Box Score Score early. Score often. Get ahead. Stay Ahead.

That's been the University of Minnesota Duluth's recipe for success this season -- and on Saturday afternoon in Winona, Minn.

The No. 5 Bulldogs built a 13-0 first-quarter lead and never looked back in a 37-17 takedown of Winona State University. UMD, which has now outscored the opposition 83-3 in the opening quarter and has trailed for only 3:49 all season, moved to 8-0 on the year with the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference interdivisional victory.

Junior quarterback Mike Rybarczyk, making his first start since the second weekend of the 2017 season, ran for a pair of touchdowns and was on the receiving end of another scoring strike (from senior wide receiver Nate Ricci). The first of Rybarczyk's touchdowns -- a six-yard run -- came on UMD's second series of the afternoon. The Bulldogs then went up 13-0 on the final play of the first quarter when senior cornerback Mitchell Johnson-Martin picked up a fumble and took it seven yards into the endzone for his second fumble recovery touchdown in as many weeks. The Warriors (5-3 overall) cut the UMD lead to 13-7 early in the second quarter, but that's the closest they'd get to averting their eighth consecutive loss to the Bulldogs. Redshirt freshman Zach Ojile capped off the day's scoring with a one-yard plunge with 3:22 to go in regulation. That came one play after sophomore defensive lineman Chris McGrady-Wiley blocked a Winona State punt. 

Rybarczyk paced the Bulldog rushing attack with 83 on 15 carries in addition to completing 12 of 24 passes for 162 yards and no picks. Ricci finished with a game-high four receptions for 38 yards.

UMD, which came into the weekend ranked third among all NCAA II schools in both scoring and total defense, held the Warriors to just five rushing yards on 25 attempts while amassing 204 yards of its own on the ground. Junior free safety Bill Atkins topped UMD with nine total tackles, including one stop for a loss.

The Bulldogs, owners of a 16-game regular season winning streak, will be at the University of Minnesota Crookston next Saturday for their final NSIC road game of 2018.