The University of Minnesota Duluth football team returns to the confines of James S. Malosky Stadium in Duluth, Minn. Saturday to host Northern State University in a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference showdown. The Bulldogs, who will be honoring their 1984 team at halftime will kickoff with the Wolves at 12:00 p.m.
LEAGUE LEADERS: Despite the loss Saturday, UMD as a team owns the top spot in a number of NSIC categories, including most points a game (38.6) and fewest points allowed a game (14.4). The Bulldogs own the best rushing defense (34.0 yards per game allowed), the most sacks (25), fewest opponent first down conversions a game (14.2) longest punt yardage (15.7) and best kickoff net (42.8).
Curtis Cox currently leads the NSIC with a 1.2 FG made a game, while Matt Weerts leads the league in tackles for loss with a 1.30.
TAKE AME(S): Redshirt junior wide receiver DaShaun Ames has been Kyle Walljasper's top target so far this season, and he leads the Bulldogs with six receiving TDs (second most in the NSIC) after adding another one last weekend. Ames has recorded 481 receiving yards for a 26.4 yards per catch average -- the second most of an WR in the NSIC. Ames is averaging 96.2 yards a game through the five games of the season, also good enough for second in the NSIC.
Averaging 3.60 receptions a game, Ames has already bested his career season-high for receiving TDs (three in 2023), and his total single-season career high for touchdowns set last season (5). Ames has 1135 yards so far over his career, which has included just 25 games for a 45.4 yards per game average. Ames also ranks 12th in yards per reception in the NCAA.
THE CAREER CLIMB CONTINUES FOR WALLJASPER: Redshirt junior quarterback Kyle Walljasper has amassed 5,555 total yards of offense so far in his career -- good enough for the sixth most total offense in program history. Walljasper has 2,011 rushing yards to pair with 3,510 passing yards and 34 receiving yards logged last season.
Walljasper's 3,510 passing yards already ranks him eighth all-time, is just 180 yards shy of taking over the seventh career passing spot currently owned by Bruce Grant, who had 3,690 passing yards between 1980-1983.
The redshirt junior currently has 74 total (29 rushing, 44 passing and one receiving), which last weekends two TD effort led to him moving ahead of former running back great Issac Odim, who had 72 between 2008-10. That jump now puts Walljasper at fifth all-time for total career touchdowns.
Walljasper has flipped the stats he posted from a year ago -- after rushing for 16 TDs in 2023 and passing for 22, he has just two rushing touchdowns so far this season but has alreay thrown for 12 in just five games. Walljasper's passing yards per game have also almost doubled from one year ago -- in 2023 he threw for 143.6 yards a game -- this season, through four games, Walljasper is averaging 231.6.
HENNESSEY JOINS THE TOP-10 CAREER SACK CLUB: Drew Hennessey has the ninth-most career sacks in program history, a club he joined against SMSU on Sept. 28. His sack mark makes him the first Bulldog player since Nate Pearson (2017-21) to record 17 or more sacks in a career, and the second most in program history. Russ Rabe owns UMD's career sack record with 29, set 2001-04.
Hennessey is now just a single sack from tying the No. 7 spot currently held by Rob Huberty (2008-11) and Cody Ahmann (2004-07).
Hennessey turned in eight sacks in 2023 for a career-best, and was just one sack shy of reaching the 10th spot for the most sacks in a single season. UMD has had four players all-time record nine sacks -- in all, 11 players have turned in nine or more sacks in a single season.
THERE'S NO RUSH: The Bulldogs lead the NSIC in a plethora of categories, and one of those is their top rushing defense, which has given up just 149 rushing yards total in five games for 34.0 a game.
THE MATCHUP: The Bulldogs are an impressive 29-11 all-time against NSU and met for the first time in 1980 – a 31-7 win for UMD. With a seven-game winning streak – the longest of the series – currently in place against the Wolves that began back in 2008. In fact, over UMD's last 10 games with NSU, the Bulldogs are 9-1, and have averaged 38.1 points a game. Those last 10 games have also come during the tenure of head coach Curt Wiese. UMD is also 7-0 against the Wolves in Duluth.
In their last head-to-head action just last season (2023) in Aberdeen, S.D., UMD defeated the Wolves 41-21 in their first NSIC action of the year. Kyle Walljasper had an outstanding effort for the Bulldogs, compiling four passing touchdowns in addition to a pair of rushing TDs for six touchdowns, which still remains his collegiate high. Overall, the Bulldogs recorded a total of 313 yards on offense, including 193 rushing yards. 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 and 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, then 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.
On the defensive side, then redshirt junior defensive back Alex Sylvester led with six solo tackles, while Pokornowski and Landon Carter both turned in interceptions for UMD. Three players logged solo sacks in the outing – Drew Hennessey, Mason Wilson and Caden Osmonson.
LAST TIME OUT: The Bulldogs suffered their second heartbreaking loss over the last three games Saturday afternoon, this time a 28-24 setback on the road against No. 25 Augustana University at Kirkeby-Over Stadium in Sioux Falls, S.D.
In a back-and-forth battle between two giants of the NSIC, the Vikings marched down the field and scored a back-breaking touchdown with 56 seconds left. The Bulldogs, who dipped to 3-2 overall and 2-2 in NSIC play, almost capitalized on excellent field position and all three of their timeouts trailing by four. UMD drove all the way to the Viking nine-yard line before a pair of incompletions set in as time expired.
The game got off to a hot start for the Bulldogs, who forced the Vikings to punt on their first possession with the help of a Preston McQueen sack for a 10-yard loss. Two quick passes from redshirt junior quarterback Kyle Walljasper to Sam Pitz and DaShaun Ames set up UMD for a first down scenario, giving Ryder Patterson the chance to break through and tally the first points of the game on a 46-yard carry to the house at 11:22.
Augustana responded with a 75-yard drive of its own that took eight minutes and tied the score 7-7 with just over three minutes left in the quarter.
A trio of penalties for 25 yards kept the Bulldogs out of the end zone over their next two drives, allowing Augustana to take over the lead 14-7 with six minutes left in the half on a 99-yard drive. The Bulldogs cut into the lead before halftime after a 69-yard drive ended with a successful Curtis Cox field goal and a new scoreline of 14-10 before the break.
The Bulldogs came out into the second half fired up, and recorded back to back 20+ yard receptions from Walljasper to Ben Fritsch and Pitz. The 75-yard drive concluded with Walljasper taking it himself and finding the pylon for another Bulldog touchdown, putting UMD back in the lead 17-14 early into the third quarter.
The two teams would force each other to punt on their next possessions, and Augustana then regained possession with four minutes left in the quarter. The Vikings shot towards midfield was broken up by a big hit from Tyrone McCoy, which deflected the ball into the air and allowed Mac Strand to come in from behind and recover the fumble.
UMD was forced to punt on their possession following the fumble recovery, and it gave the Vikings the opportunity to take back over the lead and move into a 21-14 lead with just over eight minutes left in the game.
The Bulldogs refused to back down, going on to score on the very first play of their next drive with a 53-yard connection through the air from Walljasper to Ames to put UMD back in the lead 24-21. The defense continued to hold its own when Jonathan Shrum forced a fumble at the goal line, recovering the ball in the endzone for a touchback.
A false start penalty as the Bulldogs approached the two minute warning forced UMD to punt, and the Vikings capitalized on their opportunity. Trailing by four points, the Bulldogs were unable to score in the final 53 seconds and left Sioux Falls with their second loss of the season.
The offense again was led by Walljasper went 23-for-35 for 231 yards through the air, with one touchdown and no interceptions. The quarterback also added 41 yards and one touchdown on the ground,while Patterson tallied 52 yards on the ground paired with 55 receiving yards and a touchdown – an average 13 yards/carry. Ames recorded three catches for 70 yards and one touchdown, his sixth TD of the season, while Pitz also hauled in six passes for 50 yards.
Shrum led UMD's defensive effort, collecting seven tackles, one forced fumble, and one recovered fumble. Mac Strand added four tackles and one recovered fumble, while McQueen had nine tackles, 2.0 TFL, one sack, and one forced fumble. The Bulldogs converted 6-of-15 third downs and went 2-for-2 on fourth down conversions.
BULLDOG NOTES: UMD is now 12-2- all-time against the Vikings and 5-1 over the Curt Wiese era. Augustana ended an 11-game UMD winning streak that stretched back to Oct. 6, 2007.
--Kyle Walljasper completed a season-high 23 passes on a season-most 35 attempts, as well as a season high tie for rushes (17).
--Ryder Patterson had a team-high seven receptions, doubling as his career-best effort.
--Logan Kobus punted a season-long average of 43.7 yards a punt after 218 total yards -- the sixth-highest mark of his career, and tied a season-high of five punts in a game.
--Preston McQueen tied a season-high and set a career-high for most tackles in a game with nine.
