The No. 7 (AFCA) and No. 7 (D2Football.com) ranked University of Minnesota Duluth football team is heading on the road to face Ashland University in the NCAA II Tournament. The first round will be hosted inside Jack Miller Stadium on Saturday with kickoff set for 1:00 p.m.

UNDISPUTED NSIC CHAMPIONS: The regular-season finale win marked the program's regular-season conference record at 9-1 to give the team its first unshared title since the 2012 season. This is also their first undisputed North Division title since the 2019 season. This marks the program's 11th unshared overall title (1934, 1937, 1980, 1985, 1996, 2002, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, and now 2025) and 11th unshared North Division title (2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and now 2025). This also marks head coach Curt Wiese's eighth North Division title and fourth overall title since taking over the program in 2013.

IN THE RANKINGS: This past Monday, the Bulldogs were recognized as the No. 7 team in the American Football Coaches Association's (AFCA) national rankings. Moving up from the No. 11 spot, the last time the Bulldogs were ranked as high in the pre-tournament rankings was the 2018 season, where they were selected No. 5 before the first round.

When they entered the rankings earlier in the year, it marked the first time the team was ranked by the AFCA since week one of the poll last season, where they ranked No. 19.

UMD IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT: UMD heads to its 13th historic appearance in the NCAA II Tournament, with the first match occurring all the way back in 2002 (2002, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2021, and now 2025).

In the last two decades, the Bulldogs have earned two of the coveted NCAA II Championship titles, with one in 2008 and one in 2010.

WIESE'S BULLDOGS IN THE NCAA: Wiese's Bulldogs have claimed an overall 2-3 record in the first round and have gone 3-5 overall. His first-round wins came in the 2013 and 2014 postseasons. In those victories, the Bulldogs scored a combined 80 points (55 in 2013 and 25 in 2014) while only allowing 34 points. Both wins were powered by strong rushing efforts from the quarterback, Drew Bauer, with two over 100-yard games (173 yds in 2013 and 131 yds in 2014).

Overall, the Wiese Bulldogs have scored a combined 223 points in postseason action while allowing 308 points across eight games.

In Wiese's three postseason victories, the Bulldogs combined for 890 yards rushing (476, 2013 / 414, 2014) and 442 passing yards (35, 2013 / 408, 2014).

Under his leadership, by the end of the 2018 run, the Bulldogs were statistical champions in total defense (205.7 yds/g), rushing defense (59.2 yds/g), and third-down conversion defense (0.225).

RETURNING EXPERIENCE: The Bulldogs return with eight redshirt seniors who were on the roster for the 2021 season. Joey Grillo, Jake Raines, Gavin Skelton, Luke Humbert, Tyler Collien, Alex Sylvester, Kyle Walljasper, and DaShaun Ames all were understudying the last postseason crew.

A LOOK AT THE 2025 NSIC POSTSEASON HONORS: In individual awards, Luke Dehnicke earned the Offensive Newcomer of the Year award, alongside Head Coach Curt Wiese earning his first NSIC Coach of the  Year award and Chase Vogler earning the NSIC Assistant Coach of the Year award. In all, an NSIC high 13 UMD football players were named to the 2025 NSIC All-Conference Teams Wednesday.

In his 13th season as head coach of UMD football, Wiese earns his first NSIC Coach of the Year award after leading the Bulldogs to their 22nd NSIC Championship title and 13th North Division title. He marks his eighth North Division and fourth overall title at the helm of UMD football. The Wiese' Bulldogs completed the regular season 10-1 overall while earning a 9-1 record in NSIC action and will make their sixth appearance in the NCAA postseason under Wiese. Overall, he coached UMD to finish the regular season as the leaders in scoring offense in the NSIC.

Vogler earns his first NSIC Assistant Coach of the Year award in his seventh season after helping coach the Bulldogs to a 9-1 finish in conference competition (10-1 overall). His offense finished the regular season as the top-scoring offense in the NSIC with 40.3 average points per game. He coached five All-NSIC offensive performances this season, and his scoring offense ranked seventh in the nation.

A redshirt senior from Andover, Minn., Dehnicke earned both the coveted Offensive Newcomer of the Year award and a First Team All-Conference selection. In a breakout year, Dehnicke led the NSIC in the receiving category with 97.6 average yards per game and 14 touchdowns. He also reached the 1,000-yard career receiving mark as a redshirt freshman (has totaled 1,074 yards and is trailing the program's single-season record of 1,201). Heading into national competition, he currently ranks second in the NCAA for receiving yards (1,074), third in receiving yards per game (97.6), and third in receiving touchdowns (14).

The eight First Team All-NSIC selections were Dehnicke, offensive lineman Carter Geerts, offensive lineman Tait Kongsjord, defensive lineman Mojo Weerts, defensive back Jonathan Shrum, defensive back Preston McQueen, linebacker Alex Sylvester, and kicker Drew Henson. The Bulldogs earned five Second Team All-NSIC honors, including wide receiver DaShaun Ames, quarterback Kyle Walljasper, defensive lineman Allen Pearson Jr., defensive back Joey Krouse, and linebacker Ross Rivord.

Geerts, a redshirt sophomore from Rochester, Minn., makes his all-conference debut after keeping the pressure off Walljasper through all 11 regular-season matchups. As an anchor on the line, his effort has enabled the offense to rank seventh in the country in scoring and second in passing efficiency.

Kongsjord, a redshirt junior from Talmoon, Minn., earns his first all-conference first team selection after fending off pressure on the line in all 11 games. Kongsjord and the offensive line have enabled the offense to rank seventh in the country in scoring and second in passing efficiency.

Weerts, a senior team captain from Batavia, Ill., earns his second career all-conference selection after leading the NSIC in sacks with a .65 average per game. Overall, Weerts combined for 33 total tackles (19 solo), 52 yards lost in nine tackles, and totaled 6.5 sacks for a loss of 45 yards in 10 games.

Shrum, a redshirt sophomore from Farmington, Minn., earns his first and second career all-conference selection for both defense and special teams. Throughout all 11 games, he has combined for 31 total tackles (24 solo) with two tackles for a loss of five yards and one interception with three passes broken up. In kick returns, he completed the regular season in second place in the NSIC with an average of 29 yards. He also earned the coveted NSIC Player of the Week award for special teams.

McQueen, a redshirt sophomore from Henderson, Nev., the defensive back earned his second all-conference selection after 28 total tackles (25 solo) with a tackle and a sack for a loss of seven yards. He also picked off opposing quarterbacks twice, with one returning for a gain of 27 yards.

Sylvester, a redshirt senior from Green Bay, Wis., the defensive back and team captain, earned 40 total tackles (30 solo) with 1.5 tackles for a loss of 10 yards. He also tallied one sack for a loss of eight yards, recovered one fumble, broke up two passes, and grabbed two interceptions, with one gaining four yards.

Henson, a redshirt sophomore from Owatonna, Minn., the kicker and punter hit the team's longest field goal of the year at 52 yards, which fell five yards short of the program record. Earlier this season, he nabbed his first career NSIC Player of the Week award for his efforts on special teams. By the end of the regular season, he had attempted seven field goals, making five of them, and sent 15 punts in the air for 618 yards total, with seven going within the 20-yard line. He also put one punt in the air that went over the 50-yard mark and took three kickoffs for 91 yards.

Ames, a team captain redshirt senior from Cumberland, Wis., was awarded his second career all-conference selection. The wide receiver earns the honor after earning 238 yards in 23 receptions. He scored two touchdowns and took seven kick returns for a combined 151 yards.

Walljasper, a team captain redshirt senior out of Fond du Lac, Wis., has earned his third all-conference selection. Throughout the year, he has held top spots in the NSIC's statistical categories, and by the end of the regular season is still the most efficient quarterback in the NSIC (189.2). This season, he has thrown career highs in passing yards (2,176) and touchdowns (26) while also rushing for 831 yards with 16 touchdowns on his legs.

Pearson Jr., a redshirt sophomore from Maplewood, Minn., gained his first career all-conference selection. As a defensive lineman, he has held the line through 11 games, earning 33 total tackles (12 solo), forcing five tackles for a loss of 19 yards, and earning 2.5 sacks for a loss of 16 yards.

Krouse, a redshirt sophomore from Savage, Minn., the defensive back earns his first all-conference selection after totaling 45 tackles (36 solo). Four of his tackles resulted in a total loss of 12 yards while breaking up four passes. He also forced one fumble and recovered two fumbles with a gain of two yards. Two of his three interceptions were returned for over 39 yards for a total of 90 yards.

Rivord, as a redshirt junior linebacker out of Superior, Wis., totaled 39 tackles (24 solo). 6.5 tackles resulted in a total loss of 15 yards, while he also broke out to the quarterback 1.5 times for a loss of eight yards.

A DYNAMIC DUO: In a multi-career game for both redshirt senior quarterback Kyle Walljasper and protege redshirt freshman tight end Luke Dehnicke, they both tied program bests in the UMary victory. With six touchdown passes, Walljasper entered a four-way tie for the record, with four of those passes heading to Dehnicke. These passes saw Dehnicke reach a staggering 230 receiving yards (19 short of the program record, 249, Tim Battaglia) and account for 26 points of the 54-point victory. Dehnicke has now reached over 100 yards in a single game five times this season (152 vs Winona, 141 vs Mankato, 230 vs UMary, 150 vs Jamestown, and 140 vs Bemidji).

DEHNICKE'S 1,000TH YARD: During a 69-yard touchdown reception, Luke Dehnicke climbed over his 1,000th receiving yard mark in his first season of competition. With a total of 1,074 yards in the regular season he is now just behind D.J. Winfield's single season record of 1,201. He also has 14 touchdowns this season which is five behind the current record (Tim Battaglia, 19).


NCAA LEADERS: Kyle Walljasper currently ranks seventh in completion percentage with an average of 69% and second in passing efficiency (189.2). He ranks second in points responsible for (252), third in points responsible for per game (22.9), and second in yards per pass attempt (10.07). He also holds the second best single game passing efficiency this season (340.45).

Luke Dehnicke is tied for third in receiving touchdowns (14), ranks second in receiving yards (1,074), holds third in receiving yards per game (97.6), and has the third highest receiving yards in a game nationally (230 yards against UMary).

Brock Unger remains first in total interception return yards (166).

The team is seventh in completion percentage (68%), tied for fifth in fewest penalties (47), tied for fifth in fewest penalties per game (4.27), fourth in fewest penalty yards (381), fourth in fewest penalty yards per game (34.64), third in punt return defense (0.0), seventh in scoring offense (40.3), and second in team passing efficiency (181.98).


MORE ON THE EAGLES: UMD takes on AU for the first time in program history. Ashland finished 9-2 in the regular season to earn their second straight NCAA hosting bid. Two freshmen lead the Eagles in rushing and receiving this season. Tailback Chris Maloney is the Eagles' leading rusher with 457 yards, while wide receiver D.J. Harvey is Ashland's top target with 42 catches for 444 yards and two touchdowns. Senior defensive end Michael Shimek leads the nation in sacks with 16, and redshirt freshman kicker Manaki Watanabe leads in field-goal percentage at 94.4%.

By the end of the regular season, the Eagles lead the NCAA in sacks (44), rank second in total defense (244.5 yds/g), are third in rushing defense (66.3 yp/g), sixth in scoring defense (14.8 avg), tied for ninth in blocked punts (3), and 10th in first downs allowed (161).

NOTES ON THE MINOT GAME: Kyle Walljasper led the offense with 157 net rushing yards, three rushing touchdowns, 122 passing yards, and one throwing touchdown. Backing up Walljasper on the rush was Francis O'Mally, with not only 57 net rushing yards but also leading the receiving end with 32 yards on only two receptions.

The first quarter started with the Bulldogs' own Jadon Apgar sending a 65-yard kickoff that ended in Minot starting at their own 13-yard line. The UMD defense would bend but not break, only allowing a gain of 21 yards in seven plays by the Beavers. MSU's first drive ended with Gavin Skelton stopping a fourth-down attempt to start the Bulldog offense at the Minot 34-yard line.

The Bulldogs went on a nine-play drive to score off a rush of two yards by Walljasper to force a 7-0 lead with help from a Drew Henson kick. However, a determined effort on the following drive by the Beavers tied the game up at 7-7 with 2:28 left in the first quarter.

UMD's next drive sputtered out at the MSU 25-yard line, but the defense continued to dominate, only allowing a gain of five yards to force a punt by Minot. The next Bulldog drive saw the final scoring action before halftime. The drive opened with a 19-yard pass from Walljasper to O'Malley to get near midfield. Walljasper then went on a determined rushing drive, which included a 19-yard and 14-yard rushing gain on back-to-back plays. Ultimately, the drive would again be determined by Walljasper's legs in a one-yard rush to help regain a 14-7 lead.

The Bulldog defense continued to halt the Minot rush attack, including the final drive being stopped on UMD's own 18-yard line, where Jarret Bennet stepped up to tackle a rush from Carson Chrisman. With the ball back with 48 seconds to go before the halftime break, the UMD offense was held to the MSU 33-yard line, where a long field goal attempt by Henson fell short.

Coming out of halftime, the Bulldogs began a long over-six-minute scoring drive of 75 yards to push a staggering 20-7 lead after another short two-yard rush from Walljasper. Again, the Bulldog defense silenced the Minot rushing game, allowing only seven yards and forcing a punt that allowed the offense to get started at the UMD 43-yard line. From there, the Bulldogs pulled out of reach with another rushing touchdown, this time from O'Malley to force a 26-7 lead with 2:46 remaining in the third quarter.

MSU failed on their final four drives of the game while UMD tacked on one final scoring drive off Walljasper's only passing touchdown of the game to Nathan Litke on a 12-yard gain. With a Henson kick, the score would remain at 33-7 for the duration of the final quarter.

The Bulldog defense held the NSIC's top rushing offense to only 12 first downs and allowed only two of nine third-down conversions, with zero of three fourth-down conversions. UMD also held down Minot's quarterback Chrisman to only 76 net rushing yards, down from his 137 yards last week against Northern State. The offense drove down the clock with 35:38 of possession time.

The defensive effort was led by Ross Rivord with a  career-high 10 total tackles (five solo, five assisted), with Jarrett Bennet following close behind with nine total tackles (seven solo, two assisted). Joey Krouse had the team's lone interception that halted one of MSU's drives in the third quarter. Allen Pearson Jr. and Brysen McLeod split the lone sack of the day.

THESE ARE YOUR CAPTAINS SPEAKING: UMD has four captains this season, including three redshirt seniors, DaShaun Ames, Kyle Walljasper, and Alex Sylvester, along with senior Mojo Weerts.

SECOND WINNINGEST UMD FOOTBALL COACH: Curt Wiese enters his 13th season at the helm of UMD (15th career season). Wiese commands a dominant 114-28 record with an impressive two perfect 11-0 seasons, eight NSIC North Division titles, four NSIC championship victories, and six National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II playoff appearances. Last season, he earned his way to becoming the second-winningest coach in UMD football history behind Hall of Fame coach Jim Malosky.

WALLJASPER EYEING TOP-10: Walljasper currently ranks fifth in career passing yards (6,537 yards) and fourth in career total offense (9,984 yards). Last season, he earned the 10th spot in single-season total offense (2,685 yards) and is on track to top that currently at 3,007 yards which if the season ended this second would put him eighth overall.

Currently, Walljasper broke into the top 10 career rushing yards with 3,413 which makes him one of three Bulldog quarterbacks in the category. His 801 rushing yards this season fall just behind Drew Bauer's 983 in 2014.

FOUR PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Ten weeks ago, Jonathan Shrum earned UMD's first 2025 NSIC Player of the Week selection off of his Special Teams performance against CSP, with his 90-yard kick return touchdown (Totaled 111 kick return yards).

Nine weeks ago, Jadon Apgar earned his first-ever weekly award for special teams as a freshman kicker after helping lift a 17-14 victory over the then-ranked No. 7 Minnesota State. He went three for three in field goals in a match that was decided by his kick in the final second of the game.

Six weeks ago, Drew Henson earned his first career special teams weekly award after sending two long field goals in to help the team lift a 28-14 win over the Minnesota State University Moorhead. He nearly met the UMD program record (57 yards) for the longest field goal with his kick of 52 yards. On top of that, he nailed a 40-yard field goal and two extra points for a total of eight points of the Bulldogs' 28-point day. He also kept the Dragons' offense pinned with four punts that averaged 39.5 yards each and set them behind the 20-yard line twice. In total, he punted 158 yards in his best performance in his career.

And three weeks ago, redshirt freshman Luke Dehnicke earned his first career offensive weekly award after tallying multiple career bests against the University of Mary Marauders.In the 54-32 victory, Dehnicke received four touchdown passes and ran in one two-point conversion to account for a staggering 26 points scored. In eight receptions, he received 230 yards, which fell 19 yards shy of the program record (249 yds, Tim Battaglia) but marks him as the second most receiving yards in a single game across Division II football.