Arguably the biggest annual event on the University of Minnesota Duluth campus will get underway Saturday when the Bulldog football team holds its 10th Military Appreciation Day against Sioux Falls University at James S. Malosky Stadium. Game-time is set for 2:00 p.m.
10th ANNUAL MILITARY APPRECIATION GAME SATURDAY: The Bulldogs will host their 10th annual military appreciation game Saturday. The game, which will feature a flag ceremony and a flyover from the 148th Fighter Wing, will also feature coin toss honoree SSgt. Robert Gutierrez Jr., an Air Force Cross recipient. Gutierrez, the guest speaker of the football team later this week, is one of just 24 other enlisted airmen to have been awarded the Air Force Cross, and only seven airmen of any rank have earned the honor since 1975.
UMD will again partner with Operation One Voice, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising funds and awareness for the financial needs of the children and families of wounded and fallen Special Operations Forces. UMD has raised over $70,000 across the previous nine years. All military members will receive free admission with military ID (redeem at UMD Ticket Office) courtesy of Cenovus Energy. "Cenovus is committed to supporting the communities where we live and work," Cenovus Superior Refinery General Manager Matt Gunn said. "Recognizing veterans through our support of the military appreciation game is one way we can show our appreciation for the men and women who have served, as we continue to help build communities that are healthy, safe and resilient."
WIESE WIN WATCH: All eyes will be on UMD head coach Curt Wiese this weekend, currently in his 11th season with the Bulldogs. A college head coach for 13 overall seasons, Wiese is just one win shy of a 100 career wins. All-time, Wiese is 99-32, with a 90-21 record at the helm of the Bulldogs.
Wiese is currently the third all-time winningest coach in UMD program history, and is closing in on the second winningest coach Bob Nielson, who had 100 wins in 10 total seasons.
READY, SET, GO: The Bulldogs are off to a 2-0 start for the sixth time in head coach Curt Wiese's career. UMD is averaging 44 points a game, the highest early season output since the 2019 season. That points per game average also ranks first in the NSIC and 13th in all of the NCAA -- UMD also ranks 13th in the country with 13 TDs through two games.
Of note, UMD is also fast to a fast start in games -- the Bulldogs are averaging 34.5 points in the first half of action after scoring 35 against NSU and 34 against Northern Michigan.
UMD boasts the fifth-best rushing offense in the nation with a 286 yards per game. UMD's red zone offense, which ranks second in the NSIC, has produced 10 touchdowns in just 13 attempts.
The Bulldogs also have the 11th most interceptions (4) but lead the country in interception return yards with 187 -- more than 45 yards more than the team in second.
WALLJASPER NAMED NSIC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Redshirt sophomore quarterback Kyle Walljasper has been named the NSIC Offensive Player of the Week after leading the conference with six touchdowns in the Bulldogs 41-21 win over Northern State University Saturday night.
The product of Fond du Lac, Wis. tied for the most rushing touchdowns in the league (2) and the second-most passing TDs (4), and turned in the third most rushing yards in the NSIC with 110. Walljasper ranked second in the conference with a 7.33 yards per rush average on 15 attempts, and had 120 passing yards for a total of 230 yards against the Wolves.
Walljasper has now had back-to-back games with five or more touchdowns, having passed for seven in the air and run in four. in all of 2022, Walljasper had 10 passing TDs over the 2022 season alone -- the QB already has seven in two games.
THE MATCHUP: UMD is 1-4 all-time against the Cougars, and will be searching for its first win against USF since 2013. Currently, the Cougars will enter Saturday's contest on a four-game winning streak against UMD after defeating the Bulldogs 34-31 at Bob Young Field in Sioux Falls, S.D. on Sept. 24, 2022.
After trailing the Cougars 27-17 after three quarters, the Bulldogs made a fourth quarter push that started with a fourth down conversion from Garrett Olson to Byron Bynum at 10:55 to pull with three points at 27-24.
Drew Hennessey recovered a fumble on the next USF possession, and four plays and 40 yards later, Olson hit Bynum for his third TD of the game to retake the lead for the first time since midway through the second quarter, a 31-27 advantage with 6:53 left in regulation.
But with just 45 seconds left on the clock, USF's Thuro Reisdorfer punched in a 4-yd run after the Cougars went 80 yards on 11 plays in 1:42 to sting UMD with a 34-31 loss.
Olson led both sides with 155 passing yards and three passing TDs, while Kyle Walljasper finished with a team-high 92 rushing yards and touchdown. Bynum and USF's Reisdorfer each finished with three TD's apiece. Brad Dati led all players with 11 tackles, including 10 solo efforts in the game.
LAST TIME OUT: The Bulldogs used a 35-point first half to overwhelm Northern State University 41-21 at Dacotah Bank Stadium in Aberdeen, S.D. last Saturday. UMD was again led again by R-So. quarterback Kyle Walljasper, who compiled four passing touchdowns in addition to a pair of rushing TDs for his second-straight game with five or more touchdowns. Overall, the Bulldogs recorded a total of 313 yards on offense, including 193 rushing yards.
The Bulldog offense took almost no time to ignite, and within four minutes, UMD marched down the field off the opening kick and scored on a 8-yard pass up the middle from Walljasper to redshirt sophomore tight end Sam Pitz.
After NSU picked up a 2-yard rushing touchdown at the 8:54 mark, UMD responded quickly with a shotgun pass from Walljasper to sophomore wide receiver Jimmy Durocher in the back of the endzone for a 22-yard touchdown. An extra point by Curt Cox made it a 14-7 game, but the Bulldogs were far from done.
With 55 seconds left in the opening quarter, Walljasper pitched to Cooper Yeary on a sweep, and Yeary rushed to the right for a six-yard touchdown for UMD's third in the first 15 minutes.
The Wolves struck on another rushing TD by quarterback Colton Hackel less than two minutes into the second quarter, but it was all UMD from there. Walljasper threw 17 yards to the back right of the endzone to Pitz again, and the TE managed to get his foot down for his second TD of the night and third in two games at 10:27.
UMD added one last touchdown run with 11 seconds left in the second quarter, a 1-yard run by Walljasper for the Bulldogs fifth TD of the half and UMD owned a 35-14 lead at halftime.
After a scoreless third period by both sides, UMD's defense delivered its second interception of the night off a red zone stand that was completed with a pick by Tim Pokornowksi at 14:35. Pokornowski returned his interception a whopping 95 yards to NSU's 4-yard line, essentially setting up Walljasper's eventual 1-yard rushing TD a little over a minute later to give the Bulldogs a 41-14 lead.
The Wolves scored with 5:57 left in regulation, but would get no closer to the Bulldogs, who have now tallied more than 40 points in back-to-back games after putting up 47 against NMU in the season opener.
NOTES FROM THE NSU GAME: UMD is now 27-13 all-time against the Wolves and own a seven-game winning streak against NSU that started seven years ago.
--Kyle Walljasper surpassed his career-high for touchdowns for the second time in as many games, turning in four passing TDs to pair with two rushing touchdowns. Walljasper's previous high was five TDs, set in the season opener against NMU.
--Walljasper was the first UMD QB to rack up six touchdowns since John Larson did it on Sept. 9, 2021 against Upper Iowa.
--On the defensive side, redshirt sophomore defensive back Alex Sylvester led with six solo tackles, while Tim Pokornowski and Landon Carter both turned in interceptions for UMD, which has grabbed four picks in its first two games. Three players logged solo sacks in the outing – Drew Hennessey, Mason Wilson and Caden Osmonson.
Offensively, Walljasper was 8-12 in the air for 120 yards, and a UMD-high three of those receptions were hauled in by Sam Pitz, who logged 35 yards with his two TDs for a 11.7 yard per catch average. Outside of Walljasper's 15 carries on the ground for 113 yards and two touchdowns, senior running back Daniel Mitchell had seven carries for 39 yards, while Chamere Thomas had 40 yards over four carries, including a team-long 25 yard run. In all, UMD outran NSU 193-171, but the Wolves had 224 passing yards to the Bulldogs 120.
RANKED RIGHT OFF: The Bulldogs boast the fifth-best rushing offense (289 yards per game). UMD is 18th in the NCAA with six sacks for a 3-sack a game average and 40 sack yards -- the 12th most in the sack yards in the country.
UMD ranks second in the NCAA with a .682 3rd down conversion percentage, and owns the fifth fewest penalties per game with a 3.50 average. The Bulldogs also have the 11th most interceptions (4) but lead the country in interception return yards with 187 -- more than 45 yards more than the team in second.
NOTES ON SIOUX FALLS: The Cougars picked up the first win of the Jim Glogowski era Saturday, a 36-17 triumph over the University of Mary in Bismarck, N.D.
Sophomore quarterback Camden Dean had 187 passing yards and two passing TDs, coupled with 48 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown. Sophomore running back Dylan Rudningen had 109 rushing yards and one rushing TD for the Cougars.
In all, USF generated 489 yards of offense in the game, including 257 yards in the air.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Both Camden Dean and Adam Mullen took snaps under center last week, but Camden compiled three touchdowns (2 passing, 1 rushing). Camden is averaging 169 passing yards a game, and has completed 24-of-30 attempts in the air and three touchdowns.
Redshirt running back Dylan Rudningen has an 83.50 yards a game average through his first two games and two TDs. Rudningen is also averaging 8.4 yards per carry.
The Cougar defense has two players that have recorded 14 tackles, including 12 solo takedowns in their first two games. Redshirt freshman linebacker Matt Goehring, and redshirt freshman defensive back Garret Hoffman.
HEAD COACH JIM GLOGOWSKI: Glogowski joined the Cougars after spending seven seasons with the Minnesota State University, Mankato as associate head coach and defensive coordinator. Glogowski helped lead the Mavericks to a record of 64-14 with a conference record of 56-10. He assisted the Mavericks to four NSIC championships with three consecutive 11-0 conference seasons. In 2019, Coach Glogowski was named the NSIC Assistant Football Coach of the Year following a 14-1 season and an appearance in the NCAA DII Football Championship.
