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RECORDS: Minot State will enter this weekend's road contest with a 1-5 overall record and a 0-2 record in the Northern Sun North Division. University of Minnesota Duluth will also enter with a 5-1 record and a 2-0 mark in the North Division. UMD's only loss on the season came at from undefeated and No. 1 ranked Minnesota State.

COACHES CORNER: Minot State's head coach is Paul Rudolph, who is in his seventh season at the helm of the Beaver football program. Rudolph sports  a 32-36 record while at MISU and a career record of 75-83. The Bulldogs are coached by Curt Wiese. Wiese is in his first season as head coach of the UMD football program and has a career record of 5-1. Prior to being named head coach, Wiese was the offensive coordinator for the Bulldogs who have won two NCAA Division II National Championships since Wiese began his tenure at UMD.

FOLLOW THE BEAVERS: The game is broadcast locally on KCJB 910-AM with Scott Kittell calling the play-by-play. Live audio can be accessed online at kcjb.com. MISU provides live video and live stats as well as links to the live audio at MSUBeavers.com. Minot State Athletics also is active on Facebook, Twitter and You Tube with all feeds accessible through the home page.

RANKINGS: Minot State received any votes in the Oct. 14 American Football Coaches Association Poll. The Bulldogs received 489 points in the poll, bringing them to the No. 9 ranked team in NCAA Division II. In the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, the Bulldogs were picked No. 2 while the Beavers were tabbed No. 14 out of the 16 teams in the league.

RECENT HISTORY: Minot State suffered a heart-breaking last second loss to Northern State. Trailing 13-14, Minot State drove down the field and took the lead when Randel Barber (So., RB, Maricopa, Ariz.) found pay dirt for the third time this season. The Beavers successfully went for the two point conversion, making the score 21-14. However, the Beaver defense which held the NSU offense to 254 total yards through 58 minutes of play could not seal the win as the Wolves scored a touchdown with four seconds left the in the game. NSU went for the win and successfully converted on a roll out pass for the two-point conversion, handing the Beavers their fourth straight loss. University of Minnesota Duluth racked up the points in the fifth win of the season, as they downed MSU-Moorhead 69-45 on the road. When time had expired over three hours after the opening kickoff, the two long-time NSIC rivals combined to amass 114 points, 1,304 yards of total offense, 16 touchdowns and 56 first downs. The 114 combined points were a Bulldog school record, surpassing the previous mark set last November in a 57-55 triple overtime loss to Missouri Western State University in the NCAA Division II playoffs.  The 685 yards were also the most ever rolled up by a UMD opponent.

OVERALL SERIES: Minot State and University of Minnesota Duluth have faced each other just once on the football field before they meet Saturday at James S. Malosky Stadium. In 2012, UMD came to Minot and took down the Beavers 44-6. The Bulldogs used a powerful first half on the ground as they rushed for five touchdowns on their way to racking up 288 rushing yards for the game.

NOTING THE BULLDOGS: University of Minnesota Duluth has one of the richest football traditions not only in the Northern Sun, but all of NCAA Division II. In the last six seasons, UMD has won two NCAA Division II National Championships and has amassed a record of 67-8 in those seasons. Both sides of the ball have been strong this season for the Bulldogs. The offense ranks second in the NSIC and No. 18 in NCAA Division II in scoring offense with 42.5 ppg. The Bulldogs' defense is also towards the top of the conference as they rank fourth, allowing just 20 ppg. UMD's main way of moving the ball is on the ground, as they have totaled 1,924 rushing yards in just six games. Austin Sikorski leads the team with 725 yards and nine touchdowns while Logan Lauters also has 498 rushing yards and eight touchdowns.

PROTECTING THE BALL: Minot State ranks tied for last in the Northern Sun in turnover margin with a -10 mark on the season. The Beavers have given the ball away 19 times (10 fumbles, 9 interceptions), also the most in the NSIC. Keeping the ball off the turf and out of the hands will be a key on Saturday against the Bulldogs who have forced 12 turnovers in six games.

MARSHALL MAGIC: Senior Chad Marshall (LB, Hazen, N.D.) ranks No. 4 in the Northern Sun in tackles with 54 tackles (24 solo, 30 assisted) through six games. Marshall has either been first or second on the team in tackles in four of six games in 2013. He now sits with 273 career tackles in a Minot State uniform.  

CUNHA's EFFICIENCY: Quarterback Zac Cunha (So., Rocklin, Calif.) played his most efficient game of the season in the 22-21 loss to Northern State. He completed 21 passes on 33 attempts (63.6%) for 277 yards with a touchdown and interception. Throughout the last two seasons, when Cunha completes over 59% of his passes, the Beavers have gone 3-3.

WEINMANN GOING FOR 150: Casey Weinmann (Jr., LB, Selz, N.D.) recorded double digit tackles for the first time of the 2013 season on Saturday when he totaled 13 tackles against the NSU Wolves. That marks just the second time Weinmann has reached 10+ tackles during his career as a Beaver. With just two tackles against UMD, he will eclipse the 150 tackle mark for his career.

WOES AWAY FROM HOME: Wins on the road have not been easy to come by for Minot State since joining NCAA Division II in 2011. The Beavers are just 2-13 in road games in the last three seasons, with their last win coming on Oct. 27 2012 in a 31-10 win over MSU-Moorhead.

RECORD SETTING PACE: Wayne Peters (Sr., WR, Carson, Calif.) caught seven more passes for 107 yards and a touchdown Saturday against Northern State. As he has from the start of the season, he leads the NSIC in receptions with 43. He is on pace to break the Minot State single-season receptions record of 65 catches by 2012 Minot State Hall of Fame Inductee Harry Mills and the NSIC single-season receptions record held by Jabari Taylor of MSU-Moorhead.

BY THE NUMBERS
320.7: The University of Minnesota Duluth leads Northern Sun in rushing offense with 320.7 yards per game on the ground. The effective ground game also ranks UMD No. 6 in all of NCAA Division II in rushing offense. The Bulldog rushing attack has been held under 200 yards just once this season, against No. 1 Minnesota State.

5.0: Minot State's top two rushers, Jarvis Mustipher (R-Fr., RB, Melbourne, Fla.) and Randel Barber (So., RB, Maricopa, Ariz.) are both averaging over 5.0 yards per carry this season. It will be key to get each Mustipher and Barber a nice amount of carries against the UMD defense, who gave up 218 yards last week to MSU-Moorhead.

34:23: University of Minnesota Duluth leads the NSIC in time of possession, owning the ball for an average of 34 minutes, 23 seconds of each game. The Bulldogs rush on nearly 70 percent of their offensive plays, keeping the clock moving and out of the possession of their opponents.