ROLLA, Mo. – Missouri S&T's quest for a sixth consecutive winning season begins Thursday when the Miners open their 2022 slate with a visit by South Dakota School of Mines to Allgood-Bailey Stadium for a 6 p.m. contest.

With a come-from-behind win at Southwest Baptist in its season finale last fall, the Miners finished above the .500 mark at 6-5.  However, with a number of new players moving into larger roles on the roster and a new coaches in place – including head coach Andy Ball, who will make his collegiate head coaching debut on Thursday – the Miners were picked fifth in the Great Lakes Valley Conference for the upcoming year.

Ball, who has spent the last four seasons on the Miner staff as an assistant coach and the last three as offensive coordinator, inherits a team that has four returning starters on that side of the ball, headed by All-GLVC tackle Jorge Escalante (Fresno, CA/San Joaquin Memorial).  S&T has both of its starting offensive tackles back this season, with Jake Seidel (Imperial, MO/Seckman) manning the opposite spot, but will have to rely on several new starters at other positions.

One of those spots is at quarterback where Max Conard (Blue Springs, MO/Blue Springs South) is expected to get the starting nod.  Conard made two starts behind center last season and threw eight scoring passes in those two games.  He has a receiving corps that includes returning tight ends Ryan Langford (Phoenix, AZ/O'Connor) and Trevor Anthony (Elsberry, MO/Clopton), receivers Kai Martin (Clearwater, FL/Calvary Christian), Blaize Klossner (Rolla, MO/Rolla) and Mitchell Miller (Frisco, TX/Liberty) and newcomers Paulvin Horton (Raleigh, NC/Garner HS) and CJ Jarmon.

Horton joined the Miner program as a transfer from the University of North Carolina-Pembroke, while Jarmon and Bryson Burns (Nashville, TN/Davidson Academy) are true freshmen in the program this season.

S&T also lost its top two rushers in Payton McAlister (Decatur, TX/Decatur) and Aaron Moya (Canutillo, TX/Canutillo) – both of whom earned All-GLVC honors last season – but another All-GLVC performer is among a trio of backs that could fill the void.  Gideon Niboh (St. Charles, MO/Francis Howell), who earned his all-conference award as a kick returner, joins second-year players Cameren Smith (Claymont, DE/Concord) and Josh Sanders (Maize, KS/Maize) in the backfield.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Miners return All-America linebacker Ben Straatmann (Washington, MO/Washington), the NCAA Division II leader in quarterback sacks with 14 last fall and who also recorded a school record 24 tackles behind the line of scrimmage.

Straatmann is part of a veteran group at linebacker, with returners Jack Hayes (Republic, MO/Republic), Wulfe Retzlaff (Truckee, CA/Truckee) and Skylar Sappington (Brentwood, MO/Brentwood) along with Nick Mattli (O'Fallon, MO/Fort Zumwalt South), Alijah Clark (Florissant, MO/Hazelwood Central) and Kyle Viverito (South Elgin, IL/South Elgin).  S&T could also get contributions at that spot from Matt Brenniesen, a transfer from Southern Illinois University.

S&T also returns an all-conference player on the defensive line in tackle Henry Preckel (Wildwood, MO/Lafayette) and in the secondary with safety Stefan Camplin (Raytown, MO/Raytown).  Camplin, a fifth-year heads a generally younger but experienced group in the defensive backfield, with senior Payton Shelton being the only other senior in that group.  Keith Jackson (St. Charles, MO/Lutheran-St. Charles) is expected to man one of the starting roles at cornerback opposite of Shelton, while fellow sophomore Carson Prenger (Jefferson City, MO/Blair Oaks) is the projected starter at the other safety position.

Preckel is expected to be flanked on the defensive line by Aidan Hurtado (Austin, TX/McNeil) and Bentley Hart (Brookland, AR/Brookland), while veteran squadmembers Jake Versemann (St. Peters, MO/Lutheran St. Charles) and Derek Bithell (Omaha, NE/Millard West) also expected to see a good deal of playing time.

S&T also has a veteran presence in its kicking game in Chase Cole (Festus, MO/Festus) and Parker Boyce (Hartsburg, MO/Southern Boone), both of whom have earned All-GLVC honors during their Miner careers.  Cole is expected to handle the placekicking duties and Boyce the punting role at the outset of the season.

ABOUT SOUTH DAKOTA MINES: Like Missouri S&T, the Hardrockers finished the 2021 season with a 6-5 record that included a victory over the Miners in the season opener.  South Dakota Mines averaged 28 points and 375.4 yards per game last fall, including an average of 168.8 yards per contest on the ground, paced by the 559 from quarterback Jayden Johannsen.  Not only did Johannsen also reach the end zone eight times while running the ball, he also threw 15 scoring passes as he threw for 2,041 yards on the year.

The Hardrockers return their top two receivers from last season in Jeremiah Bridges and Isaiah Eastman, each of whom hauled in 46 passes in 2021.  Bridges led Mines with 606 yards in receptions and caught six touchdown passes, while Bridges had 492 yards in catches with a pair of scores.

Defensively, the Hardrockers allowed 26.6 points per game last season and held opposing teams to 367.9 yards per contest, while also ranking fourth in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference with 13 interceptions.  Two of those interceptions were returned for touchdowns, one by cornerback Kendahl Johnson in the win over S&T last September.

Linebacker Kyante Christian led Mines with 70 tackles a year ago, including a team-high 42 solo stops, while also recording 11 tackles for a loss and 7.5 quarterback sacks.  Safety Casey Knutsen recorded 45 stops and tied Johnson for the team lead with seven pass breakups.