Football - News

NO. 6 UMD AT NO. 7 CALIFORNIA U. SATURDAY FOR NCAA II PLAYOFF SEMIFINAL CLASH

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

This two-yard touchdown run by Isaac Odim in last Saturday's 19-13 overtime victory at Grand Valley State vaulted UMD into the NCAA II playoff semis

The University of Minnesota Duluth's unprecedented postseason football journey will continue this Saturday (Dec. 6) when the Bulldogs take on California University of Pennsylvania in the semifinal round of the NCAA Division II playoffs. Opening kickoff is set for 11 a.m. (CST) at Adamson Stadium (6,500 capacity/artificial surface) on the California U. campus.

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THE RECORDS: The Bulldogs are 13-0 this fall and captured the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference title with a 10-0 mark. The Vulcans own a 12-1 overall record and went 7-0 in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West Division play (first place).

HOW THEY RANK: Here is how UMD and California U. stack up in the latest American Football Coaches Association Division II and d2football.com polls as well as the NCAA Division II Super Regional 3/1 Rankings:

AFCA d2football Regional 3/1
UMD 6th 7th 2nd
CU 7th 8th 2nd

THE BROADCAST: Saturday's NCAA II semifinal will be carried locally on 102.5 The Hog (KHQG-FM) with Mark Fleischer handling the play-by-play responsibilities. That broadcast can also be heard via the internet at: umdbulldogs.com.

In addition, the Bulldog-Vulcan matchup will be televised live nationally on ESPN Classic and will also be available online at: espn360.com

TRAVEL PLANS: The Bulldogs will depart the Duluth Airport for Pittsburgh via a charter plane at 7:30 a.m. Friday and return at approximately 7 p.m. Saturday.

THE COACHES: After a four-year hiatus, Bob Nielson returned to the UMD sidelines this fall and has picked up right where he left off. Nielson, the 2008 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). His overall record at UMD now stands at 51-19, which translates into a .728 winning percentage -- the best mark in school history. During his five previous years with the Bulldogs, Nielson helped marshal the UMD football program to new heights. In 2002, for example, his Bulldogs posted their second unbeaten, untied regular season record ever (11-0), advanced to the NCAA Division II playoffs for the first time ever and captured the NSIC championship. Nielson, who also coached UMD to its inaugural post-season appearance (the 2001 Mineral Water Bowl in Excelsior Springs, Mo.) and the school's greatest one-year turnaround up to that point (the Bulldogs went 7-4 in 2000 after managing a 3-8 mark the previous fall). The 2002 NSIC Coach of the Year and a runnerup for the American Football Monthly magazine NCAA II Coach of the Year award, Nielson 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 NCAA III playoffs five months earlier. 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 claimed a share of its first Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title while setting 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 landed a pair of back-to-back NCAA III playoff berths (1993 and 1994) and two years at Ripon College (1989-90) in Wisconsin. He is 121-52-1 (.698) in 16 years of collegiate coaching activity but has never faced California U.

John Luckhardt is in his seventh year as the head coach at California U. and has a 194-60-2 overall record to show for it.

LAST WEEK: The Bulldogs punched their ticket to the NCAA II semifinals by ousting No. 1 ranked Grand Valley State University 19-13 in double overtime Saturday in Allendale, Mich. Sophomore running back Isaac Odim rushed 21 times for 124 yards and scored the game-cliniching touchdown in the second extra session. Odim also hooked up on a 16-yard scoring strike in the second quarter from senior quarterback Ted Schlafke, who completed 14 of 26 passes for 160 yards on the day. Freshman wide out D.J. Winfield finished with a game-high six pass receptions and one touchdown, which put UMD up 13-6 with 1:56 remaining in the third quarter. Senior strong safety Jim Johnson and sophomore inside linebacker Robbie Aurich (a native of nearby Spring Lake, Mich.) had a team-leading nine tackles each for the Bulldogs, who kept the previously unbeaten Lakers out of the endzone until the final 66 seconds of regulation. UMD also limited Grand Valley State to 269 yards of total offense, almost 200 less than its season average. The loss was only the Lakers' second in their last 53 outings and snapped their 29-game home winning streak.

California U. erased a 17-13 deficit with a pair of third quarter touchdowns and held on to defeat host and PSAC rival Bloomsburg University 27-24 in the Super Regional One title game. Vulcan quarterback Kevin McCabe threw for three touchdowns and 184 yards while going 22-of-29 in the victory.

THIS IS YOUR CAPTAIN SPEAKING: The Bulldogs' team captaincy responsibilities in 2008 rest in the hands of a quartet of seniors -- offensive guard Nate Baier, strong safety Jim Johnson, quarterback Ted Schlafke, and free safety Tyler Yelk.

PLAYOFF EXPERIENCE: The year marks the third time the Bulldogs have qualified for the NCAA II playoffs. On Nov. 23, 2002, UMD took a 11-0 record into Maryville, Mo., where it dropped a 45-41 first-round road decision to Northwest Missouri State University. The Bulldogs returned to the tournament three years ago (Nov. 12, 2005) and were ambushed 23-12 by then-North Central Conference colleague University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, N.D. California University is participating in the NCAA II postseason play for the second time ever, having advanced to the semifinal round one year ago when it was upended at home by eventual national champion Valdosta State University 28-24. UMD is an even 2-2 all-time in NCAA II playoff competition while the Vulcans are 4-1.

PLAYOFF EXPERIENCE II: Seven current Bulldog seniors all received their playoff baptismals three years ago when UMD squared off with North Dakota in 2005. That group includes outside linebacker Jake Comnick, wide receiver Tony Doherty, defensive tackles Drew Fautsch (who was then a tight end) and Dustin Timmersman, strong safety Jim Johnson, quarterback Ted Schlafke, and free safety Tyler Yelk. Doherty, Johnson, Schlafke and Yelk all started that first-round playoff contest.

SOUNDING LIKE A BROKEN RECORD: Some 25 UMD team and individual single-game, single-season and career records have either been broken or equaled (*) in 2008:

TEAM (GAME)
Points (Quarter): 35* vs. Northern State (2nd)

TEAM (SEASON)
Games Played: 13
Wins: 13
Home Wins: 6*
Road Wins: 7
First Downs: 296
First Downs Rushing: 157
Rushing Yards: 3,088
Rushing Touchdowns: 40*
Total Plays: 872
Total Yards: 5,951
Yards Per Play: 6.8
Touchdowns: 72
Points: 547

Sacks: 41*
INDIVIDUAL (GAME)
Interceptions: 3* by Forest Clements vs. St. Cloud State
Fumble Return: 99 yards by Jim Johnson vs. St. Cloud State

INDIVIDUAL (SEASON)
Games Played: 13 by Many
Rushing Touchdowns: 22* by Isaac Odim
Per Rush Average - 7.8 yards by Isaac Odim
Extra Points Made - 60* by David Nadeau
Extra Point Attempts - 69* by David Nadeau

INDIVIDUAL (CAREER)
Passing Yardage: 11,318 by Ted Schlafke
Touchdown Passes: 102 by Ted Schlafke
Total Yards: 12,661 by Ted Schlafke
Total Tackles: 311 by Tyler Yelk

ONE FINAL FLING: Senior quarterback and Harlon Hill Trophy quarterfinalist Ted Schlafke has certainly saved some of his best football for last. The 2008 NSIC Offensive Player of the Year currently owns the second best passing efficiency mark (176.92) and is 10th in pass completion percentage (65.6) in the NCAA II Schlafke, who has played an entire four quarters only four times all season (vs. St. Cloud State on Oct. 18, Winona State University on Nov. 8, Chadron State College on Nov. 22 and Grand Valley State last Saturday) owns a string of 45 consecutive starts -- one shy of the school record. He has established UMD career records for pass completions (1,029 and counting), pass attempts (1,649), passing yardage (11,318), touchdown passes (102), total plays (2,172), and total offense (12,661 yards) while his .624 lifetime completion percentage is well above the current team mark (.548 by Darrell McKibbon between 1970-73). Schlafke, the first three-time team captain in the 76 years UMD has been playing football, also is the owner of Bulldog single-game and single-season records for pass completions, pass attempts, passing yards, total offense and total plays. Nationally, the four-time North Central Conference/NSIC All-Academic Team selection now ranks fourth on the NCAA II career total offense charts, is fifth all-time in passing yards and 9th in touchdown passes. Last fall, he became just the second quarterback ever to lead UMD in rushing (500 yards on 176 carries).

THAT CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON: The Bulldogs laid claim to their 16th NSIC title this fall and, in the process, became the first team to ever win 10 league games in one season.

IT'S BEEN QUITE A RUN: Sophomore running back Isaac Odim, who became just the fifth Bulldog ever to crack the 1,000-yard rushing mark this fall, has equalled club records for rushing touchdowns (22) as well as total touchdowns (24) -- marks which were both set by All-American and former National Football League running back Ted McKnight in 1976. Odim has rolled up 1,443 yards on just 186 attempts for an 7.8 yards per carry average -- the fifth best mark in the nation. That puts him within 39 yards of matching McKnight's team single-season record which he established 32 years ago. The Rochester Community College transfer has amassed 100 or more yards on the ground in each of the past six games and eight times overall in 2008 (both are one game shy of school records). Odim, who leads the NSIC in rushing with an 111.0 yards per game average, has run for at least one touchdown in 12 of the 13 outings to date (he was blanked in that department by Chadron State two weeks ago).

SCORE EARLY, SCORE OFTEN: UMD, which has found the end zone in eight of its 13 opening possessions this season (and kicked a field goal in another), has outscored the opposition 353-43 in the first half.

CATCHING ON FAST: Freshman wide receiver D.J. Winfield, whose debut year with the Bulldogs lasted less than two quarters (he suffered a season-ending ankle sprain in the 2007 opener with Bemidji State), has parlayed 14 of his team-leading 65 pass receptions into touchdowns this season. Those 14 scoring strikes rank third on the UMD single-season charts, trailing only Tim Battaglia (19 in 2002) and Greg Aker (15 in 2005). Winfield's one other TD this fall came on 48-yard run off a lateral in Game 1 at Concordia University-St. Paul. Winfield now needs just five more pass reception yards to eclipse the Bulldog single-season mark of 1,166 set by Steve Battaglia in 2002.

FOOLS RUSH IN: The Bulldogs rank second among all NCAA II schools in rushing defense, yielding only 58.4 yards a game (and 1.9 yards per rush). The most yards an opponent has accumulated on the ground this season is 130 by St. Cloud State on Oct. 18.

SACK IT TO ME: Opposing running backs aren't the only ones who have found the going tough this season as the Bulldogs have chalked up quarterback sacks at a record-breaking pace. To date, UMD has been credited with 41 sacks which ties the school record held by the 2002 and 1987 Bulldogs. And, talk about spreading the wealth. Thus far in 2008, some 17 different Bulldogs have been in on at least one sack with Kevin Pexa and Drew Fautsch leading the way with a team-high 4.5 sacks followed by fellow senior defensive end Dustin Timmersman (4.0)

THESE 'DOGS HAD THEIR DAY: UMD not only had half of their starting lineup land All-NSIC first team recognition 2008, but they also claimed three of the five major conference awards -- Offensive Player of the Year (Ted Schlafke), Offensive Newcomer of the Year (D.J. Winfield) and Coach of the Year (Bob Nielson). Schlafke and Winfield were accompanied on the 24-member NSIC All-North Division first team by nine fellow Bulldogs -- senior offensive guard Nate Baier, senior offensive tackle Mitch Cady, senior outside linebacker Jake Comnick, senior defensive end Drew Fautsch, senior strong safety Jim Johnson, junior center Tobias Lemke, senior linebacker Ben Loth, sophomore running back Isaac Odim and senior free safety Tyler Yelk, an All-North Central Conference first team pick one year ago. UMD placed three more players on the All-North Division second team. That trio included sophomore inside linebacker Robbie Aurich, junior cornerback Cole Strilzuk and senior defensive end Dustin Timmersman. Sophomore running back Brad Foss, junior offensive tackle Sam Whitney and junior cornerback Brandon Wood all earned honorable mention acclaim.

ONE FOR THE BOOKS: UMD's current No. 6 AFCA II ranking is the school's highest ever in a national poll.

A REAL ONE-TWO PUNCH: The 2008 Bulldogs sport what is arguably the most gifted safety tandem in the NSIC (and perhaps in the storied history of UMD football) in seniors Tyler Yelk and Jim Johnson. Yelk, a two-time all-conference first team selection, has paced the Bulldogs in tackles three straight seasons -- a UMD first -- and five weeks ago took over as the school's career leader for stops (he currently has 311 tackles). Johnson, who joined Yelk on the All-NSIC first team this fall, has never finished lower than third among Bulldogs in tackles. He now has 258 stops as a collegian, which is good for the No. 5 spot on the team's career list. Earlier this year against St. Cloud State (Oct. 18) Johnson returned a fumble a school-record 99 yards for a touchdown in capping off UMD's 38-21 road win over the Huskies.

THE BEAT GOES ON: The Bulldogs are currently riding a 14-game winning streak, the second longest in program history. UMD reeled off a school-record 20 victories between Nov. 3, 1979-Oct. 24, 1981.

YOU CAN HAVE IT BOTH WAYS: The Bulldogs currently sport both the NSIC's top offense (457.77 yards per game) and defense (229.92 ypg). In addition, UMD has scored more points (42.2 ppg) and given up less (11.7 ppg) than any NSIC club to date. On the NCAA II front, the Bulldogs rank second overall in rushing defense (58.4 ypg) and passing efficiency (178.92), third in total defense and scoring defense, fourth in scoring offense, eighth in rushing offense (237.54 ypg), 10th in total offense (457.77) and 11th in turnover margin (1.38).

LONELIER THAN THE MAYTAG REPAIRMAN: After being called into action an average of just over two times per game during the regular season, freshman Alex Miller has seen his workload nearly double during the NCAA II playoffs. In the 20-10 win over Chadron two weeks ago, Miller punted five times and had six punts last Saturday at Grand Valley State. He's had a one punt blocked in each the past two weekends -- his only two of the 2008 season.

TURNAROUND IS FAIR PLAY: UMD posted a 4-6 overall record in 2007 which means the current Bulldogs are part of the greatest one-year turnaround in school history. That honor was previous held by the 2000 UMD contingent which finished 7-4 after a 3-8 season one year earlier.

BETTER BY THE DOZEN: The 2008 Bulldog roster contains 12 seniors, all of whom began their collegiate careers at UMD and have helped lead the Bulldogs to a 31-14 overall record, two conference championships (the 2005 North Central Conference crown and the NSIC title this fall) and a pair of NCAA II playoff berths (2005 and 2008). That group includes offensive guards Nate Baier and Matt Horvath, outside linebackers Jake Comnick and Ben Loth, wide receivers Tony Doherty and Luke Schalekamp, defensive ends Drew Fautsch and Dustin Timmersman, offensive tackle Mitch Cady, strong safety Jim Johnson, quarterback Ted Schlafke, and free safety Tyler Yelk. Eleven of the 12 UMD seniors are full-time starters.

LEAD 'DOGS: The Bulldogs are 54-1 in the last 55 games they have been ahead after three quarters and 47-1 when they've led at halftime going back to November 2001. UMD has also gotten on the scoreboard first in 30 of its last 31 victories. 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 shade South Dakota 14-10).

INJURY UPDATE: UMD has no new injuries to report.

BULLDOG BITES: The Bulldogs, the last remaining unbeaten NCAA II club, is the only team in college football (at any level) to win 13 games this season ... UMD has trailed just one time during the past 14 games and that was in the first quarter of last Saturday's quarterfinal clash with Grand Valley State -- a 3-0 lead which lasted for 3:03 until a Schlafke-to-Odim touchdown toss put UMD up 7-3 ... Senior wide receiver and Tony Doherty has caught 30 or more passes in each of his four seasons with the Bulldogs and currently has 141 catches to his collegiate credit. That places the two-sport standout (he was an all-conference outfielder for the baseball Bulldogs) in the No. 3 slot on UMD's career pass receptions charts ... Jon Lynch has relieved Ted Schlafke in nine of the Bulldogs' 13 contests to date and, in the process, has become just the second true freshman quarterback in 24 years to see varsity time for UMD (Ricky Fritz was the other in 1998) ... The Bulldogs have come away with 23 interceptions (by 11 different players) in 2008, including two -- one each by junior cornerback Cole Strilzuk and junior nose tackle Tyler Johnson -- which have been brought back for touchdowns ... Saturday will mark the furthest the Bulldogs have ever traveled east for a football game -- surpassing last week's voyage to Allendale, Mich.

UP NEXT: Saturday's UMD-California U. winner will advance to the NCAA II championship game in Florence, Ala. where they will face either the University of North Alabama or Northwest Missouri State University (who will also square off this Saturday in Maryville, Mo.) on Dec. 13.

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