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The University of Minnesota Duluth will close out the 2017 regular season this Saturday (Nov. 11) when the Bulldogs pay a visit to Bismarck, N.D. for a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference North Division engagement against the University of Mary. Opening kickoff is set for 12 p.m. at the Bismarck Bowl (7,000 capacity/artificial turf).

THE RECORDS: UMD, which has won seven straight, is 8-2 overall and 6-0 in the NSIC North Division while Mary sports a 1-9 record in all games to go with a 1-5 NSIC North Division mark.

HOW THEY RANK: Here is how the Bulldogs and Marauders 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. 22	No. 8
Mary	NR	NR	NR

THE BROADCAST: The Bulldog-Marauder 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.

Saturday afternoon's game will be videostreammed as well and can be accessed for free at: portal.stretchinternet.com/um

THE RIVALRY: UMD and Mary will meet for just the 11th time ever this Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs have won all 10 of the previous confrontations, outscoring the Marauders 467-141 (or by an average score of 47-14) in the process. That included a 75-14 triumph one year ago at James S. Malosky Stadium. UMD is  4-0-0 lifetime versus Mary in Bismarck.

LAST WEEK: UMD celebrated Senior Day with a 54-6 thrashing of the University of Minnesota Crookston Saturday afternoon. In their final appearance of the year at Malosky Stadium, the Bulldogs erupted for 40 points in the second and third quarters after leading just 8-0 at the first-quarter break. UMD rolled up 518 yards of total offense, 313 of which was generated by John Larson. The reshirt freshman quarterback Larson completed 17 of 23 passes for 253 yards and three touchdowns (all career highs) and rushed for another 60 yards and one score before calling it a day late in the third quarter. Redshirt freshman wide out Johnny McCormick had a game-high seven receptions while junior wide out Jason Balts caught five passes for 132 yards and a pair of scores. The first of those came on Larson's initial throwing attempt of the afternoon -- an 81-yard strike late in the opening quarter. Senior linebacker Zach Bassuener and sophomore cornerback Bishop McDonald led the Bulldogs defensively with five total tackles each and combined on 2.0 of the team's 10 stops that went for negative yards. UMD held the Golden Eagles (0-10 overall) to just 149 yards of total offense, including only 37 on the ground, and for the second straight week held the ball for at least 24 minutes in the 30-minute second half.

The University of Mary fell 66-21 to Northern State on Thursday (Nov. 2) in Aberdeen, S.D. Quarterback Garrett Weissinger ran for a pair of touchdowns and ran for another for the Maruaders, who were outrushed 406-165 on the night.

FANTASTIC FINISHES: The Bulldogs haven't closed out a regular season on a losing note since 2004 when they were ambushed 28-0 by visiting St. Cloud State University in a North Central Conference battle. That also remains the last time UMD has been shut out at home.

PRIDE OF THE NORTH: With Saturday's victory over Minnesota Crookston, UMD clinched at least a share of its 10th consecutive NSIC North Division title. Since the league instituted divisional play in 2008, the Bulldogs are a sizzling 62-3 in North Division assignments. That includes a perfect 34-0 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).

GETTING THEIR POINT ACROSS: UMD had held the opposition scoreless for 16-plus straight quarters before Minnesota Crookston's Trevor Long picked up a UMD fumble and ran 69 yards for a touchdown 6:12 into the second half Saturday. The Bulldog defense has still not allowed a point since Minnesota State University-Moorhead's Demitrius Carr rushed for a 20-yard score with 4:16 to go in the third quarter of UMD's 23-14 slaying of the Dragons on Oct. 7 in Moorhead, Minn. -- some five games ago.

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 (47, which is four short of his career high set last fall). He currently ranks third in the NSIC in reception yards (830) and is fourh in all purpose yards (112.22 per game).Balts has made at least one catch in 16 straight games and 21 of the last 22 outings going back to the 2016 season opener (he missed the trip to Minot State last year while nursing an injury).

GREAT BALTS OF FIRE II: The 81-yard touchdown strike that Jason Balts and quarterback John Larson combined on last Saturday against Minnesota Crookston was UMD's longest pass play since the 2010 opener when quarterback Chase Vogler hooked up with wide out D.J. Winfield  for a 89 yard score in a 35-10 triumph at Central Washington.

MOUNTING MISCUES: The Bulldogs are tied for the NCAA II lead (with NSIC colleague Winona State University) in turnovers gained with 30 and pace the NSIC (and rank 12th nationally) in turnover margin (+11).

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE ROAD: UMD has reeled off nine straight regular season road wins going back to a 42-38 loss to Southwest Minnesota State University in the 2016 opener

LEADER OF THE SACK: Senior outside linebacker Zach Bassuener has a team-high 6.0 sacks this season and 20.5 for his career. That puts the 2016 All-NSIC first team selection at No. 4 on UMD's all-time charts -- 1.0 sack behind No. 3 Geoff Fischer (2001-04) and 2.0 sacks behind  No. 2 Sean Callahan (1988-91). Russ Rabe (2001-04) is the Bulldogs' career sack leader with 29.0.

LEADER OF THE SACK II: Bulldogs have 27 sacks on the season, but 25 of those have come in the past seven games. One year ago, the Bulldogs racked up a program-record 52 sacks, 11.5 of which were credited to from current senior Zach Bassuener.

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.

GETTING A BIT DEFENSIVE: UMD currently ranks fifth in the nation in total defense, yielding 254.5 yards a game. The Bulldogs are also third in third down conversion defense (22.9 percent) and second in fourth down conversion defense (18.2 percent).

GETTING A BIT DEFENSIVE II: Over the past four weeks, UMD has given up an average of 134.7 overall yards, 7.7 first downs and 1.5 points per outing. Opponents have also averaged 18:30 of possession time per game during that stretch.

WHAT A RUSH: Some 18 different Bulldogs have already run the football this season, including junior transfer Anthony Wood, whose 625 yards, eight touchdowns and 121 carries all  are team highs. Wood (vs. St. Cloud State and Bemidji State) and redshirt freshman running back Austin Sylvester (at Northern State) each have at least 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 29 of the past 31 games with the 2017 opener against Sioux Falls (when UMD managed negative-16 yards of rushing offense) and the ensuing weekend (59 yards versus Minnesota State-Mankato) being the exceptions.

WHAT A RUSH II: Redshirt freshman quarterback John Larson, who has started the last four games, has the Bulldogs' top two longest runs from scrimmage this season -- a 51-yarder vs. Minot State (the longest by a UMD quarterback since Nate Ricci bolted 64 yards for a score against visiting Minot State on Nov. 14, 2015) and a 41-yarder vs. Bemidji State.  

Larson is one of six different Bulldogs who has line up under center for at least one snap this season, joining Ben Everhart, Mike Rybarczyk, Mike Connolly, Jason Balts and Nate Ricci.

WHAT A RUSH III: Senior offensive tackle and part-time fullback Nolan Folkert has rushed 15 times for 17 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 tackle Dre Greer, parlayed his first collegiate rush attempt into a two-yard touchdown run last month at Northern State.

BY THE NUMBERS: UMD's 10 opponents to date are a combined 55-45 and the two clubs that defeated the Bulldogs earlier this year -- nationally ranked Minnesota State (10-0) and Sioux Falls (9-1) -- are No. 1 and No. 2 in the overall NSIC standings.

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 3rd nationally and second in the NSIC in that department (34:54). The Bulldogs have held the upper hand in time of possession in 24 of the past 27 games.

IN GOOD HANDS II: The Bulldogs capped off their Bemidji State last month with a 19-play drive that took 11:45 off the clock (which is believed to be a school record) in the fourth quarter and was capped off by sophomore Dan Branger's 22-yard field goal. UMD held the ball for 24 of 30 minutes in the second half against the Beavers.

IT TAKES A THIEF: Ten current Bulldogs have an interception to their UMD 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), junior Dennis Archibald (two), freshman cornerback Justic'e King (two) and sophomore cornerback Bishop McDonald (two including the club's first pick of this season). Cornerback Jake Goodman, who along with Justic'e King are the only two true UMD freshmen to see playing time in 2017, also has a pick this fall. Junior

IT TAKES A THIEF II: Junior outside linebacker Alex Helmer returned his first collegiate interception 11 yards for a touchdown one week ago against Minnesota Crookston. The last Bulldog to turn in a pick six was current UMD graduate assistant coach and former All-NSIC linebacker Brent Stiglich (vs. St. Cloud State on Nov. 10, 2015).

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 30 consecutive games -- the longest ironman streak of any 2017 Bulldog. Senior outside linebacker Zach Bassuener is next with 26.

BULLDOG BITS: The Bulldogs have outscored the opposition 94-31 in the third quarter this season.

• In last year's 75-14 victory over Mary,  current senior outside linebacker Zach Bassuener recovered a fumble for a touchdown (the second of his career) while sophomore cornerback Bishop McDonald returned an interception 46 yards for  his first collegiate score. In addition,  sophomore running back Bryce Heim , junior tight end Jack Sims, sophomore quarterback Mike Rybarczyk and sophomore wide out Obi Ibeneme all found the end zone for the first time as Bulldogs that afternoon. Sims caught a pair passes -- his first two at UMD -- and parlayed both into first-half scores.

•Sophomore Cameron Hausman has already punted a career-high 57 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).

•Since taking over the Bulldog program four-plus seasons ago, Curt Wiese has won 51 of 61 games Only two other NCAA II head coaches -- Colorado State University-Pueblo's John Wristen (54) and Shepherd University's Monte Cater (with 53)  -- 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).

UP NEXT: The Bulldogs' postseason fate will be determined this Sunday (Nov. 12) when the NCAA II playoff field is officially announced at 4 p.m. (CT) on ncaa.com. UMD has qualified for the NCAA II playoffs in eight of the past nine seasons with 2015 (when the Bulldogs played in -- and won -- the Mineral Water Bowl) being the outlier.