A pair of NCAA Division II heavyweights -- the University of Minnesota Duluth and Minnesota State University-Mankato -- will square off in a key Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference confrontation this Saturday night (Sept. 21). Opening kickoff for the annual Hall of Fame Game is set for 6:05 p.m. at James S. Malosky Stadium (4,500 capacity/artificial turf) on the UMD campus.

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THE RECORDS: Both the Bulldogs and Mavericks are off to 2-0 starts this fall. UMD went 10-2 in all games one year ago and placed second in the overall NSIC standings with a 10-1 mark. The Bulldog also claimed the NSIC's North Division title for the fifth year in a row and secured their fifth straight NCAA Division II playoffs berth. Minnesota State-Mankato posted a 13-1 overall record in 2012, captured the NSIC crown by going 11-0 and advanced to the NCAA II playoff semifinals before bowing out to eventual national champion Valdosta State University.

HOW THEY RANK: Here is how UMD and Minnesota State-Mankato stacked up in this week's American Football Coaches Association Division II and the D2Football.com polls.

    AFCA    D2Football    
UMD    No. 7    No. 7
MSU    No. 2    No. 2  
     
THE BROADCAST: The Bulldg-Maverick 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 and Superior Stampede assistant coach 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 and here.

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 Minnesota State-Mankato. 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: here.

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 64-7 (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)    2-0 (1st)
Overall Coaching Record (Year)    11-11 (3rd)
Career NSIC Record    2-0
vs. Minnesota State-Mankato     0-0

THE SERIES: The Bulldogs and Mavericks will do battle for the 35th time Saturday night. UMD holds a 20-13-1 lead in the all-time series, which began in Duluth on Sept. 30, 1932 (the Bulldogs' third year of intercollegiate football). and has won eight of their last 10 confrontations against the Mavericks, with both of the setbacks coming at Malosky Stadium (35-14 on Oct. 13, 2007 and 34-13 on Oct. 2, 2004). The two long-time intrastate rivals last met on Nov. 12, 2011 in Duluth where UMD came out on top, 31-19 in the regular season finale. UMD, which clinched a share of the NSIC title and punch its ticket to the NCAA II playoffs, rolled up 424 yards of total offense, including 291 on the ground and held the Mavericks to just 219 yards, a mere 37 of which came on via the rush.
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LAST WEEK: UMD passed their first road test of 2013 by downing Upper Iowa University 37-19 Saturday. Two different Bulldogs returned interceptions for touchdowns (48 yards by sophomore linebacker Nathan Zibolski and 60 yards by junior nose tackle Buma Foncham) while redshirt freshman quarterback Drew Bauer threw for one score and passed for another. Bauer wound up going 15-of-23 for 128 yards on the night. Upper Iowa did hold a 453-407 advantage in total yards and a 24-18 edge in first downs on the night, but managed just 93 rushing yards compared to 263 for the Bulldogs. Senior cornerback Kenny Chowa was credited with a game-high and personal best 13 total tackles, including 11 solos, while senior strong safety Travis Nordhus was in on nine stops.

Minnesota State-Mankato struck for two touchdowns win the opening five minutes of play and went on to hammer the University of Minnesota Crookston 68-26 Saturday night in Mankato. Starting quarterback Jon Wolf completed all seven of his passes for 140 yards and two scores in two quarters-plus of work for the Mavericks. who averaged a hefty 10.0 yards per play on evening.

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.

SOMETHING HAS GOT TO GIVE: The Bulldogs will head into Saturday armed with a 41-game NSIC home winning streak -- a run that stretches back nearly a dozen years. The last NSIC club to walk out of Malosky Stadium with a victory in tow was Concordia University-St. Paul, which prevailed 37-27 on Oct. 7, 2000. What's more, the Bulldogs are 46-0 overall at home against NSIC schools (non-conference and NCAA II playoff games) during that stretch. The Mavericks, meanwhile, have reeled off 13 straight NSIC wins since they were derailed 31-19 by UMD to close out the 2011 regular season.

BULLDOG BITS: It may be hard to believe considering UMD's rich 81-year past, but of the six full-time head coaches who have roamed the Bulldog sidelines, Curt Wiese is the only one to start his career at 2-0.

•Minnesota State-Mankato (No. 2) will be the second-highest ranked foe UMD has ever hosted. The University of North Dakota was No. 1 when it visited Malosky Stadium on Oct. 10, 2005 and the former North Central Conference rival exited Duluth with a 33-10 victory in tow. UMD has faced two other top-ranked teams during it varsity existence and defeated them both -- Colorado State University-Pueblo (24-21 on Nov. 26, 2011) and Grand Valley State University (19-13 in overtime on Nov. 29, 2008).  Each of those two victories came in the NCAA II playoffs and on the road.

•When Buma Foncham and Nathan Zibolski both returned interceptions for touchdowns last Saturday in Fayette, Iowa, it marked just the second time since 1988 the Bulldogs registered two pick-sixes in the same game. The other came on Nov. 14, 2010 against Minnesota State-Mankato. Going back to last season, the Bulldogs have recorded at least one interception in eight straight games.

•UMD's victory total (64) and its winning percentage (.901 off a 64-7 record) since the start of the 2008 season are unmatched by any NCAA II outfit in the country.
•Senior offensive tackle Tom Olson is expected to make his 44th consecutive start Saturday while his offensive line mate, junior center Andy Paddock, received his first collegiate starting assignment last week at Upper Iowa in place of the injured Grant Schnobrich. Redshirt freshman free safety Tyler Smrcina also made his collegiate starting debut in that win over the Peacocks.

•The Bulldogs, who have engineered a touchdown drive in the game's opening possession twice this season, are outscoring the opposition 31-0 in the first quarter and 47-7 in the opening 30 minutes of play.

•Junior running back Austin Sikorski, has paced UMD in rushing in both games to date and has rolled up more career ground yardage (1,659) than any other current Bulldog. In addition, he has a team-best six 100-yard rushing afternoons to his collegiate credit.

•The Bulldogs are one of just 21 NCAA II teams in the country (and the lone NSIC club) that has not thrown an interception this season.

• Sophomore Andrew Brees, a 2012 All-NSIC North Division first team placekicker, engaged in his first punting activity as a Bulldog Saturday night. He punted three times for a 35.0 yard average and also ran for 42 yards and a third-quarter first down out of punt formation.

•UMD, which remained in the No. 7 slot in both the AFCA Division II and the D2Football.com 2013 polls for the second straight week, has cracked the Top 25 in every AFCA II poll since Aug. 12, 2008, and hasn't fallen out of the Top 15 in over five years (the last time being Sept. 8, 2008).

•Since the 2010 opener UMD is a sizzling 21-1 at Malosky Stadium.

•Junior tight end and long snapper Taylor Grant, who spent the previous three years with the University of North Dakota program, is the grandson of Minnesota Vikings coaching legend Bud Grant while his uncle, Bruce Grant (1980-83), and cousin, Ricky Fritz (1998-2002), were both star quarterbacks with the Bulldogs.

•UMD hasn't been blanked by a visiting NSIC colleague since Minnesota State University-Moorhead turned the trick (29-0) back on Oct. 31, 1981.

•In addition to the six 2013 UMD Athletic Hall of Fame inductees (a group that includes Amory Bodin, a standout halfback from 1976-80), members of the 2002 Bulldogs will also be in attendance Saturday as UMD's guests of honor. The 2002 club was the first in program history to qualify for the NCAA II playoffs as well as the first to go a perfect 11-0 during the regular season.

•The 2013 UMD roster sports 22 seniors -- believed to be the most in program history.

•Minnesota State-Mankato senior wide out Dennis Carter was a member of the UMD football program in 2007 and as a true freshman (his lone year with the Bulldogs) ranked first among his teammates in scoring (54 points) and was third in pass receptions (40)

TAILGAITING HAS BEEN TAIL-GREATING: Due to the success of the new tailgating lot (Gold Lot C) at Malosky Stadium, UMD has expanded the tailgate area to include Maroon Lot G directly across the street. The same tailgating rules will apply in both lots. Parking spaces will be $5.00 for cars and $20 for RVs and season passes are no longer being sold.

UP NEXT: UMD will trek to Wayne State College on Sept. 28 for for its first afternoon engagement of 2013.