With a boatload of winning streaks on the line, the University of Minnesota Duluth will close out a two-weekend homestand Saturday (Oct. 22) when the Bulldogs host Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference North Division rival Bemidji State University. The opening kickoff is set for 1:05 p.m. at James S. Malosky Stadium (5,000 capacity/artificial turf) on the UMD campus.

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THE RECORDS: The Bulldogs, who have reeled off six straight wins, are 6-1 this fall as are the Beavers, which gives both clubs a share of second place 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 D2Football.com polls.

                   AFCA    D2Football    
UMD           No. 24    No. 14
BSU            No. 21    No. 20 
           
THE BROADCAST: The Bulldog-Beaver 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., and KQ 106.7 FM in Ely/Virginia, Minn., as part of the Bulldog Radio Network and at: 921thefan.com or free via the iHeartRadio app.

For the ninth consecutive year, My9 (KBJR DT 6.2/KRII DT 11.9) is televising all UMD home games, including Saturday's clash with Bemidji State. KBJR-TV 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 fourth season of head coaching duty with the Bulldogs, having guided them to a 39-7 overall record (only two NCAA II coaches have won more games during that stretch), two NCAA II playoff appearances (2013 and 2014), one overall NSIC title (it shared that honor with Minnesota State University-Mankato in 2014) and three straight NSIC North Division crowns. Last fall, the Bulldogs went 9-3 after going 13-1 (their third most single-season victories ever) in 2014 and closing out the year 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 final AFCA II poll ranking.

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.

Since being appointed UMD's sixth head coach on Dec. 21, 2012, Wiese has helped produce 15 different All-Americans and 23 All-NSIC first team selections while 39 of his Bulldogs have earned NSIC All-Academic status (including offensive lineman Andrew Pattock, who as a senior in 2013 was named a first team CoSIDA Academic All-American).

Over the course of 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.

Wiese is one of 10 head coaches nationwide who are honorary coach nominees for the 2016 Allstate Insurance and American Football Coaches Association Good Works Team.

WIESE BY THE NUMBERS
Record at UMD (Year): 39-7 (4th)
Overall Coaching Record (Year): 48-18 (6th)
Career NSIC Record:  35-5
Career UMD Home Record: 21-1
Career UMD Road Record: 18-6
vs. Bemidji State: 3-0

THE RIVALRY: UMD and Bemidji State will meet for the 56th time ever Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs hold a commanding 44-10-1 lead in the all-time series, which began back in 1931 -- the second year of intercollegiate football at UMD. Last fall (Nov. 7, 2015), the Bulldogs, who were for the first time in three seasons without the services of then-junior quarterback Drew Bauer (he suffered a season-ending injury one week earlier), scored a pair of first-quarter touchdowns -- both as a result of turnovers -- and held on for a 14-9 win in Bemidji. UMD held the hosts to just 181 total yards on the afternoon.

LAST WEEK: UMD found the end zone on the first series of the day and never looked back en route to a 39-19 Homecoming triumph over Northern State University. UMD got all five of his touchdowns on the ground, including a pair of one-yard runs by starting junior offensive guard and part-time fullback Nolan Folkert.
For the fifth time this season, UMD eclipsed the 500-yard mark for total offense, racking up 299 yards passing and another 211 yards via the rush. Northern State was held to 270 yards overall – 114 yards below its season average. That included 72 rushing yards (139.7 less than what it had been averaging) on 24 carries. Senior inside linebacker Beau Bates paced the Bulldogs defensively with seven total tackles and had the game's lone interception. Senior quarterback Drew Bauer completed 18 of 33 passes for 290 yards and rushed 12 times for a game-high 59 yards.

Bemidji State also prevailed in its Homecoming engagement, throttling Minot State University 52-28 and rushing for 436 yards in the process. The duo of quarterback Jared Henning (172) and rnning back Gena Adams (152) accounted for a majority of that total.

NORTH DIVISION DOMINANCE: Since the NSIC instituted divisional play in 2008, the Bulldogs are a sizzling 52-3 in NSIC North Division assignments (29-0 at home). Beside a 23-15 defeat at Northern State last Halloween, UMD's other losses came in consecutive years at St. Cloud State (51-49 in 2012 and 35-7 in 2011). The Bulldogs is the eight-time defending NSIC North Division champion and shared the title last year with both Bemidji State and Northern State.

HARDLY HOSPITABLE HOSTS: Not only are the Bulldogs a perfect 18-0-0 lifetime against Bemidji State at Malosky Stadium (their football home since 1966), but they haven't lost to the Beavers anywhere in Duluth in over 75 years (34-0 on Oct. 10, 1941). That translates into a 21-game winning streak.

YOU AGAIN?: The Bulldogs have faced Bemidji State on more occasions (55) than all but one lifetime opponent -- Minnesota State University-Moorhead (58). UMD has reeled off 14 straight victories at the Beavers' expense since dropping a 35-26 decision at Chet Anderson Stadium in Bemidji on Oct. 23, 1999. That active winning streak is the Bulldogs' longest against any team, with the exception of MSU-Moorhead, which has been defeated by UMD 15 times in a row.

THE BIG 5-0: This season marks the 50th anniversary of the opening of Malosky Stadium. Since christening that on-campus facility on Oct. 29, 1966, the Bulldogs have won 78.1 percent of their home games, going 198-54-4 . In recent times, opponents have found victories even harder to come by at Malosky Stadium as UMD has amassed a scorching 53-4 mark there since the 2008 opener (with two of those defeats coming in the NCAA II playoffs). The Bulldogs have also gone 60-1 versus overall NSIC competition (league games and NCAA II playoffs) at Malosky Stadium since Oct. 21, 2000 with that lone setback being inflicted by Minnesota State-Mankato (21-17 on Sept. 21, 2013 -- UMD's last home loss).

STREAKS A PLENTY: Here are the some of the streaks UMD will put on the line this Saturday when it hosts Bemidji State:

Consecutive Wins: 6
Consecutive Home Wins: 20
Consecutive NSIC North Division Home Wins: 29
Consecutive Home Games Without Being Shut Out: 73
Consecutive NSIC Home Games Without Being Shut Out: 115
Consecutive Wins vs. BSU: 14
Consecutive Home Wins vs. BSU: 21

SPREADING THE WEALTH: UMD ranks 15th nationally in rushing offense, averaging 243.6 yards per out. Eleven different Bulldogs have carried the football this fall, including starting offensive guard and part-time fullback Nolan Folkert, who has rushed four times for four yards and four touchdowns.

START ME UP: Senior Peter Bateman, who last month was rated as the No. 1 NCAA II offensive tackle in the nation by Hero Sports, has started all 46 games over the last four seasons -- the longest ironman run of any active Bulldog. A 2016 D2Football.com Preseason All-American first team pick, Bateman collared All-NSIC North Division status for the third straight season one year ago (first team in 2015 and 2014 and second team in 2013) as well as USA College Football All-American (first team) and Don Hansen All-American (honorable mention) acclaim.

KEEP IT FOR AS LONG AS YOU CAN: No NCAA II outfit in the country has done a better job of controlling the football this season than UMD. The Bulldogs currently rank first nationally in time of possession with a 37:34 per game average after occupying the No. 3 spot at the conclusion of the 2015 season (34:08)

BAUER POWER: Drew Bauer, who is 36-7 as a starter since assuming that role at the outset of the 2013 season, is averaging 348.3 yards of total offense, which puts him No. 2 in the NSIC and sixth nationally. He also currently ranks first among NCAA II quarterbacks in career scoring (242 points), second in rushing (2,964 yards), fifth in touchdown passes (75) and sixth in total offense (10,524 yards). To date, the two-time All-NSIC North Division honoree has generated the second-most all-time total yards and fourth-most passing yards (7,560 -- which is 24 yards short of the total amassed by the No. 3 occupant on that list, Chase Vogler) in team history. Two weeks ago, supplanted Vogler (who preceded him at UMD) as the No. 1 rushing quarterback in school history and last week moved ahead of him on the school's career total yardage charts.

Last month (Sept. 24) in UMD's 41-38 triumph over Augustana, Bauer set a personal best for both total offense (470 yards, the fourth-highest single-game total in program history) and passing yards (331, which stands 10th on the team's all-time single-game charts).

LEADERS OF THE SACK: The 2016 Bulldogs have registered 28 sacks -- the fifth best mark in the nation at the moment. Junior outside linebacker Zach Bassuener (7.0) and senior inside linebacker Beau Bates (6.5) rank 1-2, respectively, in the NSIC in that department In addition, Bates's 10.5 tackles for a loss are tops among all NSIC defenders.

BEAU KNOWS OFFENSE: In last Saturday's 39-19 triumph over Northern State, senior wide out Beau Bofferding became the 12th Bulldog to reach the 100-reception career mark. In addition, the senior wide out has now caught at least one pass in 32 consecutive games (going back to Week Two of the 2014 season), The Marshall, Minn., product and 2015 All-NSIC North Division first team selection is also averaging the fourth most all-purpose yards (145.14) in the NSIC at the moment

BEAU KNOWS DEFENSE: Senior inside linebacker Beau Bates, UMD's leading tackler from a year ago (he had 71 stops for the second consecutive fall), paces the Bulldogs in that statistical category so far this season with 54 takedowns -- 22 more than the next closest Bulldog. For his career, the 2015 Don Hansen All-Super Region 3 second team and All-NSIC North Division first team honoree has accumulated a team-leading 224 tackles. A distant No. 2 on that lifetime tackles list is fellow senior inside linebacker Ben McDonald, a first-year starter who has been credited with 92 stops. Bates and senior offensive tackle Peter Bateman are the lone two Bulldogs to see time in each of UMD's 46 games over the past four seasons.

KEEPING ON WITH THE JONESES: Rookie running back Jaleen Jones, who earlier this month MSU-Moorhead parlayed his third collegiate rushing attempt into an 85-yard touchdown -- the longest run from scrimmage by a Bulldog since All-American Isaac Odim's 86-yard jaunt against Concordia University-St. Paul on Aug. 29, 2009, is one of three true freshmen who have seen playing time for the Bulldogs this fall. Placekicker/punter Cameron Hausman and cornerback Bishop McDonald are the others.

GROUND AND POUND: Drew Bauer has registered 10, 100-yard rushing afternoons as a Bulldog -- including two this fall -- while senior running back Darren Walker (five times), a 2015 transfer from Los Angeles Harbor College, junior wide out Nate Ricci (once) and sophomore running back Jamiah Newell (once), who is out for the season with a lower body injury, are the only other three Bulldogs to reach that barrier.

GETTING IT DONE: Going back to the start of the 2008 season, only one NCAA II outfit in the country - Northwest Missouri State - has generated a better winning percentage and has amassed more wins than UMD. It is worth noting that Northwest Missouri State, the defending NCAA II champion, owns the nation's longest winning streak at 22 games, having not lost since falling 25-21 to host UMD in the opening round of the 2014 NCAA II playoffs (Nov. 22).

BULLDOG BITS: This Saturday marks the end of five-week stretch in which the Bulldogs were home for four Saturdays ... Junior wide out Nate Ricci's team-leading 31 receptions in seven games this season are 14 more than his previous collegiate best (17 in both 2014 and 2015). Ricci has been UMD's favorite pass target this fall (he's been thrown to 45 times) while junior transfer D.J. Hebert, who sat out last Saturday with a lower body injury is next (39 times) ... Redshirt freshman linebacker Aaron Gorres continues to lead the Bulldogs in special teams tackles with 10 (all on kickoffs) ... A team-leading 77.2 percent of senior wide out Jason Balts' overall receptions (17 of 22) have gone for first downs ... UMD has amassed the fourth-most first downs (188) of any NCAA II club in the country and have held the advantage over its opponents in that department in all seven games to date ... Six active Bulldogs have an interception to their collegiate credit but only sophomore free safety Sam Lynch (three, including a pair in 2016) and junior free safety Kegan Wirtz (two, both this season) are the only members of that group with more than one pick ... Curt Wiese has won 39 of 46 games since taking over the Bulldog program three seasons ago and only two other NCAA II coaches -- Northwest Missouri State's Adam Dorrel (47) and Colorado State University-Pueblo's John Wristen (41) -- have complied more victories during that the time period ... Just under 90 percent of the 2016 Bulldogs come from either Minnesota (56) or Wisconsin (35). Illinois (6), California (1), Colorado (1), Florida (1) and Washington (1) are home to the remaining 10 Bulldogs .. Beau Bofferding has already had two kickoff returns of 70 yards this season ... Last Saturday, Drew Bauer was held without a touchdown pass for the first time this season.

WELCOME BACK: Bemidji State assistant coach Robbie Aurich was an All-American linebacker at UMD and started for both the 2008 and 2010 NCAA II champion Bulldogs.  

UP NEXT: The Bulldogs will hit the road for a Oct. 29 clash with the University of Minnesota Crookston.