Walljasper, Bulldogs Roll Past Wildcats in Opener

Fourth-straight week 1 victory for UMD

DULUTH, Minn.- For the fourth-straight year, the UMD Bulldogs are starting their football season 1-0 after defeating Northern Michigan 47-10 Thursday night.

The Bulldogs were red-hot from their first possession, which ended with a 24-yard rushing touchdown from quarterback Kyle Walljasper. UMD ended the first quarter ahead 20-0 and entered the locker room at halftime with a 34-10 lead.

Walljasper was a one-man wrecking crew for the Bulldogs offense, rushing for 138 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries. Through the air, the redshirt sophomore connected on 12 of his 19 passes for 80 yards and three touchdowns. In total, UMD tallied 354 rushing yards. Aside from Walljasper, three Bulldogs ran for over 50 yards, including Jaylen McKnight, who scored his first-career touchdown in the final seconds of the first quarter.

Defensively, the Bulldogs intercepted two passes, including one that was returned 62 yards for a touchdown by Ty’Rese Gibson. Additionally, UMD’s defense only allowed an average of 2.2 yards per carry.

UMD will travel to Aberdeen, South Dakota next week to face Northern State, who went 6-5 in 2022. The Bulldogs defeated the Wolves 28-7 in last year’s matchup.