#2 Minnesota Duluth 42 #18 Wayne State 10
NCAA Division II 2nd-ranked Minnesota Duluth converted three Wayne State turnovers into 21 points and senior running back Isaac Odim rushed for 170 yards on 17 carries and four touchdowns to lead the Bulldogs past #18 Wayne State 42-10 Saturday night in Northern Sun Conference football played at James Malosky Stadium in Duluth, Minnesota. The host Bulldogs are now 3-0 overall and 2-0 in the NSIC while WSC slips to 2-1 on the season and 1-1 in league play.
Minnesota Duluth took the opening drive of the game and scored as Odim capped a nine play, 70 yard drive on a 12-yard run to give the Bulldogs a 7-0 lead. The Wildcats' first drive of the game resulted in a turnover as sophomore quarterback Cyle Schultz was intercepted by UMD linebacker Robbie Aurich, who returned the ball 45 yards to the WSC 1. One play later, Odim scored to give the Bulldogs a 14-0 lead with 9:26 remaining in the first quarter.
Following a Wayne State punt, UMD drove 81 yards on 10 plays with Odim finding the end zone on a 20-yard run making the score 21-0 Bulldogs with 2:38 to go in the first quarter. The next drive saw Minnesota Duluth convert another Wildcat turnover into points as WSC drove to the UMD 30, but Schultz was sacked at the Bulldog 42 fumbling the ball and Duluth's Derrick Zappa rambled 58 yards for the score to give Minnesota Duluth a 28-0 lead with 38 seconds left in the first quarter.
The Wildcats put together a scoring drive on their next possession as Frederick Bruno hauled in a 14-yard scoring strike from Schultz capping a 69 yard drive on 11 plays with 9:53 to go in the second quarter, making the score 28-7. It was the only score of the second quarter as WSC trailed 28-7 at halftime.
In the third quarter, both teams punted on their first possession, but the Bulldogs used a seven-yard interception return by Jim Kunz with 3:39 to go in the third quarter giving UMD a 35-7 lead.
The next possession saw WSC get on the board as Nick Bell booted a 37-yard field goal, highlighting a 12-play, 55 yard drive, to make the score 35-10 with 13:37 to play. The 'Cats held Minnesota Duluth on their next possession and drove the football inside the UMD one yard line, but WSC stopped on downs and the Bulldogs iced the game as Odim raced 59 yards for a touchdown to cap a four play, 99 yard drive making the final score 42-10.
Minnesota Duluth outgained Wayne State in the game 322-284. The Bulldogs had 195 yards on the ground and 127 passing while WSC finished with 122 yards rushing and 162 passing. WSC had 21 first downs to 15 for UMD.
Reserve quarterback Evan Johnson had a solid game for Wayne State offensively with 132 yards of total offense. The sophomore completed 7 of 12 passes for 63 yards and was Wayne State's top rusher with 69 yards on 14 carries. Cyle Schultz was 10 of 15 passing for 99 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Sophomore Kevin Paulsen was Wayne State's top receiver with nine receptions for 82 yards followed by Frederick Bruno with five catches for 38 yards and one touchdown.
For Minnesota Duluth, Odim had a huge game with 170 yards rushing on 17 carries and four scores. Quarterback Chase Vogler completed 11 of 16 passes for 127 yards while D.J. Winfield was the top receiver for UMD with four catches and 54 yards.
Redshirt freshman Andrew Bauer was the top tackler for the Wayne State defense with eight tackles followed by Javal Jones with six. Senior Mark Janssen added five tackles, one sack and two pass breakups.
Wayne State will be at home next Saturday as the Wildcats host Northern State in the Homecoming/Hall of Fame Game at Cunningham Field in Wayne with kickoff set for 1:00 p.m.
