The University of Minnesota Duluth will take its show back on the road this Saturday night (Sept. 17) for a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference interdivision clash with Concordia University-St. Paul. Opening kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at Sea Foam Stadium (3,500/artificial turf) on the Concordia-St. Paul campus.

Complete Release

THE RECORDS: The Bulldogs, who were 9-3 overall and 8-3 in NSIC play (tied for fourth place with Southwest Minnesota State University) one year ago, are off to a 1-1 start this fall. Concordia-St. Paul is 2-0 in 2016 after posting a 1-10 record in all games and in the NSIC (tied for 13th place with the University of Mary, the University of Minnesota Crookston and Minot State University).

HOW THEY RANK: Here is how the Bulldogs and Golden Bears stacked up in this week's American Football Coaches Association Division II and D2Football.com polls.
 
           AFCA    D2Football    
UMD    RV       No. 23    
CSP       NR    NR     
       
THE BROADCAST: The Bulldog-Golden Bear matchup will be carried live locally on 92.1 FM The Fan with Jeff Papas handling the play-by-play responsibilities. The broadcast can also be heard on KQ 105.5 FM in Grand Rapids/Hibbing, Minn.; KQ 106.7 FM in Ely/Virginia, 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.

Saturday night's game 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 34-7 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.

Since Wiese's arrival at UMD in February 2008, the Bulldogs have gone 96-14 (for an .873 winning percentage over that stretch -- the second-best mark in NCAA II football) while capturing two NCAA II national championships (2008 and 2010), six overall NSIC titles and eight NSIC North Division crowns. They've also made seven NCAA II playoff appearances and produced two perfect 15-0 seasons and three 11-0 regular seasons.

Wiese, 40, 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):  34-7 (4th)
Overall Coaching Record (Year): 43-18 (6th)
Career NSIC Record: 30-5
Career UMD Home Record: 18-1
Career UMD Road Record:  16-6
vs. Concordia-St. Paul: 1-0

THE RIVALRY: Saturday night's game will mark the 12th meeting ever between UMD and Concordia-St. Paul. The Bulldogs hold an 8-3 lead in the all-time series, which began in St. Paul on  Oct. 9, 1999 -- Concordia-St. Paul's first year of membership in the NSIC. UMD has won eight of the past nine matchups with the  Golden Bears, including  the last five in a row. The two clubs last collided on Sept. 6, 2014 at James S. Malosky Stadium where the then-No. 3 Bulldogs pulled put a 20-13 win in their home debut. Current senior quarterback Drew Bauer ran for one touchdown (a 34-yard second quarter jaunt) and passed for another on a night in which UMD never trailed, but managed just 15 first downs and 82 yards of passing offense.

LAST WEEK:  For the 17th year in a row, UMD opened the home portion of its regular season schedule with a win as the Bulldogs rallied past Winona State University 34-31 Saturday evening. In front of a record Malosky Stadium crowd of 6,357. Senior quarterback Drew Bauer  hooked up with senior running back Darren Walker on a 10-yard strike for the go-ahead touchdown with 4:43 left in the fourth quarter. Bauer threw for 282 yards (completing 20 of 31 passes with one pick) and three touchdowns and rushed 18 times for one score. He figured in on two touchdowns during a wild first quarter in which the two long-time rivals combined for 374 yards and 39 points. The Bulldogs, who led 20-19 at the end of the first quarter, took a 27-19 lead into halftime thanks to junior Nate Ricci's 62-yard punt return for a touchdown with 2:11 to go before the break. Winona State scored 12 unanswered points in the third quarter to go up 31-27 and were looking to expand that advantage with 14 minutes remaining in regulatio before Bulldog junior free safety Kegan Wirtz intercepted a pass in the UMD endzone.  

Junior wide out D.J. Hebert led both teams with six receptions (for 110 yards) for UMD, which held a 488-392 edge in total yards and limited Winona State to just 19 overall yards in the final quarter of play.

THE BIG 5-0-0: This Saturday night could be an historical one for the storied UMD football program as the Bulldogs need one more triumph to reach the 500-win milestone.

In 788 outings over its 84-year history, UMD has rolled up a 499-265-24 record. That figures out to be a .649 winning percentage which is the ninth best lifetime mark of any NCAA II school in the nation.

The legendary Jim Malosky, who roamed the Bulldog sidelines for 40 years, directed UMD to a little over half of those triumphs, going 255-125-13. When he stepped down following the 1996 season, Malosky was the winningest head coach in NCAA II history.

Bulldog Milestone Victories
First Win -- UMD 7, Winona State 0 (Sept. 26, 1931)
100th Win -- UMD 43, Wisconsin-Superior 6  (Sept. 9, 1961)
200th Win -- UMD 42, Bemidji State 0  (Sept. 16, 1978)
300th Win -- UMD 48, Bemidji State 19  (Oct. 12, 1991)
400th Win -- UMD 34, Augustana 7 (Oct. 6, 2007)

BALL CONTROL: UMD currently ranks third among all NCAA II schools in time of possession (36:56) the same spot it occupied at the conclusion of the 2015 season (34:08).

A COUPLE OF FIRSTS: Junior free safety Kegan Wirtz's interception last Saturday was his first as a Bulldog while junior Nate Ricci registered his first punt return touchdown that same evening. Ricci's 62-yard return was the second longest by a Bulldog since the 2011 season, bettered only by Aaron Roth's 83-yard effort in 2013.

IT TAKES A THIEF: Wirtz is one of six current Bulldogs with an interception to his collegiate credit but sophomore free safety Sam Lynch is the only one from that group with more than one pick (he has two, including one in the 2016 season opener at Southwest Minnesota State University.

START ME UP: Senior offensive tackle Peter Bateman, who earlier this month was rated as the No. 1 NCAA II offensive tackle in the nation by Hero Sports, has started all 41 games over the past three 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.

BAUER POWER: Drew Bauer, who is 31-7 as a starter since assuming that role at the outset of the 2013 season, currently ranks first among  NCAA II  quarterbacks in scoring (224 points) , second in rushing yards with 2,567 (Luke Papillon of NSIC rival Sioux Falls is first with 2,609) and sixth in total offense (8,876 yards). Last fall, the Inver Grove Heights, Minn., native  became just the third quarterback ever to reign as the Bulldogs' rushing leader with 661 yards (joining Chase Vogler in 2012 and Ted Schlafke in 2007) and to date has generated both the fourth most all-time total yards and passing yards (6,218) in team history.

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), tops the Bulldogs in that department this season with 16 takedowns. 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 193 tackles. The next closest Bulldog to Bates in lifetime tackles is fellow inside linebacker Ben McDonald, a first-year starter who has been credited with 79 stops. Bates and senior offensive tackle Peter Bateman are the lone two Bulldogs to see field time in each of UMD's 41 games over the past four seasons.

BEAU KNOWS OFFENSE: Senior wide out Beau Bofferding has now caught at least one pass in 27 consecutive games since being blanked in the 2014 opener against visiting Concordia-St. Paul.

GROUND GAINERS: Drew Bauer has registered eight, 100-yard rushing afternoons as a Bulldog while senior running back Darren Walker (four 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 Bulldog to reach that mark

BULLDOG BITS: This Saturday will mark the third straight week UMD has faced an unbeaten opponent ... True freshman Cameron Hausman made his collegiate placekicking debut in Saturay's 34-31 victory over Winona State and  both of his point after kicks ... Curt Wiese has won 34 of 41 games since taking over the Bulldog program three seasons ago and only two other NCAA II coaches -- Northwest Missouri State's Adam Dorrel (42) and Colorado State University-Pueblo's John Wristen (37) -- have complied more victories during that the time period ...  Sophomore wide out Jason Balts has a team-leading 11 pass receptions this season after making just four catches all of last year ... Just under 90 percent of the 2016 Bulldogs come from either Minnesota (56) or Wisconsin (36). Illinois (six), California (1), Colorado (1), Florida (1) and Washington (1) are home to the remaining 10 Bulldogs.

UP NEXT: UMD will square off with Augustana University next Saturday in Duluth in its final engagement of the year against a NSIC South Division member.