Minot State Football fights against the Duluth Bulldogs to stop the losing streak

DULUTH, MN. – Even if some schools have begun to split at the top, there is still great parity within the NSIC collective in the race to the finish line. Amid a stalemate that defines the current situation in the conference standings, Minot State football once again finds itself in another unique situation on the gridiron.

The Beavers headed east to Minnesota to face the Duluth Bulldogs. Something has to change this time as both teams enter the weekend on a consistent three-game losing streak. The environment is similar as the Beavers try to achieve their own happiness while Duluth hopes to achieve the same when they gather at James S. Malosky Stadium.

Minot State (4-4, 3-4 NSIC) and Minnesota Duluth (3-4, 2-4 NSIC) begin the Beavers’ final road game of the season at noon Saturday.

As Minot State heads out for another trip to the Land of 10,000 Lakes, head coach Ian Shields says the defense has been playing well lately. The offense happened to face the NSIC’s top-scoring defense last weekend at Bemidji State.

“Everyone struggled against Bemidji, we were no exception, and we certainly did. There were chances though… it’s a close game and as I told the team, close games are usually decided by four or five plays. That’s the difference in close football games and last week was no exception,” commented Shields.

The focus shifts to the Bulldogs, who share some similarities with Bemidji.

“They are really strong up front. They are excellent. Our offensive line has a challenge up front and we need to play at a high level. “We have to play a little better offensively, crisper and cleaner on the perimeter, that’s a challenge,” said Shields.

In this upcoming matchup with the Bulldogs, the coach is putting more emphasis on turnovers, something the Beavers lost some of in their success earlier in the season. While it’s difficult to classify this game as “favorable” for the Beavers, the expectations are within reach.

“I think we’re improving as a team in all phases, we’re making progress… I think the effort is there, we have to keep playing hard. And then we’ve got to do a better job in terms of turnovers.” “That’s where we’ve been struggling defensively lately,” Shields noted. “At the beginning of the season we lived and ate it.”

As mentioned, last weekend was not favorable for the Beavers as they lost to Bemidji State 21-9. This extended their losing streak to three games, which also applies to Duluth. Sioux Falls beat Duluth on the road with a 24-21 score.

If history played a role, the Bulldogs would be well on their way to winning this game. Fortunately, that is not the case. But it’s something to remember as Duluth has overcome the Beavers in 11 of 11 tries in the all-time series. Minot State, just like in previous contests this year, will have the opportunity to reverse that trend or drop the scoring that Duluth is seeking. Both teams last met on October 21, 2023 at Herb Parker Stadium, a game in which the Bulldogs flexed their muscles in a 42-7 victory over the Beavers.

Looking at Duluth’s body of work, the offense starts with quarterback Kyle Walljasper. The dual-threat redshirt junior has 380 net yards on the ground with 3 rushing touchdowns to go, 1,273 yards through the air and 13 thrown touchdowns.

DaShaun Ames is a threat when he lines up wide on the perimeter. The No. 1 option and red zone goal for Walljasper is 583 yards and 8 touchdowns.

Matt Weerts draws attention to the defensive side of the ball and is all over the field for the Bulldogs. Literally, like a bulldog unleashed, Weerts leads the team with 8.5 TFL and 4.5 sacks.

Jarrett Bennett carries a heavy burden as the leading tackler. He has 31 for Duluth in 7 games played.

Minot State prides itself on running, so much so that it ranks No. 1 in the NSIC with 229.3 rushing yards per game. It starts with running back Evan Lovett. The senior from Tucson, AZ rushed for 575 yards while averaging 71 yards per game. Combining strengths with Lovett, quarterback Carson Chrisman trails him with 411 and leads the Beavers with 7 rushing touchdowns.

The defensive unit did a good job keeping the Beavers in the game, as coach Shields mentioned. While Julian Kameristy Although he has remained near the top in TFL (5.5) and sacks (2.5), there has been some movement among the Raetzman brothers. Cody Raetzman is the new tackling king with 41 goals so far. Connor Raetzman has started to work his way up in tackles for loss as he now sits at a tied 5th in that category.

It will be interesting to see who comes out on top in the end and can break their respective losing streaks. Both the Beavers and Bulldogs are in a three-game stretch, with one series coming to an end and the other being extended to four games. The Beavers want to be the ones to flip the switch, but it starts with them once again doing things right internally.

“We have to take care of the ball, position ourselves correctly, have our eyes, hands and feet in the right places and we have to play good football. “We have to play good football in all three phases… we just have to be ready and be ready for the opportunities when the opportunities arise,” Shields noted.

Minot State will finish the away portion of the season before returning in the fall to close out the 2024 season with two straight home games.