And the beat goes on.
Another exceptional performance from the University of Minnesota Duluth defense resulted in a third consecutive shut out win as the Bulldogs plowed their way past Bemidji State University 17-0 Thursday on blustery night in Bemidji, Minn.
Junior running back
Anthony Wood rushed for a pair of first half touchdowns in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference North Division victory. He finished with 104 yards on the ground, which was more than double what Bemidji State accumulated in total offense as an entire team (50 yards). The Beavers also mustered a mere three first downs and eight rushing yards, lost three fumbles and had a punt blocked while losing to their long-time intrastate rivals for the 16th straight time.
The Bulldogs, who extended their winning streak to six games and improved to 7-2 overall (5-0 in the NSIC North Division), didn't exactly give Bemidji State (6-3; 4-1) a whole lot of time do much offensively, keeping the football for all but six of 30 minutes in the second half and finishing with a sizable time of possession advantage (43:37 ot 16:23). With the winter storm conditions, redshirt freshman quarterback
John Larson attempted just seven passes, completing three of them for 31 yards. He did have game's longest run from scrimmage, however, a 41-yarder keeper that help up set up Wood's first touchdown midway through the opening quarter. Wood's 16-yard run four minutes into the second quarter and sophomore
Dan Branger's 22-yard field early in the fourth quarter rounded out the scoring.
Junior inside linebacker
A.J. Naatz was credited with a Bulldog-high five total tackles and was in on UMD's lone sack of the evening while redshirt freshman outside linebacker
Nate Pearson came off the bench to make four stops.
The only other time the Bulldogs have reeled off three shut out in a row in the program's 85-year history was in 1934 when they started the year by holding their first four opponents scoreless.
"Our guys are playing at a high level right now," said UMD head coach
Curt Wiese, who picked up his 50th Bulldog win Thursday. "We came out of the locker room with a lot of energy. Our backs are against the wall right now and if we don't keep playing like this we won't have an opportunity at a post-season run."
UMD will return to James S. Malosky Stadium next Saturday (Nov. 4) for its 2017 home finale against the University of Minnesota Crookston.
