Another victory came in dominating form as the UMD football team smoked the University of Minnesota Crookston, 38-14, Saturday and improved to 8-1 on the season. The Bulldogs compiled 397 yards of offense, featuring 283 on the ground by six different ball carriers.
With quarterback Chase Vogler under center and a cohesive and dominant offensive line paving the way, Jeron Johnson led the team with 95 yards on 11 carries.
Vogler was an efficient game manager, completing 10 of 15 passes for 114 yards and a touchdown. He also ran three scores in for six, tying a career record.
Other offensive contributors were running backs Brian Lucas and Austin Sikorski, who both had productive days rushing: 52 and 75 yards, respectively. The Bulldogs went into halftime with a secure 31-0 lead.
The defense made huge strides for the fourth week in a row, holding Crookston to 217 yards of total offense and getting it done. The difference has been making plays when they need to be made and creating turnovers.
Senior Captain Cameron Harper has been a central part of the effort to improve the performance of his unit.
"The past four games, we have been playing on defense the best we have all year,” he said. “We are continuing to improve. The biggest thing I can see that can help us to improve is the attitude we bring out to the practice field.”
He believes in his teammates and realizes the potential they have if they continue to improve each week.
“We have the potential to be a championship-caliber defense,” Harper said. “Considering this is my fifth year, I understand the importance of every practice, especially since we really only get three per week to prepare for our opponent. These past four weeks, I think we are beginning to understand the attitude we need to have out on the practice field, and it has translated to the games on Saturdays.”
The Bulldogs return home for the final two weeks of the 2012 regular season. This weekend they take on the University of Mary at 1 p.m. Saturday at Malosky Stadium.
BY BILL ZIEGLER ziegl149@d.umn.edu