The University of Minnesota Duluth will put its 12-game home winning streak on the line this Saturday night (Sept. 26) when the Bulldogs host Upper Iowa in a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference interdivision clash. Opening kickoff is set for 6:05 p.m. at James S. Malosky Stadium (4,500 seating capacity/artificial turf) on the UMD campus.

THE RECORDS: UMD, which posted a 13-1 overall record one year ago and went 11-0 in NSIC play (to claim a share of the overall league title with Minnesota State University-Mankato), is off to a 1-2 start this fall. Upper Iowa sports a 3-0 mark in 2015 after finishing 6-5 last year and tying for fourth place in the NSIC standings (with Augustana University and St. Cloud State.)

HOW THEY RANK: Here is how the Bulldogs and Peacocks stacked up in this week's American Football Coaches Association Division II and the D2Football.com polls:
        AFCA    D2Football    
UMD        No. 25    No. 16
UIU        NR    NR  
     
THE BROADCAST: The UMD-Upper Iowa matchup will be carried live locally on 92.1 FM The Fan 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.; 105.7 FM The Fan Siren/Pine City, Minn., and Red Zone Sports Radio 930 in Aitkin, Minn., as part of the Bulldog Radio Network and at: 921thefan.com or free via the iHeartRadio app.

For the eighth consecutive year, My9 (KBJR DT 6.2/KRII DT 11.9) is televising all UMD home games, including the one Saturday night against Upper Iowa. 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 is in his third season of head coaching duty with the Bulldogs, having guided them to a 25-5 overall record, two consecutive NCAA II playoff appearances, one overall NSIC title (it shared that honor with Minnesota State last fall) and two straight NSIC North Division crowns. One year ago, UMD went 13-1 (its third most single-season victories ever) and closed out the season holding down the No. 3 spot in the final AFCA Division II poll. That followed up a rookie-go-around that included an 11-2 mark in all games and a No. 8 AFCA II poll ranking.


THE RIVALRY: UMD has met Upper Iowa just five times previously -- during the Bulldogs' first two seasons in the now defunct North Central Conference (2004 and 2005) and in 2010, 2011, and 2013 -- and has won all five of those matchups, outscoring the Peacocks 196-68 in the process. Two of those victories have come at home, including a 49-22 decision in the 2011 NSIC opener for both clubs. UMD last collided with Upper Iowa on Sept. 14, 2013 in Fayette, Iowa, where it prevailed 39-17, returning a pair of interceptions for touchdowns in that triumph.

LAST WEEK: UMD went into halftime trailing the University of Sioux Falls 35-31 and, despite a gallant second-half rally, still fell 35-31 to the then then-No. 12 Cougars in its first-ever visit to Bob Young Stadium. The Bulldogs reeled off 17 unanswered points in the final two quarters of play and had a chance to take their first lead of the night with 4:43 to go in regulation, but a fourth-and-eight slant pass from junior quarterback Drew Bauer to junior wide out Dominic Bonner in the UMD end zone was broken up by Sioux Falls cornerback Cliff Redmond. Although there was still ample time remaining, the Bulldogs had already used all three of their time outs and Sioux Falls, after picking up two first downs on (on third-and-10 and third-and-five situations), ran out the clock to clinch the victory. Senior running back Logan Lauters ran for 114 yards and one touchdown on 33 carries while junior running back/wide out Beau Bofferding rushed five times for 70 yards and one score. Bauer completed 13 of 27 passes for a 198 yards and one touchdown and also ran for another score.

Upper Iowa held the winless University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles (0-3) to just 204 yards of total offensie -- including minus-three yards on the ground -- while cruising to a 45-3 home triumph Saturday evening.

TIME SURE FLIES: This Saturday night will be Curt Wiese's 100th game as a member of the UMD coaching staff. He spent 69 of those outings working as the team's offensive coordinator before landing the head coaching job following the 2012 season. Wiese has won 25 of 30 games since taking over the Bulldog program three seasons ago and only two other NCAA II coaches -- Northwest Missouri State University's Adam Dorrel (28) and Colorado State University-Pueblo's John Wristen (27) have generated more victories during that the time period.

WHAT A RUSH: Senior team captain Logan Lauters, who set a personal high for carries in last Saturday's setback to Sioux Falls, climbed two spots to No. 2 on UMD's career ground yardage charts with his 13th career 100-yard rushing outing that night. The 2014 Associated Press Little All-American third team pick now ranks second among all-time Bulldog ball carriers with an even 3,299 yards as a Bulldogs. That's 943 yards behind the No. 1 occupant, three-time All-American Isaac Odim (4,442 yards from 2008-10). Lauters's career 6.4 yards per run average takes a backseat only Odim's 7.2 clip (2008-10) among Bulldogs with 1,000 or more yards. He currently ranks sixth among all active NCAA II players in career yards per carry and ninth in rushing yards. One year ago, Lauters rolled up 1,531 yards on the ground last fall -- a figure eclipsed by only one other Bulldog ever in a single-season (Isaac Odim in both 2009 and 2008).


THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME: This season marks the 50th year of Bulldog football at Malosky Stadium. Since moving on campus to that on-campus facility on Oct. 29, 1966, the Bulldogs have won over 77 percent of their home games, going 190-54-4 (.774). In recent times, opponents have found victories even harder to come by at Malosky Stadium as UMD has amassed a sizzling 45-3 mark there since the 2008 opener. The Bulldogs have also gone 51-1 versus overall NSIC competition at Malosky Stadium since Oct. 21, 2000 with that lone loss being inflicted by Minnesota State-Mankato on Sept. 21, 2013 (21-17). In addition, UMD has yet to lose a home bout with a colleague from the NSIC's North Division (24-0). In addition, UMD has now reeled off 12 straight home victories, a run that began on Oct. 5, 2013 -- two weeks after a 21-17 loss to Minnesota State-Mankato.

CATCHING ON FAST: Junior wideout/runningback Beau Bofferding has caught at least one pass in each of the last 16 games since being blanked in that department in the 2013 season opener.

SOME UNFAMILIAR TERRITORY: Two road losses to a pair of nationally-ranked opponents by a combined seven points (20-17 to No. 1 Minnesota State-Mankato in the 2015 opener and 35-31 last Saturday to No. 12 Sioux Falls) has put the Bulldogs at 1-2 for the first time since the 2007 season.

THEY JUST KEEP COMING: Upper Iowa will be the fourth straight unbeaten opponent UMD has faced in as many weekends this season. Those clubs also include Minnesota State-Mankato (0-0), Wayne State College (1-0) and Sioux Falls (3-0). Next Saturday's foe, Minnesota State-Moorhead will take a 3-0 record into its Sept. 26 bout with Southwest Minnesota State University

IT TAKES A THIEF: Prior to last Saturday night when Sioux Falls' David Clark brought back a first-quarter interception 33 yards for a score, the last Bulldog opponent to register a pick six was Northwest Missouri State's Aldin Foster-Rettig (44 yards) in the 2008 NCAA II national title game.

NOT IN OUR HOUSE: The Bulldogs have not been blanked by an NSIC foe at Malosky Stadium since Minnesota State University-Moorhead turned the trick (29-0) back on Oct. 31, 1981

BULLDOG BITS: This Saturday is UMD's final NSIC interdivision assignment of 2015 ... Junior wide out Dominic Bonner, a transfer Cabrillo College (California) who parlayed his first UMD pass reception into a 51-yard gain in the season opener at Minnesota State-Mankato , registered his first touchdown catch with the Bulldogs last Saturday night. His 51-yard reception against the Mavericks is UMD's longest in 2015 ...UMD has been penalized only 11 times (the seventh lowest total in the country) for 80 yards (the ninth lowest figure) in 2015 ... Logan Lauters has now rushed for 100 or more yards on a team-high 13 occasions as a Bulldog. Drew Bauer is next with five ... Just 11 individuals make up the Bulldogs' 2015 senior class and of those 11, only eight -- David Boegel, Andrew Brees, Ty Fischer (who joined the Bulldogs this fall after a two-season absence), Darion Fletcher, Justin Fowlkes, Logan Lauters, Mark Nahorniak and Brent Stiglich -- began their collegiate careers at UMD ... The Bulldogs have appeared in every AFCA II poll since Aug. 12, 2008 and this past Monday were knocked out of the Top 15 for the first time in over seven years (a run that started on Sept. 8, 2008) ... Both junior quarterback Drew Bauer and junior offensive tackle Peter Bateman have made more career starts (30 in a row) than any other active Bulldog while the senior trio of free safety David Boegel, placekicker Andrew Brees and cornerback Darion Fletcher share the team lead for career appearances (41 of a possible 42). Brees,who earned a spot on the Fred Mitchell Placekicker Award Watch List (excellence on the football field and in the community) for the second straight year, is in his fourth season as UMD's primary placekicker this fall and is also handling the club's punting duties as well. The two-time All-NSIC North Division first team pick (2014 and 2012) was one of seven Bulldogs to attain USA College Football Preseason All-American honors for 2015, joining junior offensive tackle Peter Bateman, junior quarterback Drew Bauer, senior free safety David Boegel, senior nose tackle Jonathan Harden, senior running back Logan Lauters and junior offensive guard Connor Randall.

WELCOME BACK, BOYS!: To commemorate the fifth anniversary of their NCAA II national title conquest, members of 2010 Bulldogs will be UMD's guests of honor this Saturday and recognized between the first and second quarters.

ON TAP: UMD will embark on the NSIC North Division portion of its 2015 schedule with a Oct. 3 road engagement with Minnesota State-Moorhead.

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