The University of Minnesota Duluth will begin its NCAA Division II title defense this Saturday (Nov. 21) when the Bulldogs play host to the University of Nebraska-Kearney in a second round playoff confrontation. Opening kickoff is set for 12 p.m. at James S. Malosky Stadium (4,500 capacity/artificial turf) on the UMD campus.
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THE RECORDS: The Bulldogs, who have now won nine straight, are 10-1 overall this fall and captured their second consecutive Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference title with a perfect 10-0 mark. Nebraska-Kearney owns an 11-1 mark in all games and went 9-0 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play to claim its second ever outright league title.
HOW THEY RANK: Here is how UMD and Nebraska-Kearney stack up in the latest American Football Coaches Association Division II and D2Football.com polls and as well as the NCAA II Super Regional 3 rankings:
AFCA D2Football Region 3
UMD 4th 3rd 1st
UNK 6th 6th 4th
THE BROADCAST: Saturday's Bulldog-Loper clash will be carried locally on 1490 The Fan (KQDS-AM) with Mark Fleischer handling the play-by-play responsibilities. The broadcast can also be heard on KQ 105.5 in Grand Rapids/Hibbing and KQ 106.7 in Ely/Virginia and is available on the internet at: www.fan1490.com.
In addition, all UMD regular season games and home playoff games in 2009 will be videostreammed and can be accessed for free at: www.northernsun.tv.
THE COACH: After returning to the UMD sidelines last fall following a four-season hiatus, head coach Bob Nielson proceeded to oversee one of the most impressive one-season turnarounds in NCAA II history, taking a club which had gone 4-6 in 2007 and molding it into a national champion. Along the way, his Bulldogs amassed a 15-0 overall mark (only the third NCAA II team to ever accomplish that feat), set or equalled 50 team and individual records, captured the NSIC title by going 10-0 and turned out a whopping nine All-Americans and 17 All-NSIC honorees.
Named the 2008 NCAA II Coach of the Year by American Football Monthly magazine, D2Football.com, and the Football Gazette, Nielson owns an impressive 63-20 overall record at UMD (for a .759 winning percentage -- far and away the best mark in the program's rich 77-year existence) and is 133-53-1 (.714) in 17 seasons of collegiate coaching.
Nielson, the 2008 and 2002 NSIC Coach of the Year whose first tour of duty with the Bulldogs ran from 1999-2003, was officially appointed to his old post on Jan. 3, 2008. (He continues to also serve as UMD's athletic director, a position he's held since 2003-04). During his five previous years with the Bulldogs, Nielson helped marshal the UMD program to new heights. In 2002, for example, his Bulldogs posted their second unbeaten, untied regular season record at that time (11-0), advanced to the NCAA II playoffs for the first time ever and captured the NSIC championship. Nielson's resume also includes directing UMD to its inaugural post-season appearance (the 2001 Mineral Water Bowl in Excelsior Springs, Mo.) and the school's second greatest one-year turnaround to date (the Bulldogs went 7-4 in 2000 after managing a 3-8 mark the previous fall).
The runnerup for the 2002 American Football Monthly magazine NCAA II Coach of the Year award, Nielson, 50, joined the UMD staff in the spring of 1999 after he had guided the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire to a share of the 1998 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title (its first since 1983) and an initial berth in the NCAA III playoffs. He amassed a record of 22-11 in three years with the Blugolds, including a 10-3 mark in his farewell season when Wisconsin-Eau Claire notched a team standard for victories. Nielson, the Football Gazette's 1998 Division III Coach of the Year, also was employed for five years as the head football coach at his alma mater, Wartburg College, where he strung together five successive non-losing seasons and attained a pair of back-to-back NCAA III playoff berths (1993 and 1994) and two years at Ripon College (1989-90) in Wisconsin.
THE SERIES: The Bulldog and Lopers will collide for the first time ever this Saturday.
LAST WEEK: UMD has been idle since throttling Winona State University 41-16 in its 2009 regular season finale on Nov. 7 in Winona, Minn. Junior running back Issac Odim rushed 24 times for 128 yards and three touchdowns for the Bulldogs, who broke open a 13-9 halftime lead with 21 unanswered points in the third quarter.
Nebraska-Kearney rallied for a 35-20 home victory Saturday afternoon over Saginaw Valley State University in the opening round of the NCAA II playoffs. The Lopers trailed 20-7 in the third quarter before putting up 28 straight points en route to clinching their first postseason win of any kind since they were a member of the NAIA ranks in 1980.
PLAYOFF PASTS: This marks the fourth year -- all coming since 2002 -- that the Bulldogs have qualified for he NCAA II playoffs. On Nov. 23, 2002, coach Bob Nielson and the Bulldogs took an 11-0 record into Maryville, Mo., where it dropped a 45-41 first round decision to Northwest Missouri State University. UMD, under the direction of head coach Kyle "Bubba" Schweigert, returned to the tournament three years later (Nov. 12, 2005) and was ambushed by then-North Central Conference North Dakota in Grand Forks, N.D. Last fall, the Bulldogs posted consecutive wins over No. 12 Chadron State College (20-10 on Nov. 22 in Duluth,), No. 1 Grand Valley State University (19-13 in overtime on Nov. 29 in Allendale, Mich.), No. 7 California University-Pennsylvania (45-7 in California, Pa.) and No. 3 Northwest Missouri State University (21-14 on Dec. 13 in Florence, Ala.). That puts UMD's lifetime NCAA II playoff record at 4-2.
The Lopers are in the NCAA II playoff picture for the third time in school history. In 2002, Nebraska-Kearney fell to Texas A & M University-Kingsville (58-40) and were derailed by Pittsburg State University (49-20) three years ago. Both of those setbacks came at Cope Stadium in Kearney.
THIS IS YOUR CAPTAIN SPEAKING: The Bulldogs' team captaincy responsibilities in 2009 are being handled by a trio of seniors -- center Tobias Lemke and cornerbacks Cole Strilzuk and Brandon Wood.
THESE 'DOGS HAD THEIR DAY: The Bulldogs had half of their starting lineup land All-NSIC North Division first team recognition in 2009 in addition to securing both of the two major conference awards -- Offensive Player of the Year (junior running back Isaac Odim) and Defensive Player of Year (junior inside linebacker Robbie Aurich). Odim and Aurich were accompanied on the 24-player All-NSIC North Division first team by 10 fellow Bulldogs -- senior tight end Jake Coauette, senior outside linebacker Korey Horn, junior inside linebacker Kiel Fechtelkotter, senior center Tobias Lemke, sophomore placekicker David Nadeau, senior defensive end Kevin Pexa, senior cornerback Cole Strilzuk, senior offensive tackle Sam Whitney, sophomore D.J. Winfield, who made it as both a wide receiver and return specialist, and senior corner back Brandon Wood. Lemke, Odim and Winfield are repeat first-team picks, Aurich and Strilzuk were chosen to the 2008 All-NSIC North Division second team, and Whitney and Wood made honorable mention one year ago. The 2009 NSIC champions placed four more players on the All-North Division second team. That trio included sophomore strong safety Cody Eich, junior running back Brad Foss (a 2008 honorable mention honoree), senior nose tackle Tyler Johnson and junior defensive end Riley Lealos while freshman offensive guard Garth Heikkinen and sophomore punter Alex Miller both earned honorable mention acclaim.
SEE ISAAC, SEE ISAAC RUN: 2009 Harlon Hill Award finalist Isaac Odim ranks second at the moment among all NCAA II combatants in scoring (15.8 points per game), is third in rushing (149.0 ypg) and fifth in all-purpose yardage (192.7 ypg) and owns the third best yards per carry average (7.3) of any of runner in country. The junior All-American has become the first Bulldog to run for 1,000 yards in a season on more than one occasion (he has a school-record 1,639 yards this fall after registering 1,638 one year ago as a sophomore transfer) and already owns Bulldog career records for touchdowns (59, including 29 this season) and points (354). He also holds down the No. 2 spot on the school's all-time rushing charts with 3,277 yards -- trailing only Dave Rufledt (3,328 yards from 2001-04). Odim has eclipsed the 100-yard barrier in 11 straight games this fall (another school record) and 20 of his 26 games as a Bulldog. Odim, whose lowest rushing harvest in his one-plus seasons with the Bulldogs is 66 yards (on 10 attempts) in the 2008 season opener at Concordia University-St. Paul, set or equalled a host of team single-season marks last year including points (180), rushing yards, total touchdowns, rushing touchdowns (26) and 100-yard rushing games (nine). He has broken or tied all of those standards this fall with the exception of points (he is within six of matching that).
SCORE EARLY, SCORE OFTEN: The 2009 Bulldogs are outscoring the opposition 134-26 in the first quarter and 255-59 in the opening half. UMD has drawn first blood in nine of 11 games this fall and 23 of 26 outings since the opening of the 2008 season.
HIS DEFENSE NEVER RESTS: Junior inside linebacker Robbie Aurich, the 2009 NSIC North Division Defensive Player of the Year, heads into this weekend sitting atop the Bulldog defensive charts with 79 total tackles, which includes a team-high 45 solo stops. He's been the Bulldogs' leading tackler in 13 of the past 15 games (the exception being against the University of Mary and Minnesota State University-Moorhead earlier this year).
STAYING CLEAR OF THE OLD GOOSE EGG: UMD has now gone 59 games in a row without being shut out. The last team to hold the Bulldogs off the scoreboard was visiting St. Cloud State University, which pinned a 28-0 whitewash on UMD in the 2004 season finale (Nov. 6). In addition, UMD hasn't been blanked by an NSIC foe in its last 101 tries -- going back to a 7-0 setback at Southwest Minnesota State University on Oct. 28, 1989.
CATCH OF THE DAY: Wide receiver D.J. Winfield, the 2008 NSIC Newcomer of the Year who parlayed his team-leading 71 receptions into a school-record 1,201 yards, has caught at least one pass in each of his 27 games as a collegian (he played in one contest -- against Bemidji State University - during his injury-shortened rookie season in 2007). Although just a sophomore, Winfield already ranks fifth all-time among Bulldogs with 111 receptions and in pass receiving yards (1,717).
SACK IT TO THEM: Nebraska-Kearney leads all NCAA II clubs in quarterbacks sacks at the moment with an even 4.0 per game average while the Bulldogs rank fifth nationally (3.5).
A SENIOR MOMENT: A total of 12 Bulldog seniors -- all but one of whom have played their entire collegiate career at UMD -- are entering the final postseason activity of their collegiate careers. That group includes center Tobias Lemke, offensive tackle Dan Beck, offensive guards Derrick Brion, Oscar Strauss, who transferred to UMD from Phoenix College, and Sam Whitney, tight end Jake Coauette, linebacker Korey Horn, nose tackle Tyler Johnson, placekicker Brian Peek, defensive end Kevin Pexa, and cornerbacks Cole Strilzuk and Brandon Wood.
LEAD 'DOGS: UMD is 26-1 in its last 27 games and in those 26 victories has found itself trailing for a mere 10:54. Throw in the lone loss (13-10 to Central Washington University, the nation's lone remaining unbeaten NCAA II club, on Sept. 3, 2009) and the Bulldogs have still been behind only 42:12 during that entire 27-game stretch.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING: UMD currently ranks near the top in a host of NCAA II statistical categories such as:
Category Rank Avg.
Scoring Defense 2nd 12.0 ppg
Rushing Offense 2nd 303.9 ypg
Rushing Defense 2nd 54.5 ypg
Total Defense 4th 246.5 ypg
QB Sacks 5th 3.5 spg
Kickoff Returns 6th 25.1 ypr
Scoring Offense 7th 40.5 ppg
Sacks Allowed 7th 0.9 spg
THREE'S A CHARM: UMD has posted shut outs in three of its 10 wins thus far. That's the most blankings turned in by a UMD club since the 1986 Bulldogs also held three opponents scoreless. The team record in that department is five set in 1974.
INJURY UPDATE: UMD has no new injuries to report -- sophomore quarterback Jon Lynch (elbow), who is out for the season and redshirted freshman center Eli Kelley (wrist) are the only two Bulldogs who will not suit up Saturday because of injuries.
BULLDOG BITS: The Bulldogs are 3-0 all-time versus current members of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference with all three of those triumphs coming against Chadron State -- incuding a 20-10 triumph in the second round of the 2008 playoffs (UMD's first postseason win and first postseason home game) ... Senior right cornerback Brandon Wood tops the 2009 Bulldogs and the entire NSIC in pass breakups with a career-high 12. That's just two shy of the UMD single-season record set by Marcus Davis in 2005 ... The Bulldogs are 66-1 in the last 67 games they have been ahead after three quarters going back to November 2001. On the flip side, since defeating the University of South Dakota 23-21 on the road on Sept. 22, 2002, UMD has lost 22 straight times when trailing at the half and is 0-24 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 best South Dakota 14-10) ... Senior center and team tri-captain Tobias Lemke will take a string of 43 consecutive starts into Saturday's clash with Nebraska-Kearney. Lemke, a 2008 All-American and two-time team All-NSIC selection, has played in all 46 UMD games since initially hitting the field as a first-year freshman three seasons ago ... Chase Vogler, who has completed a commendable 64.7 percent of his passes in 2009 (97 of 150 for 1,254 yards and nine touchdowns), is the first true freshman to start at quarterback for the Bulldogs in 47 years ... Junior running back Brad Foss has come off the bench to rush for 100-plus yards three times in 2009 to boost his career total to five ... A victory Saturday would give the Bulldogs six home wins on the year, tying the single-season record currently held by the 2008 and 2002 Bulldogs ... Senior defensive end Kevin Pexa has achieved a personal best for quarterback sacks this season with 6.5 which leads all Bulldogs and gives him 13.0 sacks for his career ... UMD has held the upper hand in time of possession in all but two games this fall and those two, oddly enough, came in routs over the University of Mary (35-7 on Sept. 26) and Minnesota State University-Moorhead (76-7 on Oct. 3).
UP NEXT: Saturday's winner will advance to the NCAA II quarterfinals where they will face either Grand Valley State (seeded second in Super Regional 3) or Hillsdale College (No. 6) on Nov. 28 at the site of the higher seed. Those two Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conferene rivals will also square off this Saturday afternoon in Allendale, Mich.
