UMD runs past Northern State

NSO – NEWS RELEASE

Even though Northern State University came into the day ranking dead last in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference in pass defense, the University of Minnesota Duluth still went with its bread and butter Saturday afternoon.

No. 3 UMD, the NSIC’s top rushing team, amassed 385 yards on the ground — nearly half of which was generated by junior Logan Lauters — and knocked off Northern State University 43-30 for its 15th consecutive regular season victory. The win, which came in front of sun-drenched James S. Malosky Stadium crowd of 5,268  (the seventh largest in the 48-year history of that on-campus facility), kept the Bulldogs’ perfect 2014 record intact at 7-0 and pushed their all-time NSIC North Division home record to 22-0.

Lauters rushed for a career-high 200 yards (marking the 16th time a Bulldog has reached that plateau) and one touchdown on just 15 carries while sophomore quarterback Drew Bauer ran 12 times for 126 yards and two scores. He also threw for 182 and one more score while making good on 15 of 28 passes. Senior wide out Zach Zweifel topped the Bulldogs with six receptions (for 82 yards), which moved the fourth-year starter into a tie for fifth place on the Bulldogs’ career pass catch charts (146).

“Pretty much everything on offense was working for us,” said Lauters, who now has ten 100-yard rushing outings as a Bulldog, including a team-best five this fall. “We were obviously running the ball real well and Drew was throwing well, too — especially in the first half.”

UMD never trailed the entire afternoon and held leads of 17-14, 34-24 and 37-24 at the end of each of the first three quarters.  The two teams combined for 1,039 yards of total offense with the Bulldogs accounting for a 2014 single-game high 567 yards of that total. The Wolves (4-3 overall) mustered just 52 yards in 31 runs against the NSIC’s stingiest rush defense, but did use the right arm of quarterback Jared Jacobson to pile up  408 yards through the air. Northern State, which has lost seven straight games to the Bulldogs, was hampered by turnovers, losing two fumbles and throwing a pair of interceptions.