Huskies, Bulldogs set for battle in Duluth

Game notes

ST. CLOUD, MINN. – It's that time of year again, when the St. Cloud State University athletic communications staff gets to use puns like "who let the dogs out?!" and "we got a bone to pick with you."

Yes, the St. Cloud State University football team is squaring off against Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) rival the University of Minnesota-Duluth at 6 p.m. on Saturday, September 21 in Duluth, Minnesota in what's sure to be one of the biggest dog fights (ok, we'll stop now) of the season. It might even get a little "ruff" (ok, now we will really stop). The Bulldogs are once again one of the top teams in the nation, as they enter the game as the No. 13 team in the country. The Huskies are no slouches, though, as they received votes in the latest American Football Coaches Association poll after two resounding wins over UMary and Minnesota-Crookston to open the season.

Live stats and video will be available for Saturday evening's contest, as the game will be streamed both on KVSC and 1390 AM Granite City Sports. Score updates will also be made on St. Cloud State football's official Twitter page (@SCSUHuskiesFB) throughout the game.

Here are the five things to know before this Saturday's Battle for the Bone:

51 – St. Cloud State and Minnesota-Duluth has developed a fierce rivalry over the years, dating all the way back to 1933. In the past 86 years, the Huskies and Bulldogs have met 51 times, with Minnesota-Duluth leading the series 27-24 and have won seven of the last six meetings. If St. Cloud State breaks the trend, it will finally bring home "The Bone", the coveted trophy that has been in the Bulldogs possession for far too long.

2012 – The last time the Huskies upended Minnesota-Duluth was in 2012, what a thrilling comeback helped them take down the Bulldogs by a final score of 51-49. St. Cloud State trailed Minnesota-Duluth 28-10 at the half and outscored Minnesota-Duluth 41-21 in the final two quarters, allowing the team to take the game 51-49.

2 – For the second straight year, the Huskies have started the season with a perfect 2-0 record, the first time they've done so since the early 2000s. In fact, the last time St. Cloud State opened the season with a perfect record prior to 2018 was 2013, when the team went 2-0 before dropping its first game of the season to the Bulldogs. The same thing happened in 2018, as Minnesota-Duluth came in to Husky stadium and handed the Huskies their first loss of the season 41-17.

1/3 – This year, St. Cloud State is looking to reverse that trend, and it has the team to do it. After two weeks of the season, the Huskies lead the NSIC in scoring defense, as they've allowed just 12 points in two games and give up just an average of 6.0 a game. Whereas the team was strong defensively last year, the offense can hold its own with team's this year, as St. Cloud State ranks third in the conference in points per game (36.2) behind Minnesota-Duluth (50.0) and Bemidji State (42.5).

0 – Defensively, it's been a team effort for the Huskies all season long, as they don't have a single defensive player ranked in the top-25 in total tackles. However, members of St. Cloud State's defense either lead or rank in the top-10 in tackles for loss (Ferris Ingraham – 4.0/2.00 per game), sacks (Ingraham – 2.5/1.25 per game), passes defended (Matthew Lechner – 1.5 per game) and fumbles (Louis Williams IV – 1.00 per game).

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Players Mentioned

Ferris Ingraham

Matthew Lechner

Louis Williams IV

Saint Cloud State University Athletics