Football takes eighth straight victory, looks ahead

The UMD football team preserved perfection in a 38-10 win over Bemidji State University. Though they have some questions to answer on offense, the Bulldogs appeared strong while maintaining the resilient adaptability that has kept them atop the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. With just three games left to play in the regular season, the Bulldogs are improving each week. Since every facet of their game has worked at different times, the challenge for head coach Curt Wiese will be to put them all together.

“We are a mature enough football team that our guys understand we need to continue to improve each week,” Wiese said. “This isn’t about any other team at this point; this is about us continuing to get better, (making) sure we cleanup some of those mistakes.”

Against Bemidji State’s passing-focused offense, the Bulldogs stepped up and allowed only 95 yards passing against an offense averaging 258 yards per game in the air. The defensive effort was strong for UMD, with Darion Fletcher and true freshman Dillon Martinez both recording interceptions.

But where the Bulldog defense forced turnovers, the offense struggled to protect the football and convert on those possessions.

BY JIMMY GILLIGAN Statesman Correspondent

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