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With a possible Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference North Division title up for grabs, the University of Minnesota Duluth will renew its longstanding intrastate rivalry with Bemidji State University this Thursday night. (0ct. 26). Opening kickoff is set for 7:05 p.m. at Chet Anderson Stadium (3,500/artificial turf) on the Bemidji State campus.

THE RECORDS: Both UMD and Bemidji State are riding five-game winning streaks in addition to sporting identical NSIC overall (6-2) and NSIC North Division (4-0) records.

HOW THEY RANK: Here is how the Bulldogs and Beavers stacked up in the most recent American Football Coaches Association Division II and the D2Football.com polls as well as the NCAA II Super Region Four Rankings:
    

	AFCA	D2Football.	Region 4
UMD	RV	No. 24	No. 10
BSU	NR	NR	NR

              
THE BROADCAST: The UMD-Bemidji State clash will be carried live locally on KDAL-Radio (610 AM and 103.9 FM) with Jeff Papas on the call. The broadcast can also be heard at: kdal610.com.

In addition, the Midco Sports Network, as part of its "NSIC Thursday Night Game of the Week" package, will air the proceedings at Chet Anderson Stadium with David Brown handling the play-by-play responsibilities and Greg Enkers providing color commentary. The Midco Sport Network channel finder is located at: midcosn.com/schedule/channel-finder.

That telecast will be carried in Duluth on My 9 TV and videostreammed at: portal.stretchinternet.com/umd.

THE COACH: Curt Wiese is in his fifth season of head coaching duty with the Bulldogs, having guided them to a 49-10 overall record (only two NCAA II coaches have won more games during that stretch), three NCAA II playoff appearances (2013, 2014 and 2016), one overall NSIC title (it shared that honor with Minnesota State University-Mankato in 2014), four straight NSIC North Division crowns and a school-record 22-game home winning streak which stretched between Oct. 5, 2013 and Nov. 12, 2016.

Last fall, his Bulldogs reeled off 10 straight victories following a setback in the season opener and wound up going 10-2. Along the way they returned to the NCAA II playoffs after a brief, one-year absence, and occupied the No. 13 spot in the final AFCA II poll. One year earlier, UMD capped off a 9-3 season by defeating Fort Hays State University 30-22 in the Mineral Water Bowl and in 2014 rolled up a 13-1 overall record (the third most wins in program history) and captured a share of its league-record 19th NSIC crown after going 11-0 in conference play. That was in addition to advancing to the quarterfinal round of the NCAA II playoffs and ending up at No. 3 spot in the final AFCA II poll. That followed up Wiese's 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 17 different All-Americans and 27 All-NSIC first team selections while his Bulldogs have earned NSIC All-Academic status 55 times. That includes 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. 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 generated both the second- most victories (they are 110-17) and winning percentage (.866) in the country while capturing two NCAA II national championships (2008 and 2010), six overall NSIC titles (2008-12 and 2014) and nine NSIC North Division crowns. They've also made eight NCAA II playoff appearances and produced two perfect 15-0 seasons and three 11-0 regular seasons.

Wiese 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 was among 10 head coaches nationwide who were honorary coach nominees for the 2016 Allstate Insurance and American Football Coaches Association Good Works Team.

    WIESE BY THE NUMBERS
    Record at UMD (Year): 49-10 (5th)
    Overall Coaching Record (Year): 58-21 (7th)
    Career NSIC Record: 46-7
    Career UMD Home Record: 25-3
    Career UMD Road Record: 24-7
    vs. Bemidji State: 4-0

THE RIVALRY: UMD and Bemidji State will meet for the 57th time ever Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs hold a commanding 45-10-1 lead in the all-time series, which began back on Nov. 14, 1931 -- the second year of intercollegiate football at UMD.

Last fall (Oct. 22), the then-No. 24 Bulldogs, outlasted then-No. 21 Bemidji State 54-47 at James S. Malosky Stadium. Current Bulldog junior Jason Balts finished with seven receptions which he parlayed into 165 yards and three touchdowns (all personal highs at the time). UMD amassed 604 yards of total offense on the afternoon and possessed the football for an even 43 of 60 minutes.

LAST WEEK: UMD hiked it all-time NSIC North Division home record to a perfecf 33-0 by throttling Minot State University 37-0 Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs got touchdown from four different players and three second-half field goals while defeating the Beavers for the sixth time in six lifetime tries. UMD's balanced offensive attack generated 236 yards on the ground and 193 yards through the air. Redshirt freshman quarterback John Larson, making his second collegiate start -- and first at home, completed 12 of 20 passes for 193 yards and two touchdowns three quarters of work. He also rushed for a game-high 97 yards on just 12 carries. Junior wide out Jason Balts was Larson's primary target, catching a team-leading five catches for 98 yards. UMD came away with a season-high three picks, two of which it converted into points. Senior safety Kale Boomer was credited with a team-best five total tackles and also had the Bulldogs' only fumble recovery in the Homecoming victory.

Bemidji State outscored Northern State University 38-10 after the first quarter break and rolled to a 44-17 NSIC North Division victory over the Wolves Saturday in Aberdeen, S.D. Running back Andrew Lackowski rushed for 184 yards and one touchdown on just 17 carries and quarterback Jordan Hein threw for 197 yards and three scores while going 16-for-24.

PRIDE OF THE NORTH: In addition to claiming at least a share of all nine NSIC North Division titles since the league instituted divisional play in 2008, the Bulldogs are a sizzling 60-3 in North Division assignments. That includes a perfect 33-0 mark at home. Besides a 23-15 defeat at Northern State on Oct. 31, 2015, UMD's other NSIC North Division losses came in consecutive years at St. Cloud State (51-49 in 2012 and 35-7 in 2011).

COMING UP EMPTY, AGAIN: The Bulldogs have now posted two straight shut outs–something they hadn't done since the final two outings of the 1984 season. Two weeks ago ,UMD rolled past host Northern State 41-0, holding the Wolves to just 83 total yards in the process. That was the lowest offensive output by a UMD opponent since the University of Minnesota Crookston mustered just 78 total yards on Oct. 31, 2009

MAKING A POINT: UMD has held the opposition scoreless for nine-plus consecutive quarters since Minnesota State University-Moorhead's Demetrius Carr ran 20 yards for a touchdown with 4:16 to go in the third quarter of UMD's 23-14 slaying of the Dragons on Oct. 7 in Moorhead, Minn.

THEY'RE HARDLY STRANGERS: The Bulldogs have faced Bemidji State on more occasions (56) than all but one lifetime opponent -- Minnesota State University-Moorhead (59). UMD has reeled off 15 straight victories at the Beavers' expense since dropping a 35-26 decision at Chet Anderson Stadium 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 16 times in a row.

SOME TOUGH SLEDDING: UMD's eigh topponents to date are a combined 37-27 and the two clubs that defeated the Bulldogs earlier this year -- nationally ranked Minnesota State (8-0) and Sioux Falls 7-1) -- are No. 1 and No. 3 in the overall NSIC standings. MSU-Moorhead and Minot State are the only teams UMD has faced thus far that (at game time) owned a losing record.

The eight foes Bemidji State has faced are a combined 19-45. That does include a season-opening loss at unbeaten (8-0) and NSIC co-leading Winona State.

GREAT BALTS OF FIRE:  Junior wide out Jason Balts, who in Week 4 of the 2017 season at Wayne State College generated the third-highest single-game pass reception yardage total (217) in UMD history, continues to top the Bulldogs in catches (40). He currently ranks first in the NSIC reception yards receiving yards (84.5 per game) and third in multipurpose yards (123.5 yards per game).

GREAT BALTS OF FIRE II: Balts and senior Dominic Bonner(who has a career-high 31 receptions to his 2017 credit) are the lone to Bulldogs to catch at least one pass in all eight games to date. Balts has made a catch in 14 straight games and 19 of the last 20 outings going back to the 2016 season opener (he missed the trip to Minot State last year while nursing an injury),

THE BEAT GOES ON: The Bulldogs are now guaranteed of finishing with a winning record for the 10th consecutive year. That's the longest such run by a UMD club since it went 19 seasons in a row above the .500 mark between 1970 and 1988.

IT TAKES A THIEF: Cornerbacks Justic'e King and Jake Goodman, the only two true UMD freshmen to see playing time thus far in 2017, both had an interception in last Saturday's 37-0 takedown of Minot State. King, a starter the past three games, paces the 2017 Bulldogs in special teams tackles with six (all on kickoff returns) and has 17 stops overall. Goodman has been figured in on six total tackles.

IT TAKES A THIEF II: Seven current Bulldogs have an interception to their collegiate credit and six of those have multiple thefts -- junior strong safety Sam Lynch (five, including a team-leading three in 2016), senior free safety Kegan Wirtz (three), sophomore strong safety Bill Atkins (three), and and junior Dennis Archibald(two), freshman cornerback Justic'e King (two) sophomore cornerback Bishop McDonald (two including the club's first pick of this season

GETTIN' DOWN: UMD is now the lone NCAA II school that has yet to allow a fourth down conversion this season as opponents are 0-for-5 in that situation.

GETTIN' DOWN II: The Bulldogs ranks fifth nationally and first in the NSIC in third down conversion defense as opponents are connecting at 26.5 percent (30 of 113) in that situation.

WHAT A RUSH: Some 17 different Bulldogs have already run the football this season, including junior transfer Anthony Wood, whose 450 yards on 83 carries tops the club. Wood (vs. St. Cloud State) and redshirt freshman running back Austin Sylvester (at Northern State) each have one 100-yard rushing day to their 2017 credit. UMD, which finished 13th in NCAA II rushing offense last fall (averaging 233.4 yards per outing), has outgained the opposition on the ground in 27 of the past 29 games with the 2017 opener against Sioux Falls (when UMD managed negative-16 yards of rushing offense) and ensuing weekend (59 yards versus Minnesota State-Mankato) being the exceptions.

WHAT A RUSH II: Senior offensive tackle and part-time fullback Nolan Folkert has rushed 14 times for 14 yards and 10 touchdowns during his career (with all those carries coming in the past two seasons). Folkert's fellow 2016 All-NSIC first team interior lineman, junior nose tackleDre Greer, parlayed his first collegiate rush attempt into a two-yard touchdown run earlier this month at Northern State.

SACK IT TO ME: The Bulldogs have 21 sacks on the season, but 19 of those have come in the past five games. One year ago, the Bulldogs racked up a program-record 52 sacks, 11.5 of which came from current senior outside linebacker Zach Bassuener. Bassuener, a 2016 All-NSIC first team selection, has been credited with a team-leading 4.0 sacks thus far in 2017. That gives him 18.5 for his career, which ties him for fifth place on UMD's all-time charts. Sitting at No. 4 on that list is Bassuener's former teammate, 2016 NSIC Defensive Player of the Year Beau Bates (with 19.0).

START ME UP: Junior Matt Juneau, a 2016 All-NSIC second team honoree who relocated from right tackle to left tackle on the UMD offensive front this season, has cracked the starting lineup in 28 consecutive games -- the longest ironman streak of any 2017 Bulldog. Senior outside linebacker Zach Bassuener is next with 24.

IN GOOD HANDS: No NCAA II outfit in the country did a better job of controlling the football last season than UMD. The Bulldogs ranked first nationally in time of possession with a 36:06 per game average after occupying the No. 3 spot at the conclusion of the 2015 season (34:08). Thus far in 2017, UMD ranks 10th nationally and third in the NSIC in that department (33:18). The Bulldogs have held the upper hand in time of possession in 22 of the past 25 games.

BULLDOG BITS: In their last meeting with Bemidji State (a 54-47 UMD win on Oct. 22, 2016 in Duluth), the Bulldogs gave upwhat remains their most yards through the air (434) since Oct. 12, 2013.

• Sophomore Cameron Hausman has already punted a career-high 49 times this year after he -- and two other Bulldogs -- registered 33 punts during the entire 12-game 2017 season. (Hausman had 26 of those punts).

• The Bulldogs have outscored the opposition 67-34 in the final 15 minutes of regulation this season, but have been outscored 55-40 in the third quarter.

• Redshirt freshman John Larson's 51-yard run (for a touchdown) was the longest by a Bulldog quarterback since Nate Ricci bolted 64 yards for a score against visiting Minot State on Nov. 14, 2015. Larson is one of six different Bulldogs who has line up under center at least for one snap this season.

• Since taking over the Bulldog program four-plus seasons ago, Curt Wiese has won 49 of 50 games Only two other NCAA II head coaches -- Shepherd University's Monte Cater (with 51) Colorado State University-Pueblo's John Wristen (52) -- have accumulated more victories during that the time period. Of Wiese's 10 lifetime losses, seven have come against NSIC South Division members (including four at the hands of Minnesota State) and one against a NSIC North Division foe (at Northern State on Oct. 31, 2015). The other two setbacks have occurred versus NCAA II postseason opponents (besides Minnesota State-Mankato)

•UMD has eclipsed the 400-yard total offense plateau in four of the past five games.

• Going back to the 2008 season opener, only one NCAA II team in the country has racked up more victories (110) and posted a higher winning percentage (.866) than UMD. That club, top-ranked Northwest Missouri State University, is the two-time the defending NCAA II champion, and owns the nation's longest winning streak at 38 games, having not lost since falling 25-21 to host UMD in the opening round of the 2014 NCAA II playoffs (Nov. 22).

ON TAP: The Bulldogs will host Minnesota Crookston on Nov. 4 in their final regular season home appearance of 2017.