MANKATO, Minn. — Minnesota State has been where Slippery Rock University's football team is trying to go.

The Mavericks — SRU's opponent in Saturday's 12:30 p.m. NCAA Division II semifinal at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium — played in the national championship game in 2014. The team dropped a 13-0 decision to CSU-Pueblo in the title contest that year.

The program hasn't dropped many football games since.

“The seniors on this year's team were recruited on the heels of that season,” 10th-year Minnesota State coach Todd Hoffner said. “That was an exciting time for a kid out of high school to come here.”

Including the 2014 campaign, Minnesota State has won 71 of 79 games. The Mavericks have posted 11-0 regular season records in each of the past three seasons.

Last year's team reached the national semifinals, dropping a 42-25 decision to Ferris State (Mich.) on the Mavericks' home field.

Ferris State is hosting West Florida in the other Div. II semifinal this Saturday. None of the four semifinalists this season has ever won a national championship.

“We don't mind traveling at all,” Hoffner said. “To have an opportunity to play a football game as one of the last four teams ... you'd have to check your pulse if you're not excited to be a part of that, no matter where it is.”

Minnesota State competes in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). When the Mavericks won their conference title in 2011, it ended an 18-year drought in that regard.

This year's team is averaging 518 yards and 47.2 points per game. It is allowing an average of 12.7 points per contest and has held eight of its opponents to seven points or less.

“We had only six seniors last year, so the bulk of that team is back,” Hoffner said. “We've got 15 seniors this year.

“Our offensive coordinator is in his fifth year. Our defensive coordinator is in his fourth. We've been running smoothly for a while now.”

Defensively, the Mavericks have 21 interceptions, 85 tackles for loss and 44 quarterback sacks. Brayden Thomas has 17 TFL's and 10 sacks, Zach Robertson 12.5 TFL's and five sacks.

Robertson leads the team with 66 tackles.

“We have a lot of talent on that side of the ball,” Hoffner said of his defense. “We play 22 kids on defense every game. We keep them fresh, active, competitive and hungry.”

Offensively, the Mavericks have rushed for 3,890 yards. Nate Gunn has 226 carries for 1,557 yards and 26 touchdowns, including 24 carries for 174 yards in last week's 42-21 quarterfinal win over Texas A&M Commerce.

Third-year starting quarterback Ryan Schlichte has thrown for 1,354 yards, 15 touchdowns and five interceptions. J.D. Ekowa has thrown for 1,170 yards, nine TDs and three interceptions. He has also rushed for 424 yards.

“Our offense can go in a lot of different directions,” Hoffner said. “Our coordinator does a good job of figuring out what the defense is giving us that day and getting the ball into the hands of our playmakers.

“We've thrown for 300 yards in games. We've rushed for over 200. Our attack is versatile.”

Shane Zylstra has 66 catches for 1,379 yards and 15 touchdowns. Justin Arnold contributes 38 catches for 508 yards.

The NSIC has had five teams reach the Div. II playoffs in recent years, “usually two or three each year,” Hoffner said. Minnesota-Duluth won national championships in 2008 and 2010.

Included on Minnesota State's schedule this year are consecutive wins of 74-17 over the University of Mary, 81-0 over Minnesota-Crookston and 62-7 over Wayne State.

“We tell our kids to play hard,” Hoffner said. “We played our third-string quarterback, fourth-string tailback in those games ... You never want to see a score get like that.

“Our conference is very competitive, with a lot of tradition.”

Only one team has finished a game within 14 points of Minnesota State on the scoreboard this season. Sioux Falls — a consistent playoff participant — dropped a 42-39 decision to the Mavericks in Week 10 of the regular season.