NORTHERN STATE STORYLINES

• The Wolves open their home slate coming off a loss at No. 11 Bemidji State last Thursday
• Dewaylon Ingram led the Wolves offense with 190 yards receiving and two touchdowns, a 59-yarder from Anthony Vespo and 7-yarder from Colton Hackel
• Northern led the contest with 309 yards passing, however the Beavers topped the Wolves in total offense with 420 yards to NSU’s 377
• The Wolves quarterback room threw three interceptions for 125 yards last week and will look to shore that up in week two
• Dakota Larson followed Ingram with 66 yards receiving and Hackel led the rushers with 33 yards on the ground; Larson also added 26 yards on two kick returns in the loss
• The Northern defense held Bemidji State to 5-of-14 on third down, however the Beavers scored all five times they entered the red-zone
• Charlie Larson led the defense with 11 tackles, including six solo stops and 2.5 tackles for a loss; while Trevor Johnson grabbed the first interception of the 2023 season
• Trey King and Logan Grossinger added seven and six tackles respectively for the Wolves defense that was not at full strength in the 2023 opener
• The Wolves have traditionally played strongly from the confines of Dacotah Bank Stadium, going 8-3 in the first two seasons at their new home

(RV) MINNESOTA DULUTH STORYLINES

• The Bulldogs kicked off their 2023 campaign with a 47-10 victory over Northern Michigan at home
• UMD was picked fifth in the NSIC Preseason Coaches’ Poll earning 109 total points with Treyvon Cahalan and Marcus Glodowski selected as the team’s players to watch in 2023
• Duluth returns 2022 impact players Arik Johnson, Treyvon Cahalan, Aiden Williams, Sam Pitz, Kyle Walljasper, Landon Carter, Brad Dati, Marcus Glodowski, Drew Hennessey, Nathan Bursch, and Tim Pokornowski
• UMD also gained University of Mary transfers Ty’Rhae and Ty’Rese Gibson
• Duluth put up double figure points in each of the first three quarters, with Kyle Walljasper having his hand in five of the team’s seven touchdowns
• The sophomore ran for 149 yards with two touchdowns and passed for 55 yards with three touchdowns
• UMD accumulated 492 yards of total offense converting on 9-of-13 third downs
• The Bulldog defense forced two interceptions, including a pick-6, and added two sacks for a loss of nine yards
• Ty’Rese Gibson scored for the UMD defense, while Mac Strand and Marcus Glodowski tallied a team leading eight and seven tackles respectively
• Minnesota Duluth is led by head coach Curt Wiese in his 11th season at the helm

LAST MATCH-UP

• The Wolves and Bulldogs closed out the 2022 regular season from Dacotah Bank Stadium in 2022 in what was later named the “Ice Game”
• Northern fell 28-7 in the game, falling to 13-26 all-time versus Minnesota Duluth
• Anthony Vespo connected with Ben Noland late in the fourth quarter for the Wolves first and only touchdown of the contest
• NSU converted on just 4-of-11 third downs and suffered eight penalties

Entrances to the Facility & Gate Opening Times

The facility offers four entrance locations for fans (outlined below) with gates opening two hours prior to kick-off for premium seat holders (club, loge, suite, party deck) through the main VIP entrance and 90 minutes prior for all general admission and other ticket sales. Tickets can be purchased online at nsuwolves.universitytickets.com. Individuals included in the Northern State passbook must enter the stadium through the Main Entrance. There is no re-entry into the facility.

• Main Entrance: Located off 15th Ave SE. This location includes game day ticket sales, will call pick-up, online ticket scanning, and the Northern State passbook.
• South Entrance: Located between Dacotah Bank Stadium & Koehler Hall of Fame Field. This location includes online ticket scanning.
• East Entrance: Located at the corner of South State Street and 15th Ave SE. This location includes online ticket scanning.
• Barnett Center Entrance: Located in the south end of the main Barnett Center hallway. This location includes game day ticket sales and online ticket scanning.

Concessions, Team Store, Kids Zone, Program Sales, and More!

The Northern State concession stands are operated by Sodexo and offer a wide range of options for fans of all ages. Enjoy an ice-cold Coca-Cola product, bite into a soft pretzel with cheese, a world famous Wolf dog, or walking taco. Don’t forget to grab a freshly made popcorn or batch of Wisconsin cheese curds from one of the concession stands near you at all home Wolves athletic events. New in 2023-24, Northern State University students can use their Thunder Bucks at all concessions locations. In addition, Sodexo supports local non-profits through a variety of opportunities. Contact NSU Dining Services at 605-626-2928 to learn more. 

The NSU Nike Team Store will be open in its Barnett Center location as well as at a mobile kiosk (on the second floor) within Dacotah Bank Stadium on game day. The Barnett Center location will officially open two hours before kick-off and closes after the first quarter. The mobile kiosk opens one hour prior to kick-off and closes after the third quarter.

The Northern State Kids Zone is located just north of the main gate to Dacotah Bank Stadium, in the green grass lot between the stadium and the Barnett Center (pictured in the parking map above). The Kids Zone is free and open to all kids under the age of 18 on game day. The Kids Zone includes inflatables, temporary tattoos, stickers, and mini footballs.

Program sales will take place in the tailgate lots and throughout the stands of Dacotah Bank Stadium. All game day program sales are cash only. Game day programs feature Northern State football history, game day information, opponent information, and a variety of promotions and coupons for Northern State fans. 

Game Day Parking

Northern offers a variety of parking options at Dacotah Bank Stadium, viewable at the parking map linked HERE

• Free parking: There are more than 400 free parking spots available on campus, located in the Washington Street lots and the lot north of the South Dakota School for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Additionally, there is free parking available off campus in the city parking lot located at the nearby Aberdeen Aquatic Center.
• Paid parking: There is nearly 600 reserved parking spots on campus. This includes the parking lots located to the west and southwest of Dacotah Bank Stadium, as well as the main Barnett Center lot, which require a pass purchase. Game day purchases are available in the Barnett Center lot for a price of $10 per vehicle.

Tailgating Information

The Northern State tailgate lots will open five hours prior to kick-off for set-up and three hours prior to kick-off for tailgating festivities, which includes the consumption of alcohol in the designated tailgating lots. In addition, all tailgate lots will close 30 minutes prior to kick-off; spots must be cleared and full cleaned at the closing time. The Northern State University football team will do the Wolves Walk through the premier tailgate lot two hours prior to the kickoff of each home contest. 

Tailgating is permissible in the Wolves Club Premier and Wolves Club Reserved lots on Northern State football home dates. Individuals can purchase a season tailgating spot or on a game-by-game basis. For an available spot listing in the Wolves Club Premier lot contact Steven McKee at steven.a.mckee@northern.edu. Wolves Club Reserved spots are $20 on game day with the entrance and payment booth located off S State Street. Full tailgating policies are outlined HERE.

Alcohol Policy

Northern State University and all other members of the South Dakota Board of Regents system have been granted the opportunity to allow alcohol sales at athletic events on campus per BOR policy 6:14. To safely and legally facilitate, the sale of alcoholic beverages and to comply with BOR policy, NSU will following the initial conditions, processes and procedures outlined in the Northern State University Institutional Policy HERE; recognizing the need for modification and refinement as experience informs them. A brief outline of this information is below:

• The sale of alcoholic beverages may start no sooner than one hour before the scheduled start of the event and must end at least thirty minutes prior to the scheduled end of the event (e.g., end of the third quarter of a football game).
• The point of sale for alcoholic beverages must be separate and apart from required food service general concessions. For alcohol sales at football games in Dacotah Bank Stadium, four points of sale (one on main level concourse, one on the loge level, one in the Teal Lounge on the suite level and one located inside the Kessler’s Champions Room) will be established separate from existing concession stand locations within the stadium.
• No attendee under the age of 21 may purchase, consume, or possess alcoholic beverages.  A valid ID is required to purchase, consume, or possess alcoholic beverages.
• A limit of two alcoholic beverages may be purchased at one time by an individual bearing a legal ID.
• No one who is visibly intoxicated may be served, consume, or possess an alcoholic beverage.
• Adequate security personnel shall be in place to monitor attendee behavior and ensure compliance with this policy and applicable law.
• There must be at least one alcohol free zone, of comparable viewing to alcohol zones, designated and appropriately marked for the event where no alcoholic beverage may be sold, consumed, or possessed.