UMD Football returns to Malosky on Saturday to take on Minot State

The University of Minnesota Duluth football team will return to James S. Malosky Stadium on Saturday to host Minot State University in a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference matchup. Kick-off is for 12:00 p.m

Bulldogs Fight Cancer: Saturday will also be UMD’s Tackle Cancer game. Fans can go too randyshavercancerfund.org for more information.

Taking AME(S): DaShaun Ames is currently tied for the most touchdowns in the NSIC (8) and is averaging the third-most yards per catch (20.8) and yards per game (83.3). Ames also has the third-most total yards with 583.

It has been three years since a UMD wide receiver scored more touchdowns in an entire season than junior wide receiver Ames currently does in just seven games.

Ames has eight TDs – including one in each of his last four games – the most touchdowns by a WR since Armani Carmickle had 11 – across 12 games in the 2021 season. In his first seven games this year, Carmicle actually had fewer touchdowns than Ames currently has seven games with seven touchdowns, compared to Ames’ eight.

Ames was a Top target so far this season, with 28 receptions for 583 yards, averaging 20.8 yards per catch.

By averaging 4.0 receptions per game, Ames has already more than doubled his career single-season high for receiving touchdowns (three in 2023) and his career-high single-season total last season (5). Ames has rushed for 1,237 yards so far in his career, averaging 45.8 yards per game spanning just 27 games.

NO HURRY HERE: UMD continues to lead the NSIC in fewest rushing yards per game at just 63.0 and is allowing just 2.0 yards per attempt, another league low. The Bulldogs have also allowed the second-fewest touchdowns on the ground with just six to seven games.

UMD also leads the league with a league-best 27 sacks and ranks second with 160 yards.

Ironically, the Bulldogs have the least effective red zone defense in the NSIC, allowing their opponents 15 of 16 attempts with a 93.8 conversion rate against them.

THE MATCHUP: The Bulldogs are riding an 11-game unbeaten streak against MSU heading into Saturday’s game, having defeated the Beavers in all 11 games the two programs have ever played each other.

In the last 11 meetings, UMD has been dominant over MSU with an offensive average of 44.6 points per game. Defensively, the Bulldogs have allowed the Beavers more than a single touchdown only twice and have completely shut out MSU three times. In fact, the Beavers average just 6.18 points per game against the Bulldogs all-time.

In their final head-to-head matchup of last season in Minot, North Dakota, on Oct. 21, UMD defeated MSU 42-7.

Led by the running back’s dual rushing threat of a three-touchdown attempt Jaylen McKnight and a two touchdowns from the quarterback Kyle WalljasperUMD scored three touchdowns from the ground before halftime and had managed all five before the end of the third quarter. UMD’s defense did the rest, holding the Beavers to just 93 total yards on offense, including just 38 rushing. In fact, MSU’s only touchdown wasn’t generated by its offense – and UMD never let the Beavers play all in the red zone.

McKnight ran on both of UMD’s touchdowns in the first quarter, the first being a 1-yard run to the left with 8:05 left, paired with one Curtis Cox Point after try to give the Bulldogs a 7-0 lead.

After the Beavers returned the ensuing kick from 100 yards to tie the score, McKnight struck again less than four minutes later. Then, at 4:20, he ran his second touchdown of the afternoon from nine yards out to give UMD the lead.

McKnight wasn’t done yet – and he ran for both teams’ only points in the second quarter, a massive 21-yard rip that gave the Bulldogs a 21-7 lead over the Beavers with 2:18 left in the half.

Waljasper ran another touchdown for the Bulldogs at 10:38 of the third quarter, a 2-yard attempt that gave UMD a 28-7 lead. The then-redshirt-sophomore quarterback did it again less than four minutes later in the same frame, a 45-yard run that stood as his third-longest touchdown of the season, extending UMD’s stranglehold on the scoreboard to 35-7.

The Bulldog defense, which made the day almost unbearable for the Beavers, capped off UMD’s scoring drive with a touchdown of their own. After Drew Hennessy forced a fumble, redshirt senior DL Brian Konz returned it 57 yards to the end zone to make it a 42-7 game with 10:53 remaining – the first fumble recovery for a TD for UMD since the 2018 season.

Overall, UMD recorded 398 offensive yards – 291 of which came from the Bulldogs’ ground game. UMD was 3 of 4 in the red zone on its own, while Cox was a perfect 6 of 6 on extra points in the game.

McKnight and Walljasper both surpassed 100 rushing yards on the day, the first UMD duo to do so in a single game in five years. McKnight rushed for a season and career-high 109 yards and now has four touchdowns this season, while Walljasper threw for a game-high 113.

The Bulldog defense recorded two sacks on the afternoon – one by Hennessy and one by Brady Autumn. In total, Brad Dati led UMD with five tackles, including three solo attempts, while four other players had four tackles in the game – Andrew Klopp, Alex SylvesterAutumn and Beffert. Ty’Rese Gibson He also picked up his second interception of the season and connected it with a 25-yard return.

LAST TIME: On the road in Sioux Falls, SD, UMD fell 24-21 to the University of Sioux Falls at Bob Young Field last Saturday afternoon.

The Cougars got on the scoreboard first, hitting a successful 27-yard field goal after forcing UMD to punt on their first possession of the afternoon. A sack for the loss of Andrew Klopp helped the defense as both teams forced four consecutive drives that ended in a punt.

UMD’s offense broke the stalemate in the second quarter by scoring its first touchdown of the afternoon with a 21-yard rush from beyond the arc Alex Riley There are still 5:48 minutes left in the picture. However, the Cougars responded. With a touchdown of their own on the next drive, they secured a lead of 10-7 as both teams headed back to the locker rooms for halftime.

The UMD offense brought the ball up in the second half, allowing a pitch-back play to set up a 56-yard passing touchdown by the redshirt sophomore QB Jacob Eggert To Jimmy Durocher on the Bulldogs’ first possession. But again, USF had no trouble responding and scored on its next attempt After 8:37 of the third quarter we were able to take the lead again with 17:14

A 19-yard touchdown from Eggert DaShaun Ames — his eighth of the season — capped the Bulldogs’ fourth-quarter opener and allowed UMD to regain the lead, 21-17, with just over 14 minutes left. USF countered again and scored on its next attempt to retake the lead, ultimately making the final score 24-21.

Although the Cougars were forced to punt with just under a minute left, UMD was intercepted on its final two possessions of the game and was unable to regain the advantage before time expired.

Eggert made his first career start for UMD and went 20 of 35 for 247 yards with two touchdowns and four interceptions. Riley led the Bulldogs’ rushing attack with 85 yards and a touchdown, while Ames made his presence felt in the passing game, recording six receptions for 63 yards and a touchdown. Durocher added five catches for 134 yards and a score.

Tyrone McCoy led the Bulldog defense with three tackles and an interception. Klopp added four tackles, 1.0 TFL and a sack Matt Weerts added three tackles, 2.0 TFL and a sack for loss.

SIOUX FALLS GAME NOTES: The Bulldogs are now 3-6 against USF – the only NSIC opponent against whom the Bulldogs’ all-time record stands on its head. In a streak that only began in 2013 and in four Cougars home games, the Bulldogs are still winless at 0-4.

—quarterback Jacob Eggert made his first career start for an injured player Kyle Walljapserbroke a streak from Walljasper under center to start a game that began on October 15, 2022. Walljasper had started 21 straight games for UMD.

—Eggert made a season-high 35 pass attempts against the Cougars (Walljasper made 35 against Augustana on October 6).

—Tyrone McCoy’s The interception against USF was UMD’s eighth of the season.

—For the third straight game, UMD’s opponents were perfect in the red zone, scoring 24 points on 4 of 4. In the last three games, the Bulldogs’ opponents were 10 of 10 inside the red zone and scored 62 points.

During the same period, UMD is 6 out of 9 and 38 points.

Wrong side of a streak: The Bulldogs’ three straight losses are the first for the program since the 2007 season, when UMD twice lost three games in a row.

The Bulldogs, who also haven’t lost four games in a season since 2007, have lost those three of their four games by three points or fewer.