Minnesota Duluth football player Nate Fears walked past fellow linebacker Curt Laffin before Wednesday's practice and said, "You're playing for something Curt.''
Fears was right.
Minnesota Duluth (5-4, 3-4) plays St. Cloud State (3-7, 1-6) at 1 p.m. today at Malosky Stadium. With both teams not making the playoffs, some might consider this a meaningless North Central Conference game.
Not for Laffin and the rest of UMD's 19 seniors. For them, this is one last chance for the senior to play college football, hear the crowd, make the tackle, hit somebody.
"This is the last game of my career,'' said Laffin, a criminology major from Schofield, Wis. "It's definitely been fun. I love Duluth a lot. This game isn't meaningless to me. Not even close, and hopefully nobody else looks at it that way, either.''
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St. Cloud State has been all but assured of not making the playoffs for some time, but the Huskies haven't been playing that way. St. Cloud nearly beat conference leaders Nebraska-Omaha (21-17, Oct. 28) and North Dakota (34-27, OT, Nov. 5) the past two weeks.
As with UMD, St. Cloud coach Randy Hedberg, a former cohort of UMD coach Kyle Scheigert when the two were assistants at North Dakota, credits his seniors with setting a good example and not giving up on the season.
"I've had nothing to complain about this year in terms of how hard this team has played,'' Hedberg said. "It's just one of those years where we've had leads going into the final five minutes before we make a mistake or something goes wrong and we end up losing, but it's had nothing to do with our effort.''
Led by the likes of senior safeties Tate Wheeler and Mitchell Denne, and senior defensive lineman Joe Niehaus (6-foot-2, 290) and Jordan Kroll (6-4, 265), the Huskies have been among the league leaders in several defensive categories. The Huskies have yielded only 19.4 points per game and lead the league in passing defense, yielding only 178.8 passing yards per game.
But unlike North Dakota, which has shown a knack for winning close games, the Huskies' tough defense hasn't translated into victories.
All seven of St. Cloud's losses have been by 13 points or less, including a 27-23 loss at Augustana in which the Vikings scored on a 51-yard pass with three seconds left, meaning the Huskies are about as good as a 3-7 team can be.
"I've watched St. Cloud on film, and it's really hard to believe this team is 1-and-6 in the league,'' Schweigert said. "That says a lot about the tough luck they've had, but it also says a lot about our league. It's very balanced, and games can go either way based on a couple plays. This year they haven't made those plays, but they're much better than their record shows.
"Our group of seniors has been a good group. They've been part of the transition to a new coach and new league. They have accepted change and done a lot of good things, so we'd sure like to send them out with a victory.''
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Offensively, St. Cloud replaced seven starters and were slow to score points early in their conference schedule. But Huskies quarterback Jon Quesnal, a 6-6 sophomore from Eagan, Minn., has improved. His top target has been senior Anders Johnson (39 receptions, 389 yards) and sophomore Zach Stover (35-666), a transfer from Minnesota State-Mankato who missed last season with a leg injury.
Sophomore kicker Jon Gutierrez has been solid, converting 13 of 19 field goals, including 6 of 7 from 40-49 yards and a longest of 49 yards.
Laffin, who has battled a hamstring injury this year, is just looking forward to one more game after finally returning to full health.
"Those hamstring injuries can stick with you for a while, but I'm 100 percent now -- I think,'' Laffin said with a grin.
Date Opponent W/L Score
Aug. 31 at Bemidji State W 23-17
Sept. 9 vs. University of Mary W 42-14
Sept. 16 at South Dakota L 27-14
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Sept. 23 vs. Central Washington W 31-25
Sept. 30 at Western Washington W 20-10
Oct. 7 vs. Augustana L 35-7
Oct. 14 at MN State-Mankato W 16-13
Oct. 21 vs. Nebraska-Omaha L 38-14
Oct. 28 at North Dakota L 38-14
TEAM STATISTICS UMD Opp.
Scoring 181 207
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Points Per Game 20.1 23.0
First Downs 152 168
Rushing Yards 509 1,463
Average Per Rush 2.5 4.0
Passing Yards 2,264 1,751
Com-Att-Int 225-378-14 144-256-15
Average Per Pass 6.0 6.8
Average Per Catch 10.1 12.2
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Total Offense 2,773 3,214
Fumbles-lost 15-7 15-8
Third Down Conv 50-130 51-125
Percentage 38% 41%
Fourth Down Conv 6-11 6-16
Percentage 55% 38%
Sacks by-yards 17-99 22-147
Penalties-yards 55-398 49-415
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Time of Possession 26:15 33:45
RUSHING att. Yards Ave. TDs
K. Bizzle 48 165 3.4 2
M. Seta 40 125 3.1 3
T. Schlafke 82 106 1.3 1
J. Russell 15 55 3.7 1
M. Slinden 10 42 4.2 0
R. Schumacher 1 11 11.0 0
T. Doherty 2 8 4.0 0
L. Bullock 2 3 1.5 0
B. Radtke 1 1 1.0 0
Team 2 -3 -1.5 0
B. Anson 1 -4 -4 0
Total 204 509 2.5 7
Opponents 364 1,463 4.0 10
PASSING Comp. att. Yards TDs Int.
T. Schlafke 221 368 2,235 15 14
J. Beckwith 3 8 21 0 0
L. Bullock 1 1 8 1 0
L. Schalekamp 0 1 0 0 0
Total 225 378 2,264 16 14
Opponents 144 256 1,751 13 15
RECEIVING Rec. Yards Ave. TDs
G. Aker 60 601 10.0 4
T. Doherty 36 499 13.9 6
L. Bullock 33 318 9.6 2
K. Bizzle 27 172 6.4 1
B. Anson 26 275 10.6 1
D. Johnson 21 197 9.4 2
M. Hoyord 5 124 24.8 0
J. Russell 5 19 3.8 0
T. Foss 4 36 9.0 0
M. Slinden 3 8 2.7 0
M. Seta 3 1 .3 0
B. Radtke 2 14 7.0 0
Total 225 2,264 10.1 16
Opponents 144 1,751 12.2 13
FIELD GOALS FGM FGA Pct. Long
B. Baumann 5 10 50.0 49
TACKLE LEADERS Solo Ast. Total
T. Yelk 48 32 80
J. Johnson 31 17 48
N. Fears 20 23 43
C. Ahmann 24 15 39
C. Hughes 31 5 36
T. Garceau 28 8 36
D. Timmersman 12 17 29
R. Aurich 14 13 27
T. Scheidecker 17 7 24
J. Comnick 14 9 23
Sacks: C. Ahmann 4½, P. Peek 2½, D. Timmersman 2½, D. Fautsch 1½, K. Horn 1, K. Krenz 1, C. Laffin 1, B. Loth 1, S. Syverson 1, R. Bowen ½, Nate Fears ½, D. Kitzberger ½, E. Jackson ½.
INTERCEPTIONS No. Yards Ave. TD
T. Garceau 5 61 12.2 0
C. Laffin 2 35 17.5 0
J. Johnson 2 13 6.5 0
N. Fears 1 94 94.0 0
R. Aurich 1 0 0.0 0
B. Dahl 1 11 11.0 0
T. Yelk 1 0 0.0 0
C. Hughes 1 24 24.0 0
T. Scheidecker 1 0 0.0 0
Total 15 238 15.9 0
Opponents 14 173 12.4 1
PUNTING No. Yards Ave. Long
L. Radke 50 1,676 33.5 51
Total 50 1,676 33.5 51
Opponents 36 1,409 39.1 58
PUNT RETURNS No. Yards Ave. TD
B. Anson 5 32 6.4 0
M. Hoyord 3 11 3.7 0
T. Doherty 1 2 2.0 0
Total 9 45 5.0 0
Opponents 18 148 8.2 1
KICKOFF RETURNS No. Yards Ave. TD
B. Anson 13 300 23.1 0
M. Hoyord 4 86 21.5 0
D. Johnson 4 70 17.5 0
L. Bullock 3 68 22.7 0
D. Timmersman 2 17 8.5 0
C. Laffin 2 13 6.5 0
B. Dahl 2 15 7.5 0
M. Slinden 1 14 7.0 0
Total 31 583 18.8 0
Opponents 25 401 16.0 0
ST. CLOUD STATE HUSKIES AT MINN. DULUTH BULLDOGS
* What: North Central Conference football season finale
* Game time: 1 p.m. today
* Where: Griggs Field at Malosky Stadium (4,000, artificial turf)
* Radio: KDAL 610 AM
* Broadcast: Today's game will be broadcast live via the Internet at www.cstv.com as part of its regional NCAA Division II football package.
* Series: St. Cloud State holds a 22-15 edge in a series that dates to 1933, but in 2005, the 14th-ranked Huskies fell 45-28 to UMD in St. Cloud to end the regular season. The loss knocked the Huskies out of the playoffs while lifting the Bulldogs to a share of their first NCC title and second NCAA Division II playoff berth.
The Bulldogs have met the Huskies more than any other NCC football team.
* Records: St. Cloud 3-7, 1-6; UMD 5-4, 3-4.
* Polls: Neither team was ranked but UMD is No. 11 in the latest NCAA Division II Northwest Region poll.
* Coaches: Former National Football League quarterback Randy Hedberg (Minot State University, 1977) is 43-43 in his eighth year at St. Cloud. He was a finalist for the UMD head coaching position in 1999, a position that was eventually filled by current UMD athletic director Bob Nielson. Kyle "Bubba'' Schweigert (Jamestown College, 1985) is 17-15 in his third season at UMD.
* Stadium renovation?: UMD athletic director Bob Nielson said at Friday's Bulldog Football Luncheon that the university is in the process of securing proposals for a Malosky Stadium renovation project. Nielson said those proposals are due later this month. "By early December, we should have a pretty good idea where we'll be at, and if everything falls into place, we could be moving forward with this by the spring,'' Nielson said. "It's still in the preliminary stages, but this is a good step toward solidifying our position in terms of facilities long into the future.''
* Injury update: UMD senior wide receiver LaShawn Bullock is the latest in a long line of Bulldogs who have had injuries this year. Bullock hurt an Achilles tendon in the Bulldogs' last game and will be sidelined today.
* About St. Cloud: The Huskies are coming off a 34-27 overtime loss to eighth-ranked North Dakota last week. North Dakota freshman running back Ryan Chappell scored from 14 yards out on the Sioux's first overtime possession, and then the defense held strong to end the upset bid. St. Cloud showed big-play potential against the normally stingy North Dakota defense. The teams combined for 722 yards in total offense, with St. Cloud quarterback Jon Quesnel completing 18 of 29 passes for 266 yards and a touchdown. ... Despite being 3-7, the Huskies have outscored their opponents 246-194, thanks in large part to a 71-0 win over Minnesota-Crookston, followed by several close losses. And despite that record, St. Cloud has had fewer turnovers and penalties than their opponents this season. ... Today's game pits the league's two top-ranked passing defenses, with St. Cloud yielding just 178 passing yards per game to UMD's 194.6. Conversely, UMD ranks second in passing offense at 251.6 yards per game but has run for a league-worst 56.6 yards per contest.
* About UMD: The Bulldogs have been idle since Oct. 28, when they fell 38-14 on the road to North Dakota. The Fighting Sioux took advantage of four Ted Schlafke interceptions in building a 35-0 halftime lead. Schlafke came back to throw a 5-yard touchdown pass to LaShawn Bullock and an 85-yard TD pass to Tony Doherty. Schlafke threw for 326 yards, while junior transfer Brandon Anson had a personal-high seven catches for 99 yards .... UMD, obviously, wants to get off to a better start this week. The Bulldogs have won all five games this season in which they've scored first. ... Today marks the last game for 19 UMD seniors. That includes receiver Greg Aker, who is second in the NCC with 60 receptions, with a two-season total of 127, best in program history; and cornerback Tim Garceau, who is tied for the NCC interception lead with four and now has 13 in his college career to tie for eighth in program history. ... The Bulldogs are the league's least penalized team in terms of yardage.
