WHAT A WIN UMD enters week three after one of the program's biggest wins in recent memory. Last Saturday, the Bulldogs defeated the then No. 3 Minnesota State Mavericks by an impressive 30-10 score.
THE MATCHUP The Bulldogs now shift their focus to the Winona State Warriors. UMD has won the last six meetings with Winona, including a 37-17 victory back in October of 2018. In addition to recent success in the matchup, the Bulldogs currently hold a 35- 10-0 all-time record in their series against Winona.
MILESTONE WATCH UMD senior quarterback John Larson is just 127 passing yards away from 5,000 for his career. The Braham, Minn. native is just two games into the season and has already achieved 631 passing yards. When Larson hits the milestone, he'll become just the fifth Bulldogs to ever achieve the distinction. The four previous quarterbacks to hit 5,000 passing yards are Ted Schlafke, Drew Bauer, Ricky Fritz, and Chase Vogler. Larson currently has 4,873 passing yards for his career.
BATTLE OF THE UNBEATEN Though UMD holds the upper hand in the overall series, Winona enters week three with a matching 2-0 record. The Warriors pulled off a convincing 47-6 win in week one against Concordia St. Paul, followed by a 27-13 victory on the road at Minnesota State-Moorhead. For the Bulldogs, they enter week three with a 41-14 road victory at Upper Iowa, and the previously mentioned 30-10 win over Minnesota State, Mankato. The NSIC has four teams who are still undefeated. With two of those unbeaten teams going at it on Saturday, should make for a solid game.
JUMPING JACKS After finishing week two with a No. 20 national ranking, UMD jumped seven spots in the AFCA National Coaches' Poll to No. 13. The Bulldogs are now the highest nationally ranked NSIC school. Additionally, they are one of just two NSIC schools to earn Top 25 recognition. On the opposite side of the field, Minnesota State, Mankato dropped 16 spots from No. 3 to No. 19. Though they have a 2-0 record, Winona State enter week three unranked nationally.
IN CONTROL In week two against Minnesota State, UMD dominated on both sides of the ball. The Bulldogs posted 342 yards of total offense to just 247 for the Mavericks. UMD also possessed the ball for a total of 33:14 minutes to Mankato's 26:46 minutes of possession. The Bulldogs scored on their second offensive play of the game, giving them a 7-0 lead not even five minutes into the contest. When it was time to close out the win, the Bulldogs defense shut the door. Minnesota State, Mankato didn't register a single point in the second half. Successfully playing with the lead was a key to UMD's impressive win over the Mavericks on Saturday.
D-FENCE UMD's defensive performance against No. 3 Minnesota State, Mankato couldn't go unrecognized. Through the air, interceptions from defensive back Marcus Glodowski and defensive lineman Paxton Woods kept the Mavericks offense off the field. On the ground, Austin Kurylo turned in a team-high nine total tackles and two pass breakups. In addition to his interception, the previously mentioned Glodowski notched eight total tackles on Saturday against the Mavericks. Mankato was held to just 99 rushing yards for the entire game, something that doesn't happen often. Additionally, MSU was held to 10 or fewer points for the first time since September 2 of 2010.
WHERE WE STAND Though still early in the season, the NSIC north and south divisions have multiple front running teams. In Duluth's north division, the Bulldogs are tied at the top with Bemidji State. This weekend, the Beavers head to Mankato to face the Mavericks. With Mankato looking to bounce back after their loss to UMD, the game between the Mavericks and the Beavers should be an instant classic. In the NSIC south, both Augustana and Winona State are 2-0 at the top of the division. The Vikings are at home this weekend for a matchup with MSU Moorhead. Depending on the outcome of the Bulldogs and Warriors game, the NSIC south could be wide open. Either way you slice it, the NSIC standings are looking intriguing early on in the season
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS Coming into week three against the Bulldogs, Winona State is feeling good. The Warriors have had two convincing victories over two challenging NSIC schools. On offense, Winona State is led by graduate quarterback Owen Burke. During two games on the season, Burke has completed 32 of his 57 passes, while tallying 521 passing yards and four total touchdowns. Unlike Minnesota State, who ran a platoon- style quarterback setup, Winona will run solely with Burke at quarterback. On the ground, the Warriors will look to running backs Javian Roebuck and Ty Gavin. Roebuck has had an impressive start to his season. Through two game, the graduate student has notched a total of 189 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns. Roebuck is also averaging a whopping 94.50 rush yards per game this season. Gavin is no pushover as well. The redshirt freshman posted 84 rushing yards and a touchdown during Winona's week one win against Concordia St. Paul. If the Bulldogs want to improve to 3-0 on the season, stopping the Warriors run game will be a priority. Through the air, Winona has various targets. Graduate wide receiver Jake Balliu has recorded 133 receiving yards and a touchdown on the season. Fellow wide out Ethan Wittenburg caught one touchdown pass and 71 yards in week one against Concordia St. Paul. Last weekend at Moorhead, Sophomore receiver Maly Sawyer brought in 75 receiving yards and a touchdown as well. With all three receivers averaging over 50 yards per game, the UMD secondary must be ready to counter the air attack of Winona. On the defensive side of the ball, the Warriors are led by sophomore linebacker Clay Schueffner. In two games this season, Schueffner leads the defense in total tackles with 19, and also has one sack for a loss of 14 yards. Sophomore defensive back Mitch Snitker has also been a driving force on the defense. Snitker has secured 11 solo tackles and 16 total tackles so far this season. As a defensive group, Winona has only given up 19 points in their two games. UMD's offense has posted 70 total points thus far. The matchup between the Bulldogs offensive unit and the Warriors defense should be intriguing come Saturday.
