The No. 15 (AFCA) and No. 16 (D2Football.com) ranked University of Minnesota Duluth football team are playing their first NSIC road game against the RV (AFCA) and No. 24 (D2Football.com) ranked Wayne State Cougars in Week 2 of the 2026 Season. The game will be at Memorial Stadium on Saturday with kick off set for 1:00 p.m. in Wayne, Nebraska.

WAYNE STATE: UMD takes on Wayne State for the 18th matchup in program history between the two sides. In their last contest, Wayne State won back-to-back against the Bulldogs for the first time in program history with a 28-18 win in Wayne. This game will be Wayne State's home opener for the 2026 season.

In Wayne State's Week 1 game, the Cougars won a close battle on the road against Minot State, 35-28. Wayne State would find themselves down 14-17 entering the fourth quarter, but three touchdowns in the period would see them through for the victory. Dawson Forgy led the way for the Cougars, rushing for 149 yards and two touchdowns, including the game winner with 36 seconds left on the clock. Both of Wayne State's victories this year have come within one score.

Wayne State looks to repeat as NSIC South Division Champions this year, as they won a share of the NSIC South title for the first time since 2008.

The Cougars have had a strong football program since the arrival of Logan Masters. In his first season as head coach, Wayne State won a share of the NSIC Title, and made the NCAA Tournament for the second time in program history. Since then, he has had seven or more wins in each of his five seasons, the first coach in Wayne State history to do so.

BULLDOGS BOUNCE BACK: The No. 19 University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs Football Team pulled out a 30-23 win against the No. 16 Augustana Vikings in a game that would see the final 3:24 played out nearly one and a half hours later due to a severe weather delay. Both the Bulldogs and Vikings now sit at a 1-1 record.

The Bulldogs found themselves in a 14-0 hole quickly, with the Vikings moving fast to give themselves the advantage. However, momentum would change with a Jonathan Shrum interception on their third drive. The Bulldogs would score ten unanswered before an Augustana field goal would bring the lead up to 17-10 at the end of the first half.

The third quarter would result in zero points being scored, but the Bulldogs would get close. Two big runs from Derrick Johnson helped UMD get close to the goal line, but an untimely fumble would cost the Bulldogs the drive. The Bulldogs broke the second-half lid open early in the fourth quarter, but a missed extra point allowed Augustana to keep the lead. The Vikings would follow with a field goal to push the lead to four, but the Bulldogs would answer back with another touchdown. The extra point would be thwarted by a block, and UMD would settle with a two-point lead.

Augustana didn't back down, and retook the lead with only 3:34 left on the clock with a field goal, giving the Vikings a one-point lead. The game would then be delayed for over an hour and a half due to thunderstorms. When the team returned, UMD marched down the field, and retook the lead with an Austin Randall 11-yard touchdown run, capped of with a Nick Ojile two-point conversion to make it seven. Augustana's final drive came up short, and the Bulldogs captured their first win of the 2026 season.

NOTES FROM WEEK 1 vs. AUGUSTANA: UMD now sits at 13-3 all-time against the Vikings, with Augustana still searching for their first win in Duluth since 2006.

The Vikings and Bulldogs were fairly even on yardage, with the Vikings slightly outgaining the Bulldogs 400-369.

Jacob Eggert completed 22 of 28 passes and threw for 205 yards with a touchdown pass.

Derrick Johnson had another strong showing for UMD, rushing for 121 yards on 16 carries for 7.6 yards per carry.

Four Bulldogs each had a sack, including David Gauderman, Jayce Walrath, Mark Rendl, and Allen Pearson Jr.

TEAM EFFORT GETS THE WIN: UMD had an all-around team performance against Augustana. Six Bulldogs rushed for UMD, while five received passes, combining for 369 yards in the game. The Bulldogs ability to get key plays from a variety of players helped UMD keep the pressure on Augustana all night.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES FROM WEEK 1: Derrick Johnson continued to lead the way for the Bulldogs, rushing for 121 yards in the contest. He is currently fifth in the country in rushing yards heading into Week 2. Jonathan Shrum got a key interception for UMD that helped stymie the Vikings offense after taking a 14-0 lead. Peyton Menzel led the way by air with 75 receiving yards. Jacob Eggert had 205 passing yards, going 22 for 28 in the game.

LAST TIME VS. WAYNE STATE: The Bulldogs suffered their first loss of the 2023 season on the road against Wayne State, 28-18.

The Bulldogs would take the lead in the first quarter off of a 30-yard field goal, but Wayne State's offense would get going in the second, with an 86-yard drive getting the first touchdown of the game for the Cougars. The Bulldogs would retake the lead off of a Kyle Walljasper touchdown run, but Wayne State responded quickly to retake the lead. The Cougars entered halftime with a 14-10 lead.

Wayne State got the only touchdown off the third quarter off of a massive 75-yard run from Latravious Boyd, and the Cougars ended the fourth with a 21-10 lead. The Bulldogs wouldn't back away, and a Jimmy Durocher touchdown reception, followed by a Sam Pitz two-point conversion, would get the Bulldogs within a field goal of tying the game. However, it was not meant to be, as Wayne State would score another touchdown to make it 28-18, which would end up being the final score.

IN THE RANKINGS: The Bulldogs were recognized as the No. 15 team in the Week 1 AFCA Poll, and No. 16 in D2Football.com's Week 1 poll. The Bulldogs were 19th in the AFCA Preseason Rankings and 24th in the D2Football.com Week 0 poll.

BULLDOG CAPTAINS: UMD has six captains this season, Carter Geerts, Preston McQueen, Nick Ojile, Ryder Patterson, Ross Rivord, and Jonathan Shrum.

NSIC LAST WEEK RESULTS:

Northern State 31, Winona State 16

MSU Moorhead 48, Concordia-St. Paul 30

Minnesota Duluth 30, Augustana 23

Minot State 28, Wayne State College 35

Sioux Falls 31, Jamestown 0

Bemidji State 38, Southwest Minnesota State 0

Minnesota State 48, UMary 7