Hockey season is starting all over the Iron Range, but Minnesota Duluth is keeping attention on football.
The Bulldogs are off to their best start since 2018 at 5-0 and 4-0 in the NSIC. They are ranked No. 17 in the AFCA Division II poll and No. 21 in the D2football.com poll.
The Bulldogs defeated Winona State 38-14 in Duluth last week, and they are building momentum toward late-season showdowns vs. Bemidji State (4-1 in NSIC) and Minnesota State Mankato (5-0).
UMD leads the NSIC and is eighth in D-II with 247.4 rushing yards per game and is second in the NSIC in scoring (40.2 points per game).
Bulldogs QB Kyle Walljasper is fourth in D-II with an average of 7.7 yards per carry and is fifth in rushing touchdowns (nine). Walljasper, who has rushed for 548 yards, has passed for 780 yards and 11 touchdowns.
The Bulldogs play at 4-1 Wayne State (Neb.) on Saturday.Here are four other things to watch this week:
Undefeated Augustana
Augustana, which will play host to Southwest Minnesota State on Saturday, is also 5-0 overall and 4-0 in the NSIC.
Last week, Casey Bauman tied a school record with six TD passes in the Vikings' 49-29 victory over crosstown rival Sioux Falls.
Augustana, which is ranked No. 26 in the AFCA Division II poll, has won the last eight meetings with SW Minnesota State.
The Mustangs (1-4, 1-3 NSIC) are coming off a 16-15 loss at Valparaiso last week. It was the first FCS foe for the Mustangs since 1999.
Another test for Tommies
After holding on for a 20-14 victory over the Dayton Flyers in Ohio last week, the St. Thomas football team will play host to Butler on Saturday.
The Tommies and Butler are tied (with Davidson) for first place in the Pioneer League standings with 2-0 records. The Tommies are 3-2 overall while Butler is 4-1.
The victory over Dayton was the 12th consecutive in Pioneer League play for the Tommies, who improved to 16-2 in conference play since joining the league in 2021.
Tommies linebacker Luke Herzog had six tackles, a fumble recovery and a pass breakup in the victory over Dayton to earn Pioneer League defensive player of the week honors.
The Bulldogs have a four-game winning streak after opening the season with a 35-20 loss at Montana. Last week, the Bulldogs defeated Presbyterian 27-17 in Indianapolis.
The Tommies have won both meetings with Butler since joining the Pioneer League — defeating the Bulldogs 36-0 two years ago in St. Paul and 27-13 last season in Indianapolis.
Goat Trophy up for grabs
Carleton and St. Olaf will play for the Goat Trophy for the 103rd time on Saturday in Northfield. Carleton is 4-0 and St. Olaf is 3-1 going into the MIAC Northwoods Division game.
Carleton is coming off a 36-35 victory at Concordia (Moorhead) last Saturday. The Knights scored with 20 seconds remaining and then converted a two-point conversion for the victory.
Carleton quarterback Jack Curtis completed 44 of 77 passes for 370 yards and five touchdowns. The 77 attempts were a school record.
Curtis, a sophomore, has passed for 1,409 yards and 16 TDs. He has been intercepted just once in 198 passing attempts.
St. Olaf defeated Hamline 49-25 in St. Paul last week for its third consecutive victory.
Carleton defeated St. Olaf 26-7 last year to end a seven-game losing streak to its rival.
Key UMAC matchup
UMAC co-leaders Crown and Northwestern (St. Paul) will play at Northwestern on Saturday.
Both teams opened conference play with victories last week. Crown defeated Westminster 25-17 while Northwestern outlasted Martin Luther 42-38.
Minnesota Morris, which also opened conference play with a victory (24-10 at Greenville), is idle this week.
