The two most successful teams in NCAA II football over the past half dozen seasons will collide this Saturday (Nov. 30) when the University of Minnesota Duluth pays a visit to Maryville, Mo., for a second-round playoff bout with Northwest Missouri State. Opening kickoff is set for 12 p.m. at Bearcat Stadium (6,500 capacity/artificial turf) on the Northwest Missouri State campus.

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THE RECORDS: UMD, which is riding a nine-game winning streak, is 11-1 overall and tied for second place (with St. Cloud State University) in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference standings by going 10-1. Northwest Missouri State owns a perfect 11-0 record in all games and captured the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association title with a 10-0 mark.

HOW THEY RANK: Here is how the Bulldogs and Bearcats stacked up in the latest American Football Coaches Association Division II and the D2Football.com polls and NCAA Division II Super Region Three Rankings.

    AFCA    D2Football    Region Three    
UMD    No. 5    No. 4    No. 4
NMSU    No. 2    No. 2    No. 1
        
THE BROADCAST: The UMD-Bearcat clash will be carried live 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 , KQ 106.7 FM in Ely/Virginia as part of the Bulldog Sports Radio Network and at: www.fan1490.com.

In addition, Saturday's second-round playoff game will be videostreammed and can be accessed for at: nwmissouri.edu/sports/.

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 a remarkable 73-8 (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 years 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)    11-1 (1st)
Overall Coaching Record (Year)    20-12 (3rd)
Career NSIC Record    10-1
Career UMD Home Record    5-1
Career UMD Road Record    6-0
vs. Northwest Missouri State     0-0

THE SERIES: The Bulldogs and Northwest Missouri State have collided only three times previously -- all in the NCAA II postseason. Their first meeting came on Nov. 23, 2002 in Maryville, where the Bearcats pulled out a 45-41 opening-round victory in UMD's first-ever NCAA II appearance. The Bulldogs had closed out the regular season one week earlier with an 11-0 record (another program first). Six years later, UMD capped off a 15-0 season and secured the school's first national football championship by besting Northwest Missouri State 21-14 in Florence, Ala. The two clubs hooked up again in the 2010 semifinals at James S. Malosky Stadium on a bitterly cold and blustery night (windchill temperatures reached -14.) UMD, ranked first in both major weekly polls and in the NCAA Super Region Three ratings, prevailed 17-13 over the No. 3 Bearcats.

LAST WEEK: UMD advanced to the second round by throttling Emporia State University 55-13 Saturday afternoon at Malosky Stadium. The No. 5 Bulldogs and No. 14 Hornets, who were meeting for the first time since 1955, entered the second quarter tied at 13-13 before UMD reeled off 42 unanswered points to post its most lopsided victory in 17 lifetime NCAA II playoff outings. Redshirt freshman quarterback Drew Bauer rushed 14 times for 173 yards and four touchdowns while junior running back Austin Sikorski added another 122 yard and one score on 15 carries. UMD defense held Emporia State to just 171 total yards (including -2 yards via the rush), some 342 yards below its per game average. They also sacked Hornet quarterback Corben Jones seven time and intercepted five of his passes.

Northwest Missouri State has been idle since closing out the regular season with a 51-21 triumph at MIAA rival (and then No. 19-ranked) Missouri Western State University on Nov. 16.

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.

ON A ROLL: UMD's current nine-game winning streak is its longest since the Bulldogs went a perfect 15-0 en route to claiming their second NCAA II national title in 2010.

THESE 'DOGS HAD THEIR (NSIC) DAY: A trio of three-time selections -- senior cornerback Kenny Chowa, senior offensive tackle Tom Olson and senior defensive end Chris Vandervest -- highlighted the list of 14 Bulldogs who received All-NSIC North Division recognition for 2013. Accompanying that threesome on the 27-member All-NSIC North Division first team were junior nose tackle Buma Foncham, junior offensive guard Andrew Muer, senior inside linebacker Colby Ring, senior center/offensive guard Grant Schnobrich and junior running back Austin Sikorski. (Chowa, Foncham and Ring were first team honorees as well one year ago while Sikorski and Schnobrich made the second team in 2012). UMD also placed three more players on the All-NSIC North Division second team -- redshirted freshman offensive tackle Peter Bateman, junior wide receiver Aaron Roth (a 2012 first teammer) and senior outside linebacker Nate Zuk. Honorable mention acclaim was attained by senior strong safety Travis Nordhus, senior tight end Jeremy Reierson, sophomore outside linebacker Nathan Zibolski and Roth (as a return specialist).

PLAYOFF PASTS: This marks the eighth year -- all since 2002 -- the Bulldogs have been invited to the NCAA II dance and they are 12-5 in their 17 lifetime playoff assignments. Bob Nielson coached the Bulldogs during all but two of those games -- last Saturday's win over Emporia and a first-round loss at the University of North Dakota in 2005 (when UMD was under the direction of Kyle "Bubba" Schweigert) 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    Quart.    19-13 2OT
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    Quart.    10-24
11/27/10 St. Cloud State    2nd    20-17 OT
12/4/10    Augustana    Quart. 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
11/26/11    @CSU-Pueblo    2nd    24-21
12/3/11    Wayne State (Mich.)    Quart. 25-31
11/17/12    @Missouri Western    1st    55-57 3OT
11/23/13    Emporia State    1st    55-13

Home: 7-2    Road: 3-3    Neutral Site: 2-0

The Bulldogs' active run of six straight postseason appearances is bettered by only one other NCAA II school -- Northwest Missouri State with 10. Overall, the Bearcats have made it to the NCAA II playoffs 18 times, winning national titles in 1998, 1999 and 2009.

THIS ISN'T THEIR FIRST RODEO: Nearly half of UMD's 20-member senior class has three years of NCAA II playoff experience on their collegiate resumes. Those nine Bulldogs include tight end Pat Alexander, cornerback Kenny Chowa, strong safety Travis Nordhus, offensive tackle Tom Olson, wide out Joe Reichert, inside linebacker Colby Ring, center Grant Schnobrich, defensive lineman Matt Wicklund, and defensive end Chris Vandervest. Of that group, Alexander, Nordhus, Olson, Reichert, Ring and Schnobrich, along with defensive end Jordan Bauman, are the lone active Bulldogs who saw field time in UMD's last NCAA II title game (2010).

DIVISION DOMINATION: Since the NSIC instituted divisional play in 2008, the Bulldogs are a sizzling 36-2 against NSIC North Division opponents (19-0 at home) with both of those two losses being inflicted by St. Cloud State (51-49 in 2012 and 35-7 in 2011). UMD laid claim to its sixth consecutive NSIC North Division champion this fall.

BACK AGAIN: This Saturday will be Curt Wiese's first trip to Northwest Missouri State as a member of the Bulldog coaching staff, although in on Sept. 14, 1996 he did suit up (but did not play) at Bearcat Stadium as the third-string quarterback for Minnesota State-Mankato in its 41-25 loss to the Bearcats.

START ME UP: Senior offensive tackle Tom Olson is expected to make his 54th consecutive start (which covers every game over the past four seasons) this Saturday in Maryville. That will give the Coon Rapids, Minn., product a share of the program's ironman record, which is now held by three-time All-American offensive guard and current Bulldog graduate assistant coach Garth Heikkinen (2009-12). In terms of special teams players, three-time All-NSIC placekicker David Nadeau made 56 consecutive starts from 2008 to 2011.

CATCHING ON FAST: Senor wide out Joe Reichert still needs just six more receptions to become the 13th member of UMD's 100-career catch club. A pair of his teammates -- juniors Zach Zweifel and Aaron Roth -- both reached that milestone earlier this fall and now have 118 and 100 receptions, respectively, as Bulldogs.

A WELL-GROUNDED ATTACK: The Bulldogs currently rank eighth among all NCAA II schools in rushing offense with a 303.1 yards per game average. The only time UMD has failed to crack the 200-yard ground plateau this season was on Sept. 21 when Minnesota State-Mankato limited the Bulldogs to 158 yards in a 21-17 victory. UMD, which as a team is averaging a nifty 6.0 yards a carry this fall, has produced a 100-yard rusher in six of its 12 games to date including:

Date    Player    Att.    Yds.    TD
Nov. 23    Drew Bauer    14    173*    4*
Nov. 23    Austin Sikorski    15    122    1
Nov. 16    Austin Sikorski    14    129    1
Nov. 9    Austin Sikorski    21    113    1
Oct. 12    Austin Sikorski    21    212*    3
Oct. 12    Logan Lauters    17    153*    3
Oct. 5    Austin Sikorski    17    177    2
Oct. 5    Logan Lauters    12    107    2
Sept. 28    Logan Lauters    11    103    3

*career highs

Junior running back Austin Sikorski now has eleven 100-yard career rushing days -- tops among all active Bulldogs -- while sophomore Logan Lauters, who has been sidelined the past two Saturdays with a lower body injury, is next with five. Sikorski has run for a career-high 1,239 yards this fall-- the fifth highest single-season output in program history -- while becoming the first 1,000-yard rusher in three years (Brad Foss with 1,151 yards was the last). He now occupies the No. 6 spot on UMD's all-time ground charts with 2,715 yards and has averaged 6.13 yards per carry for his career. That's the second best figure of any Bulldog runner with over 2,000 yards.

UMD CAREER RUSHING LEADERS
    Player (Year)    Att    Yds    TD
1.    Isaac Odim (2008-10)    589    4,224    72
2.    Dave Rufledt (2001-04)    648    3,228    47
3.    Brad Foss (2007-10)    531    3,001    30
4.    Ted McKnight (1973-76)    502    2,957    47
5.    Chase Vogler (2009-12)    525    2,903    39
6.    Austin Sikorski (2011- )    443    2,715    36

UMD SINGLE-SEASON RUSHING LEADERS
    Player (Year)    Att    Yds    TD
1.    Isaac Odim (2009)    259    1,808    29
2.    Isaac Odim (2008)    224    1,638    26
3.    Ted McKnight (1976)    220    1,482    22
4.    Corey Veech (1986)    269    1,377    19
5.    Austin Sikorski (2013)    184    1,239    15

IT'S GOT A NICE RING TO IT: Senior inside linebacker Colby Ring continues his climb up the Bulldogs' career defensive charts and now occupies the No. 6 spot on that list with 275 total tackles. He is now only one stop behind the No. 5 occupant, strong safety Jim Johnson (2005-06), two shy of strong safety Kevin Westbrock (1998-2001), at seven short of free safety Cameron Harper (2009-12) at No. 3. Ring paces all 2013 Bulldogs in tackles (58) and is followed by senior defensive end Chris Vandervest, who is seeking to become the first lineman to finish as UMD's leading tackler since that statistic began officially being kept in 1982. Vandervest, a third-year starter, has been credited with 53 stops thus far, including 15..0 for a loss and 4.0 quarterback sacks (both team-bests)
DEBUTING IN STYLE: In his first collegiate postseason activity last Saturday against Emporia State, second-year freshman quarterback Drew Bauer made quite the splash, establishing career highs for rushing yards (174) and rushing touchdowns (four). Both of those marks were also the best turned in by any player in the eight NCAA II first-round playoff games.

MANY HAPPY RETURNS: Junior Aaron Roth's 89-yard punt return -- for a touchdown -- three weeks ago at the University of Mary was the longest by a Bulldog in 38 years (Terry Egerdahl brought one back 94 yards for a score at St. Cloud State on Sept. 27, 1975). Roth has the Bulldogs' last two punt return touchdowns with the other coming against Minnesota Crookston on Nov. 5, 2011 in Duluth.

QUITE A RUN: Since the 2008 season opener, UMD owns both the highest victory total (73) and best winning percentage (.901 off a 73-8 record) of any NCAA II program.

    Wins (2008-present)
1.    UMD            73
2.    Northwest Missouri State    71
3.     Grand Valley State        62
4.    California U. (Pa.)        58
    Bloomsburg             58
    Minnesota State-Mankato    58
7.    West Texas A&M        55
8.    CSU-Pueblo            54
9.    Missouri Western        52
10.    Pittsburg State        51
    St. Cloud State        51
                
    Winning Percentage (2008-present)
1.    UMD    (73-8)    .901
2.    Northwest Missouri State    (71-11)    .866
3.    Grand Valley State    (62-13)    .827
4.    Bloomsburg     (58-13)    .817
5.    Minnesota State-Mankato    (58-14)    .806
6.    CSU-Pueblo    (54-14)     .794
7.     California U. (Pa.)    (58-18) .763
8.    Shepherd    (50-16) .758
9.    West Texas A&M    (56-19) .746
10.    St. Cloud State    (51-19)    .729

AT THE HEAD OF HIS CLASS: Junior offensive lineman Andrew Pattock, who maintains a 3.98 cumulative grade point average as a biochemical and molecular biology major, earned a spot on the 26-member Capital One Academic All-District 3 Division II team, which was announced earlier this month. Pattock will now try to become the school's sixth football Capital One Academic All-American. Then-senior free safety Cameron Harper attained that distinction one year ago.

NATIONALLY SPEAKING: UMD ranks among the NCAA II leaders in a number of statistical categories including:

Category    Rank    Total/Avg/Pct
Possession Time    3rd    35:18
3rd Down Conv. Defense    3rd    25.0%
4th Down Conv. Defense    4th    28.0%
Rushing Defense    5th    77.8 ypg
Total Defense    5th    272.1 ypg
Fumbles Recovered    5th    17
Scoring Defense    6th    14.8 ppg
3rd Down Conv.     6th    48.0%
Kickoff Returns    7th    25.2 ypr
Rushing Offense    8th    303.1 ypg
Red Zone Defense    12th    65.0%
Scoring Offense    11th    43.2 ppg
First Down Defense    13th    178
Kickoff Return Defense    13th    16.0 ypr
Red Zone Offense    14th    88.0%
Punt Returns    18th    14.5 ypr
Tackles For a Loss    19th    8.2 pg
Turnover Margin    19th    +0.9

BULLDOG BITS: The 55 points, 476 rushing yards, five interceptions and seven sacks the Bulldogs accumulated in their 55-13 win over Emporia State were all tops among the 16 NCAA II playoff participants last Saturday. UMD also allowed the fewest overall yards (171) and ground yards (minus-2) (171 yards) as well.

• UMD has 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 -- both at Upper Iowa University. That's one pick-six shy of the program single-season record set in both 2010 and 1986.

• UMD has given up only 13 points in the fourth quarter this year (one touchdown each at Upper Iowa University on Sept. 14 and Minnesota State-Moorhead on Oct. 19) and has outscored the competition 147-37 in the opening 15 minutes of play.

• Junior nose tackle Buma Foncham was ejected in the third quarter for a personal foul  against Emporia State and will have to sit out the opening half this Saturday.

• 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). UMD's No. 5 ranking in the final regular season poll is its highest since it enjoyed a five-week stay at No. 2 from Aug. 27 to Sept. 24, 2012.

•  Seven current Bulldog current played against Northwest Missouri State three years ago in the NCAA II semifinals at Malosky Stadium. Offensive tackle Tom Olson, tight end Pat Alexander and punter Alex Miller were starters that night while wide receiver Joe Reichert, strong safety Travis Nordhus, inside linebacker Colby Ring and defensive end Chris Vandervest served special teams and/or backup roles. (Outside linebacker Nate Zuk and running back Chaz Thomas were both out with injuries).

•  The last UMD opponent to return an interception for a touchdown was Northwest Missouri State's Aldwin Foster-Rettig, who hijacked an errant Ted Schlafke pass and raced 44 yards into the end zone at the 2008 NCAA II final.

• The Bulldogs have held the upper hand in time of possession in all 13 games to date and the last 15 outings in a row going back to 2012.

•  Drew Bauer is believed to be the first Bulldog quarterback to ever haul in a pass for a touchdown. He turned that trick on Nov. 16 in UMD's 39-7 victory at Northern State.

TO THE VICTORS: Saturday's winner will move on to the quarterfinal round of the NCAA II playoffs (Super Region 3 finals) on Dec. 6 to face either No. 2-seeded Minnesota State-Mankato (11-0) or No. 6 St. Cloud Sate University (11-1). Those two NSIC combatants will also square off this Saturday in Mankato.