The University of Minnesota Duluth will make its sixth, and final home appearance of the 2007 football season Saturday (Oct. 27) when the Bulldogs square off with the University of North Dakota. Opening kickoff for the North Central Conference clash is set for 1 p.m. at Malosky Stadium (4,000 capacity/A-Turf) on the UMD campus.

The Bulldogs are 3-5 overall and 2-4 in NCC play (sixth place) while the Fighting Sioux own a 6-1 record in all games, including a 4-1 NCC mark (tied for second place with Central Washington University and the University of South Dakota).

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UMD-UND Football Notes




HOW THEY RANK: Here is how UMD and North Dakota stack up in this week's American Football Coaches Association Division II, d2football.com and NCAA Division II Northwest Region polls:



AFCA d2football NW Region

UMD NR NR NR

UND 9th 7th 3rd

THE BROADCAST: Saturday afternoon's Bulldog-Fighting Sioux matchup will be carried locally on KDAL-Radio (610 AM) with Ray Schow handling the play-by-play responsibilities. All UMD games during the entire 2007 season can be heard via the internet as well at: umdbulldogs.com.

THE COACHES: The 2005 NCC Coach of the Year, Kyle \"Bubba\" Schweigert (Jamestown College, 1985) is in his fourth season at UMD and has an 21-20 overall record to show for it, including a 0-4 mark against the Fighting Sioux. Two years ago, Schweigert directed his troops to an 8-4 finish (defeating three AFCA Top 20 teams along the way), a share of the school’s initial NCC title, and its second NCAA Division II playoff berth in four years. For his efforts, he was named the d2football.com Northwest Region Coach of the Year and the American Football Coaches Association Division II Coach of the Year for Region 5. Prior to officially being named the school's fifth head coach on Dec. 23, 2003, Schweigert spent 15 seasons at North Dakota where he helped guide the Fighting Sioux to six NCC titles. During his tenure, North Dakota also secured an NCAA II playoff berth on eight occasions, making it to the semifinal round four times and the title game twice (including in 2001 when it won the national championship). Schweigert began his Fighting Sioux coaching career as the team’s defensive secondary coach before taking over the defensive coordinator duties in 1998. Three years later, he added the title of assistant head coach.

Schweigert's former boss, Dale Lennon (North Dakota, 1985), assumed the North Dakota head coaching reins in 1999 and since then has rolled up a 86-23 record while winning at least a share of five NCC titles (1999, 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2006). In 2001, his North Dakota troops went 14-1 and captured the NCAA II championship and, two years later, returned to the title game. The 2001 AFCA NCAA II Coach of the Year served as a North Dakota assistant coach from 1988-96 before beginning a two-year head coaching stint at the University of Mary, where he produced a 12-9 mark. Lennon is 4-0 in his four career confrontations with UMD.

THE SERIES: The Bulldogs and North Dakota will collide for only the eighth time ever Saturday. The Fighting Sioux have won all seven of the previous meetings between the two clubs, including a 38-14 home decision one year ago (Oct. 28) when the Fighting Sioux found the end zone on each of its first four possessions and added another touchdown on a 55-yard interception return to build a 35-0 halftime lead.

LAST WEEK: UMD gave the University of Nebraska Omaha all it could handle for the better part of three quarters, but the unbeaten and No. 4-ranked Mavericks scored 21 straight points in the final 16 minutes of play to come away with a 42-17 NCC victory in Omaha. The Bulldogs, who, following a 21-yard field goal by senior placekicker Britt Baumann, trailed 21-17 with 2:27 left in the third quarter, gave up 361 yards of rushing offense Mavericks in the setback. Junior quarterback Ted Schlafke had a hand in both Bulldog touchdowns, connecting on a 59-yard strike -- his longest of the season -- to freshman wide out Bryan Gambuzza and 42-yarder to junior wide receiver Tony Doherty in the second quarter. Schlafke completed 29 of 48 passes for 332 yards and no interceptions before being relieved in the waning stages of the game by sophomore Jared Beckwith. UMD senior wide receiver Brandan Anson led both teams with 11 pass receptions for 80 yards while freshman running back Brad Foss had a career-high six catches.

North Dakota has been idle since being ambushed 28-17 at home by those same Nebraska Omaha Mavericks on Oct. 13

THE LAST HURRAH: Some 11 Bulldog seniors will make their farewell collegiate appearances Saturday afternoon when UMD butts heads with North Dakota. That group includes linebackers Cody Ahmann, Nate Fears and Jon Rufledt, wide receiver Brandan Anson, place kicker Britt Baumann, defensive end Matt Beck, cornerback Eric Castellano, offensive tackle Russ Foster, punter Luke Radke, running back Joe Russell and nose tackle Scott Syverson. That departing group of Bulldogs will be recognized, along with their parents, prior to Saturday's game.

SO LONG, NCC: Saturday will mark the final NCC football game at Malosky Stadium. The NCC is dissolving at conclusion of the 2007-08 season and four of its current members -- UMD, Augustana College, Minnesota State University-Mankato and St. Cloud State University -- will set to join the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference next fall.



PUNTING HIS WAY INTO BULLDOG HISTORY: Senior Luke Radke became UMD's all-time leader for punts Saturday at Nebraska-Omaha. The four-year regular from Oconomowoc, Wis., punted five times on the afternoon to boost his career total to 206 -- one more than the previous UMD mark set by Steve Kragseth between 1982-85. With 102 more punting yards, Radke will also supplant Kragseth (7,683 yards) as the Bulldog record holder in that department as well.

A TALE OF TWO QUARTERS: The Bulldogs have outscored the opposition 64-59 in the second quarter of play this season but have been doubled up (58-29) in the third quarter.

SEE TED, SEE TED RUN: Ted Schlafke, who heads into this weekend ranking fourth on the NCAA II total offense charts (318.1 yards per outing), has paced the Bulldogs in rushing in five of the eight games to date and has ran for a team-leading and career-high 330 yards this fall. That's 138 yards more than Keith Bizzle rolled up all of last year when he finished as the Bulldogs' top ground gainer.

SEE TED, SEE TED PASS: Ted Schlafke also continues to rank first among his NCC brethren in pass completions (233) and is second in both passing yardage (2,215) and touchdown passes (20). Over the past five games, he has connected on 66.4 percent of his throws (156-of-235) with 10 touchdowns and only four interceptions while averaging 289 yards per outing. The two-time NCC All-Academic Team pick has now thrown at least one touchdown pass in 29 of his 30 games as a collegian. The only time he's been blanked in that department was Oct. 14, 2005 at Minnesota State-Mankato. The Stevens Point, Wis., native already holds down the No. 1 spot on the Bulldogs' all-time list for pass completions (790) and pass attempts (1,280) and is second in passing yards (8,082) and touchdown throws (69). Ricky Fritz is the team's all-time leader in those two categories (8,711 yards and 90 touchdowns between 1998-2002). Schlafke's .617 career completion percentage is also well above the current school record of .548 set by Darrell McKibbon from 1970-73.

LEAD 'DOGS: The Bulldogs are 40-1 in the last 41 games they have been up after three quarters and 34-1 when they've led at halftime going back to November 2001. UMD has also gotten on the scoreboard first in 19 of its last 20 victories. On the flip side, since defeating South Dakota 23-21 on the road on Sept. 22, 2002, UMD has lost 21 straight games when trailing at the half and is 0-23 when it's been behind heading into the final quarter (The Bulldogs last posted a win in that situation on Sept. 8, 2001 by rallying from a 10-7 deficit to nip the University of South Dakota 14-10).

LEADER OF THE SACK: Senior outside linebacker Cody Ahmann, who has started 30 consecutive games, is maintains the No. 3 position on UMD's defensive charts with 47 total tackles -- three stops shy of his career single-season best. That includes a team-leading 3.0 quarterback sacks (he shares that honor with junior defensive end Dustin Timmersman) which gives him 17.5 for his career -- the fourth highest figure ever turned in by a Bulldog. Only Russ Rabe (29.0 sacks from 2001-04), Sean Callahan (22.5 from 1988-91) and Geoff Fischer (21.5 from 2001-04) have had more.

INJURY UPDATE: Freshman linebacker Mike Tonsager (shoulder) will be sidelined for Saturday's game with North Dakota while junior offensive tackle Mitch Cady (foot) is being listed as questionable. In addition sophomore linebackers Robbie Aurich (wrist) and Korey Horn (foot), freshmen running back Rob Casasnovas (shoulder) and rookie wide out D. J. Winfield (ankle) are out for the season.

BULLDOG BITS: Senior placekicker Britt Baumann has converted 72 of his last 73 extra point attempts going back to September 19, 2005. His lone miss during that stretch came earlier this year against the South Dakota (Sept. 15) ... Half of UMD's schedule thus far has been comprised of AFCA Top 20 teams. The Bulldogs opened the year with a 31-14 victory over then-No. 20 Bemidji State University before falling to both No. 20 Missouri Western State University (45-27) and No. 19 South Dakota (36-22) the following two weekends. Last Saturday, No. 4 Nebraska Omaha upended UMD 42-17 ... Junior free safety Tyler Yelk, who has paced the Bulldogs in tackles in each of the past two seasons, continues his assent up UMD's all-time defensive charts. The 2006 All-NCC second team pick has had a hand in 235 stops (138 solos and 97 assists) which is the fifth highest total in team history ... Sophomore right offensive tackle Dan Beck made his first start of the season -- and sixth of his career -- in place of the injured Mitch Cady at Nebraska-Omaha ... Dennis Carter has hauled in a Bulldog rookie-record nine touchdown passes this fall but has only one scoring catch over the last four games ... The Bulldogs, who are 2-3 at Malosky Stadium this fall, need to win Saturday to avoid finishing with a losing home record for just the fifth time since moving on campus in 1966 ... North Dakota is the only league team the Bulldogs have not defeated since they joined the NCC in 2004, having gone 0-4 against the Sioux (that includes a first-round NCAA II playoff loss two years ago) during that span ... Some 16 different Bulldogs have registered a pass reception in 2007 ... Junior strong safety Jim Johnson, who currently shares the Bulldog tackles lead (with junior free safety Tyler Yelk) with 60 total stops on the season (a team-high 32 solos and 28 assists), is second among NCC defenders in interceptions with four ... A total of six first-year freshmen -- more than UMD has used in the past two seasons combined -- have been called into action this fall. That sextet includes wide outs Dennis Carter, Bryan Gambuzza, Noah Pauley, and D.J. Winfield, running back Rob Casasnovas and long snapper John Rautio ... UMD has now gone 24 games without producing a 100-yard rusher (Ted Schlafke has flirted with that milestone twice this season with 91- and 84-yard nights against Missouri Western State University and South Dakota, respectively). The last Bulldog to reach that milestone was current junior Marek Seta, who ran 25 times for a career-high 112 yards and one touchdown at Minnesota State-Mankato on Oct. 1, 2005. That also remains the only time in the past 30 outings a UMD player has rushed for 100 or more yards ... Senior inside linebacker Nate Fears, who earlier this fall became the 12th Bulldog to eclipse the 200-tackle plateau for a career, has started all but one of the UMD's 41 games over the past four seasons (he was sidelined for the 2004 finale against St. Cloud State while nursing an injured knee) ... The 361 yards of rushing offense Nebraska Omaha rolled up last Saturday was the most by a UMD opponent since Sept. 4, 1999 (377 yards vs. Minnesota State University-Mankato).



ON DECK: The Bulldogs will be idle next Saturday before returning to the gridiron on Nov. 10 to face host St. Cloud State in the 2007 season finale for both clubs.

COACHES SHOW: The UMD Coach's Show, featuring \"Bubba\" Schweigert, airs each Thursday during the 2007 season at 6 p.m. on KDAL-Radio (610 AM). Ray Schow hosts the one-hour program, which can also be heard via the internet at: umdbulldogs.com.