The last two Upper Midwest Athletic Conference champions square off on Saturday with sole possession of first place in the league on the line, when defending champion Minnesota Morris plays at Northwestern (St. Paul), which won the title in 2022.
A battle of recent UMAC champs and four other things to know about Minnesota college football
Minnesota Morris and Northwestern (St. Paul) were both undefeated when they met last year and that one turned into a 42-39 slugfest.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
October 16, 2024 at 6:52PM
Minnesota Morris (3-3, 2-1 UMAC) is coming off a 32-7 victory at home over Westminster while Northwestern (2-3, 2-0) won 34-14 at Greenville (Ill.).
Both teams went into the final game of the 2023 regular season unbeaten. Minnesota Morris pulled out a 42-39 victory to earn its first conference title since 2006.
This season, the Cougars have been led by Izayah Boss, who has rushed for 748 yards and five TDs, while averaging 6.9 yards per carry.
The host Eagles have gotten a lift from running back Sivert Klefsaas. In the Eagles’ victories over Crown and Greenville, Klefsaas, a junior from Motley, Minn., rushed for 277 yards and four TDs. On the season, he is averaging 6.4 yards per carry.
UMAC co-leader Martin Luther (4-1, 2-0) will play at Greenville (3-2, 1-1) on Saturday.
Here are four other Minnesota college football story lines this week:
Tommies looking for third straight
St. Thomas (3-3, 2-0 Pioneer) will try to extend its winning streak to three games on Saturday at Valparaiso.
The Tommies held off Marist 39-32 last Saturday in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., while the Beacons (2-4, 0-2) were idle. Valpo was scheduled to play Stetson in DeLand, Fla., but the game was postponed because of Hurricane Milton.
The Tommies began their current winning streak with a 34-24 victory over Stetson two weeks ago in St. Paul.
Valparaiso has a two-game losing streak — managing just eight points in losses to Morehead State (17-5) and Drake (27-3).
Edina product Max Samuel, a sophomore linebacker, has 11 tackles and a sack for the Beacons. Last season, Samuel blocked three punts — ranked third in FCS.
The Tommies and Beacons didn’t play last season. The Tommies won 34-7 in Indiana two years ago.
NSIC race is competitive
NSIC-leading Minnesota State Mankato is idle this week but could fall into a tie for first place in the league standings.
If Augustana (4-2, 4-1 NSIC) and Wayne State (5-1, 4-1) win on Saturday, they could move into a tie with the Mavericks (6-1, 5-1 NSIC), who are ranked No. 15 in Division II.
Augustana plays host to Winona State, while Wayne State travels to Bismarck, N.D., to face Mary.
Augustana and MSU Mankato play in Mankato on Oct. 26.
Harvey’s return boosts Augsburg
Quarterback Ryan Harvey returned to the Auggies lineup last week to pace a 37-27 victory over Hamline.
Harvey, a junior from Plymouth, was injured in the Auggies’ season-opening loss to Valley City State on Sept. 6. After two seasons as a backup to Cade Sheehan, Harvey was making his first start for the Auggies.
Last week, Harvey completed 24 of 28 passes for 259 yards and three TDS as the Auggies ended a three-game losing streak with the victory over the Pipers.
This week, the Auggies (2-3, 1-0 MIAC Skyline) play at Bethel (4-1, 1-0). Bethel has won the last seven meetings with the Auggies.
Stout defense for Oles
St. Olaf (5-0) has used a stellar defense to get off to its best start since opening the 2019 season with five victories.
The Oles, who play host to St. Scholastica on Saturday, have allowed just 9.4 points per game and are ranked ninth in scoring defense in Division III. The Oles lead the MIAC in scoring defense, having allowed just 19 points in three games.
Oles linebacker Noah Barrett leads the MIAC in tackles for loss with five solo and three assists.
Bryce Underwood, the top-rated football recruit in the country, flipped to Michigan after pledging to play at LSU, a person familiar with the decision said Thursday night.
