Buoyed by another record-breaking performance from freshman quarterback Ted Schalfke and some clutch second-half play from its defense, the University of Minnesota Duluth closed out the 2005 regular season by defeating St. Cloud State University 45-28 Saturday afternoon in St. Cloud, Minn.

The win gave the Bulldogs a share of the 2005 North Central Conference championship in only their second year as a member. UMD, the University of North Dakota, the University of South Dakota and the University of Nebraska Omaha all finished with 4-2 conference marks.

Schlafke established school single-game marks for completions (34) and pass attempts (52) while throwing for 430 yards and five touchdowns. Four of those touchdowns strikes came in the opening half of play when he helped stake UMD to a 35-28 lead. Schlafke, who became the Bulldogs' single-season leader for passing yardage (3,040 yards) and total offense (3,308 yards) in the victory, hooked up with sophomore wide receiver Vinny Flury for a touchdown on three occasions and once with junior tight end/fullback Mark Slinden. He also rushed for a team-best 78 yards on 21 carries. Junior wide receiver Greg Aker caught one pass for a score and ran for another (a five yard jaunt in the first quarter) for the Bulldogs, who move to 8-3 overall. In all three Bulldogs -- Flury (140 yards on nine catches), sophomore wide receiver Ross Schumacher (9 for 113) and freshman wide receiver Tony Doherty (7 for 103) all eclipsed the 100-yard receiving yardage mark.

Flury now has 68 catches to his 2005 credit while Aker has 63 to rank 1-2 on UMD's single-season pass reception list.

Freshman safeties Jim Johnson and Tyler Yelk, along with sophomore linebacker Nate Fears, each had a hand in a team-high eight tackles for a Bulldog defensive unit which blanked the 16th ranked Huskies (8-3 overall and 3-3 in the NCC) the final two quarters and forced six turnovers (three interceptions and three fumbles) on the day. Junior cornerback Marcus Davis also had a stellar afternoon defensively, picking off two St. Cloud State passes and breaking up three more.

UMD's postseason fate now rests in the hands of the NCAA Division II Football Committee, which will announce the 24-team field for the 2005 playoff championship on Sunday (Nov. 5) at 1 p.m. on ESPNews. The Bulldogs made their only NCAA II postseason appearance to date in 2002.