Bulldogs Run Over Minot State

Oct 12, 2012

Northland Sports Online

You only get one chance to make a first impression, and the University of Minnesota Duluth made a pretty good one Saturday afternoon in Minot, N.D.

The No. 13 Bulldogs, behind a pair of rushing touchdowns from running backs Brian Lucas and Logan Lauters, overwhelmed Minot State University 44-6 in the initial confrontation between the two clubs. The victory, which came in front of a sun-splashed crowd of 1,831 at Herb Parker Stadium, pushed UMD to 6-1 on the year and kept the Bulldogs within a game of league-leading Minnesota State University-Mankato in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference title chase.

After being forced to punt on their opening possession, the Bulldogs proceeded to score a touchdown, including two by Lucas, in each of their ensuing four series to go up 27-0 at the end of the first quarter. Lauters raced 17 yards for his second touchdown of the game (and fifth of 2012) with 3:33 to go before half and senior free safety Cameron Harper returned an interception 75 yards for the first pick six of his career a little less than three minutes later to make it 41-0.

The four-time defending NSIC champions extended their lead to 44-0 on freshman Andrew Brees’ third-quarter field goal from 26 yards out and came within 35 seconds of posting their first shutout in two years before the Beavers (1-6 overall) struck with a six-yard Zac Cunha to Kirk Mason scoring pass.

The Bulldogs finished with 288 yards on the ground, over a third of which was generated by Austin Sikorski. The sophomore running back eclipsed the 100-yard rushing barrier for the fourth time as a collegian, running nine times for 106 yards and one touchdown. Senior quarterback Chase Vogler completed in 10 of 19 passes for 202 yards in the triumph, UMD’s 30th in its last 33 games away from home.

Freshman inside linebacker Brent Stiglich came off the bench to figure in on a team-high 10 total tackles while junior strong safety Travis Nordhus was credited with eight stops for the Bulldogs, who came into the day sporting the fourth-highest scoring offense (just over 48 points per game) in NCAA II football.

UMD now has four games remaining on its 2012 regular season schedule and will play three of those at James S. Malosky Stadium, beginning with next Saturday’s (Oct. 20) Homecoming clash against Bemidji State University.

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