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Football - News
UNBEATEN BULLDOGS SHUT DOWN WINONA STATE, CAPTURE NSIC CROWN IN REGULAR SEASON FINALE
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Mission accomplished.
The University of Minnesota Duluth put the finishing touches on a perfect regular season by derailing Winona State University 38-7 on a blustery Saturday afternoon at Malosky Stadium. The No. 6 Bulldogs used a punishing ground attack to move to 11-0 on the year and claim sole possession of the 2008 Northern Sun Intercollegiate championship – the 16th in school history.
UMD got off to an unusually slow start, coming up empty on David Nadeau’s 31-yard field goal attempt on its opening drive. The Bulldogs could not be shut out for long however, and were able to get the gears turning on their second possession after forcing a Winona State punt. UMD put together an impressive scoring drive, traveling 66 yards on six plays, thanks in large part to sophomore tailback Brad Foss. Foss plowed 17 yards through several Warrior defenders to get the ball across the goal line just three plays after hauling in a key 30-yard reception on third down. He went on to rush for 104 yards on 16 carries.
The Bulldogs got equal production from Foss’ backfield partner and fellow sophomore Isaac Odim. The Rochester, Minn. native ran 16 times for a career-high 143 yards and two scores, including a 41-yarder midway through the third quarter. Odim and Foss became the first UMD tandem to each run for 100 or more yards in one game since Nov. 1, 2003 while Odim, who is averaging 8.9 yards a carry this fall, became just the fifth Bulldog ever to amass 1,000 yards in a single season. He now has 1,127 yards on the year and is averaging a whopping 8.1 yards per rush.
“I’m a little shocked (to go over 1,000 yards), since we have two main running backs and we share carries,” said Odim, who turned in his fourth straight 100-yard game and sixth of this season. “It’s a testament to how well our offensive line has played all year long.”
The Bulldogs added 17 second-quarter points to take a 24-0 lead into halftime. They held the Warriors to a mere five first downs and 129 total yards in the opening 30 minutes of play. UMD has now outscored the opposition 339-35 in the first two quarters this season.
Senior quarterback Ted Schlafke, one of 24 candidates for the 2008 Harlon Hill Trophy, completed 13 of 23 passes for 192 yards and one touchdown. He added another 64 yards on the ground while playing an entire four quarters for only the third game this season. His three-yard jaunt around right end five minutes into the final quarter capped off the scoring
Defensively, senior free safety Tyler Yelk was credited with a game-high11 total tackles, two more than sophomore linebacker Robbie Aurich. Strong safety Jim Johnson, one of 13 Bulldog seniors who made their final regular season home appearance Saturday, was in on seven stops, had three pass breakups and one pass interception.
“It’s been a heck of a senior season," said Johnson. "Our first goal was to win the conference and we did that. Now, it's on to the playoffs. ”
The Bulldogs are virtually assured of being at home and receiving a first-round bye in the upcoming NCAA Division II playoffs, which begin next Saturday. The pairings will be announced tomorrow afternoon.
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