The University of Minnesota Duluth's quest for a third NCAA Division II title in seven seasons begins this Saturday (Nov. 22) when the Bulldogs host the defending national champion Northwest Missouri State University in a first-round playoff clash. Opening kickoff is set for 1:05 p.m. at James S. Malosky Stadium (4,500 capacity/artificial turf) on the UMD campus.

(Complete Release)

THE RECORDS: UMD went a perfect 11-0 during the regular season and claimed a share (with Minnesota State University-Mankato) of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Sun Conference title with that same mark. Northwest Missouri State is 10-1 overall and tied for first place (with Pittsburg State University) in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association.

HOW THEY RANK: Here is how the Bulldogs and the Bearcats stacked up in this week's American Football Coaches Association Division II and the D2Football.com polls and NCAA II Super Region Three Rankings

    AFCA    D2Football    Super 3     
UMD    No. 2    No. 2    No. 4
NSMU    No. 6    No. 6    No. 5
        
THE BROADCAST: The UMD-Northwest Missouri State bout will be carried live locally on 1490 The Fan (KQDS-AM) with Jeff Papas handling the play-by-play responsibilities and ex-University of North Dakota offensive lineman Gregg Swartwoudt providing color commentary. The broadcast can also be heard on KQ 105.5 FM in Grand Rapids/Hibbing, Minn.; KQ 106.7 FM in Ely/Virginia, Minn.; Red Zone Sports Radio 1350 AM in Pine City, and KKIN-AM 93 in Atkin, Minn., as part of the Bulldog Radio Network and at: fan1490.com.

For the seventh consecutive year, My9 (KBJR DT 6.2/KRII DT 11.9) is televising all UMD home games, including the one Saturday afternoon against Northwest Missouri State. Northland Newscenter sports director Zach Schneider and former long-time UMD defensive coordinator Vince Repesh will serve as the on-air talent. The telecast, which is also available locally on Charter and Mediacom cable, will be videostreammed as well and can be accessed for free at: portal.stretchinternet.com/umd.

THE COACH: Curt Wiese, who was promoted to the UMD head coaching position on Dec. 21, 2012 after spending the previous five years as its offensive coordinator, is now 22-2 with the Bulldogs. One year ago, he guided UMD to an 11-2 overall record, a sixth straight berth in the NCAA Division II playoffs, a sixth NSIC North Division title in as many years and a No. 8 national ranking in the final AFCA Division II poll. Wiese's troops also shined in the classroom last fall as 14 Bulldogs earned NSIC All-Academic Team status, including offensive lineman Andrew Pattock, who was named a first team CoSIDA Academic All-American.

For his exemplary efforts, Wiese was selected the 2013 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award winner for Division II, a prestigious honor recognizing coaches for their responsibility, integrity, sportsmanship and excellence, on and off the field.

During Wiese's successful five-season run as the team's offensive coordinator, the Bulldogs finished near the top of the NCAA II leader board four times in scoring (third in 2012 with a school-record 46.5 points per game average, fifth in 2008, sixth in 2010 and ninth in 2009) and in 2012 possessed the nation's seventh best rushing attack (after ranking seventh, fourth, and third, respectively, in that department the previous three seasons). The 2012 Bulldogs were also the nation's leader in third down conversions (54.8 percent). In addition, no less than 15 of his pupils landed some kind of All-American recognition, including a pair of Harlon Hill Award finalists -- quarterback Ted Schlafke (2008), the school's career passing and total offense leader, and running back Isaac Odim (2009), UMD's No. 1 all-time ground gainer and scorer and the holder of 17 school records. In addition, his starting offensive guard from 2009-12, Garth Heikkinen, became the school's first recipient of the Gene Upshaw Division II Lineman of the Year of Award and earned a playing spot in the annual East-West Shrine Game in January 2013.

Since Wiese's arrival at UMD in February 2008, the Bulldogs have gone 84-9 (for a .902 winning percentage while capturing two NCAA II national championships (2008 and 2010) along with five overall NSIC titles while producing two perfect 15-0 seasons.
Wiese, 38, came to UMD following two years of employment as the head coach at NCAA III member Marietta College (Ohio). He compiled a 9-11 career overall record with the Pioneers, including a 6-4 mark in 2006. The Stoughton, Wis., native signed on with the Marietta football program in 2003 when he became the team's offensive coordinator -- a duty he continued to maintain after he was elevated to head coach. In five years of directing the Marietta offense, Wiese helped churn out two All-Americans and 12 All-Ohio Athletic Conference selections and was a finalist for the 2004 AFCA Division III Assistant Coach of the Year Award.

Prior to his move to Marietta, Wiese worked as a graduate assistant at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, tutoring the tight ends for two years and the offensive line for one season. He entered the coaching arena a little over a dozen years ago on the heels of a four-year collegiate playing career. After three seasons at Minnesota State University-Mankato (1995-97), Wiese transferred to the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, where as a senior in 1998, he quarterbacked the Pointers to a share of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title.

    WIESE BY THE NUMBERS
Record at UMD (Year): 22-2 (2nd)
Overall Coaching Record (Year): 31-13 (4th)
Career NSIC Record: 21-1
Career UMD Home Record: 10-1
Career UMD Road Record: 12-1
Career NCAA II Playoff Record: 1-1
vs. Northwest Missouri State: 0-1

THE RIVALRY: The Bulldogs and Northwest Missouri State have collided only four times previously -- all in the NCAA II postseason -- and the series is knotted at 2-2. Their first meeting came on Nov. 23, 2002 in Maryville, where the Bearcats pulled out a 45-41 opening-round victory in UMD's first-ever NCAA II playoff appearance. The Bulldogs had closed out the regular season one week earlier with an 11-0 record (another program first). Six years later, UMD capped off a 15-0 season and secured the school's first national football championship by besting Northwest Missouri State 21-14 in Florence, Ala. The two clubs hooked up again in the 2010 semifinals at James S. Malosky Stadium on a bitterly cold and blustery night (windchill temperatures reached -14.) UMD, ranked first in both major weekly polls and in the NCAA Super Region Three ratings, prevailed 17-13 over the No. 3 Bearcats. One year ago, the No. 2 Bearcats raced out to a 31-0 third-quarter lead and went on to oust the No. 5 Bulldogs 45-21 in the second round of the NCAA II playoffs in Maryville.

LAST WEEK: UMD ran the regular season table by blasting NSIC North Division rival Minot State University 56-0 Saturday afternoon in Minot, N.D. The Bulldogs finished with with 405 yards of total offense and held the Beavers to just 85 overall yards (minus-5 on the ground) on 45 plays. Six different Bulldogs contributed touchdowns in the win, including sophomore Beau Bofferding, who ran for one score and was on the receiving end of two scoring strikes from sophomore quarterback Drew Bauer. With the victory, the Bulldogs pushed their lifetime record against the Beavers to 3-0, having outscored them 152-6 in those three outings.

Northwest Missouri State rolled past visiting Washburn University 31-14 in its 2014 regular season finale on a snowy Mel Tjeerdsma Field Running back Phil Jackson rushed for 101 yards on just nine carries while quarterback Brady Boiles threw for one touchdown and ran for another, for the Bearcats, who led 17-0 midway through the third quarter.
    
THIS IS YOUR CAPTAIN SPEAKING: The Bulldogs' team captaincy responsibilities this fall are being shared by a trio of seniors -- defensive end Jacob Brusehaver, linebacker/long snapper Yusef Hassan, and wide out/return specialist Aaron Roth. Roth served in that same role last year and is UMD's first two-time captain since 2008 (quarterback Ted Schlafke).

THESE 'DOGS HAD THEIR (NSIC) DAY: A league-high 20 Bulldogs were recognized with 2014 All-NSIC honors, which were handed out earlie this week. Headlining that list was senior offensive guard Andrew Muer, who attained All-NSIC North Division first team status for the second straight year (the lone Bulldog to do so). He was joined on that 27-member group by sophomore offensive tackle Peter Bateman, junior free safety David Boegel, junior placekicker Andrew Brees, senior inside linebacker Gavin Grady, junior nose tackle Jonathan Harden, junior running back Logan Lauters, and senior offensive tackle Phillip Rutz. UMD placed another eight players on the All-NSIC North Division second team: sophomore inside linebacker Beau Bates, sophomore quarterback Drew Bauer, senior outside linebacker Gavin Brown, junior cornerback Darion Fletcher, sophomore offensive guard Connor Randall, senior wide receiver Aaron Roth, senior running back Austin Sikorski, and senior wide receiver Zach Zweifel. In addition, honorable mention acclaim was secured by senior defensive end Jacob Brusehaver, sophomore defensive end Jake Lambrecht, sophomore strong safety Hunter Malberg, junior outside linebacker Nathan Zibolski and Roth (as a return specialist).
Sikorski (first team in 2013 and second team in 2012), Roth (first team in 2012 and second team last fall) and Zweifel (second team both 2012 and 2011) are all three-time All-NSIC North Division honorees while Brees (first team in 2012), Bateman (second team in 2013), Lauters (second team in 2012), Zibolski (honorable mention in 2013) and Muer have earned all-league distinction twice.

ON A ROLL: UMD's current 11-game winning streak is its longest since the Bulldogs went a perfect 15-0 en route to winning their second NCAA II national title in 2010.

PLAYOFF PASTS: This marks the ninth year -- all since 2002 -- the Bulldogs have been invited to the NCAA II dance and they are 12-6 in their 18 lifetime playoff assignments. With the exception of a first-round loss at the University of North Dakota in 2005 (when UMD was under the direction of Kyle "Bubba" Schweigert), Bob Nielson had been at the Bulldog controls for all of those engagements prior to last year. A complete listing of UMD's NCAA II playoff appearances is as follows:
 

Date	Opponent	Round	UMD-Opp
11/23/02	at Northwest Missouri State	1st	41-45
11/12/05	at North Dakota	1st	12-23
11/22/08	Chadron State	2nd	20-10
11/29/08	at Grand Valley State	Qrt.	19-13 2OT
12/6/08	At California U. (Pa.)	Semis	45-7
12/13/08	Northwest Missouri State	Champ.	21-14
11/21/09	Nebraska-Kearney	2nd	42-7
11/28/09	Grand Valley State	Qrt.	10-24
11/27/10	St. Cloud State	2nd	20-17 OT
12/4/10	Augustana College	Qrt.	24-13
12/11/10	Northwest Missouri State	Semis	17-13
12/18/10	Delta State	Champ	20-17
11/19/11	Saginaw Valley State	1st	30-27 OT
11/26/11	at CSU-Pueblo	2nd	24-21
12/3/11	Wayne State (Mich.)	Qrt.	25-31
11/17/12	at Missouri Western	1st	55-57 OT
11/23/13	Emporia State	1st	55-13
11/30/13	at Northwest Missouri State	2nd	21-45

Home: 7-2 Road: 3-4 Neutral Site: 2-0.

TOP 'DOGS: With last Saturday's 52-0 takedown of Minot State, UMD captured a share of its league-record 19th NSIC championship -- and did so with the most league wins (11) in program history. In addition to owning more NSIC crowns than any other institution (they have one more than Winona State University), the Bulldogs have compiled an all-time winning percentage of .738 (off a 231-80-5 record), which is second only toSioux Falls's .758 mark (25-8 in three seasons of NSIC membership).

A SENIOR MOMENT: This Saturday could very well be the final Malosky Stadium appearance ever for UMD's 13 seniors. That group includes cornerback Daryl Brown, linebacker Gavin Brown defensive end Jacob Brusehaver, linebacker Gavin Grady, tight end Taylor Grant, linebacker/long snapper Yusef Hassan, tight end Ryan Miesbauer, offensive guard Andrew Muer, wide out/return specialist Aaron Roth, offensive tackle Phillip Rutz, running back Austin Sikorski (who, long with Brusehaver, is out for the rest of the year with a knee injury), defensive end Mitchell Ziegler and wide out/return specialist Zach Zweifel. Of that Baker's Dozen only nine players (Brusehaver, Grady, Hassan, Miesbauer, Murer, Rutz, Sikorski and Ziegler) remain from UMD's 29-member rookie class of 2010, when the Bulldogs last captured an NCAA II title. Brown, Roth and Zweifel were all called into action the following year as first-year freshmen while Daryl Brown and Grant subsequently joined the UMD program as transfers from the University of North Dakota. In addition, junior tight end Jay Schlichte, is also in his final year with the Bulldog program as he is scheduled to graduate later this year.

AND THE BEAT GOES ON: UMD's 19-game regular season winning streak, which began a week after a 21-17 home loss to Minnesota State-Mankato on Sept. 21, 2013, is the third longest of its kind in program history:

Gms-Dates
22 - Sept. 12, 2009-Sept. 10, 2011
20 - Nov. 3, 1979-Oct. 24, 1981
19 - Sept. 28, 2013-present

THE PRIDE OF THE NORTH: Since the NSIC instituted divisional play in 2008, the Bulldogs are a sizzling 43-2 in NSIC North Division assignments (25-0 at home) with both of those two losses coming to St. Cloud State (51-49 in 2012 and 35-7 in 2011). They've also gone 27-2 versus South Division opponents over that same period with setbacks to Minnesota State-Mankato (21-17 in Duluth one year ago) and to host Wayne State (7-0 in 2011) being the only two setbacks. UMD captured its seventh straight NSIC North Division crown this fall.

QUITE A RUN: Going back to the start of the 2008 season, no NCAA II outfit in the country has produced a better winning percentage (.902) than UMD. In terms of victories over that stretch, the Bulldogs (84) are second only to Northwest Missouri State (85).
 

Team	W-L	Pct.
1. UMD	84-9	.903
2. Northwest Missouri State	84-12	.876
3. Minnesota State-Mankato	69-15	.821
4. Bloomsburg	68-15	.819
5. Colorado State-Pueblo	64-16	.800
6. Grand Valley State	71-19	.789
7. California U (Pa.)	67-20	.770
8. Shepherd University	59-20	.747
9. Pittsburg State	61-21	.744
10. West Texas A&M	64-24	.727

   
STILL TIGHT WITH THE TURNOVERS: UMD has turned the ball over just 10 times thus far in 2014 (the third fewest in the NCAA II ranks), getting picked off on six occasions and losing four fumbles (only five schools have less). The Bulldogs also rank 12th nationally in turnover ratio at a +13

IN GOOD HANDS: Between them, the standout senior wide receiver tandem of Aaron Roth and Zach Zweifel have caught 294 passes for 3,677 yards and 30 touchdowns since they first emerged on the UMD landscape as true freshmen in 2011. Here's where they both stand on UMD's all-time catch charts:

UMD CAREER PASS RECEIVING LEADERS

Player (Years)	No.	Yds.	TD
1. Tim Battaglia (2000-03)	189	3,685	38
2. Steve Battaglia (1999-02)	182	3,037	33
3. Greg Aker (2003-06)	178	2,211	25
4. D.J. Winfield (2007-10)	170	2,896	27
5. Zach Zweifel (2011- )	160	2,170	16
6. Tony Doherty (2005-08)	148	1,861	15
7. Aaron Roth (2011- )	134	1,507	14

WHAT A RUSH: Through 11 games, the Bulldogs find themselves in familiar territory -- leading the NSIC in rushing offense. UMD is averaging 304.7 yards per game on the ground (the seventh best figure among all NCAA II schools) and 5.9 yards a carry thus far. The Bulldogs have been outrushed by an opponent just once since the 2012 opener -- a stretch of 36 games -- and that was at Bemidji State on Oct. 10, 2013 (258 yards to 203).

WHAT A RUSH II: Junior Logan Lauters finished the regular season with the NISC's second-best rushing harvest (a career-high 1,223 yards -- the 6th highest single-season total ever turned in by a Bulldog) and owns the fifth best per touch average (7.6) in the country at the moment. He's now rolled up 2,683 yards on the ground as a collegian (which puts him in the No. 8 position on UMD's all time leading run charts -- 85 yards behind the No. 5 occupant, the late Corey Veech; 1982-86) and his 6.9 yards per carry average takes a backseat only to three-time All-American Isaac Odim's 7.2 clip (2008-10) among all-time Bulldogs with 1,000 or more rushing yards. Lauters also has registered 11, 100-yard outings in a UMD uniform -- six in 2014 alone. Last month against Northern State, he became the 14th different Bulldog to reach the 200-yard run barrier in a single game.

UMD'S 100-YARD RUSHERS THIS SEASON

Date	Player	Opp.	Att.	Yds.	TD
Sept. 6	Logan Lauters	CSP	14	165	0
Sept. 20	Logan Lauters	SMSU	18	154	1
Sept. 20	Drew Bauer	SMSU	12	111	1
Sept. 20	Austin Sikorski	SMSU	16	103	1
Sept. 27	Logan Lauters	WSU	19	128	0
Sept. 27	Austin Sikorski	WSU	21	120	0
Oct. 4	Logan Lauters	MSUM	13	107	1
Oct. 4	Austin Sikorski	MSUM	11	102	4
Oct. 18	Logan Lauters	NSU	15	200	1
Oct. 18	Drew Bauer	NSU	12	126	2
Nov. 1	Nate Beaulieu	UMC	13	101	1
Nov. 8	Logan Lauters	UM	21	147	2

DOING THAT THING YOU DREW: Drew Bauer, who is now 22-2 as a collegiate starter, has run for the second most yards (727) and been responsible for the second most points (188) of any NSIC quarterback. Although his football career hasn't yet hit the midway point, the Inver Grove Heights, Minn., native already has climbed into 5th place on UMD's all-time total offense list with 4,941yards . At the No. 4 spot is quarterback Trevor Theelke (5,196 yards between 1995-98).

YOUNG PUPS: Of the 105 individuals who comprise the 2014 Bulldog roster, only 26 are either seniors (13) or juniors (13). There are 20 sophomores, 22 redshirt freshmen and 37 first-year rookies.

WHERE THEY'RE FROM: Nearly 60 percent of the current crop of Bulldogs are from Minnesota -- some 62 in all -- and another 38 are Wisconsin natives. Indiana (2), Washington (2) and Illinois (1) are home to the remaining five Bulldogs.

BULLDOG BITS: UMD is 31-2 in its last 33 home games going back to a 24-10 loss to Grand Valley State University in the second round of the 2009 NCAA II playoffs ... Sophomore running back Caleb Belknap came off the bench last Saturday at Minot State to rush for a game-high and career-best 83 yards on 16 carries and registered his first UMD touchdown ... Senior outside linebacker Gavin Brown and junior inside linebacker Brent Stiglich need two and five more tackles, respectively, to become the next current Bulldogs to reach the 100-stop career mark this fall. They'll join senior inside linebacker Gavin Grady (144), junior outside linebacker Nate Zibolski (121), junior free safety David Boegel (118) and junior cornerback Darion Fletcher (114) in that club ... junior Andrew Brees, a Fred Mitchell Award Kicker of the Month honoree for both September and October, booted his way into the UMD record books three Saturday ago by by converting all 11 of his extra points in a 77-3 thrashing of the University of Minnesota-Crookston .... Senior wide out and return specialist Aaron Roth is the lone Bulldog who has played in all 50 games over the past four seasons ... The Bulldogs have intercepted 10 passes this season, with a team-high three of those thefts falling in the hands of second-year sophomore strong safety Hunter Malberg ... Running back Nate Beaulieu, cornerback Dillon Martinez and punter Shawn Magee are the only three true freshmen to see playing time for the Bulldogs in 2014 ... Sophomore wide out Beau Bofferding has caught at least one pass in each of the last 10 games -- the longest such active run by a Bulldog.

TO THE VICTORS: This Saturday's winner will move on to the second round of the NCAA II playoffs (Super Region 3 semifinals) on Nov. 29 to face No. 1-seeded Ouachita Baptist University (10-0) in Arkadelphia, Ark. No. 2 seed Minnesota State-Mankato (11-0) will host either No. 3 Pittsburg State Uniiversity (10-1) or No. 6 Harding University (9-1) that same afternoon.