Oct. 16, 1999

Northern State opened up with a 54-yard drive to start the game at Minnesota-Duluth Saturday. Those 54 yards would be more offense than the Bulldogs would generate through the entire game in NSU's 16-7 win.

Northern State's defense held UMD to a paltry 52 yards of total offense, forcing seven fumbles, recovering three and intercepting a pass. So why the close score? NSU's turnovers proved to be the near-equalizer for Duluth. The Bulldogs forced then recovered all four of NSU's fumbles and also picked off two passes. Their lone score came on a Wolves'  fumble inside the NSU 10-yard line. The ensuing 9-yard scoring drive was one of UMD's longest drives of the day.

After opening a 10-0 lead by halftime, the Wolves did everything but put the game away early in the third quarter, fumbling away three of their first four possessions in the second half. But as it turned out, the double-digit cushion would have been enough for NSU's defense, which will likely climb from its 21st slot on the national total defense leaders board. Check out the NCAA website at www.ncaa.org every Wednesday for the latest national Division II statistical leaders.

Senior defensive end Marcus Tynanes (Ewa Beach, Hawaii) is proving to be an impact player for NSU. Tynanes tallied eight tackles, including four for loss (25 yards) and three sacks (loss of 19 yards). In the past three weeks, Tynanes has had 14 tackles for loss (79 yards lost), including 7.5 sacks for 53 yards lost. Senior middle linebacker Naki Angilau (Kearns, Utah) led all tacklers with 11 stops including four for loss (10 yards). Angilau also pounced on two fumbles and had a pass break-up.

Offensively, junior running back Tyrone Morgan (Wichita Falls, Texas) returned to the Wolves' starting lineup to post another 100-yard game. But Morgan, who sat out nearly all of the last two weeks with injuries, was still not 100 percent. As the Bulldogs found out, however, he is still dangerous at 70 or 80 percent. The Wolves also proved again they have quality runners to step in in Morgan's absence. Getting some of Morgan's usual carries against Duluth was junior back Tefua Bloomfield (Kearns, Utah), who punched out 79 yards on 13 carries with a touchdown. Last week, sophomore Shane Carter (Aberdeen) had a career day with over 200 yards when Morgan and Bloomfield were out. NSU's offensive line has been the only constant in NSU's running game this season, as the powerful pillars up front have NSU ranked 22nd in the nation in rushing. Against Duluth, the Wolves rushed for 203 yards as a team.