The University of Minnesota Duluth will close out the home portion of its 2014 regular season schedule this Saturday (Nov. 8) when the unbeatn Bulldogs play host to the University of Mary in their annual Senior Day game. Opening kickoff for the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference North Division clash is set for 1:05 p.m. at James S. Malosky Stadium (4,500 capacity/artificial turf) on the UMD campus.

(Complete Release)

THE RECORDS: UMD is 9-0 this fall (tied for first place in the NSIC standings with Minnesota State University-Mankato) while Mary owns a 5-4 record (tied for sixth place with Augustana College and Wayne State College).

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

           AFCA    D2Football    Super 3     
UMD    No. 2      No. 2           No. 3
UM      NR          NR                NR
        
THE BROADCAST: The UMD-Mary bout will be carried live locally 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 providing color commentary. The broadcast can also be heard on KQ 105.5 FM in Grand Rapids/Hibbing, Minn.; KQ 106.7 FM in Ely/Virginia, Minn.; Red Zone Sports Radio 1350 AM in Pine City, and KKIN-AM 93 in Atkin, Minn., as part of the Bulldog Radio Network and at: fan1490.com.

For the seventh consecutive year, My9 (KBJR DT 6.2/KRII DT 11.9) is televising all UMD home games, including Saturday's regular season home finale with Mary. 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: portal.stretchinternet.com/umd

THE COACH: Curt Wiese, who was promoted to the UMD head coaching position on Dec. 21, 2012 after spending the previous five years as its offensive coordinator, is now 20-2 with the Bulldogs. One year ago he guided UMD to an 11-2 overall record, a sixth straight berth in the NCAA Division II playoffs, a sixth NSIC North Division title in as many years and a No. 8 national ranking in the final AFCA Division II poll. Wiese's troops also shined in the classroom last fall as 14 Bulldogs earned NSIC All-Academic Team status, including offensive lineman Andrew Pattock, who was named a first team CoSIDA Academic All-American.

For his exemplary efforts, Wiese was selected the 2013 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award winner for Division II, a prestigious honor recognizing coaches for their responsibility, integrity, sportsmanship and excellence, on and off the field.

During Wiese's successful five-season run as the team's offensive coordinator, the Bulldogs finished near the top of the NCAA II leader board four times in scoring (third in 2012 with a school-record 46.5 points per game average, fifth in 2008, sixth in 2010 and ninth in 2009) 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 No. 1 all-time ground gainer and scorer and the holder of 17 school records. In addition, his 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 in January 2013.

Since Wiese's arrival at UMD in February 2008, the Bulldogs have gone 82-9 (for a .901 winning percentage while capturing two NCAA II national championships (2008 and 2010) along with five overall NSIC titles while producing two perfect 15-0 seasons.

Wiese, 38, came to UMD following two years of employment as the head coach at NCAA 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 and 12 All-Ohio Athletic Conference selections and was a finalist for the 2004 AFCA Division III Assistant Coach of the Year Award.

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):  20-2 (2nd)
Overall Coaching Record (Year): 29-13 (4th)
Career NSIC Record: 19-1
Career UMD Home Record: 10-1
Career UMD Road Record: 10-1
vs. Mary: 1-0

THE RIVALRY: UMD and Mary will meet for just the eighth time ever this Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs have won all seven of the previous confrontations, outscoring the Marauders 296-92 in the process (or by an average score of 42-13).
 

Date	Score	Location
11/9/13	UMD 32, Mary 14	Bismarck, N.D.
11/3/12	UMD 53, Mary 14	Duluth, Minn.
10/15/11	UMD 41, Mary 28	Bismarck, N.D.
10/16/10	UMD 49, Mary 0	Duluth, Minn.
9/26/09	UMD 35, Mary 7	Bismarck, N.D.
9/27/08	UMD 44, Mary 7	Duluth, Minn.
9/9/06	UMD 42, Mary 14	Duluth, Minn.

LAST WEEK: UMD ended each of its first-half possessions with a touchdown to take a 49-3 lead into the break and went on to mow down the University of Minnesota Crookston 77-3 Saturday afternoon in Crookston. Senior Aaron Roth hauled in four touchdown passes -- all in the second quarter and all from sophomore quarterback Drew Bauer while junior Logan Lauters and freshman Nate Beaulieu each ran for a pair of scores. The Bulldogs held a huge advantage over the Golden Eagles in total offense (560-138), rushing yards (396-90), passing yards (164-48), first downs (33-7), and time of possession (36:43-23:17) in the NSIC North Division victory.

Mary fell 42-33 to Northern State University Saturday, which snapped the Marauder's three-game winning streak in their final home game of 2014. The two clubs combined for 1,058 yards of total offense and 165 plays on the afternoon. Mary quarterback Zach Roberson accounted for 415 of those yards -- including 406 through the air. He completed 29 of 46 passes for two scores (with no picks) and rushed for another touchdown.

THIS IS YOUR CAPTAIN SPEAKING: The Bulldogs' team captaincy responsibilities this fall are being shared by a trio of seniors -- defensive end Jacob Brusehaver, linebacker/long snapper Yusef Hassan, and wide out/return specialist Aaron Roth. Roth served in that same role last year and is UMD's first two-time captain since 2008 (quarterback Ted Schlafke).

HIGH EXPECTATIONS, AGAIN: In their annual preseason poll the NSIC coaches picked the Bulldogs to finish first in both the North Division and overall standings this fall. UMD garnered eight first-place votes and 215 points -- three more than Minnesota State University-Mankato, which received seven votes. Winona State University, a member of the South Division, was third with 189 points (and the remaining first-place vote) followed by North Division colleague St. Cloud State (183 pts.), the University of Sioux Falls (147 pts.) and Augustana College (145 pts.). Bemidji State (118 pts.) Mary was projected to place ninth. The Bulldogs have been tabbed as the overall NSIC preseason favorite during all but one of their previous eight years of league membership (2014, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008 and 2003 -- they belonged to the now-defunct North Central Conference from 2004-07).

SENIOR SALUTE: Saturday will mark the final regular season home appearance for UMD's 13 seniors. That group, which will be recognized in prior to kickoff, includes cornerback Daryl Brown, linebacker Gavin Brown defensive end Jacob Brusehaver, linebacker Gavin Grady, tight end Taylor Grant, linebacker/long snapper Yusef Hassan, tight end Ryan Miesbauer, offensive guard Andrew Muer, wide out/return specialist Aaron Roth, offensive tackle Phillip Rutz, running back Austin Sikorski, defensive end Mitchell Ziegler and wide out/return specialist Zach Zweifel. Of that group, only nine players (Brusehaver, Grady, Hassan, Miesbauer, Murer, Rutz, Sikorski and Ziegler) remain from UMD's 29-member rookie class of 2010, when the Bulldogs last captured an NCAA II title. Brown, Roth and Zweifel were all called into action the following year as first-year freshmen while Daryl Brown and Grant subsequently joined the UMD program as transfers from the University of North Dakota. In addition, junior tight end Jay Schlichte, who is scheduled to graduate later this year, will also be saluted at Saturday's pre-game ceremony.

THE PRIDE OF THE NORTH: Since the NSIC instituted divisional play in 2008, the Bulldogs are a sizzling 41-2 in NSIC North Division assignments (23-0 at home) with both of those two losses coming to St. Cloud State (51-49 in 2012 and 35-7 in 2011). They've also gone 27-2 versus South Division opponents over that same period with setbacks to Minnesota State-Mankato (21-17 in Duluth one year ago) and to host Wayne State (7-0 in 2011) being the only two setbacks. A win Saturday over Mary would assure UMD of at least a share of its seventh straight NSIC North Division crown.

AND THE BEAT GOES ON: UMD's 17-game regular season winning streak, which began a week after a 21-17 home loss to Minnesota State-Mankato on Sept. 21, 2013, is the third longest of its kind in program history:

Games    Dates
22        Sept. 12, 2009-Sept. 10, 2011
20        Nov. 3, 1979-Oct. 24, 1981
17        Sept. 28, 2013-present

POINTS APLENTY: The 77 points the Bulldogs generated last Saturday at the expense of Minnesota Crookston were a program single-game high, bettering the previous mark of 76 set against both Minnesota State University-Moorhead in 2009 and Minnesota Crookston seven years earlier.

ON THE LINE: The following are a few of the victory streaks UMD will put on the line this Saturday at Malosky Stadium:

Consecutive Regular Season Wins: 17
Consecutive Home Wins: 9
Consecutive NSIC Wins: 17
Consecutive NSIC North Division Wins: 18
Consecutive NSIC North Division Home Wins: 23
Consecutive Wins vs. Mary: 7

TIGHT ON THE TURNOVERS: UMD has turned the ball over just seven times thus far in 2014 (tops in the NCAA II ranks), getting picked off on three occasions and losing four fumbles. The Bulldogs are a plus-12 in turnover ratio -- the ninth best mark in the nation.

WHAT A RUSH: Through nine games, the Bulldogs find themselves in familiar territory -- leading the NSIC in rushing offense. UMD is averaging 306.2 yards per game on the ground (the seventh best figure among all NCAA II schools) and a 6.1 yards a carry thus far in 2014. The Bulldogs have been outrushed by an opponent only once since the 2012 opener -- a stretch of 34 games -- and that was at Bemidji State on Oct. 10, 2013 (258 yards to 203).

UMD'S 100-YARD RUSHERS THIS SEASON

Date	Player	Opp.	Att.	Yds.	TD
Sept. 6	Logan Lauters	CSP	14	165	0
Sept. 20	Logan Lauters	SMSU	18	154	1
Sept. 20	Drew Bauer	SMSU	12	111	1
Sept. 20	Austin Sikorski	SMSU	16	103	1
Sept. 27	Logan Lauters	WSU	19	128	0
Sept. 27	Austin Sikorski	WSU	21	120	0
Oct. 4	Logan Lauters	MSUM	13	107	1
Oct. 4	Austin Sikorski	MSUM	11	102	4
Oct. 18	Logan Lauters	NSU	15	200	1
Oct. 18	Drew Bauer	NSU	12	126	2
Nov. 1	Nate Beaulieu	UMC	13	101	1

WHAT A RUSH II: Junior Logan Lauters continues to pace the 2014 Bulldogs and ranks second in the NSIC in rushing with a career-high 1,004 yards and is averaging a staggering -- and an NSIC-leading -- 8.0 yards per touch this fall. He's now rolled up 2,464 yards on the ground as a collegian and his 6.9 yards per carry average takes a backseat only to three-time All-American Isaac Odim's 7.2 clip (2008-10) among all-time Bulldogs with 1,000 or more rushing yards. Lauters also has registered ten 100-yard outings in a UMD uniform -- five in 2014 alone. Three weeks ago against Northern State, he became the 13th different Bulldog to reach the 200-yard run barrier in a single game.

WHAT A RUSH III: Drew Bauer, who is now 20-2 as a collegiate starter, has run for more yards (660 yards) and been responsible for more points (166) than any other NSIC quarterback. He also paces the 2014 Bulldogs in scoring (62 points) and rushing touchdowns (9). Although his football career hasn't yet hit the midway point, the Inver Grove Heights, Minn., native already has climbed into 5th place on UMD's all-time total offense charts with 4,544 yards.

IN GOOD HANDS: Between them, the standout senior wide receiver tandem of Aaron Roth and Zach Zweifel have caught 280 passes for 3,553 yards and 25 touchdowns since they first emerged on the UMD landscape as true freshmen in 2011. Here's where they both stand on UMD's all-time catch charts:

UMD CAREER PASS RECEIVING LEADERS

Player (Years)	No.	Yds.	TD
1. Tim Battaglia (2000-03)	189	3,685	38
2. Steve Battaglia (1999-02)	182	3,037	33
3. Greg Aker (2003-06)	178	2,211	25
4. D.J. Winfield (2007-10)	170	2,896	27
5. Zach Zweifel (2011-)	155	2,114	15
6. Tony Doherty (2005-08)	148	1,861	15
7. Aaron Roth (2011-)	125	1,439	10

YOUNG PUPS: Of the 105 individuals who comprise the 2014 Bulldog roster, only 26 are either juniors (13) or seniors (13). There are 20 sophomores, 22 redshirt freshmen and 37 first-year rookies.

WHERE THEY'RE FROM: Nearly 60 percent of the current crop of Bulldogs are from Minnesota -- some 62 in all -- and another 38 UMD players are Wisconsin natives. Indiana (2), Washington (2) and Illinois (1) are home to the remaining five Bulldogs.

QUITE A RUN: Going back to the start of the 2008 season, no NCAA II outfit in the country has produced a better winning percentage (.901) than UMD. In terms of victories over that stretch, the Bulldogs (82) are second only to defending national champion Northwest Missouri State University (83).
 

Team	W-L	Pct.
1. UMD	82-9	.901
2. Northwest Missouri State	83-12	.874
3. Bloomsburg	67-14	.827
4. Minnesota-State Mankato	67-15	.817
5. Colorado State-Pueblo	62-16	.795
6. Grand Valley State	69-19	.784
7. California U (Pa.)	66-19	.776
8. Shepherd University	58-19	.753
9. Pittsburgh State	59-21	.738
10. West Texas A&M	63-23	.733

GETTING HIS KICKS: Junior Andrew Brees, a Fred Mitchell Award Kicker of the Month honoree for September and October, booted his way into the UMD record books this past Saturday by converting all 11 of this extra points UMD's 77-3 triiumph.

GET IN THE ZONE: UMD has come away with points (including 33 touchdowns) in 43 of its 51 red zone visits this season (84.3 percent). Three of the eight times it failed to score was due to the half running out and another three because of turnovers.

BULLDOG BITS: Freshman running back Nate Beaulieu, who joined the Bulldog program last spring, came off the bench at Minnesota Crookston to rush for a career-best (and game-high) 101 yards and a pair of touchdown on just 13 carries. The 2012 Duluth Denfeld High School graduate is the great grandson of former long-time UMD football coach Lloyd Peterson ... The Bulldogs have not been blanked by a NSIC foe at Malosky Stadium since Minnesota State University-Moorhead turned the trick (29-0) back on Oct. 31, 1981 ... Senior wide out and return specialist Aaron Roth, whose four touchdown receptions this past Saturday in Crookston were one short of both the UMD and NSIC records  is the lone Bulldog who has played in all 48 games over the past four seasons ... The Bulldogs have intercepted eight passes this season, with three of those thefts falling in the hands of second-year sophomore strong safety Hunter Malberg ... Running back Nate Beaulieau, cornerback Dillon Martinez and punter Shawn Magee are the only three true freshmen to see playing time for the Bulldogs in 2014 ... UMD, winners of 30 of its last 32 games in Duluth, has outscored the opposition 202-88 at home this season, including 37-0 in the third quarter.

UP NEXT: The Bulldogs will hit the road for its 2014 road finale against Minot State University on Nov. 15.