Concordia’s star, St. Thomas’ win streak and three other things to know about Minnesota college football

Concordia (St. Paul) running back Jaylin Richardson was a first-team All-NSIC selection last season.

He appears on pace for the same honor this season. With three games remaining, Richardson has surpassed his rushing totals from last season.

Richardson, a senior from Kansas City, Kan., leads the NSIC in rushing yards (966) and rushing touchdowns (11). He ranks sixth in Division II in rushing yards and fourth in rushing TDs.

Last week, Richardson rushed for 143 yards and three touchdowns in the Golden Bears’ 35-34 loss to Northern State. It was his fifth game of the season with at least 100 yards rushing. He has scored at least two touchdowns in four consecutive games.

Last season, he gained 942 yards and rushed for seven touchdowns.

Here are four other Minnesota college football story lines this week:

Three NSIC teams — Augustana, Minnesota State Mankato and Sioux Falls — were included in the first DII regional rankings, which were announced on Monday.

The NSIC teams are part of Super Region Four, which also includes the Lone Star Conference and the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.

Teams in the initial rankings — the first of three weekly rankings — were listed in alphabetical order. The region Top 10 included Angelo State, Central Washington, Colorado Mesa, Colorado Mines, Colorado State-Pueblo, Western Colorado and Western Oregon.

The format for the DII playoff field is 28 teams in four seven-team regions. The top seed in each region receives a first-round bye.

St. John’s, ranked No. 3 in the D3football.com poll, leads Division III in sacks (4.57 sacks per game) and is ranked No. 6 in rushing defense (48.4 yards per game).

Johnnies linebacker Hayden Sanders, a senior from Brooklyn Park, leads the Johnnies in solo tackles (25) and tackles for loss (9.5) and is second on the team in total tackles (44) and third in sacks (4.5). Sanders was named the MIAC defensive player of the week and was named to the D3football.com team of the week after recording seven tackles — 3.5 for loss — in the Johnnies’ 34-0 victory over Gustavus Adolphus last week. Sanders had one of the Johnnies’ six sacks.

The Johnnies are sixth in the nation in run defense, but only second in the MIAC. Bethel leads D-III allowing only 37 rushing yards (5.3 per game).

St. Thomas will be looking for its fifth consecutive victory when it travels to Morehead (Ky.) State on Saturday.

The Tommies (5-3, 4-0 Pioneer) are tied with Drake atop the conference standings, while Morehead State (5-3, 3-1) is tied with Dayton for third.

The Tommies are coming off a 34-14 victory over San Diego in St. Paul, while Morehead State has allowed only 13 points in its past two games — a 14-7 victory over Presbyterian and a 14-6 victory over Dayton.

The Tommies and Eagles have met only once since the Tommies joined the Pioneer League in 2021. The Tommies defeated the Eagles 35-28 last year in St. Paul.

Augsburg receiver Tyrone Wilson tied a program single-game record with four TD receptions in the Auggies’ 35-34 victory over St. Olaf last Saturday in Minneapolis.

Wilson’s final TD came in OT. On a fourth-and-10 from the 25-yard line, Auggies quarterback Ryan Harvey found Wilson in the back of the end zone, who made the catch over two defenders. The PAT gave the Auggies a 35-28 lead. The Oles scored on their first play of the OT and elected to go for a two-point conversion. The pass was caught out of bounds.

Wilson, a junior from Ellendale, Minn., had eight receptions for 113 yards. On the season, Wilson has caught 48 passes for 693 yards and 10 TDs.

The Auggies play at Concordia (Moorhead) on Saturday.