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One of these years, Bemidji State University is going to find a way to win in Duluth. It just doesn't look like it's going to be this year.

The Beavers haven't posted a road victory against the University of Minnesota Duluth since 1941, and that drought continued Saturday at James S. Malosky Stadium. The No. 21 Bulldogs got career-high performances from a pair of senior captains -- Beau Bofferding and Drew Bauer -- as well as sophomore Jason Balts and outslugged the No. 21 Beavers 54-47 to gain sole possession of second place in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. Both NSIC North Division rivals, who combined for 49 points in a wild fourth quarter, came into the afternoon sporting identical 6-1 records -- one game back of league-leading University of Sioux Falls.

"This was a good team win for us," said Wiese. "We came out in the first half and really controlled the football (the Bulldogs held a 22:03-7:59 possession time advantage). But we turned the ball over early in fourth quarter and that seemed to flip the momentum a bit. Bemidji State did a nice job of clawing their way back and you have to tip their hat to them. Nevertheless, it feels good to get a win against another quality football team."

Bofferding, who spends most of his offensive snaps at the wide out position, was relocated to running back for a good chunk of the afternoon after starter Darren Walker went down with an injury midway through the second quarter. He wound up rushing 18 times for a career-high 171 yards and four touchdowns, including UMD's final two scores of the game. He also brought back three kicks for another 86 yards in addition to catching two passes.

"He's a guy that we expect to do what he did today," said Wiese, whose Bulldogs have now won 21 straight home games overall and 22 in a row against the Beavers in Duluth. "He stepped up when we needed him, that's for sure."
 

Bofferding, however, wasn't the only Bulldog who reeked plenty of offensive havoc at the Beavers' expense. Bauer, his fellow team captain, equalled a personal-best with 331 passing yards and three touchdowns while completing 22 of 32 throws.  Balts, meanwhile, registered seven receptions which he parlayed into 165 yards and three touchdowns. The last Bulldog to exceed that receiving yardage total was D.J. Winfield who did it (172 yards) against the University of Mary on Sept. 27, 2008. UMD, which for the fourth straight week never trailed the entire game, amassed 604 yards of total offense -- its highest output in four seasons -- while downing the Beavers for a 15th consecutive time. The Bulldogs possessed the football for an even 43 of 60 minutes, but did give up their most yards through the air (434) since Oct. 12, 2013. The Beavers managed only 62 yards (213 yards below their season average) on 22 rushing attempts the entire afternoon. Junior outside linebacker Zach Bassuener was credited with a team-leading seven total tackles while senior cornerback Tavaughn Blair and true freshman cornerback Bishop McDonald had six stops each.

The Bulldogs entered the fourth quarter with a 34-18 lead only to see the Bemidji State pull to within a touchdown on three different occasions.

UMD, which is a perfect 30-0 lifetime against NSIC North Division foes at Malosky Stadium, will pay a visit to Crookston, Minn., next Saturday to face the winless University of Minnesota Golden Eagles.