The No. 16 University of Minnesota Duluth football team downed its second-ranked opponent of the season, the No. 25 University of Sioux Falls Cougars, 34 to 17 Saturday afternoon at Bob Young Field.

This was their first victory in Sioux Falls (previously 0-4) to help cut the overall USF record over UMD to 5-3. This marks their unbeaten Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) record at 3-0 with a perfect 4-0 start to the season.

Kyle Walljasper had a colossal day, earning a team high 121 rushing yards (longest 35 yards) and four rushing touchdowns. He also threw for 93 yards while averaging 7.6 yards per carry. Walljasper enters the program's top ten in career rushing yards (one of three quarterbacks) with 2,784 rushing yards to breakthrough Amory Bodin's tenth-place 2,782 yards.

Starting the game, the Bulldog defense set the pace on the first offensive drive of the Cougars, holding them to a negative one-yard gain in three plays on the first drive. With the first UMD offensive drive, Walljasper found an open Luke Dehnicke for a 42-yard gain on the first pass to get to the Cougars' 10-yard line. Walljasper, two plays later, rushed it three yards for the game's first score. With Jadon Apgar's extra point, the Bulldogs eased ahead 7-0 with 12 minutes to go in the first quarter.

Again, the UMD defense shut down the USF drive this time with a first-time career interception from Joey Krouse with a gain of 46 yards. Krouse handed the ball off to Walljasper at the Cougar 27-yard line, where again Walljasper, with help from the offensive line, pushed in a one-yard touchdown for a two-touchdown lead with under three minutes left.

With the Sioux Falls offense sputtering under the pressure of the Bulldog defense, UMD started with possession in the second quarter. The first drive would repeat another successful set of rushes from Walljasper, with one breaking away for a 35-yard gain to get to the USF 15-yard line. A quick 14-yard pass to Dehnicke put Walljasper in position for another one-yard rush for a 21-0 lead.

The Bulldog defense then again stuffed the Cougar offense, holding them to seven yards in six plays. With the ball back in the offense's hands, they again scored but, this time on a short pass to Derrick Johnson to run into the end zone for a 28-0 lead with help from an Apgar extra point. The defense again stopped USF after a 70-yard drive with an interception in the end zone from Jonathan Shrum to stop them five seconds before halftime.

The third quarter began with another scoring drive from the Bulldogs, including another 35-yard breakaway run from Walljasper. This time it would come down to a fourth-down play at the two-yard line, where Walljasper ran to his fourth rushing touchdown of the day.

With UMD firmly ahead at 34-0, the offense would simmer down, not scoring in the final quarter of the game. The Cougars finally found gaps in the suffocating maroon and gold defense to combine for 17 points in the final quarter while shutting down the UMD offense.

In total, the Bulldog defense held the No. 25 Cougars scoreless for three quarters while allowing most of the offensive yards in the fourth quarter for a total of 437 yards (291 passing, 146 rushing).

On the defensive side, Tyrone McCoy marked a team-high eight tackles (six solo, two assisted). Alex Sylvester, Mojo Weerts, and Ross Rivord each earned a sack for a combined loss of 26 yards of Cougar offense. Shrum earned his first interception of the year in the end zone to halt a scoring attempt, while Krouse earned a gain of 46 yards on his first career interception.

Offensively, the team had its most potent rushing outing of the year with 251 yards and five touchdowns run in.
Just behind Walljasper was Johnson, earning a season high of 70 rushing yards and one touchdown. Dehnicke was the top receiver again for four receptions and a gain of 59 yards.

BULLDOG NOTES: First 4-0 start since 2023 (5-0 start)… best rushing day of the season (251 yards, 5 rushing TDs)… won their first game in Sioux Falls (now 1-4 record)… first four drives equaled first four touchdowns… Walljasper enters the program's top ten in career rushing yards (one of three quarterbacks) with 2,784 rushing yards to breakthrough Amory Bodin's 2,782 yards.