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GAME 7:  #8 Minnesota-Duluth (5-1, 5-0 NSIC) at Northern State (1-5, 1-4 NSIC)

THE GAME: The Northern State Wolves will host the defending national champion #8 Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs in an NSIC North matchup as part of their Gypsy Days celebration, with kickoff slated for 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 10 at Clark Swisher Field.  
    Gene Reich will handle the play-by-play on both 94.1 KSDN-FM “The Rock“ and 930 KSDN-AM.
    For those fans that can't make it to the game and still want to watch the Wolves, we will have live stats available HERE  and you can view video of the game on www.northernsu.tv.

THE MATCHUP: Minnesota-Duluth heads into Saturday's matchup with a 5-1 overall record and a 5-0 NSIC mark, and a 2-0 NSIC North record.  They were picked to finish first in the NSIC both overall and in the North Division prior to the 2009 season.
    The Wolves are 1-5 overall, 1-4 in the NSIC, and 1-2 in the North Division.  They were picked to finish 11th in the NSIC by the league's coaches and tied for fifth in the North Division prior to the 2009 campaign.

SERIES HISTORY:  Minnesota-Duluth owns the all-time advantage in the series by a 14-12 margin.  The two teams have split their last six meetings, with each team winning three dating back to 1999.  Minnesota-Duluth won last year by a 55-7 margin, in coach Chris Boden's only matchup against the school.
    The last time the Wolves won was a 46-7 final back on September 27, 2003 in Aberdeen.
    The Wolves are 2-2 in Gypsy Days matchups under Chris Boden, earning a win last year by a 35-0 margin over the University of Minnesota, Crookston on October 4th.

Series History
Last 10 Years

    2008    Northern State 7, Minnesota-Duluth 55
    2003    Northern State 46, Minnesota-Duluth 7
    2002    Northern State 22, Minnesota-Duluth 48
    2001    Northern State 0, Minnesota-Duluth 48
    2000    Northern State 49, Minnesota-Duluth 26
    1999    Northern State 16, Minnesota-Duluth 7

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
NSU                                                     UMD
1-5                   2009 Record               5-1
1-4                   NSIC Record              5-0
113                   First Downs               136
138.2        Rushing Offense/gm       304.8
205.3        Passing Offense/gm      149.3
343.5        Total Offense/gm             454.2
219.5      Rushing Defense/gm        60.3
231.3      Passing Defense/gm        199.2
450.8          Total Defense/gm           259.5
22.8             Points Per Game            42.2
38.3    Points Allowed Per Game     12.5
5.2             Avg. Yards/Play                  7.0
33/263        Penalties/Yards             36/299
2/4           Field Goals/Attempts           3/5
27/80/34%    3rd Down Conv./Att/%    27/67/40%
18/11            Giveaway/Takeaway          1/11

NSIC SCHEDULE THIS WEEK
 Saturday, October 10
*1:00 pm Wayne State (NE) at Bemidji State            
*1:00 pm Minnesota Crookston at St. Cloud State            
*1:00 pm Winona State at Upper Iowa            
*1:00 pm Minnesota State at Concordia St. Paul            
*2:00 pm Mary at MSU Moorhead            
*2:30 pm Minnesota Duluth at Northern State            
*6:00 pm Augustana at Southwest Minnesota State    
    *NSIC Game

NSIC SCORES FROM LAST WEEK:
Mary 27 at Concordia St. Paul 7
Southwest Minnesota State 33 at Winona State 41
St. Cloud State 38 at Bemidji State 27
Northern State 34 at Minnesota Crookston 17
MSU Moorhead 7 at Minnesota Duluth 76
Upper Iowa 21 at Wayne State (NE) 24
Augustana 6 at Minnesota State 36

LET ME 'TREL YA SOMETHIN':  Northern State running back Montrel Richardson continues to be the main catalyst for the Northern State offense and now has 1,182 all-purpose yards on the season, with an average of 197.0 yards per game.
    The biggest chunk of that has come on the ground where the speedy junior has churned out 612 yards through the first six games, an average of 102.0 per game and a 7.0 yards per carry average.
    He also leads the team in scoring with 36 points, coming off of six touchdowns.
    He scored three of those touchdowns a week ago against UMC, getting into the end zone twice on the ground and once through the air.
    His signature game of the season was on the road against Upper Iowa where he notched 289 all-purpose yards (157 rushing) including a 90-yard kickoff return touchdown and 47-yard scamper.
    He matched that performance a week later with another 289 all-purpose yard performance, including notching 174 rushing yards.
    He's currently 5th in the NSIC in rushing yards and yards per game and third in all-purpose yards and yards per game.

I GOT FIVE ON IT:  Junior captain wideout Trent DesLauriers is currently eighth in the NSIC in receptions per game, averaging 4.83 per contest.
    He has tied his previous career-highs in season marks for catches (29) and touchdowns (3) and needs six yards to set a new personal best for season yardage in that category.
    He has already set career-highs for receptions and yards in a game on September 5th against Winona State when he went for seven catches and 96 receiving yards.

TOMMY BOY:  Northern State junior kicker Thomas Parrott a junior from Tampa, Fla. was named to the Fred Mitchell Award Watch List prior to the 2009 season.  A 2008 Second Team All-Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference selectionafter being an Honorable Mention in 2007, Parrott has connected on 59 of 64 PAT's in past two seasons.  He earned NSIC Player of the Week honors as a Freshman after connecting on 7 of 7 PAT's and adding a FG in the Wolves 52-9 win over Minnesota-Crookston on October 20, 2007.  Parrot donates his time to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and volunteers as a chemistry tutor to Northern State students, and also participated in the United Way and Northern State University Day of Champions event to assist with various community service projects in the Aberdeen area.

ABOUT NORTHERN STATE:  The Wolves earned their first win a week ago over Minnesota, Crookston 34-17.  With the win they snapped a 10-game losing streak dating back to last season.
    They have one of the premier yardage men in Montrel Richardson, but the rest of the team has been inconsistant and stagnant at times, keeping the Wolves from scoring more than 22.8 points per game (11th in NSIC).
    They are tied for 2nd in the NSIC in 4th down conversion percentage (60%), converting 6 of 10 opportunities.  They are also 4th in red zone offense, scoring at an 86.7% clip (13-15, 11-16 TD), with only one turnover inside their opponent's 20-yard line.
    They are currently 11th in passing offense per game (194.8 YPG), 9th in rushing yardage per game (138.2), 10th in total offense per game (343.5 YPG),  8th in first downs (141), and 13th in passing efficiency (102.9).
    They are 2nd in the conference in penaltie yardage per game with 43.8 free yards given away.   
    Defensively the Wolves are 4th in defensive 4th down conversion percentage (40%), with opponents only converting 2 of 5 attempts.
    They are also 14th in scoring defense (38.3 PPG), 11th in passing defense (231.3 YPG), 14th in rushing defense (219.5 YPG), 13th in pass efficiency defense (159.5), 12th in opponent first downs (141), and 13th in total defense (450.8 YPG). 
    The Wolves are also tied for 8th in sacks (9) and 12th in turnover margin (-7).

ABOUT MINNESOTA-DULUTH:  The Bulldogs have picked up right where they left off a season ago on their way to an undefeated season and a national championship, by leading the conference and ranking third in the country in rushing offense per game at over 300 yards per contest (304.83).
    They sport the Preseason NSIC North Division Offensive Player of the Year in junior running back Isaac Odim, who currently leads the conference and is ranked fourth nationally with 152.33 rushing yards per game.  He has 914 rushing yards on the year, and averages 8.5 yards per carry.  The 2008 first-team All-NSIC selection also currently leads the nation in scoring, averaging 19.0 points per game.  He has 19 touchdowns already this season (16 rush, 2 rec, 1 ret).  He is also second in the nation in all-purpose yardage (208.3) a figure that places him first in the NSIC.   
    The Bulldogs are currently ranked in the top-10 nationally in three offensive categories: rush offense (3rd), total offense (10th - 454.17 YPG / 2nd NSIC), and scoring offense (4th - 42.17 PPG / 2nd NSIC).
    They are also ranked in the top-10 nationally in three categories on the defensive side of the ball:  rush defense (7th - 60.33 YPG / 1st NSIC), total defense (7th - 259.50 YPG / 1st NSIC), and scoring defense (8th - 12.5 PPG / 1st NSIC).
    They are also 6th in the nation in turnover margin and first in the NSIC with a +10 ratio.

DID YOU KNOW?:  Former Northern State running back Tyrone Morgan was the NSIC Offensive Player of the Year in 1998 and 1999.  The only other person to win the award two consecutive years was running back Dave Ludy of Winona State, winner of the award in 1993 and 1994.  They started giving out the award in 1967.

ONE BIG WIN:  The Wolves earned their first win of the season last Saturday at Minnesota, Crookston by a score of 34-17.  The loss also snapped a program worst 10-game losing streak dating back to October 4th, 2008.

ALVAREZ ON THE TACKLE:  Senior linebacker David Alvarez was named NSIC Defensive Player of the Week this week after recording a game-high 12 tackles and two interceptions in the Wolves' 34-17 win over Minnesota, Crookston last week.  It was the Soquel, Calif. native's first Athlete of the Week award in his career.

D-FENCE:  The Wolves defensive unit put a fence around the UMC rushing attack last weekend, holding the Golden Eagles to 56 yards on 32 carries in their victory, a season-best effort for the Wolves.

JARK EYES HISTORY BOOKS:  Senior wide receiver and Aberdeen native Brian Jark etched his name into the Northern State record books on September 5th against Winona State, becoming the school's all-time leading receiver with 218 career receptions.  He has since then added three more receptions to bring his career total to 221.  He is still closing in on all-time records for TD receptions, reception yards, and a host of other NSIC records.  He trails Damien Hoffman of Minnesota Morris, and now Logan Masters of Wayne State by five and three receptions, respectively, for the all-time NSIC lead in that category.  He needs just 1 receiving yard to eclipse 2,000 for his NSIC career.

NSU RECORDS:   
    Receptions -        Brian Jark     - 221
                          Brent Sheehan     - 217   
    Yards -          Brent Sheehan    - 3,072
                                    Brian Jark    - 2,483       
    TD's -                 Josh Martin     -22
                                    Brian Jark    -19
NSIC RECORDS:
    Receptions -     1. Damien Hoffman (1997-2001) /  Minnesota-Morris - 185
                                2. Logan Masters (2006-Present) / Wayne State - 183
                               3. Brian Jark, NSU - 181
    Yards -              1. Chris Samp (2001-2004) / WSU - 2, 855
                             10. Brian Jark, NSU - 1,999
    TD's                  1. Chris Samp, WSU - 43
                            t-9. Brian Jark, NSU - 16

CAPTAINS:  Senior wide receiver Brian Jark, junior wide receiver Trent DesLauriers, senior outside linebacker Ryan Olerud, and senior inside linebacker Anthony Ponzo, Jr. will serve as the Northern State captains for the 2009 season.

Northern State University is an NCAA Division II affiliated school participating in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and is located in Aberdeen, South Dakota.

**GO WOLVES**