The University of Minnesota Duluh football team will look to get back on the winning track Saturday when it heads to the University of Sioux Falls for an all-important Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference showdown. The game will get underway from Bob Young Field in Sioux Falls, S.D. at 1:00 p.m. 


TOUCHDOWN AMES: It's been three years since a wide receiver had more touchdowns over an entire season than junior wide receiver DaShaun Ames currently owns through only six games.

Ames has seven TDs -- including one in each of his past three games -- the most touchdowns by a WR since Armani Carmickle had 11 -- over 12 games over the 2021 season. Through his first six games that year, Carmickle, like Ames, had seven TDs.

Ames has been quarterback Kyle Walljasper's top target so far this season, with 22 receptions for 520 yards. Ames has recorded 481 receiving yards for a 26.4 yards per catch average -- the second most of any WR in the NSIC with 10 or more receptions. Averaging 86.6 yards a game through the six games of the season, Ames  ypc is also good enough for third in the NSIC.

With an average 3.7 receptions a game, Ames has already doubled 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 1,174 yards so far over his career, which has included just 26 games for a 45.2 yards per game average. 

THE CAREER CLIMB CONTINUES FOR WALLJASPER: Redshirt junior quarterback Kyle Walljasper has amassed 5,815 total yards of offense so far in his career -- good enough for the fifth most total offense in program history. Walljasper has 2,156 career rushing yards to pair with 3,625 passing yards -- complete with 34 receiving yards logged in the 2023 season.

Walljasper's 3,625 passing yards already ranks him eighth all-time, is just 65 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 76 total (30 rushing, 45 passing and one receiving). That jump now puts Walljasper at fifth all-time for total career touchdowns. Walljasper's 45 passing TDs is the sixth most over a career in program history, and his 30 rushing touchdowns ties him for eighth with Corey Veech (1982-86) and Brad Foss (2007-10).

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 three rushing touchdowns so far this season but has already thrown for 13 in just six games. Walljasper's passing yards per game has also increased from one year ago -- in 2023 he threw for 143.6 yards a game -- this season, through seven games, Walljasper is averaging 212.2.

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. 

THE MATCHUP: Sioux Falls is the lone NSIC opponent that the Bulldogs all-time record against is upside down. In six all-time meetings, UMD is 2-6 overall in a series that only started in 2013, and in three trips to Cougars home turf, the Bulldogs are still a winless 0-3. 

UMD snapped a four-game losing streak against USF at Malosky last season on Sept. 16, however, to the tune of a 42-34 win.

In that Military Appreciation Day triumph, the game started offensively for UMD 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 then 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, 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. But 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 by Dylan Rudningen just over a minute apart, 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 by Dean at 2:03, but the Bulldogs, who never trailed in the contest, held on to their 42-34 final.

Walljasper passed for a career-high 270 yards, while his four rushing touchdowns tied a career mark. 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).

On the defensive side, 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 Pokornowski had six for UMD, which allowed just 137 rushing yards total to the Cougars.

LAST TIME OUT:  UMD's comeback effort was cut short last Saturday in a 24-21 loss to Northern State University at Malosky Stadium.

The NSIC offensive leaders in points all season, the Bulldogs were held to just seven points throughout the opening three quarters before mounting a 14-point resurgence in the fourth. A last second field goal by the Wolves moved them ahead as time expired, UMD second loss in as many games.  

UMD's opening eight minute drive ended with a missed field goal, and neither team landed a hit on the scoreboard in the first quarter. 

The Wolves scored 14 straight points in the second, including an 80 yard drive that ended in a 33 yard passing touchdown. Down  two scores with just over one minute in the half, the Bulldogs drove 73 yards down field and found themselves on the board with a 17-yard passing touchdown from Kyle Walljasper to DaShaun Ames, their seventh connection of the season to cut NSU's lead down the middle before half.

 After a scoreless third quarter, the Wolves took a 21-7 lead on a 12-yard rushing touchdown. Another pair of drives ended in a punt before the offense of the Bulldogs rallied high gear. A 73-yard drive from UMD was capped off by a one-yard rushing touchdown from Walljasper, moving UMD back within one touchdown. The Bulldogs were quick to regain possession after UMD's defense collected a huge stop on fourth down. This time, Derrick Johnson closed out a 44-yard drive with a one yard rush up the middle. 

With the game tied at 21-21 with just two and a half minutes left to go, the Bulldogs were unable to touch the ball again as the Wolves drove down field for the game-ending field goal.

The Bulldog offense was led by Walljasper, who went 9-14 with 115 yards and a touchdown through the air. The quarterback also led all Bulldog rushers with 145 yards and one touchdown on the ground. Daniel Mitchell added 24 yards on the ground, averaging 6-yards per carry, and Ames pulled in four catches for 39 yards and one score.

Jonathan Shrum led the Bulldogs' defensive effort with a 0.5 TFL and one interception. Jarrett Bennett led the Bulldogs with 10 tackles and Drew Hennessey tallied one pass breakup.

BULLDOG NOTES: The Bulldogs are now 29-12 all-time against NSU after the Wolves snapped a seven-game UMD winning streak last weekend -- the longest of the all-time series. 

--Entering Saturday's game, UMD had been averaging 38.1 points a game against the Wolves, but were held to just 21.

--The setback marked the first time in four seasons the Bulldogs have lost back-to-back games since losing consecutive games to the University of Sioux Falls and to Upper Iowa University over the 2019 season. 

--It also marked the first time since their matchup with Sioux Falls in the 2019 season that the Bulldogs were held to seven points or less through the first three quarters of the game. 

--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.