The University of Minnesota Duluth quest to defend its NCAA Division II championship continues this Saturday (Nov. 26) when the Bulldogs take on undefeated and No. 1-ranked Colorado State University-Pueblo in a second round road playoff clash. Opening kickoff is set for 1 p.m. (CST) at the Neta and Eddie DeRose ThunderBowl (6,500 capacity/artificial surface) on the CSU-Pueblo campus.

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THE RECORDS: UMD is 10-2 overall and owned a share of the 2011 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference championship (with St. Cloud State University and Minnesota State University-Mankato) by going 8-2 in league play. CSU-Pueblo sports a perfect 11-0 record in all games and placed first in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference with a 9-0 mark.

HOW THEY RANK: Here is how UMD and CSU-Pueblo stacked up in the final regular season American Football Coaches Association Division II and D2Football.com polls and the NCAA II Super Region 3 rankings:

        AFCA    D2Football    Region 3
UMD    9th    9th    4th
CSUP    1st    2nd    1st
    
THE BROADCAST: The Bulldogs-ThunderWolves clash will be carried locally on 1490 The Fan (KQDS-AM) with Jeff Papas handling the play-by-play responsibilities. The broadcast can also be heard on KQ 105.5 FM in Grand Rapids/Hibbing and KQ 106.7 FM in Ely/Virginia and on the internet at: www.fan1490.com.

In addition, the game will be videostreammed as well and can be accessed at: www.b2livetv.com/static/csupueblo.html.

THE COACH: The numbers certainly speak for themselves. Two NCAA II championships, five NSIC titles (including the last four in a row), three perfect 11-0 regular seasons, five NCAA II playoff appearances, 89 victories and a .793 overall winning percentage. Bob Nielson has accomplished all this -- and much more -- in just nine seasons of head coaching activity at UMD.

Last fall, Nielson and the Bulldogs did something no other NCAA II club had ever been able to do – finish 15-0 for a second time. Along the way, UMD brought home the school's second NCAA II title and third consecutive NSIC crown (a program first), amassing a 10-0 league mark for the third time in as many years. For his efforts, Nielson was bestowed with two of the most prestigious national coaching honors in Division II football – the American Football Coaches Association DII Coach of the Year and the Liberty Mutual DII Coach of the Year awards – in addition to being selected for that same honor by Don Hansen's Football Gazette and the NSIC.

Nielson returned to the UMD sidelines in 2008 following a four-season hiatus and proceeded to oversee one of the most impressive one-year turnarounds in NCAA Division II history, taking a club which had gone 4-6 in 2007 and molding it into a national champion. Along the way, his Bulldogs rolled up a 15-0 overall mark (only the third NCAA II team to ever accomplish that feat), set or equaled 50 team and individual records, captured the NSIC title and turned out a whopping nine All-Americans. He followed that up two years ago by going 11-2 in all games and advancing to the quarterfinal round of the NCAA II playoffs.

Named the 2008 NCAA II Coach of the Year by American Football Monthly magazine, D2Football.com, and the Football Gazette, Nielson now owns a dazzling 89-23 overall record at UMD (that .795 winning percentage is far and away the best mark in the program's storied 79-year existence) and is 159-56-1 (.738) in his 19 seasons of coaching at the collegiate level.

Nielson, a three-time NSIC Coach of the Year honoree (2010, 2008 and 2002) 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, 52, 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 for two years at Ripon College (1989-90).

NIELSON BY THE NUMBERS
Record at UMD (Year)    89-23 (9th)
Overall Coaching Record (Year)    159-56-1 (19th)
Career NCAA II Playoff Record    10-2
Career NCAA III Playoff Record    3-3
Career NSIC Record    68-14
vs. CSU-Pueblo    0-0

THE RIVALRY: UMD and CSU-Pueblo will meet for the first time ever Saturday.

LAST WEEK: UMD used a relentless ground attack -- and a pair of rushing touchdowns from both senior running back Zach Hulce and junior quarterback Chase Vogler to clip Saginaw Valley State University 30-27 in overtime Saturday afternoon Malosky Stadium. The Bulldogs, who were hosting their first opening round playoff game ever, amassed 260 rushing yards on 61 carries -- the last of which Vogler parlayed into a one-yard scoring run to seal the victory in overtime. Saginaw Valley State, on the other hand, did almost of its offensive damage through the air, rolling up 344 yards compared to just 34 via the rush. Subsequently, UMD held a substantial advantage in both time of possession (39:38 to 20:22) and first downs (23 to 13). Hulce wound up running a career-high 27 times for 123 yards while rookie running back Brian Lucas added another 67 ground yards on 18 attempts.

The ThunderWolves have idle been since capping off a perfect 11-0 regular season with a 48-7 thrashing of RMAC rival Western New Mexico University on Nov. 12 in Pueblo.

AYE, AYE, CAPTAIN: The Bulldogs' team captaincy duties this fall are being shared by the senior tandem of two-time All-NSIC North Division first team picks Cory Flesch, an offensive tackle and outside linebacker Rob Huberty.

PLAYOFF PASTS: This marks the sixth year -- all since 2002 -- the Bulldogs have been invited to the NCAA II dance and they are 10-3 in their 13 lifetime playoff clashes. With the exception of a first-round loss at the University of North Dakota in 2005 (when UMD was under the direction of Kyle "Bubba" Schweigert), Bob Nielson has been at the Bulldog helm for all of those engagements. A complete listing of UMD's NCAA II playoff appearances is as follows:

Date    Opponent    Round    UMD-OPP
11/23/02    @NW Missouri State    1st    41-45
11/12/05    @North Dakota    1st    12-23
11/22/08    Chadron State    2nd    20-10
11/29/08    @Grand Valley State    Quarters    19-13 OT
12/6/08    @California U. (Pa.)    Semis    45-7
12/13/08    NW Missouri State    Champ.    21-14
11/21/09    Nebraska-Kearney    2nd    42-7
11/28/09    Grand Valley State    Quarters    10-24
11/27/10    St. Cloud State    2nd    20-17 OT
12/4/10    Augustana    Quarters    24-13
12/11/10    NW Missouri State    Semis    17-13
12/18/10    Delta State    Champ.    20-17
11/19/11    Saginaw Valley State    1st    30-27 OT

THESE 'DOGS HAD THEIR NSIC DAY: A pair of three-time selections -- senior placekicker David Nadeau and senior strong safety Cody Eich -- highlighted the list of 15 Bulldogs who received All-NSIC North Division recognition for 2011. Accompanying Nadeau and Eich on the 27-member All-NSIC North Division first team were senior offensive tackle Cory Flesch, junior offensive guard Garth Heikkinen, senior outside linebacker Rob Huberty, sophomore defensive end Chris Vandervest, and senior outside linebacker Derrick Zappa. UMD also placed three more players on the All-NSIC North Division second team -- junior free safety Cameron Harper, sophomore center Eli Kelly and first-year wide out Zach Zweifel -- while honorable mention status was attained by sophomore cornerback Kenny Chowa, junior tight end Ben Helmer, senior offensive guard Francis Herzog, sophomore offensive tackle Tom Olson and junior quarterback Chase Vogler. Nadeau, the holder of some 15 school single-game, season and career records, was voted to the first team for a third straight time. Eich (a second team choice in 2009), Flesch, Heikkinen and Huberty are each repeat first team selections, and Harper, Herzog, Kelly and Vogler all made the 2010 first team as well.

THEY'VE BEEN DOWN THIS ROAD BEFORE: Three years ago, the Bulldogs collided with 11-0 Grand Valley State University, the No. 1 ranked club in both the AFCA and D2Football.com polls, in the quarterfinals of the NCAA II playoffs and walked out of Allendale, Mich., with a 19-13 overtime victory in tow.

LEADING THE CHASE: Junior quarterback Chase Vogler, who has compiled a 35-3 record as a starter (6-1 in the NCAA II playoffs) since taking over that role two years ago as a true freshman, is now third all-time among Bulldogs both in passing yardage (4,991) and total offense (6,977 yards). In his 40 career outings with the Bulldogs, Vogler has completed 63.3 percent of his passes (including a NSIC-leading 65.1 percent this fall) and possesses a 144.1 pass efficiency rating. He has also run for more yards (1,986) than any signal caller to ever wear a UMD uniform.

GOING 'FOUR' IT: With its 31-19 regular season finale triumph over visiting Minnesota State-Mankato, UMD became the NSIC's first four-peat champion since the University of Minnesota-Morris accomplished that feat from 1975-78.

A CASE FOR THE DEFENSE: UMD currently ranks eighth in the NCAA II in total defense (277.8 yards per game) and has also allowed just 17.7 points an outing this fall -- a figure surpassed by only 10 other schools in the country -- after pacing the NCAA II ranks in that department one year ago (12.7 ppg). One of those schools is CSU-Pueblo, which tops that nation at 9.1 ppg.

HEADING DOWN THE HOME STRETCH: The 2011 roster contains some 13 seniors, including running back Nate Bauer, wide receiver Justin Claiborne, cornerback Joe Doherty, strong safety Cody Eich, offensive tackle Cory Flesch, offensive guard Francis Herzog, outside linebacker Rob Huberty, running back Zach Hulce, offensive tackle Qortney McLeod, placekicker David Nadeau, inside linebacker Max Phillips, strong safety Jarrel Young and outside linebacker Derrick Zappa. Among the collective accomplishments of this senior class are a pair of NCAA II national championships, two perfect 15-0 seasons (a NCAA II football first), four straight NSIC titles, two separate 17-game winning streaks and a 51-4 overall record. Of that group of 13, only Hulce (a transfer from the University of West Virginia) and Young (University of Nebraska) were part of the UMD program as first-year freshmen.

A TACKLING TRIO:  Three Bulldog seniors -- strong safety Cody Eich and outside linebackers Derrick Zappa and Rob Huberty -- each eclipsed the 200-tackle plateau at some point this season. Eich now has 235 stops (which is good for the No. 10 spot on UMD's all-time charts), Zappa has 222 and Huberty has 202. Both Eich and Huberty are expected to make their school-record 56th straight career appearances this Saturday against CSU-Pueblo and are the only two current Bulldogs who have played in all 11 of UMD's playoff engagements over the past four seasons. The UMD record for lifetime games played is also 56 set by inside linebacker Robbie Aurich between 2006 and 2010.

GETTING HIS KICKS: Senior placekicker David Nadeau, who last month at the University of Mary eclipsed a 34-year old team record by nailing a 55-yard field goal, continues to top the 2011 Bulldogs in scoring with 79 points while connecting on 11 of 14 field goals and 46 of 46 extra points. The first UMD placekicker to ever secure all-conference recognition on more than one occasion (he was an All-NSIC North Division first team honoree in 2011, 2010 and 2009), Nadeau has made good on 21 of his last 25 three-point attempts going back to last year and will take a school-record string of 70 consecutive point-after conversions (a personal best) into this Saturday. (The last time he missed an extra point try was on Oct. 30, 2010 against visiting St. Cloud State). The White Bear Lake, Minn., native now owns some 15 UMD single-game, single-season and career records and has racked up more field goals (42), extra points (253) and total points (379) than any kicker in UMD history. Nadeau, who rolled up 119 points -- a number unsurpassed by any NCAA II kicker lone year ago, has averaged a career-best 59.0 yards per kickoffs this fall.

BUT THAT'S NOT ALL: Kicking footballs isn't the only thing David Nadeau has done well at during his time at UMD. He maintains a 3.67 cumulative grade point average as a civil engineering major and has attained Capital One Academic All-District honors in each of the past two seasons in addition to earning a spot on the NSIC All-Academic Team as a sophomore, junior and senior.

MADE TO BE BROKEN: The 17-game victory streak that came to an end on Sept. 17 at Wayne State ranks as the second longest in the program's 79-year existence. That run was only bettered by the 20 victories the Bulldogs posted in succession during a two-year stretch until UMD was toppled 29-0 by Minnesota State University-Moorhead on Oct. 31, 1981 before what was, prior to earlier this season, the largest crowd in Malosky Stadium history (5,862).

UMD'S TOP 5 ALL-TIME WINNING STREAKS
Games    Dates
20        Nov. 3, 1979-Oct. 24, 1981
17        Aug. 28, 2010-Sept. 10, 2011
17        Nov. 10, 2007-Aug. 29, 2009
15        Sept. 28, 1985-Oct. 25, 1986
13        Sept. 29, 1973-Oct. 19, 1974

WHAT A RUSH: Senior running back Zach Hulce (four times), first-year running back Brian Lucas (three times), redshirted freshman running back Austin Sikorski (twice) and junior quarterback Chase Vogler (once -- two weeks ago against Minnesota State-Mankato) have combined to eclipse the 100-yard rushing barrier on 10 occasions this fall. UMD is the nation's tenth best team at running the ball (247.0 ypg) and the 12th at stopping it (102.3 ypg).

THE GIFT OF GRAB: UMD quarterbacks Chase Vogler and Jon Lynch have divvied up their 159 completions among a dozen Bulldogs this season. Sophomore wide receiver Joe Reichert, who ranks second to true freshman Zach Zweifel in pass receptions among Bulldogs (a career-high 31), has made at least one catch in all 12 games thus far -- the only UMD player to do so.

BULLDOG BITS: UMD is now 3-0 all-time in NCAA II playoff overtime games with all three of those triumphs coming in Duluth. The Bulldogs also have never lost a second-round playoff outing, going 3-0 (all at home) ... The 2011 NSIC title was the Bulldogs' 17th (only Winona State University, with 18, has more) and their 21st league championship overall (three in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and one in the now-defunct North Central Conference) ... ... Through 12 games, sophomore inside linebacker and first-year starter Colby Ring still holds down the top spot on the UMD defensive charts with 86 tackles and is one of eight Bulldogs to be on at least one quarterback sack ... The Bulldogs are 89-1 in the last 90 outings they've been ahead after three quarters going back to November 2001 ... Since assuming a full-time starting outside linebacker assignment in 2009, senior Rob Huberty has recovered eight fumbles and brought back three of those for touchdowns (all last fall which was a program first). Huberty's 17.5 career sacks are the fourth most ever recorded by a Bulldog ... Five true freshmen have seen field time this fall for UMD -- wide receivers Zach Zweifel and Aaron Roth, running back Brian Lucas, linebacker Gavin Brown and cornerback Mustafa Akbar ... With the exception of two times (Sept. 19, 2011 and on Oct. 31, 2011), UMD has cracked the Top 10 in every AFCA II poll since Sept. 29, 2008. It did hold down the top spot in that ranking from Nov. 8, 2010 until after its 7-0 loss to Wayne State earlier this season when it tumbled to No. 11  ... Over one quarter (4.5) of the 16 total tackles freshman Gavin Brown has figured in on this fall have been quarterback sacks ... the Bulldogs have converted each of their last six fourth-down conversions over the past two games ... Only two of junior Chase Vogler's 11 touchdowns this fall have been thrown on the road (at Bemidji State University on Sept. 24 and at Winona State University two weeks later) ... The Bulldogs are 4-0 lifetime against members of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. They are 3-0 vs. Chadron State College and last derailed the visiting Eagles in the second round of the 2008 NCAA II playoffs in Duluth and 1-0 vs. the University of Nebraska-Kearney (a 42-7 win in the same round one year later in Duluth) ... Senior strong safety Cody Eich, senior outside linebacker Rob Huberty and junior left guard Garth Heikkinen have each started all 41 games over the last three seasons ... UMD has outscored the opposition 184-93 in the opening half of play this season ... Senior running back Zach Hulce's 27 carries in last Saturday's 30-27 win over Saginaw Valley State were the most by a Bulldog since All-American rushed 28 times against Northern State University on Oct. 10, 2009.

TO THE VICTORS: This Saturday's winner will move on to the quarterfinal round of the NCAA II playoffs (Super Region 3 finals) on Dec. 3 to face either No. 2 seed University of Nebraska-Kearney or No. 6 Wayne State University (Mich.). Those two clubs will also meet this Saturday afternoon in Kearney. Should Wayne State and UMD prevail, next week's clash would be at James S. Malosky Stadium.