Aug. 15, 2007

LIBERTY, Mo. - Preseason accolades continue to pour in for the the Bemidji State University football team. The Beavers have been tabbed as the No. 20 team in the country in the 2007 D2football.com Preseason Top-25 Media Poll. The announcement came late Tuesday evening.

The ranking is the first ever in the D2football.com preseason poll and follows the June release of Lindy's 2007 projection in which BSU earned its highest national preseason selection ever at No. 13. That poll marked the first time the Beavers had ever cracked the Top-15 of any nation-wide poll and was the first preseason tabbing since earning back-to-back laurels prior to the 2001 and 2002 seasons in Lindy's.

The Beavers are the only NSIC team to appear in the 2007 D2football.com Preseason Media Poll although Minnesota State University Moorhead junior defensive back Josh Jones earned a spot as a Second Team selection on it’s 2007 Preseason All-American squad.

Bemidji State is coming off a season in which it went 9-3 overall and posted a perfect 8-0 mark in league play. The team also captured the first outright conference championship in its history before falling 35-27 to No. 16 Pittsburg State (Kan.) in its first appearance at the Mineral Water Bowl in Excelsior Springs, Mo.

Reigning NSIC coach of the Year Jeff Tesch will look to Don Hanson Preseason All-American selections Zach Stafford (Sr., DT), John Keaveny (Sr., OL), Justin Guy (Sr., OL), Anthony Schreiber (Sr., WR) and Zach Christ (Sr., LB) to lead the way for the Beavers in 2007. Tesch, who is in his 12th year at BSU, returns 17 starters from his 2006 title team including 10 of 11 form a defense that led the nation in yards allowed against the run a year ago.

BSU lifts the lid on the 2007 campaign Sept. 1 when it travels to Duluth, Minn. to battle University of Minnesota Duluth in a 6 p.m. non-conference contest at Malosky Stadium.

2007 D2football.com Preseason Top-25 Media Poll
1. Grand Valley State (Mich.)
2. Northwest Missouri State
3. North Dakota
4. North Alabama
5. Chadron State (Neb.)
6. Nebraska-Omaha
7. Delta State (Miss.)
8. Shepherd (W.V.)
9. South Dakota
10. Valdosta State (Ga.)
11. Bloomsburg (Pa.)
12. Pittsburg State (Kan.)
13. Northwood (Mich.)
14. Newberry (S.C.)
15. West Texas A&M
16. Abilene Christian (Tex.)
17. West Chester (Pa.)
18. Midwestern State (Tex.)
19. Elizabeth City State (N.C.)
20. Bemidji State
21. California
22. Carson-Newman
23. Missouri Western
24. Washburn (Mo.)
25. Albany State

-bsu-