No. 3 Minnesota State Mankato faces No. 20 Minnesota Duluth after both opened with victories

GAME OF THE WEEK

MSU Mankato at Minnesota Duluth, 6 p.m. Saturday: MSU Mankato, ranked No. 3 in the AFCA Division II poll, has won the past five meetings between the two, including 52-7 at home in 2019. The Mavericks opened with a 40-34 victory in OT at home over Northern State. The Bulldogs, ranked No. 20, opened with a 41-14 victory at Upper Iowa.

MORE WEEK 2 STORYLINES

• Aaron Syverson, a sophomore from Minnetonka, passed for 281 yards and two TDs to help St. John's outlast Aurora, 39-33, in its season-opener last Saturday. Syverson is a transfer from Colorado State. The Johnnies are idle this week.

• Bethel opened the season with a 59-7 victory over North Park in Chicago. The victory was the 227th for Royals coach Steve Johnson, who is in his 32nd season as the Royals coach. He is second in career victories among active Division III coaches. Montclair State's Rick Giancola, in 39th season, has 255.

• Wisconsin-Platteville, which plays at Bethel on Saturday, was the only WIAC team to lose its season opener last week, falling at home to East Texas Baptist.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Tommy Falk, QB, MSU Moorhead: The freshman from Jamestown, N.D., completed 19 of 21 passes for 285 yards and three TDs in the Dragons' 33-21 season-opening victory over Southwest Minnesota State.

Michael Veldman, QB, Gustavus Adolphus: The senior from Becker passed for 335 yards and five TDs in the Gusties' 80-58 victory at Buena Vista. Veldman was the only D-III quarterback to throw at least three TD passes in each game in 2019.

BY THE NUMBERS

11 PATs converted — a school record — by Gustavus kicker Andew Abegglen in the Gusties' victory at Buena Vista.

32 Victories by St. John's in 36 regular-season nonconference games since 2002. The four losses have all been to Wis.-Eau Claire.

39 Meetings in the series between MSU Mankato and Minnesota Duluth. UMD leads the all-time series, 20-18-1