The No. 23 University of Minnesota Duluth football will team will get its first chance to compete as a nationally ranked team this season Saturday when the Bulldogs take on Southwest Minnesota State University on Mattke Field at The Schwan Regional Event Center Marshall, Minn. The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference game, which will get underway at 1:00 p.m., can be streamed for free on the NSIC Network or listened to locally on on KAT Country 98.9 or listened to here.
RANK AND FILE: The Bulldogs broke into their first national top-25 ranking of the season Monday, and are currently sitting 23rd in the latest American Football Coaches Association Division II Coaches' Poll. UMD is one of three NSIC teams in the top-25.
A RUSH TO THE TOP: Redshirt sophomore quarterback Kyle Walljasper is tied for first in the nation with eight rushing TDS through his first three games. Walljasper's 395 rushing yards currently sits sixth in the NCAA, one of only two QBs in the top-six.
Other categories where Walljasper currently ranks in the top-3 in the NCAA:
1st -- Total Points Responsible For (90)
1st - Points Responsible for per Game (30)
1st - Rush Yards per Carr (10.39)
1st - Scoring per game (14.0)
2nd - Total Points Scored (48)
Walljasper, who has eight rushing TDs to pair with seven passing touchdowns for 15 total, has the most TD's through the first three games by a Bulldog in at least 20 years.
HAVE LEGS, WILL RUN: UMD's offense is averaging 284 rushing yards a game -- the fourth most in the NCAA.
BEST OF THE BEST: The Bulldogs are ranked 2nd in the NCAA with a .630 3rd down conversion percentage, and fifth with a net punting average of 42.5.
WIESE HITS 100: Curt Wiese picked up his 100th career victory last Saturday in UMD's 42-34 win over Sioux Falls. All-time, Wiese is 100-32, with a 91-21 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 3-0 start for the fifth time in head coach Curt Wiese's career, and the 25th time in program history. UMD is averaging 43.3 points a game, the highest early season output since the 2019 season. That points per game average also ranks second in the NSIC and 13th in all of the NCAA -- UMD also ranks 6th in the country with 19 TDs through two games.
Of note, UMD is also off to a fast start in games -- the Bulldogs are averaging 27.6 points in the first half of action, including 18.3 in the first quarter alone.
The Bulldogs lead the country in interception return yards with 187 -- 27 yards more than the team in second (Bemidji State).
THE MATCHUP: UMD is 28-7-1 all-time against the Mustangs, *which includes a forfeited loss to SMSU over the 1986 season. Currently on a two-game winning streak against SMSU after a 31-21 triumph last September in UMD's season opener, the Bulldogs are averaging 31 or more points against the Mustangs over the last 11 head-to-head showdowns.
Last season, the Bulldogs and Mustangs traded first quarter touchdowns in their last meeting back in Malosky Stadium on Sept. 1, 2022, before UMD struck twice in the second quarter on 21-yard pass from Logan Graetz to Kurtis Weigand at 9:27, and a 48-yard pass from Graetz to Armani Carmickle at 5:31. Those TDs pushed UMD into a 21-7 lead at halftime, but the Mustangs scored two touchdowns of their own in the third quarter to set up fourth quarter for all the marbles.
The Bulldogs retook the lead for good when Graetz aired it out to Noah Skifton for a 43-yard TD early in the fourth, and Curtis Cox hit a 28-yard field goal with 3:37 gave UMD a 10 point lead. Gbor Dayvia intercepted Mustang QB Justus McComb twice in the final three minutes to seal the game for the Bulldogs.
Brad Dati led the defense with nine tackles, including three solos, and was one of three UMD players to record sacks: Drew Hennessey and Rayshion Brumfield were the other two.
Of note, UMD used two QBs in the game -- and neither was then redshirt freshman Kyle Walljasper, who did not not entre his first Bulldog game until nine days later.
LAST TIME OUT: The Bulldogs delivered a 42-34 win over the University of Sioux Falls Saturday afternoon at James S. Malosky Stadium on Military Appreciation Day, in a game that also doubled as the 100th win of head coach Curt Wiese's career.
The game started offensively for UMD just as its past three games have, with a flash of offense in the first quarter. The Bulldogs first TD came from redshirt sophomore quarterback Kyle Walljasper, who capped off a 73 yard, nine-play opening march down the field with a 1-yard run at 8:57.
It was the UMD defense that paved the way for the Bulldogs second TD when graduate senior DB Tim Pokornowski forced a fumble on UMD's 5-yard line and graduate senior Ty'Rese Gibson returned it 25 yards to set up the Bulldogs offense with 1:24 left in the opening quarter. With no time left on the clock, redshirt freshman wide receiver Jimmy Durocher ran a reverse to the right side for a 27-yard TD that, coupled with a Curtis Cox kick, gave the Bulldogs a 14-0 lead after one.
The Cougars got on the board with two touchdowns less than four minutes apart on a 1-yd rushing TD from sophomore quarterback Camden Dean. USF then tied the game at 14 apiece on a TD run by Matt Grzybowki at the 8:30 mark of the second quarter after the Cougars intercepted Walljasper and returned it 26 yards right outside the red zone.
Walljasper needed just three plays and under a minute and half to help UMD retake that lead, running for 46 yards to push the Bulldogs into a 21-14 advantage they would hold at halftime.
It was Walljasper again to open the second half, scoring on a 15-yd run to complete a six play, 75-yard drive that doubled UMD's lead to 28-14. Graduate senior running back Chamere Thomas then spun out of the Cougars' grasp for a 31-yard rush TD to stretch the Bulldog margin to 35-14 with 6:01 left in the third quarter.
USF countered with two rushing TDs early in the fourth quarter, but UMD and Walljasper again ran in the Bulldogs overall sixth rushing touchdown of the afternoon at 5:09 to push UMD back on top 42-27. The Cougars punched in one last TD in 2:03, but the Bulldogs, who never trailed in the contest, held on to their 42-34 final.
NOTES FROM THE USF GAME: UMD is now 2-4 all-time against Sioux Falls and snapped a four-game losing streak that started in 2015 against the Cougars.
--The Bulldogs are now 9-0 at home since losing by a TD to BSU back on Oct. 23, 2021 -- UMD was a perfect 5-0 last season in Malosky.
-- Kyle Walljasper passed for a career-high 270 yards, while his four rushing touchdowns tied a career mark set last Oct. 8, 2022 against the University of Mary, and his total of 407 offensive yards against USF also marks a high among all NSIC players so far this season.
-- Sam Pitz had eight catches for 133 yards – a career best for the redshirt senior tight end, and the Bulldog offense had a season-high 550 yards on offense, including an even split of 280 on the ground and 270 yards in the air. UMD also had a season-best average of both yards per rush (8.75) and yards per catch (11.74).
-- Fifth-year senior DB Marcus Glodowski led the Bulldogs with a season-best eight tackles, including seven solos, while redshirt senior linebacker Andrew Klopp had seven (six solo) for his season-high. Both Mac Strand and Tim Pokornowski had six for UMD, which allowed just 137 rushing yards total to the Cougars.
NOTABLES: UMD boasts the second best offense in the NSIC with its 43.3 ppg average.
--Marcus Glodowski ranks second in the NSIC with 16 solo tackles so far. Glodowski has 19 tackles overall. Mac Strand sits tied for fourth with 15 solos and 17 overall.
-- Ty'Rese Gibson is tied for second in the conference with a 1.33 average a game. Gibson also has the longest fumble return in the NSIC so far this season, a 25 yard return against Sioux Falls last Saturday.
-- Tim Pokornowski's 95 yard interception against Northern State on Sept. 9 is the second longest one in the NCAA after three weeks. It was just four yards shy of tying UMD's program record of 99 yards set twice -- most recently in 1988 by Chris Westberg against Minnesota Morris on Oct. 1, 1988.
-- Logan Kubus ranks 3rd in the NSIC with a 44.8 average per punt in eight attempts.
REPORTING FOR DUTY: The Bulldogs have five captains for the 2023 season -- graduate seniors Brad Dati, Treyvon Cahalan, Marcus Glodowski, Nathan Bursch and redshirt sophomore Kyle Walljasper.
NOTES ON SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE: The Mustangs have lost two straight games, and lost a 49-10 road trip to Wayne State last Saturday night. SMSU, which trailed 21-10 at halftime, committed four turnovers in the game, two of which resulted in touchdowns for WSC.
The Mustangs have scored a total of 24 points in their last two losses, and are averaging just 17.3 a game through three games played.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Sophomore quarterback Marcus Martin had five passing touchdowns through his first two games but was held scoreless last weekend at WSC, where he threw three picks.
Senior wide receiver Peter Osman has a team-high two receiving TDS, and posted a season-high 98 yards against Bemidji State on Sept. 9.
Donald Austin posted a 154 rushing yards, a season high for the Mustangs in their season opener
SMSU is giving up 35.3 points per game, including a season-most 49 against WSC last Saturday after surrendering 34 to the Beavers the weekend before. The Mustangs have allowed nine rushing TDs in their first three outings.
HEAD COACH UNDERWOOD: Scott Underwood is in his second season as SMSU head coach with a record of 5-9. He was named the program's 11th head coach on Jan. 7, 2022. Underwood compiled an overall record of 86-61 in 12 seasons as head coach at St. Cloud State (2008-19).
