALL TEAM LEADERS

• Rushing:  Trajan Davis - 16 rushes, 11 yards
• Passing:  Tray Hettick - 52-of-81 (64.2 completion rate), 827 yards, 9 touchdowns
• Receiving:  Melek Ford - 19 catches, 378 yards, 6 touchdowns
• Scoring:  Melek Ford - 36 points - 6 touchdowns
• Punting:  Sam Marcus - 8 punts, 349 yards - 43.6 yards per punt
• Field Goals:  N/A
• Kick-offs:  Malte Hamann - 12 kickoffs, 686 yards - 57.2 yards per kickoff
• Returns:  Maddox Kihne - 3 returns, 55 yards
• Tackles:   Kaden Van Otterloo - 15 tackles (5 solos, 10 assists)
• Tackles-for-loss:  Lamarcus Osborne - 1.5 tackles-for-loss, 3.0 yards loss
• Sacks:  Lamarcus Osborne, Kai Rigdon - 0.5 sacks, 4.0 yards loss
• Interceptions:  Tamareon 'Frosty' Foster - 1 interception, 7 yards return (4 pass break-ups), Michael Foster - 3 interceptions, 20 yards return