UMD Athletics

The University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs Football team won their first game against the Wayne State College Wildcats since 2019 in a defensive battle in Wayne, Nebraska 20-13. The Bulldogs improve to 2-1 and remain undefeated in NSIC play while Wayne State receives their first loss of the season and is now 2-1 overall and 1-1 in the NSIC.

Both offenses stalled on their opening drives, with both the Bulldogs and Wildcats going three and out, but UMD struck first on their second, with Joey Flaherty advancing on a 44-yard reception, followed by an Alex Riley 25-yard touchdown run to give the Bulldogs a 7-0 lead on a two-play drive.

Dawson Forgy gave Wayne State their first first down on a 17-yard run, but the Wildcats got shut down again thanks to a Max Speratos sack, and were forced to punt. UMD got nowhere on their next drive, and were forced to punt.

It didn't take long after that for the Wildcats to tie, with a 46-yard pass to Keaton Bonderson making the game even at seven apiece. The next three drives featured a defensive masterclass from UMD and Wayne State, with three straight three and outs to end the first quarter.

Wayne State had a chance to take the lead early in the second quarter, but a missed field goal kept the game even. The Bulldogs would not miss theirs, as a seven-play drive featuring big receptions from Sam Wetzel and Peyton Menzel gave the Bulldogs a 14-7 lead off of a Catcher Langeness 21-yard touchdown reception.

The Wildcats and Bulldogs combined for only 13 plays on the next three drives, with the lone first down coming off of a 21-yard rush from Ryder Patterson. But before the end of the half, UMD expanded their lead to 10 points off of a 36-yard field goal from Drew Henson, making it 17-7.

The Bulldogs defense continued to frustrate the Wildcats, forcing a third consecutive three and out from Wayne State to start the third quarter. UMD made quick work down the field with receptions from Adam Poncelet and Joey Flaherty, but the Bulldogs had to settle for a field goal, making it 20-7. UMD's offense wouldn't stop there, as Jadon Apgar took advantage of the Wildcats lining up too far back on the kickoff, and put the Bulldogs right back to work with a successful onside kick. Unfortunately for UMD, the drive would stall, capped off by a Wayne State interception from Hayden Kelly.

The Bulldogs appeared to have stopped the Wildcats yet again, but Wayne State had some special teams trickery of their own, with a fake punt from Boston Hensley to keep the Wildcats drive alive. UMD locked in after, and stopped the Wildcats on downs.

UMD's offense continued to face challenges, and Wayne State looked to make it a one score game after getting into the endzone off of a big reception from Tanner Houck. However, Ross Rivord helped the Bulldogs clamp down, with a combined sack with Allen Pearson Jr. and two solo tackles forcing the Wildcats to fourth down, where they were unable to convert.

Wayne State got another go at it after another three and out from UMD, but got stopped on downs again after a QB hurry from Ean Ackley disrupted the fourth down try. The Wildcats didn't have to wait too long to get back on the field after a quick interception by Kimani Stafford II on the first play of the Bulldogs drive.

UMD's defense continued to dominate, with a massive Michael Bruggers 12-yard sack killing any offensive momentum from the Wildcats from the start, with Wayne State unable to convert another fourth down after the big loss.

The Bulldogs looked to put the game away on the next drive, getting far into Wildcats territory on runs from Derrick Johnson and Zachary Welch. However, UMD was unable to convert a 42-yard field goal, and the score stayed at 20-7.

Wayne State, desperate to get a touchdown, marched down the field quickly with big passes to Malaki Sik and Keaton Bonderson, and were able to make it a one-score game with a touchdown pass to Dane Petersen. However, a blocked extra point from Tyrone McCoy kept the lead at seven for UMD, where it would stay after the Bulldogs recovered the onside attempt.

Bulldog Notes:

• This is the first win for UMD against Wayne State since 2019, and the first road win since 2017.

• UMD forced five three and outs against the Wildcats, and got three fourth down stops.

• UMD looked to a variety of receivers, with eight Bulldogs receiving passes for a total of 173 yards, led by Joey Flaherty with 58 yards.

• Ross Rivord led the way defensively for the Bulldogs, with ten tackles and a half-sack. Eight Bulldogs had a tackle-for-loss.

• The game featured 13 punts, with seven coming from UMD, and six from Wayne State.

The Bulldogs play Winona State next Saturday, September 19th, for Military Appreciation Day. Kickoff is at 4:00p.m.