UMD Athletics

The No. 19 University of Minnesota Duluth Football team took a solid win against the Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs in Marshall, Minnesota, 28-6. The Bulldogs improve to 4-2 on the year and 4-1 in the NSIC, while the Mustangs fall to 1-5 and are still seeking their first NSIC win of the season.

The Bulldogs first drive started out promising, with a 43-yard rush from Ryder Patterson helping UMD approach the SMSU endzone, but an untimely interception in the endzone by the Mustangs Connor Shelton stopped the Bulldogs in their tracks. However, hope was kept alive moments later with a Tyrone McCoy interception bringing UMD to the six yard line, where they would punch in the first touchdown of the game on an Austin Randall run.

SMSU threatened to respond quickly after a big kickoff return, but a big sack by Allen Pearson Jr. kept the Mustangs out of field goal range, forcing them into an ill-fated fourth down try.

Both defenses continued to battle hard until a tipped punt set UMD up with great field position. Starting at the Mustangs' 40-yard line, the Bulldogs moved down to the red zone with a 22-yard pass to Catcher Langeness before Derrick Johnson got his first touchdown of the day. Ryder Patterson added a two-point conversion to push the Bulldogs lead up to 15.

SMSU responded by rushing down the field to try to cut the lead before halftime. Two big runs from Emmanuel Diers got the Mustangs within short field goal range, but a bigtime block from Jayce Walrath held SMSU scoreless through the first half.

The Bulldogs started the third quarter strong, forcing a quick out from SMSU before Drew Henson hit a 41-yard field goal to extend the lead to three scores.

SMSU again threatened to score following UMD's field goal. After a methodical drive to UMD's 23-yard line Michael Bruggers appeared to get a massive 16-yard sack on the Mustangs on fourth down, before an unfortunate holding call kept SMSU alive. The Mustangs scored two plays later with a David Olakazeem touchdown, but a failed two-point try kept the lead at 12 with a Brock Unger breakup.

Ryder Patterson shined on the following drive, setting UMD up strong with a big 57-yard return, followed by an 18-yard reception. The Bulldogs had to settle for a field goal on the drive, sending the lead back to 15 just before the end of the third.

The defense continued to frustrate the Mustangs in the fourth quarter, with Brysen McLeod coming up with two big sacks, including one forcing a turnover on downs.

UMD extended their lead again on the following drive, with two first downs from Austin Randall and Nick Ojile in three plays before Derrick Johnson got his second touchdown of the game on a 40-yard run, bringing the lead to 28-6.

SMSU came close to scoring their second touchdown of the game, getting to UMD's six-yard line before Michael Bruggers delivered a crushing 19-yard sack loss, setting SMSU's offense back. The Mustangs again fell on a failed fourth-down conversion. UMD ran out the rest of the clock after, and the Bulldogs came away with a 28-6 victory.

Bulldog Notes:

• SMSU slightly outgained the Bulldogs 312-296.

• Ryder Patterson had 170 all-purpose yards.

• The Bulldogs had six sacks, with Allen Pearson Jr. getting two.

• The Offensive Line held strong today, allowing zero sacks.

• UMD's defense stopped SMSU on all four fourth-down tries.

• This is the first game of the 2026 Season for the Bulldogs where the game wasn't decided by one score.

UMD returns to Duluth for homecoming next week, playing Northern State with kickoff set for 12:00 p.m.