The list of candidates for the NCAA Division II player of the year hasn't been released yet, but after a record-setting Saturday, Minnesota Duluth senior quarterback Chase Vogler made his case for being included alongside those vying for the Harlon Hill Trophy.
Vogler accounted for 396 yards of offense and five touchdowns as the second-ranked Bulldogs overwhelmed Concordia-St. Paul 70-24 on Saturday night before 3,503 spectators at Sea Foam Stadium in St. Paul.
UMD's 675 yards of offense set a program record, easily topping the 634 the Bulldogs had against Concordia in the 2009 season opener. The 70 points were the most UMD has scored since the Bulldogs beat Minnesota-Crookston 76-14 in Sept. 2002.
Vogler showed machine-like precision in orchestrating the Bulldogs' offense. He was 22-for-26 passing for a career-high 296 yards and three TDs, and he ran 10 times for 100 yards and two more scores in just three quarters of work. The Bulldogs (3-0) scored on their first 10 possessions of the game, and once UMD's defense started making consistent stops in the second half, the Golden Bears couldn't keep up after trailing only 35-24 at the half.
Receiver Cordell Smith had three catches for 81 yards to lead Concordia (1-2).
ADVERTISEMENT
"We knew it was going to be a tough game coming in, but we didn't think we'd get beat like that," Smith told Concordia Television Productions after the game. "They were tough, but we did some good things. We just need to look at the film and build on the positives we can take from this game."
Whatever adjustments the Bulldogs made at the half certainly worked.
Concordia managed only 30 of its 290 yards in the second half as the UMD defense clamped down while the offense methodically marched down the field.
UMD relied on ball control more than anything else as neither team turned the ball over. The Bulldogs held the ball for nearly 38 of the game's 60 minutes, and the only drive they didn't score on was when they were running out the clock in the closing seconds.
Sophomore Austin Sikorski added 11 carries for 71 yards and two touchdowns, while Joe Reichert (seven catches, 70 yards, TD) and Zach Zweifel (5-for-85) were Vogler's top receiving targets. Eight Bulldogs caught passes and eight had rushing yardage as UMD coach Bob Nielson emptied his bench.
Vogler is now 39-4 as a collegiate starter, helping guide the Bulldogs to their second national title in 2010, but he had never had a statistical performance like Saturday.
Minnesota Duluth 14-21-21-14--70
Concordia-St. Paul 10-14-0-0--6
First Quarter
ADVERTISEMENT
CSP -- Tom Obarski 38 field goal, 12:04
UMD -- Austin Sikorski 8 run (Andrew Brees kick), 7:37
CSP -- Jason White 1 run (Tom Obarski kick), 3:24
UMD -- Pat Alexander 2 pass from Chase Vogler (Brees kick), :10
Second Quarter
UMD -- Logan Lauters 3 run (Brees kick), 10:26
CSP -- Tre Spears 17 run (Obarski kick), 8:32
UMD -- Aaron Roth 14 pass from Vogler (Brees kick), 4:02
ADVERTISEMENT
CSP -- Nate Thienes 15 pass from James Peterson (Obarski kick), 1:27
UMD -- Joe Reichert 5 pass from Vogler (Brees kick), :46
Third Quarter
UMD -- Sikorski 7 run (Brees kick), 10:22
UMD -- Vogler 45 run (Brees kick), 8:26
UMD -- Vogler 1 run (Brees kick), 1:48
Fourth Quarter
UMD -- Jeron Johnson 2 run (Brees kick), 10:05
ADVERTISEMENT
UMD -- Steve Ierulli 28 run (Brees kick), 5:27
A -- 3,503
