Sean Arbaut/MSU Athletics The Minot State football team prepares to take the field before an NSIC football game played earlier this season at Herb Parker Stadium.

Five games in and only one win each for the Minot State (1-4) and Upper Iowa (1-4) football programs.

The pressure to win is mounting, and the feeling of anxiety that comes with that is mutual around the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference this season with a clear divide between the haves and have nots.

Six out of the 16 NSIC football teams currently bolster one conference win on the season, and then there is winless U-Mary bringing up the rear.

At the top, there are six teams with winning records in conference, led by undefeated and national ranked programs in No. 7 Minnesota Duluth in the North and No. 1 Minnesota State Mankato in the South.

A second win for Minot State or Upper Iowa this afternoon at Herb Parker Stadium would help in trying to bridge the ever-expanding gap between the top and bottom of the NSIC, while a fifth loss creates a bigger hole that’s eventually going to cave in.

The Beavers enter the contest after getting pushed around in 56-14 loss to Sioux Falls.

“I think the morale is OK,” MSU football coach Mike Aldrich said. “I told them after the game that I was proud of how they fought. USF is a good football team and they are going to win a lot of games and, unless they shoot themselves in the foot, they will be playing more than 11 games. So, I thought we competed hard against a team we were outmatched against, whereas the week before, I didn’t think we competed very hard against a team I thought we outmatched.

“The (players) have a much shorter attention span and memory than the coaches do, so they are able to bounce back a lot quicker.”

Upper Iowa’s 1-4 overall record is a little misleading with the Peacocks losing three games by four points or less. Their only win so far was a 34-33 nail-bitter against then-ranked No. 11 Winona State.

“I don’t get into the misleading part, they are 1-4 just like we are,” Aldrich said. “They have been in some close ball games and didn’t find ways to win those games. They found a way to beat Winona and it came down right to the end for them to do it. So, they could easily be 0-5 or they could easily be 4-1.”

The Peacocks do most of their damage through the air with quarterback Brent Lammers. The senior is averaging 295.4 passing yards per game — second-most in the NSIC — and has thrown for 10 touchdowns.

Meanwhile, MSU has the better rushing attack by averaging 114.2 yards on the ground compared to Upper Iowa at 88.2 rushing yards per game.

“We are not in the mode of being able to scheme up against anybody in terms of our learning progression,” Aldrich said. “I think we will match up better than we did last week, so that gives us a lot more positives going into the game. But, for us, we got to focus on being able to truly make it a one-dimensional offense out of them. Make them have to throw the ball. If we can do a good job on the run, we can put ourselves in a better position for the pass.”

The Beavers’ defense was torched on the ground last week with NSIC leading rusher Gabriel Watson going off for 205 yards and two touchdowns. MSU has the sixth-best passing defense in the NSIC (213.4 passing yards allowed per game), but teams have opted to run through the Beavers than to throw over them.

There are a few more signs pointing to Upper Iowa having to stray away from its dominant passing attack.

MSU might be forced into a more run favorable 3-4 defensive look with linemen Logan Krueger and Matthew Cole being game-time decisions with injuries.

The Beavers rely heavily on their interception happy defensive backs in Kiante Goudeau and Chris Rivers. MSU has eight interceptions on the season, third-best in the NSIC.

Lastly, the frigid temperature makes it more appealing to just pound the ball.

“I think it will be a good match up,” Aldrich said. “If somebody can get out on top of somebody early, then I think they have a chance to really inflict their will after that.”

Offensively, Minot State is still trying to find its identity. The Beavers are averaging 254.2 yards per game — second-worst in the NSIC — with 19 points per game.

Freshman running back Lee Webb was back in the mix last week, replacing Jemal Williams, who was moved back to the defensive side of the ball. Webb rushed for 35 yards on 11 carries against Sioux Falls.

Quarterback Ben Bolinske went 12-for-25 with 140 passing yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Lavante Bushnell caught three passes for 54 yards and a touchdown.

A more productive offense and slowing down Upper Iowa’s aerial threat will be pivotal if the Beavers want to earn win No. 2 on the season this afternoon at Herb Parker Stadium.

Alex Eisen covers Minot State athletics, the Minot Minotauros and high school sports. Follow him on Twitter @AEisen13.