The University of Minnesota Duluth will continue on its diet of Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference North Division competition this Saturday (Oct. 19) when the Bulldogs welcome Minot State University to James S. Malosky Stadium (4,500 capacity/artificial turf) for the first time ever. Opening kick off is scheduled for 1:05 p.m.

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THE RECORDS: UMD is 5-1 both overall and in NSIC play (tied for second place with St. Cloud State University) while Minot State, which has dropped four straight, sports a 1-5 mark in all games and shares 14th place (with the University of Minnesota-Crookston and Minnesota State University-Moorhead) in the NSIC standings.

HOW THEY RANK: Here is how the Bulldogs and Beavers stacked up in this week's American Football Coaches Association Division II and the D2Football.com polls.

    AFCA    D2Football    
UMD    No. 9    No. 6
MSU    NR    NR  
     
THE BROADCAST: The UMD-Beaver matchup will be carried live on 1490 The Fan (KQDS-AM) with Jeff Papas handling the play-by-play responsibilities and ex-University of North Dakota offensive lineman Gregg Swartwoudt doing color. The broadcast can also be heard on KQ 105.5 FM in Grand Rapids/Hibbing , KQ 106.7 FM in Ely/Virginia as part of the Bulldog Sports Radio Network and at: www.fan1490.com.

In addition, My9 (KBJR DT 6.2/KRII DT 11.9) is televising all UMD home games during the 2013 season, including Saturday's bout with the Beavers. Northland Newscenter sports director Zach Schneider and former long-time UMD defensive coordinator Vince Repesh will serve as the on-air talent. The telecast, which is also available locally on Charter and Mediacom cable, will be videostreammed as well and can be accessed for free at: client.stretchinternet.com/client/umd.portal#

THE COACH: After spending the previous five years overseeing UMD offensive units which moved the football with as much proficiency as any NCAA II team in the country, Curt Wiese received a much-deserved promotion on Dec. 21, 2012 when he became the sixth head coach in the Bulldogs' storied 81-year history.

During his successful half-decade run as the team's offensive coordinator, the Bulldogs finished near the top of the NCAA II leader board four times in scoring (third last fall with a school-record 46.5 points per game average, fifth in 2008, sixth in 2010 and ninth four years ago) and in 2012 possessed the nation's seventh best rushing attack (after ranking seventh, fourth, and third, respectively, in that department the previous three seasons). The 2012 Bulldogs were also the nation's leader in third down conversions (54.8 percent). In addition, no less than 15 of his pupils landed some kind of All-American recognition, including a pair of Harlon Hill Award finalists -- quarterback Ted Schlafke (2008), the school's career passing and total offense leader, and running back Isaac Odim (2009), UMD's all-time top ground gainer and scorer and the holder of 17 school records. Wiese's starting offensive guard from 2009--12, Garth Heikkinen, became the school's first recipient of the Gene Upshaw Division II Lineman of the Year of Award and earned a playing spot in the annual East-West Shrine Game last January while offensive tackle Jake Bscherer participated in the Seattle Seahawks Training Camp this past summer.

Since Wiese's arrival at UMD in 2008, the Bulldogs have gone 67-8 (a record unmatched by any NCAA II school), captured two NCAA II national championships (2008 and 2010), four overall NSIC titles and five NSIC North Division crowns, made five NCAA II playoff appearances and produced two perfect 15-0 seasons.

Wiese, 37, came to UMD following two years of employment as the head coach at NCAA Division III member Marietta College (Ohio). He compiled a 9-11 career overall record with the Pioneers, including a 6-4 mark in 2006. The Stoughton, Wis., native signed on with the Marietta football program in 2003 when he became the team's offensive coordinator -- a duty he continued to maintain after he was elevated to head coach. In five years of directing the Marietta offense, Wiese helped churn out two All-Americans, 12 All-Ohio Athletic Conference selections and five Academic All-OAC honorees and was a finalist for the American Football Coaches Association Division III Assistant Coach of the Year Award in 2004.

Prior to his move to Marietta, Wiese worked as a graduate assistant at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, tutoring the tight ends for two years and the offensive line for one season. He entered the coaching arena a little over a dozen ago on the heels of a four-year collegiate playing career. After three seasons at Minnesota State University-Mankato (1995-97), Wiese transferred to the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, where as a senior in 1998, he quarterbacked the Pointers to a share of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title.

    WIESE BY THE NUMBERS
Record at UMD (Year)    5-1 (1st)
Overall Coaching Record (Year)    14-12 (3rd)
Career NSIC Record    5-1
vs. Minot State     0-0

THE SERIES: UMD and Minot State collided for the first time just one year ago (Oct. 13) in Minot, N.D., where the Bulldogs cruised to a 44-6 victory.

LAST WEEK: UMD toppled Minnesota State University-Moorhead 69-45 in a shoot out for the ages Saturday afternoon in Moorhead. as the two clubs combined to amass 114 points, 1,309 yards of total offense, 16 touchdowns and 56 first downs on the day. Austin Sikorski (212 yards) and sophomore running back Logan Lauters (153 yards) spearheaded a UMD ground game that rolled up 441 yards and accounted for six of UMD's nine touchdowns. Redshirt freshman quarterback Drew Bauer completed 13 of 21 passes for 178 yards and three scores in the victory -- UMD's 12th straight over the Dragons. Eight of Bauer's throws ended up in the hands of junior wide out Zach Zweifel, who finished with 106 yards and one touchdown. The Bulldogs, who never trailed the entire afternoon, took a 41-31 lead into halftime before doubling up on Minnesota State-Moorhead during the final 30 minutes of play.

Minot State was done in by NSIC rival Northern State University 22-21 Saturday, giving up a short touchdown pass and the ensuing two-point conversion with just four seconds to go in regulation. The host Beavers received a stellar performance from senior wide receiver Wayne Peters, who caught seven passes for 107 yards and one touchdown in the heartbreaking setback.

THIS IS YOUR CAPTAIN SPEAKING: The Bulldogs' team captaincy responsibilities this fall are being shared by a quartet of seniors -- strong safety Travis Nordhus, offensive tackle Tom Olson, inside linebacker Colby Ring and outside linebacker Nate Zuk -- along with junior wide receiver/return specialist Aaron Roth.

ANOTHER FAVORABLE NSIC FORECAST: For the first time since 2007 (when UMD was a member of the now defunct North Central Conference), the NSIC coaches chose someone other than the Bulldogs as the team to beat. In their annual preseason poll, the league coaches picked the defending NSIC kingpin Minnesota State-Mankato to finish first in both the South Division and in the overall standings while the Bulldogs were slotted to capture the North Division crown (for a sixth straight years) and place second to the Mavericks overall (like the did one year ago after a four-year run as league champs). UMD had been chosen as the overall NSIC preseason favorite during each of its previous six years of league membership (2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008 and 2003.

NORTHERN EXPOSURE: Since the NSIC instituted divisional play in 2008, the Bulldogs are a sizzling 31-2 against NSIC North Division foes with both of those two losses being inflicted by St. Cloud State on the road in 2012 (51-49) and 2011 (35-7). UMD is the reigning five-time defending NSIC North Division champion.

CUT TO THE CHASE: Chase Vogler returned to his alma mater this week and joined the Bulldog staff as a volunteer assistant coach. Vogler, who will help out with the defensive secondary, concluded a rewarding four-year quarterbacking career at UMD one year ago. In addition to finishing second all-time among Bulldogs in total offense yards (10,486) and third in passing yards (7,583), he completed a school-record 63.2 record percent of his career passes and also ran for more yards (2,903) than any quarterback in team history. The Inver Grove Heights, Minn., native was was 46-6 as a starter since assuming that role as a first-year freshman three games into the 2010 season. Those 46 victories are a UMD program best and were tops among all 2012 NCAA II quarterbacks. A member of the Beyond College Sports College Network All-American Team (honorable mention), the Don Hansen All-Super Region 3 Team (third team) and the NSIC All-North Division (second team) in 2012, Vogler quarterbacked UMD to one NCAA II national title, three NSIC overall championships and four NCAA II post-season appearances (going 7-3 in 10 games). He recently returned from Germany where he played professionally this past summer with the Bielefeld Bulldogs.

QUITE A RUN: Since the 2008 season opener, UMD owns both the highest victory total (67) and best winning percentage (.893 off a 67-8 record) of any NCAA II program.

    Wins (2008-present)
1.    UMD            67
2.    Northwest Missouri State    66
3.     Grand Valley State        56
4.    California U. (Pa.)        55
5.    Bloomsburg             54
6.    Minnesota State-Mankato    53
7.    West Texas A& M        51
8.    Missouri Western        50
9.    CSU-Pueblo            49
10.    Pittsburg State        48
                
    Winning Percentage (2008-present)
1.    UMD    (67-8)    .893
2.    Northwest Missouri State    (66-11)    .857
3.    Bloomsburg     (54-12)    .815
4.    Grand Valley State    (56-13)    .812
5.    Minnesota State-Mankato    (53-14)    .791
6.    CSU-Pueblo    (48-14)    .778
7.     California U. (Pa.)    (55-16) .775
8.    Shepherd    (46-16) .741
9.    West Texas A&M    (51-18) .739
10.    Missouri Western    (50-18) .735

BULLDOG BITS: The 690 yards of total offense Minnesota State-Moorhead accumulated last Saturday afternoon were the most ever by a Bulldog opponent. In addition, the two clubs combined for 112 points -- the highest scoring game in UMD history. Prior to Saturday, no  team had ever scored more than 43 points in a Bulldog triumph (the University of South Dakota succumbed to UMD 56-43 on Oct. 29, 2005 in Duluth).

• Both junior Austin Sikorski (212 yards) and sophomore Logan Lauters (153 yards) established career bests for rushing against Minnesota State-Moorhead. Sikorski now has eight 100-yard rushing days to his collegiate credit -- tops among all active Bulldogs -- while Lauters is next with five, including one in each of the past three games. Sikorski has run for a team-leading 702 yards this season and 2,178 yards (on 360 carries) during his Bulldog playing days.

• Junior wide out Zach Zweifel also reached a personal best for pass receiving yards (106) and equaled another for catches (8) Saturday. In the process, he eclipsed the 100-reception mark (he now has 101) -- something only 10 other Bulldogs had done previously (the last of those being current UMD graduate assistant coach Noah Pauley in 2007).

• Through six games, senior defensive end Chris Vandervest remains on target to become the first lineman to lead the Bulldogs in tackles since that statistic began officially being kept in 1982. Vandervest a third-year starter and two-time All-NSIC North Division honoree, has been credited with a team-leading 30 total tackles thus far, including 7.5 for a loss -- also tops among all 2013 Bulldogs.

• In last year's meeting at Minot State, current UMD sophomore inside linebacker Brent Stiglich came off the bench to figure in on a team-high and personal-best 10 total tackles. In that same game, wide out Aaron Roth generated 113 pass receiving yards, the highest output of his collegiate career.

• The Bulldogs rank sixth nationally in rushing offense (320.7 yards per game) and seventh in average time of possession (34:38).
 
• UMD has already returned three interceptions for touchdowns this season -- senior inside linebacker Colby Ring at Wayne State College, and junior nose tackle Buma Foncham and sophomore outside linebacker Nathan Zibolski at Upper Iowa University). That's one pick-six shy of the program single-season record set in both 2010 and 1986.

• Senior offensive tackle Tom Olson is expected to make his 48th consecutive start (which covers every game over the past four seasons) this Saturday. That's the third longest ironman streak in team history. The leader in that department is three-time All-American offensive guard and current Bulldog graduate assistant coach Garth Heikkinen (54 games between 2009-12), who is followed by record-breaking quarterback Chase Vogler (52 games between 2009-12). In terms of special teams players, three-time All-NSIC placekicker David Nadeau made 56 consecutive starts between 2008-11).

• UMD has given up only 13 points in the fourth quarter this year (one touchdown each at Upper Iowa University and Minnesota State-Moorhead) and has outscored its competition 76-17 in the opening 15 minutes of play

• The Bulldogs have cracked the Top 25 in every AFCA II poll since Aug. 12, 2008, and haven't fallen out of the Top 15 in over five years (the last time being Sept. 8, 2008).

•Two players -- senior Alex Brown and sophomore Andrew Brees -- have handled UMD's punting duties thus far. Brown, a third-year starter, has punted 15 times for a 32.3 yard average while Brees, the team's primary placekicker, is averaging 30.6 yards (seven punts). This is the first year since 1999 that two Bulldogs have had five or more punts.

•The 2013 UMD roster sports 21 seniors -- believed to be the most in program history.

FOOD COLLECTION: UMD and area Boy Scouts are teaming up for a "Scouting For Food" collection event at Saturday's game. Fans are encouraged to bring canned food items to James S. Malosky Stadium which will be go to Churches United in Ministry (CHUM) in Duluth.  Adults who donate will receive $2.00 off the price of their general admission ticket.

ON TAP: The Bulldogs will travel to Bemidji, Minn., for an Oct. 26 engagement with Bemidji State University.