Minnesota State		At Minnesota Duluth
Not Ranked	National Ranking (AFCA)	10th
24th	National Ranking (D2football.com)	10th
Northern Sun Intercollegiate	Conference	Northern Sun Intercollegiate
8-2 (8-1 NSIC)	2011 Record (Conf.)	8-2 (7-2 NSIC)
Todd Hoffner (33-12)	Head Coach (Record at school)	Bob Nielsen (87-23)
0-1	Head Coaches’ Record against opponent	1-0
www.msumavericks.com	Home Page	www.umdbulldogs.com
defeated Southwest Minnesota State, 38-0	Last Week	defeated Minnesota, Crookston, 49-7
370.5	Total Offense Per Game	381.8
337.4	Total Defense Per Game	275.5
33.4	Points Per Game	30.2
18.3	Points Allowed Per Game	16.7

 
What Lies Ahead:  The Minnesota State football team travels to Minnesota Duluth for a crucial Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference game against the Bulldogs.  Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.

A Little History Lesson: The 2011 season marks the school's 85th season playing football.  The Mavericks are 381-374-28 (.505) in 783 games since their inception as a varsity sport in 1922.  Minnesota State is in its fourth season in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and owns a 31-7 record in league action.  Over the course of its history, MSU has claimed 17 conference championships, including 15 NIC titles.

What's in a Win:  A win would give MSU its 382nd win in school history...A victory would be the 34th victory for head coach Todd Hoffner at MSU and the 80th victory of his career...A win would give MSU its 32nd victory in the Northern Sun Conference...A win for Minnesota State would improve it's all-time record against Minnesota Duluth to 15-18-1...A win would push MSU's record in the city of Duluth to 7-7-1...Additionally, a win would give MSU its third longest winning streak in Duluth...MSU has never won three straight games in Duluth...A win would also give MSU it's fifth nine-win season in program history.

Clinchin' and Sharin': With Minnesota State's win over Southwest Minnesota State last weekend, the Mavericks won their third NSIC South Division title in the past four years.  Additionally, by virtue of St. Cloud State's 19-14 loss to Bemidji State last weekend, the Mavericks also clinched a share of the NSIC Overall Conference Championship, it's 18th in school history and the first league title by a Maverick team since it won the 1993 North Central Conference title.

Scouting Minnesota Duluth: Minnesota Duluth enters Saturday's game with a 8-2 record, including a 7-2 mark in the NSIC, good for second-place in the league with St. Cloud State and Wayne State.  

The Bulldogs enter the weekend averaging 381.8 yards of total offense per game, while allowing just 275.7.  UMD is gaining 241.3 yards per game on the ground and 140.5 per game in the air while averaging 30.2 points per game and yielding 16.7.

Offensively, freshman running back Austin Sikorski leads the team in yards per game on the ground at 72.9, rushing 108 times for 583 yards and seven touchdowns.  The UMD backfield is a deep one as four players average 40 yards or more on the ground and three players have scored six or more touchdowns.  Junior quarterback Chase Vogler has completed 127-of-197 passes for 1,371 yards and ten touchdowns this year.  He is averaging 137.1 yards per game in the air and has a completion percentage of 64.56 and a passing efficiency of 135.62.  Freshman wideout Zach Zweifel has caught 32 passes for 399 yards and a touchdowns, averaging 39.9 yards per game  and 12.5 yards per catch.  
    
Defensively, sophomore linebacker Colby Ring leads the team in tackles with 75 while senior defensive back Cody Eich has 71.  Bob Nielsen is in his ninth season with the Bulldogs and owns a 87-23 record.  He is also the school's athletic director.    

Series Notes:  Minnesota Duluth leads the all-time series, 18-14-1...In the city of Duluth, MSU is 6-7-1...Junior wideout Dennis Carter – who started his career at Minnesota Duluth – has played in one game against his former team, rushing once for 21 yards and catching one pass for eight yards a year ago...Additionally, Carter returned  three kicks for 124 yards, including one for a 93-yard touchdown a year ago...Senior wideout Ryan DeLoach has one career catch against UMD while junior wideout Adam Thielen has caught three passes for 28 yards and returned one punt for ten yards...Sophomore quarterback/wideout Jon Wolf has rushed four times for 33 yards and a score while catching five passes for 51 yards against UMD...Defensively, junior defensive end Austin Schachtner has seven career tackles against the Bulldogs, including one for a loss...Sophomore defensive end Chris Schaudt has five career tackles against UMD, including four solo and one for a loss...Senior defensive back Tory Garrett and junior linebacker Ross Jirgl each have one career tackle against Minnesota Duluth...UMD head coach Bob Nielsen and Minnesota State Director of Athletics Kevin Buisman are both from Marion, Iowa where they grew up together.

Weather Report:  According to weather.com, Saturday's high in Duluth is calling for a high of 39 degrees with a low of 33.

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