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The University of Minnesota Duluth will make its 2018 home debut Saturday (Sept. 8) when the Bulldogs host Minnesota State University-Moorhead in their annual Military Appreciation Night game. Opening kickoff is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. at James S. Malosky Stadium (4,500/artificial turf) on the UMD campus.

THE RECORDS: UMD, which went 9-3 overall last season and tied for third place (with the University of Sioux Falls) in the final NSIC standings at 9-2, is off to a 1-0 start this fall.MSU-Moorhead is also 1-0 on the year after posting a 5-6 mark in all outings and in NSIC play in 2017 (10th place).

HOW THEY RANK: Here is how the Bulldogs and Dragons stacked up in this week's American Football Coaches Association Division II and the D2Football.com polls:
 

	AFCA	D2Football
UMD	No. 24	No. 23
MSUM	NR	NR

                   
THE BROADCAST: The Bulldog-Dragon clash will be carried live locally on 102.5 DUKE FM with Jeff Papas handling the play-by-play responsibilities and ex-University of North Dakota offensive lineman Gregg Swartwoudt providing color commentary. The broadcast can also be heard at: dukefmduluth.com.

For the 10th consecutive year, My9 (KBJR DT 6.2/KRII DT 11.9) is televising all UMD home games, including Saturday's clash with MSU-Moorhead. One-time KBJR-TV sports director Tom Hansen 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 RIVALRY: Saturday night's game will mark the 60th meeting ever between UMD and MSU-Moorhead. The Bulldogs hold a commanding 38-17-4 lead in the all-time series, which began back in 1932 -- the second season of intercollegiate football at UMD -- and have reeled off 16 straight wins over their long-time rivals, including a 23-14 come-from-behind triump in Moorhead, Minn. one year ago (Oct. 7). UMD trailed the hosts 14-10 going into the fourth quarter before striking for a pair of touchdowns  2:46 apart while shutting down the Dragons the rest of the way.

LAST WEEK: UMD launched its 2018 season in dominating style by taking down Minot State University 49-3 Thursday night in Minot, N.D.   
The Bulldogs piled up 583 yards of total offense (its largest output since Nov. 5, 2016), including 342 in the first half alone, while holding Minot State to just 137 yards on the night and 13 in the first two quarters. Despite turning the ball over four times (two fumbles and two interceptions), UMD still took a 35-3 lead into halftime en route to registering their seventh victory over the Beavers in as many lifetime tries (and outscoring 319-26 in the process).  Sophomore John Larson was one of three UMD quarterbacks who took snaps in the season opener and the 2017 All-NSIC second team pick completed nine of 15 passes for 133 yards. Redshirt running back Wade Sullivan got the starting nod and in his collegiate debut rushed for 96 yards on just five carries. That included a 71-yard touchdown run in the waning seconds of the first quarter. Sophomore Johnny McCormick led both teams with four pass receptions for 67 yards.Defensively, junior linebacker Isaac Erdmann, who missed all of 2017 after undergoing off-season surgery, topped the Bulldogs with six total tackles -- one more stop than both senior outside linebacker Alex Helmer and defensive back Tyrik Carmickle, a junior transfer.

MSU-Moorhead overpowered the University of Minnesota Crookston 34-10 on Thursday, outgaining the visiting Golden Eagles 434-204 in total yardage, including a hefty 215-72 advantage on the ground.

DRAGON SLAYERS: Not only have the Bulldogs won 16 games in a row at MSU-Moorhead's expense (since dropping a 20-14 decision on Oct. 2, 1999 in Duluth), but over the past 10  matchups (or since UMD rejoined the NSIC in 2008) they've outscored the Dragons by a combined 527-187 while being held under 42 points just once (in 2017 when it prevailed 23-14). That 16-game victory streak is currently the Bulldogs' longest against any current NSIC club (it shares that distinction with Bemidji State,which, like the Dragons, has also not defeated UMD in 19 years).

AND THAT IS THAT: Prior to last Thursday night, the Bulldogs were 0-3 in their last three season openers - - their longest such drought since they dropped four straight between 1996-1999.

FAMILIAR FOES: UMD has faced MSU-Moorhead on more occasions (59) in its 85-year history than any other opponent. Bemidji State is next on that list (57 times).

START ME UP: Some six Bulldogs made their first collegiate starts last Thursday night in Minot. That group included junior inside linebacker Isaac Erdmann,  junior defensive end Tom Johnson, sophomore offensive guard Noah LeBlanc, sophomore defensive end Dan Monson, redshirt freshman tight end Zach Ojile and redshirt freshman running back Wade Sullivan.

START ME UP II: Senior offensive tackle Matt Juneau, a three-time All-NSIC North Division honoree, has started 33 consecutive games -- the longest ironman streak of any 2018 Bulldog. Senior wide receiver Jason Balts is next at 19

PRIDE OF THE NORTH: UMD captured its 10th consecutive NSIC North Division title one year ago. Since the league instituted divisional play in 2008, the Bulldogs are a sizzling 64-3 in North Division assignments. That includes a perfect 34-0 mark at home.

GREAT BALTS OF FIRE: Senior wide out Jason Balts, the 2018 NSIC North Division Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, rolled up a NSIC-leading (and a personal-best) 1,003 receiving yards one year ago, becoming just the sixth Bulldog to ever eclipse the 1,000-yard mark yard mark in a single season. Balts has now caught at least one pass in 19 consecutive  games and in each of his last 24 appearances (he missed the 2016 trip to Minot State while nursing an injury).

NOT IN OUR HOUSE: The Bulldogs haven't been blanked by a NSIC foe at Malosky Stadium since MSU-Moorhead turned the trick (29-0) back on Oct. 31, 1981. The last visiting team of any kind to hold UMD scoreless was St. Cloud State (28-0 in a North Central Conference clash on Nov. 6, 2004).

NOT IN OUR HOUSE II: Since the 2008 opener, the Bulldogs are 51-6 at Malosky Stadium (with two of the losses coming to Minnesota State-Mankato in 2013 and 2017 and two other setbacks in the NCAA II playoffs). Here are the some of the streaks UMD will put on the line this Saturday evening:

Consecutive NSIC North Division Home Wins: 34
Consecutive Home Games Without Being Shut Out: 80
Consecutive NSIC Home Games Without Being Shut Out: 122

BUSTING LOOSE:  Senior running back Alex Lasinski, who entered 2018 with six rushing yards (on four carries) to his collegiate credit, ran six times for 87 yards and a pair of scores  -- his first as a Bulldog -- in Thursday's 49-3 thumping of Minot State.

WE'LL SECOND THAT: The Bulldogs have outscored the opposition 144-34 in the second quarter since the 2017 season opener and have not given up a second-quarter touchdown in any of their last nine games.

QUITE THE CATCH: Jason Balts (113 receptions) and sixth-year senior Nate Ricci (109) hold down the No. 8 and No. 10 spots, respectively, on UMD's all-time catch charts. This marks just the second time in program history the Bulldogs commenced  a season with two members of the 100-reception club on their roster (2014 -- with Aaron Roth and Zach Zweifel -- was the other).

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE ROAD: UMD has now reeled off 11 straight regular season road wins going back to a 42-38 setback to Southwest Minnesota State University in the 2016 opener.

LIGHTENING THE LOAD: Junior Cameron Hausman, whose 65 punts last fall were four shy of the program record and the most by a Bulldog since 1998, punted only once last Thursday eveningat Minot State.

WHAT A RUSH: UMD has outgained the opposition on the ground in 31 of the past 34 games with the 2017 opener against Sioux Falls (when UMD managed negative-16 yards of rushing offense), the ensuing weekend (59 yards versus Minnesota State-Mankato)and the 2017 finale (79 yards vs. the University of Central Missouri) being the exception.

WHAT A RUSH II: Sophomore quarterback and 2017 All-NSIC second team honoree John Larson leads all current Bulldogs in career rushing  yards (415 on 99 attempts).  He also ranks first in rushing touchdowns with four -- which is one more than senior nose tackle and part-time fullback Drew Greer. Greer has found the end zone on all three of his carries as a Bulldog with the latest of those coming last week at Minot State.

QUITE THE RUN: Since taking over the Bulldog program five years ago, Curt Wiese has won 53 of 64 games. Only one other NCAA II head coach -- Colorado State University-Pueblo's John Wristen (55) -- has accumulated more victories during that the time period. Of Wiese's 11 lifetime losses, seven have come against NSIC South Division members (including four at the hands of Minnesota State-Mankato) and one against a NSIC North Division foe (at Northern State on Oct. 31, 2015). The other three setbacks have occurred in postseason play (besides Minnesota State-Mankato).

IT TAKES A THIEF: Five current Bulldogs have an interception to their UMD credit and three of those have multiple thefts -- senior strong safety Sam Lynch (five) sophomore strong safety Bill Atkins (three) and sophomore cornerback Justic'e King (two). Senior cornerback Mitchell Johnson-Martin, senior outside linebacker Alex Helmer and senior defensive back Tareq Abulebbeh have the other three picks. Abulebbeh,a transfer from the Southern Illinois University, had UMD's only interception  last Thursday night at Minot State.

IN GOOD HANDS: The Bulldogs have held the upper hand in time of possession in 27 of the past 28 games. Last fall, UMD ranked third among all NCAA II school in average possession time (34:57) after pacing the country in that department the previous season.

UP NEXT: UMD will pay a visit to St. Cloud State on Sept. 13 for its second Thursday night road clash of the 2018 season.