NORTHERN STATE WOLVES AT MINNESOTA DULUTH BULLDOGS
r What: UMD HOMECOMING GAME
R WHEN: 1 P.M. TODAY
R WHERE: MALOSKY STADIUM (4,500 CAPACITY, ARTIFICIAL TURF)
R FORECAST: SUNNY WITH A HIGH OF 53 AND LIGHT WIND
R LIVE BLOG: WWW.DULUTHNEWSTRIBUNE.COM
R WEBCAST: WWW.PENNATLANTIC.COM
R TV/RADIO: MY9/KQDS-AM 1490 (105.5 AND 106.7 FM ON THE IRON RANGE); WWW.FAN1490.COM
R RECORDS: NORTHERN 2-5 OVERALL, 1-5 NORTHERN SUN INTERCOLLEGIATE CONFERENCE; UMD 6-1, 5-1
R NATIONAL RANKINGS: NORTHERN ISN'T RANKED; UMD IS NO. 7 IN THE AFCA NCAA DIVISION II POLL AND EIGHTH IN THE D2FOOTBALL.COM POLL.
R SERIES: THIS IS THE 29TH MEETING BETWEEN THE TEAMS, WITH UMD HOLDING A 18-10 SERIES LEAD, INCLUDING A 27-7 VICTORY LAST FALL IN ABERDEEN, S.D. UMD HAS WON 31 STRAIGHT NSIC GAMES AT MALOSKY STADIUM, A STREAK THAT BEGAN OCT. 7, 2000.
R COACHES: TOM DOSCH IS 4-14 IN HIS SECOND SEASON AT NORTHERN STATE. DOSCH CAME TO ABERDEEN AFTER A TWO-YEAR STINT AT SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY, WHERE HE COACHED WITH THE LIKES OF FORMER UMD HEAD COACH BUBBA SCHWEIGERT. BOB NIELSON IS 85-22 IN HIS NINTH SEASON AT UMD.
R OUTLOOK: JUNIOR RUNNING BACK KRISTIN JAMES RUSHED FOR 246 YARDS AND FOUR TOUCHDOWNS TO LEAD NORTHERN STATE TO A 45-21 VICTORY OVER MINNESOTA CROOKSTON LAST WEEK IN BEING NAMED NSIC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK. THE WOLVES ARE OTHERWISE NORMALLY BALANCED, WITH 190 OF THEIR 353 YARDS PER GAME COMING THROUGH THE AIR. ... UMD CONTINUES TO FOLLOW THE BLUEPRINT THAT HAS SERVED IT WELL THE LAST FOUR YEARS: RUN THE FOOTBALL ON OFFENSE, STOP THE RUN ON DEFENSE. THEY DID PLENTY OF THAT IN LAST WEEK'S 41-28 NSIC VICTORY AT MARY. FRESHMAN RUNNING BACK AUSTIN SIKORSKI HAD 185 OF THE BULLDOGS' SEASON-HIGH 410 RUSHING YARDS, AND THE BULLDOGS HELD THE MARAUDERS TO A PALTRY 37 RUSHING YARDS ON 25 CARRIES. TEAMMATE BRIAN LUCAS ADDED 16 CARRIES FOR 114 YARDS, WHILE JUNIOR QUARTERBACK CHASE VOGLER ADDED 94 RUSHING YARDS AND TWO TOUCHDOWNS. MARY DID THROW FOR 318 YARDS, INCLUDING A MONSTER GAME FROM WIDEOUT TYLER STEFFAN, WHO HAD 10 RECEPTIONS FOR 140 YARDS AND FOUR TOUCHDOWNS, BUT MOST OF THAT CAME AFTER THE GAME WAS EFFECTIVELY DECIDED. UMD KICKER DAVID NADEAU, MEANWHILE, BOOTED A SCHOOL-RECORD 55-YARD FIELD GOAL. ... UMD'S 245 RUSHING YARDS PER GAME RANKS 11TH AMONG 150 TEAMS IN NCAA DIVISION II, WHILE THE BULLDOGS ARE 13TH IN SCORING DEFENSE (17 PPG), NINTH IN RUSH DEFENSE (86.7 YPG) AND 14TH IN TOTAL DEFENSE (286.1 YPG).
JON NOWACKI, NEWS TRIBUNE
