DULUTH, Minn. - The Winona State University football team heads north to take on the University of Minnesota Duluth in a week five matchup that offers the Warriors an exciting upset opportunity. 

Winona State (2-2, 2-1 NSIC) will look to become the first team to knock off Minnesota Duluth (4-0, 3-0 NSIC) in the 2023 campaign. UMD is currently ranked #19 in the AFCA poll. The Warriors are coming off an impressive 39-16 win over Northern State University last Saturday while the Bulldogs earned a 33-0 shutout at Southwest Minnesota State in week four. 

Saturday's WSU – UMD matchup will be Winona State's second chance to face off with a ranked opponent in the past three weeks. Winona State was in the 'Receiving Votes' section of the AFCA preseason poll and opened at fellow 'RV' school Saginaw Valley State in August.  WSU has also played Bemidji State this season; the Beavers are currently ninth in the country. 

Cole Stenstrom has settled into the starting QB role for Winona State and had his best outing to date last Saturday. The Arden Hills, Minn. product was 18-of-24 for 270 yards and two TDs against Northern State. Cair'ron Hendred also had a breakout performance against the Wolves, rushing 13 times for 116 yards and a TD. Hendred averaged nearly nine yards a carry on the afternoon. Receiver Kaleb Skelly led WSU last Saturday in terms of receiving yards (83) and collected a touchdown grab among his six catches. Skelly has 21 receptions on the year for over 250 yards. Keaton Arendt and Cayden Holcomb are the No. 2 and No. 3 receivers, respectively, with 172 yards and 90 yards. 

On the ground, Winona State has an effective 1-2 punch with Hendred and Ty Gavin combining for 423 total yards and two TD's apiece. Noah Carlson has had 22 attempts, while Josh Buri has carried 15 times, including a 23-yard effort. 
 
Winona State has traditionally been a defense-first program and current Warrior standout Clay Schueffner leads the NSIC in total tackles so far this year. Tristan Root is second in the squad with 22 tackles and three pass breakups. Kyjuan Vengrowsky and Joseph Demro both have two sacks on the year, and WSU is coming off their best pass-rushing performance last week. WSU had six sacks against NSU and forced the Wolves into a safety situation when Northern State's quarterback Anthony Vespo was flagged for intentional grounding while in the end zone, gifting WSU two points on the play. 

On Saturday, the Warrior following will see if Jacob Scott can extend his field goal streak to five games; Scott has hit at least one field goal in every game so far this fall.  WSU's punter and safety, Tristan Root, may have an extra incentive on Saturday, as Root was a part of the UMD roster before transferring to Winona State. 
 

Winona State – Minnesota Duluth Notables

• Saturday's contest is the second meeting between the two schools since 2021. That year, WSU battled back from a 26-3 deficit, but ran out of time, falling 29-23. 
• The WSU - UMD game in 2021 was played in front of 4,071 fans at Altra Federal Credit Union Stadium. 
• Winona State and Minnesota Duluth placekickers have produced the two top point total games this year; WSU's Scott scored 15 points (4 FG's, 3 PATs) vs. CSP,  while UMD's Curtis Cox scored 15 points (4 FG's, 3 PATs) hit 15 vs. SMSU.
• Both teams feature a top-10 NSIC rusher; Cair'ron Hendred is 9th in per-game average (60.0) while UMD's Kyle Walljasper is 2nd (106.5).
• In the past 11 matchups between WSU and UMD, the Bulldogs have won 10 times. 
• Minnesota Duluth have punted the least of any NSIC school this year, with Logan Kobus only attempting 10 kicks. WSU's Tristan Root has hit 19 punts, averaging 38.9 yards per effort. 
• Winona State owns a statistical advantage in terms of top tacklers over UMD, WSU's Clay Schueffner leads the league in total tackles with 35, while Minnesota Duluth does not have a player in the 25 in NSIC tackles. 
• Minnesota Duluth and Winona State are nearly tied in terms of time of possession; WSU is at 30:52 while UMD has a 30:45 mark. 
• Saturday's contest will be a part of the Minnesota Duluth homecoming celebration festivities. 

That's a Stat!
Last year, WSU notched a win over a ranked opponent in week five, beating (RV) Wayne State, 38-14 at home. Winona State is undefeated at home in the Brian Bergstrom era. 

That's a stat, too!
Both the Warriors and Bulldogs used a week one open date to play a GLIAC opponent. WSU lost to Saginaw Valley State 34-24 on the road, while UMD defeated Northern Michigan, 47-10 at home.
 
Bulldog Bits

Head coach: Curt Wiese, 10th year, 97-32 overall

Top UMD offensive performers: Kyle Walljasper, 52 rushes, 445 yards, 8.2 per-carry average, 9 TD's, 44 completions, 8 TD passes, 1 INT. Sam Pitz, 14 catches, 196 yards, 14 yards per catch, 3 TD's. Jaylen McKnight, 27 rushes, 139 yards, 5.1 per-carry average, 1 TD.

Top UMD defensive performers: Marcus Glodowski, 19 tackles, 16 solo stops, 1 INT; Mac Strand 19 tackles, 17 solo stops, 1 TFL; Tim Pokornowski, 2 INTs,   14 tackles. 

Top UMD special teams performers: Curtis Cox, 4-of-5  FG's, longest FG made of 40 yards. Logan Kobus, 10 punts, 43.60 per punt average. DaShaun Ames, 7 kickoff returns, 22.14 average. 
 
Last Season:  Minnesota Duluth went 8-3 in 2022, narrowly missing an NCAA playoff berth. A mid-season 41-16 loss to Bemidji State kept the Bulldogs out of the postseason. UMD won it's final three games of the fall and eclipsed 30 points scored on seven occasions. 

UMD defensive notables: The Bulldogs concede an average of 16.3 points per game to opponents. UMD has yielded just nine TD's and have racked up 15 sacks for a 112 TFL yards. Minnesota Duluth is tied for second in the NSIC in interceptions with six.
 
UMD offensive notables: The Bulldogs are second in the NSIC in points-per-game (40.80), second in TD's (22), 11th in average passing yards per game (665) and 12th in passing attempts (79).

Location, Location, Location: James S. Malosky Stadium, Synthetic Turf, Capacity 4,500. Kickoff is set for noon. 

For the most up to date news in Warrior Athletics, please visit: www.WINONASTATEWARRIORS.com and @WinonaStateATH.

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About Winona State University Athletics: 

The Winona State University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, as an integral part of the educational mission of the institution, is committed to offering opportunities to experience academic and athletic excellence for our student-athletes through two simple words: Graduate Champions.  

Fourteen Warrior programs compete at the NCAA Division II level within the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).  Winona State University competes as an affiliate member of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) in the sport of women's gymnastics.