Armed with a 16-game home winning streak that stretches back nearly three years, the University of Minnesota Duluth will make its first James S. Malosky Stadium appearance of 2016 this Saturday night (Sept. 10) when the Bulldogs host Winona State University in a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference interdivision matchup. Opening kickoff is set for 6:05 p.m. at the newly-resurfaced Malosky Stadium (5,000).

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A SALUTE TO THOSE WHO SERVE: Saturday is Military Appreciation Day at Malosky Stadium as for the third straight season UMD is partnering with local military organizations, including the 148th Fighter Wing, to raise money and awareness for Operation One Voice. Operation One Voice is a program designed by police officers, firefighters and community leaders to generate funds to help support the immediate needs of children and families of wounded and fallen Special Operations Forces.

Tickets to the game are free to all current and former members of the military (with an ID) and just $5.00 for military spouses and children. In honor of the servicemen and women of the Armed Forces, Bulldog players are slated to wear special camo pants. UMD also has a number of tributes planned for military personnel throughout the game, and will conduct a free football clinic for all youths in grades 3-8 from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. at the UMD recreation fields.

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 0-1 start this fall. Winona State, is 1-0 in 2016 after posting a 5-6 record in all games and in the NSIC (11th place).

HOW THEY RANK: Here is how the Bulldogs and Warriors stacked up in this week's American Football Coaches Association Division II and D2Football.com polls.
 
           AFCA    D2Football    
UMD    RV    No. 23    
WSU    NR    NR            

THE BROADCAST: The UMD-Winona State 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.

For the ninth consecutive year, My9 (KBJR DT 6.2/KRII DT 11.9) is televising all UMD home games, including Saturday's home opener. CBS 3-TV sports director Barrett Anderson 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 beginning his fourth season of head coaching duty with the Bulldogs, having guided them to a 33-7 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 95-14 (for an .872 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): 33-7 (4th)
Overall Coaching Record (Year):  42-18 (6th)
Career NSIC Record: 29-5
Career UMD Home Record: 17-1
Career UMD Road Record:  16-6
vs. Winona State: 1-0

THE RIVALRY: Saturday night's game will mark the 44th meeting ever between UMD and Winona State. The Bulldogs hold a commanding 33-10 lead in the rivalry, which began way back in 1931 -- the first year of intercollegiate football at UMD -- and have beaten the Warriors six straight times (a streak that began in 2008, the year the Bulldogs rejoined the NSIC). The two long-time adversaries last met on Sept. 27, 2014 in Winona, where the then No. 4 Bulldogs rallied for a 28-21 come-from-behind victory over the No. 20 Warriors.

LAST WEEK: UMD was stunned by Southwest State University 42-38 in its season opener, squandering a 10-point lead with just over three minutes to go in the fourth quarter.  The Mustangs collected a pair of touchdowns less than two minutes apart, including the game-winning score with 23 seconds remaining in regulation.

Bulldog junior wide out D.J. Hebert ran for one touchdown (a 13-yard sweep around left end) and was on the receiving end of another score (a 27-yard toss from senior quarterback Drew Bauer). Senior running back Darren Walker rushed 24 times for a career-high 154 yards and one touchdown for UMD, which also got a solid offensive performance from sophomore wide out Jason Balts (eight catches for 135 yards -- both personal bests -- and one score).

UMD finished with a hefty 539 yards of total offense and held the football more than twice as long as the Mustangs (40:19 to 19:31). Bauer's right arm accounted for 296 of those yards as he completed 19 of 33 passes with one pick. The Bulldogs held Southwest Minnesota State to just 44 yards on the ground, but gave up 397 passing yards, while losing for the first time in nine games to the Mustangs.

TITLETOWN, NSIC: Since 1993, UMD and/or Winona State has captured at least a share of every NSIC championship but four -- 1999 (Northern State University), 2006 (Bemidji State University) and 2013 and 2015 (both Minnesota State University-Mankato). The Bulldogs, incidentally, were members of the now-defunct North Central Conference from 2004 to 2007.

TITLETOWN, NSIC II: UMD is the NSIC's all-time leader in both team titles (19) and victories (it is 239-84-5, which figures out to be a .736 winning percentage). Winona State has claimed both the second-most championships (18 - it shares that honor with Minnesota State-Mankato) and triumphs (230--244-8 overall).

START ME UP: Senior offensive tackle Peter Bateman, who earlier this week was rated as the No. 1 NCAA II offensive tackle in the nation by Hero Sports, has started all 40 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 year 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.

BEAU KNOWS DEFENSE: Senior inside linebacker Beau Bates, UMD's leading tackler from a year ago (he had 71 stops for the second consecutive season), paced the Bulldogs in that department last Thursday, coming away with eight takedowns at Southwest Minnesota State. 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 185 tackles. Bates and senior offensive tackle Peter Bateman are the lone two Bulldogs to see field time in each of UMD's 40 games over the past four seasons.

BEAU KNOWS OFFENSE: Senior wide out Beau Bofferding, who ushered in UMD's 2016 season by returning the opening kickoff 60 yards last Thursday night in Marshall, has now caught at least one pass in 26 consecutive games since being blanked in the 2014 opener against visiting Concordia University-St. Paul.

NOT IN OUR HOUSE: This season marks the 50th anniversary of the opening of Malsoky Stadium. Since christening that on-campus facility on Oct. 29, 1966, the Bulldogs have won 77.8 percent of their home games, going 194-54-4 . In recent times, opponents have found victories even harder to come by at Malosky Stadium as UMD has amassed a sizzling 49-4 mark there since the 2008 opener (with two of those losses coming in the NCAA II playoffs). The Bulldogs have also gone 56-1 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 on Sept. 21, 2013 (21-17). Here are the some of the streaks UMD will put on the line this Saturday:

Consecutive Home Wins: 16
Consecutive NSIC North Division Home Wins: 27
Consecutive Home Games Without Being Shut Out: 69
Consecutive NSIC Home Games Without Being Shut Out: 111

BAUER POWER: Quarterback Drew Bauer, who missed the final three games of his junior year after suffering a season-ending injury on Oct. 31 at Northern State, is 30-7 as a starter since assuming that role at the outset of the 2013 season. Last fall, he 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 currently has generated both the fourth most all-time total yards (8,415) and passing yards (5,936) in team history.

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.
   
BULLDOG BITS: The last time UMD and Winona State collided (Sept. 27, 2014 in Winona), then-sophomore quarterback Drew Bauer and freshman wide out Nate Ricci hooked up on a pair of touchdowns within a span of three minutes midway through the fourth quarter to erase a 21-13 deficit and propel UMD past the Warriors 28-21 ... Head coach Curt Wiese, who turned 40 this past Sunday, has won 33 of 40 games since taking over the Bulldog program three seasons ago and only two other NCAA II coaches -- Northwest Missouri State's Adam Dorrel (41) and Colorado State University-Pueblo's John Wristen (37) -- have complied more victories during that the time period ... 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 ... UMD hasn't been blanked by a visiting NSIC club since Minnesota State University-Moorhead turned the trick (29-0) back on Oct. 31, 1981. Wayne State was the last team from any league to hold the Bulldogs scoreless, doing so on Sept. 17, 2011 in Wayne, Neb. ... Senior Tyler McLaughlin, who had backed up All-NSIC placekicker Andrew Brees the past three seasons, made good on field goals of 42 and 25 yards against Southwest Minnesota State. He also sent a 27-yarder wide left on the last play of the first half, his first missed three-point attempt as a Bulldog (he is now 8-for-9 for his career) ... Senior inside linebacker Ben McDonald received his first starting assignment as a collegian in the season opener -- his 39th game with the Bulldogs ... Prior to last Thursday, UMD's last loss to Southwest Minnesota State came on Sept. 25, 1999 (14-9 in Duluth) ... The Bulldogs started their season opener going a sizzling 10-for-12 on third down conversions before finishing 10-for-17 ... Sophomore defensive back Sam Lynch has UMD's lone interception this fall -- the second pick of his career ... UMD's all-time winning percentage of .648 (off a 498-265-24) is the ninth best in NCAA II football ... 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 ... In the 42-38 loss to Southwest Minnesota State, Drew Bauer made his second punt ever as a Bulldog, a first-quarter pooch kick that went 49 yards down to the Mustang two-yard line.

ON TAP: UMD will take its show back on the road for a Sept. 17 night engagement with Concordia University-St. Paul.