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NO. 4 UMD AND NO. 3 GRAND VALLEY STATE TO COLLIDE SATURDAY IN NCAA II QUARTERFINALS

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

D.J. Winfield caught a game-high five passes when the Bulldogs faced Grand Valley State last season

Armed with a 10-game winning streak, the University of Minnesota Duluth will continue its NCAA Division II national title defense quest Saturday (Nov. 28) when the Bulldogs play host to Grand Valley State University in a playoff quarterfinal showdown. Opening kickoff is set for 12:05 p.m. at James S. Malosky Stadium (4,500 capacity/artificial turf) on the UMD campus.

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THE RECORDS: The Bulldogs are 11-1 overall this fall and captured their second consecutive Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference title with a perfect 10-0 mark. Grand Valley State also owns an 11-1 mark in all games and went 9-1 in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play en route to claiming its fifth consecutive league title.

HOW THEY RANK: Here is how UMD and Grand Valley State stack up in the latest American Football Coaches Association Division II and D2Football.com polls and as well as the NCAA II Super Regional 3 rankings:

AFCA D2Football Region 3
UMD 4th 3rd 1st
GVSU 3rd 4th 2nd

THE BROADCAST: Saturday's Bulldog-Laker clash will be carried locally on 1490 The Fan (KQDS-AM) with Mark Fleischer handling the play-by-play responsibilities. The broadcast can also be heard on KQ 105.5 in Grand Rapids/Hibbing and KQ 106.7 in Ely/Virginia and is available on the internet at: www.fan1490.com.

My9 (KBJR DT 6.2/KRII DT 11.9) will televise the NCAA II playoff quarterfinal as well. Veteran sportscaster Tom Hansen and Don Leighton of the iFan Sports Network will serve as the on-air talent. My9 is also available locally on Charter and Mediacom.

In addition, the game will video streamed live on: ncaa.com

THE COACH: After returning to the UMD sidelines last fall following a four-season hiatus, head coach Bob Nielson proceeded to oversee one of the most impressive one-season turnarounds in NCAA II history, taking a club which had gone 4-6 in 2007 and molding it into a national champion. Along the way, his Bulldogs amassed a 15-0 overall mark (only the third NCAA II team to ever accomplish that feat), set or equalled 50 team and individual records, captured the NSIC title by going 10-0 and turned out a whopping nine All-Americans and 17 All-NSIC honorees.

Named the 2008 NCAA II Coach of the Year by American Football Monthly magazine, D2Football.com, and the Football Gazette, Nielson owns an impressive 64-20 overall record at UMD (for a .761 winning percentage -- far and away the best mark in the program’s rich 77-year existence) and is 134-53-1 (.715) in 17 seasons of collegiate coaching.

Nielson, the 2008 and 2002 NSIC Coach of the Year whose first tour of duty with the Bulldogs ran from 1999-2003, was officially appointed to his old post on Jan. 3, 2008. (He continues to also serve as UMD’s athletic director, a position he’s held since 2003-04). During his five previous years with the Bulldogs, Nielson helped marshal the UMD program to new heights. In 2002, for example, his Bulldogs posted their second unbeaten, untied regular season record at that time (11-0), advanced to the NCAA II playoffs for the first time ever and captured the NSIC championship. Nielson's resume also includes directing UMD to its inaugural post-season appearance (the 2001 Mineral Water Bowl in Excelsior Springs, Mo.) and the school's second greatest one-year turnaround to date (the Bulldogs went 7-4 in 2000 after managing a 3-8 mark the previous fall).

The runnerup for the 2002 American Football Monthly magazine NCAA II Coach of the Year award, Nielson, 50, joined the UMD staff in the spring of 1999 after he had guided the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire to a share of the 1998 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title (its first since 1983) and an initial berth in the NCAA III playoffs. He amassed a record of 22-11 in three years with the Blugolds, including a 10-3 mark in his farewell season when Wisconsin-Eau Claire notched a team standard for victories. Nielson, the Football Gazette’s 1998 Division III Coach of the Year, also was employed for five years as the head football coach at his alma mater, Wartburg College, where he strung together five successive non-losing seasons and attained a pair of back-to-back NCAA III playoff berths (1993 and 1994) and two years at Ripon College (1989-90).

NIELSON BY THE NUMBER
Record at UMD (Year) 64-20 (7th)
Overall Coaching Record (Year) 134-53-1 (17th)
NCAA II Playoff Record 5-1
NCAA III Playoff Record 3-3
vs. Grand Valley State 1-0

THE SERIES: The Bulldog and Grand Valley State met for the first time one year ago (Nov. 29) in the quarterfinals of the NCAA II playoffs in Allendale, Mich. where UMD pulled out a 19-13 double overtime victory over the then-No. 1 ranked Lakers.

LAST WEEK: UMD punched their ticket to the their second straight NCAA II Super Regional 3 final by overwhelming the University of Nebraska-Kearney 42-7 Saturday afternoon at Malosky Stadium. Junior running back Isaac Odim rushed for three touchdowns and rookie quarterback Chase Vogler ran for one score and threw for another in the first-ever meeting between the two clubs. Vogler, completed 13 of 19 passes -- including a 32-yard touchdown strike to sophomore wide receiver D.J. Winfield just before the halftime -- with no interceptions. He and the Bulldogs amassed 428 yards of total offense and held a 2:1 advantage in possession time (40:46 to 19:04) while putting the clamps on the No. 6 Lopers school-record 11-game winning streak. UMD took a 28-0 lead into halftime (getting 14 of those points off Loper turnovers) before adding a pair of third-quarter touchdowns to put the game away. The UMD defense limited the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference champions to just 63 yards of total offense through three quarters and 158 for the game.

Grand Valley State went up 37-0 after two quarters and cruised to a 44-27 home victory over GLIAC rival Hillsdale College Saturday.

PLAYOFF PASTS: This marks the fourth year -- all coming since 2002 -- that the Bulldogs have qualified for the NCAA II playoffs. On Nov. 23, 2002, coach Bob Nielson and the Bulldogs took an 11-0 record into Maryville, Mo., where it dropped a 45-41 first round decision to Northwest Missouri State University. UMD, under the direction of head coach Kyle "Bubba" Schweigert, returned to the tournament three years later (Nov. 12, 2005) and was ambushed by then-North Central Conference North Dakota in Grand Forks, N.D. Last fall, the Bulldogs posted consecutive wins over No. 12 Chadron State College (20-10 on Nov. 22 in Duluth,), No. 1 Grand Valley State University (19-13 in overtime on Nov. 29 in Allendale, Mich.), No. 7 California University-Pennsylvania (45-7 in California, Pa.) and No. 3 Northwest Missouri State University (21-14 on Dec. 13 in Florence, Ala.). With last Saturday's 42-7 triumph over Nebraska-Kearney, that puts UMD's lifetime NCAA II playoff record at 5-2.

HAIL TO THE CHAMPIONS: The Bulldogs (2008) and Lakers (2006, 2005, 2003, 2002) have combined to capture five of the last seven NCAA II national titles.

THIS IS YOUR CAPTAIN SPEAKING: The Bulldogs' team captaincy responsibilities in 2009 are being handled by a trio of seniors -- center Tobias Lemke and cornerbacks Cole Strilzuk and Brandon Wood.

SEEMS LIKE YESTERDAY: Often overlooked in UMD's memorable 19-13 two-overtime win last year over Grand Valley State is the fact that the Bulldogs held the host club to 296 total yards of offense (200 less than the Lakers' season average) and didn't yield a touchdown until the final 66 seconds of regulation.

THESE 'DOGS HAD THEIR DAY: The Bulldogs had half of their starting lineup land All-NSIC North Division first team recognition in 2009 in addition to securing both of the two major conference awards -- Offensive Player of the Year (junior running back Isaac Odim) and Defensive Player of Year (junior inside linebacker Robbie Aurich). Odim and Aurich were accompanied on the 24-player All-NSIC North Division first team by 10 fellow Bulldogs -- senior tight end Jake Coauette, senior outside linebacker Korey Horn, junior inside linebacker Kiel Fechtelkotter, senior center Tobias Lemke, sophomore placekicker David Nadeau, senior defensive end Kevin Pexa, senior cornerback Cole Strilzuk, senior offensive tackle Sam Whitney, sophomore D.J. Winfield, who made it as both a wide receiver and return specialist, and senior corner back Brandon Wood. Lemke, Odim and Winfield are repeat first-team picks, Aurich and Strilzuk were chosen to the 2008 All-NSIC North Division second team, and Whitney and Wood made honorable mention one year ago. The 2009 NSIC champions placed four more players on the All-North Division second team. That trio included sophomore strong safety Cody Eich, junior running back Brad Foss (a 2008 honorable mention honoree), senior nose tackle Tyler Johnson and junior defensive end Riley Lealos while freshman offensive guard Garth Heikkinen and sophomore punter Alex Miller both earned honorable mention acclaim.

SEE ISAAC, SEE ISAAC RUN: Isaac Odim, one of nine finalists for the 2009 Harlon Hill Trophy ranks second at the moment among all NCAA II combatants in scoring (16.0 points per game), is fourth in rushing (145.1.0 ypg) and eighth in all-purpose yardage (187.3 ypg) and owns the sixth best yards per carry average (7.2) of any of runner in country. The junior All-American has become the first Bulldog to run for 1,000 yards in a season on more than one occasion (he has a school-record 1,741 yards this fall after registering 1,638 one year ago as a sophomore transfer) and already owns Bulldog career records for rushing yards (3,379), total touchdowns (62, including an all-time Bulldog-best 32 this season), rushing touchdowns (55) and points (372). Odim has eclipsed the 100-yard barrier in 12 straight games this fall (another school record) and 21 of his 27 games as a Bulldog. Odim, whose lowest rushing harvest in his one-plus seasons with the Bulldogs is 66 yards (on 10 attempts) in the 2008 season opener at Concordia University-St. Paul, set or equalled a host of team single-season marks last year including points (180), rushing yards, total touchdowns, rushing touchdowns (26) and 100-yard rushing games (nine). He has broken all of those standards this fall.

SCORE EARLY, SCORE OFTEN: The 2009 Bulldogs are outscoring the opposition 148-26 in the first quarter and 282-59 in the opening half. UMD has drawn first blood in 10 of 12 games this fall and 24 of 27 outings since the opening of the 2008 season.

A SENIOR MOMENT: A total of 12 Bulldog seniors -- all but one of whom have played their entire collegiate career at UMD -- are entering the final postseason activity of their collegiate careers. That group includes offensive tackle Dan Beck, center Tobias Lemke, offensive guards Derrick Brion, Oscar Strauss, who transferred to UMD from Phoenix College, and Sam Whitney, tight end Jake Coauette, linebacker Korey Horn, nose tackle Tyler Johnson, placekicker Brian Peek, defensive end Kevin Pexa, and cornerbacks Cole Strilzuk and Brandon Wood. Beck, Johnson, Lemke and Whitney are all expected to make their UMD-record 48th career apperances this Saturday.

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS: Saturday will mark the Bulldogs' eighth home game of 2009 -- a school record (no Bulldog team prior to this year had played more than six) -- and a win over Grand Valley State would be UMD's seventh this fall at Malosky Stadium. That would best the current club mark for home victories set by both the 2008 (6-0) and 2002 Bulldogs (6-0).

HIS DEFENSE NEVER RESTS: Junior inside linebacker Robbie Aurich, the 2009 NSIC North Division Defensive Player of the Year and Daktronics Super Regional 3 Defensive Player of the Year, heads into this weekend sitting atop the Bulldog defensive charts with 84 total tackles, which includes a team-high 48 solo stops. He's been the Bulldogs' leading tackler in 14 of the past 16 games (the exception being against the University of Mary and Minnesota State University-Moorhead earlier this year). Aurich hails from Spring Lake, Mich., which is located about 15 miles northwest of Allendale.

STAYING CLEAR OF THE OLD GOOSE EGG: UMD has now gone 60 games in a row without being shut out. The last team to hold the Bulldogs off the scoreboard was visiting St. Cloud State University, which pinned a 28-0 whitewash on UMD in the 2004 season finale (Nov. 6). In addition, UMD hasn't been blanked by an NSIC foe in its last 101 tries -- going back to a 7-0 setback at Southwest Minnesota State University on Oct. 28, 1989.

CATCH OF THE DAY: Wide receiver D.J. Winfield, the 2008 NSIC Newcomer of the Year who parlayed his team-leading 71 receptions into a school-record 1,201 yards, has caught at least one pass in each of his 28 games as a collegian (he played in one contest -- against Bemidji State University - during his injury-shortened rookie season in 2007). Although just a sophomore, Winfield has already moved into the No. 5 spot on the Bulldogs' all-time reception charts with 115 receptions and is fifth in career receiving yards (1,766).

LEAD 'DOGS: UMD is 27-1 in its last 28 games and in those 27 victories has found itself trailing for a mere 10:54. Throw in the lone loss (13-10 to Central Washington University, the nation's lone remaining unbeaten NCAA II club, on Sept. 3, 2009) and the Bulldogs have still been behind only 42:12 during that entire 28-game stretch.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING: UMD currently ranks near the top in a host of NCAA II statistical categories such as:

Category Rank Avg.
Scoring Defense 2nd 11.6 ppg
Rushing Offense 2nd 302.5 ypg
Total Defense 3rd 239.2 ypg
Rushing Defense 4th 60.8 ypg
Sacks Allowed 5th 0.8 spg
Scoring Offense 7th 40.7 ppg
Kickoff Returns 9th 24.2 ypr
QB Sacks 12th 3.3 spg
Total Offense 17th 434.3 ypg

THREE'S A CHARM: UMD has posted shut outs in three of its 11 wins thus far. That's the most blankings turned in by a UMD club since the 1986 Bulldogs also held three opponents scoreless. The team record in that department is five set in 1974.

MAKING THE GRADE: Senior center Tobias Lemke, junior running back Isaac Odim and senior cornerback Brandon Wood become the first football Bulldogs to ever attain ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American honors. Lemke and Odim were both selected to the 24-member 2009 college division first team while Wood was a second team pick. The college division is comprised of all NCAA Division II, II and NAIA schools in the country.

INJURY UPDATE: UMD has no new injuries to report -- sophomore quarterback Jon Lynch (elbow), who is out for the season and redshirted freshman center Eli Kelley (wrist) are the only two Bulldogs who will not suit up Saturday because of injuries.

BULLDOG BITS: In its five playoff games over the past two season, the UMD defense has surrendered a mere five touchdowns (one to each of its five foes). The one other touchdown the oppositon has scored during that strecth came off pass interception return by Northwest Missouri State in the NCAA II title tilt last December ... Senior right cornerback Brandon Wood tops the 2009 Bulldogs and the entire NSIC in pass breakups with a career-high 13. That's just one shy of the UMD single-season record set by Marcus Davis in 2005 ... The Bulldogs are 67-1 in the last 68 games they have been ahead after three quarters going back to November 2001. On the flip side, since defeating the University of South Dakota 23-21 on the road on Sept. 22, 2002, UMD has lost 22 straight times when trailing at the half and is 0-24 when it's been behind heading into the final quarter. (The Bulldogs last posted a win in that situation on Sept. 8, 2001 by rallying from a 10-7 deficit to best South Dakota 14-10) ... Senior center and team tri-captain Tobias Lemke will take a string of 44 consecutive starts into Saturday's clash with Grand Valley State. Lemke, a 2008 All-American and two-time team All-NSIC selection, has played in all 46 UMD games since initially hitting the field as a first-year freshman three seasons ago ... Chase Vogler, who has completed a commendable 65.1 percent of his passes in 2009 (110 of 169 for 1,388 yards and 10 touchdowns), is the first true freshman to start at quarterback for the Bulldogs in 47 years ... Junior running back Brad Foss has come off the bench to rush for 100-plus yards four times in 2009 to boost his career total to six in that department ... No Bulldog team has ever played at home later than ... Senior defensive end Kevin Pexa has achieved a personal best for quarterback sacks this season with 6.5 which leads all Bulldogs and gives him 13.0 sacks for his career ... UMD has held the upper hand in time of possession in all but two games this fall and those two, oddly enough, came in routs over the University of Mary (35-7 on Sept. 26) and Minnesota State University-Moorhead (76-7 on Oct. 3) ... In last year's UMD-Grand Valley State matchup, then sophomore running back Isaac Odim rushed for 124 yards on 21 carries and scored the game-clinching touchdown in the second overtime. Linebacker Kiel Fetchtelkotter then sealed the win by picking off a pass on the Lakers' ensuing series -- his last interception to date ... The 39 quarterback sacks UMD has accumulated as a team thus far are the fourth highest single-season total in program history, trailing only the 2008 (49), 2002 (41) and 1987 (41) clubs.

UP NEXT: Saturday's winner will advance to the NCAA II semifinals where they will face the Super Regional 2 champion -- either Carson-Newman College (10-2) or the University of North Alabama (11-1) on Dec. 5. Those two schools will also square off this Saturday afternoon in Florence, Ala. The sites for the two NCAA II semifinal games will be determined Sunday.

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