ROLLA, Mo. – Last season, the opening contest between Missouri S&T and Chadron State needed two overtimes before it was decided.   Those two teams are set to face off again to open the 2014 campaign Saturday, when the Miners travel to Chadron, Neb., to face the Eagles in a noon contest (Mountain time).

Chadron State won the back-and-forth affair last season 40-34 on Lane Haller's 79-yard interception return for a touchdown in the second overtime period.   The Eagles would go on to finish at 8-3, while the Miners rebounded from a 1-4 start in Tyler Fenwick's first season as head coach to win five of their final six contests to end up 6-5.

As the 2014 season gets underway, the Miners are counting on a number of returners to lead the way as they seek to finish above the .500 mark for the fourth consecutive year.   S&T brings back four All-Great Lakes Valley Conference performers from a year ago, including first-team selection Will Brown (Hazelwood, Mo./Hazelwood West) in the secondary and second-team picks Dan Mauszycki (Gardner, Kan./Gardner-Edgerton HS), Melvin Stovall (Los Angeles, Calif./Lancaster) and Forrestal Hickman (Holton, Kan./Holton HS).

Brown finished fourth in NCAA Division II in passes defended with a league-high 22 breakups last season, while Mauszycki – one of several veterans on the Miner defensive line – recorded team highs in sacks with six and tackles for lost yardage with 13.  The Miner defense ranked 13^th overall as it allowed just 304.9 yards per game and was second in pass efficiency defense; opposing quarterbacks completed just 50.1 percent of their passes against it in 2013.

Stovall finished second in the GLVC in receptions, hauling in 66 for 712 yards and five touchdowns.  His 66 receptions were the most ever by a first-year receiver in the history of the Miner program and that was among 192 catches made by the team's top five receivers last season – all of whom are back in the fold for the upcoming year.  Leon Moody (St. Louis, Mo./DeSmet Jesuit HS) finished with 46 receptions and fellow senior Nick Taylor (Wichita, Kan./Southeast HS) caught 38.

Zenel Hudson (Bayshore, N.Y./Milford Academy) led the Miners in rushing with 520 yards and six touchdowns last year, while Scott Hendricks (Kechi, Kan./Maize HS), who missed the 2013 campaign with an injury – ran for 609 yards two years ago.  S&T also got 435 yards from DeSoto Dickson (Florissant, Mo./Trinity Catholic) and another 376 from Chris Kennard (Plano, Texas/Parish Episcopal) last fall.

Hickman, a two-time All-GLVC performer, will anchor an offensive line that could have as many as three redshirt freshman in the starting lineup this weekend.  It will look to guide a unit that will be led behind center by newcomer Kason Key (Owasso, Okla./Owasso), a transfer from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M.

Elsewhere on defense, the Miners return starting linebacker Zach Melber (St. Louis, Mo./Oakville), who posted 55 tackles to lead the returners in that category, along with safety Chris McKay (Flint, Mich./Carman-Ainsworth HS) and linemen Daleroy Davey (Kansas City, Kan./Turner), Geoff Correnti (Bowling Green, Mo./Bowling Green) and Jacob Nutt (Pacific, Mo./Pacific), a trio that combined for eight sacks and 18 stops behind the line of scrimmage last season.  S&T's defensive line will also be boosted by the return of end Freddy Dugard (Queens Village, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) and tackle Josip Juric (West Des Moines, Iowa/Dowling HS), who missed most or all of last season due to injuries.

Chadron State lost a key piece of its offense with the graduation of Glen Clinton, who ran for 140 yards in last year's contest with S&T and finished the year with 1,518 yards.  The Eagles do return quarterback Jonn McLain, who completed 65.5 percent of his throws for 2,615 yards and 23 touchdowns; he connected on at least 60 percent of his passes in nine of Chadron State's 11 games a year ago and had the nation's top passing day with a 600-yard performance along the way.

A good portion of the Eagle defense is back, led by linebacker Dylan Furrier (75 tackles, seven for a loss) and Haller, a safety who recorded 74 tackles and eight pass breakups a season ago.

Game Notes: Miners vs. Chadron State
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