Photo by Jake McNeill: Southwest Minnesota State University defensive lineman Malachi Kohls makes a tackle during a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference football game against UMary on Sept. 20 at Mattke Field in Marshall. SMSU heads to Malosky Stadium on Saturday to take on No. 13 Minnesota Duluth at noon.

DULUTH — After losing its last two games by an average margin of 38.5 points, the Southwest Minnesota State University football team will look to turn its luck around on the road this week. Coming away with a win will be no small task, however, as the Mustangs head into Malosky Stadium to take on the No. 13 Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs in a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference matchup on Saturday at noon.

Opposite trajectories

The Mustangs snapped a 12-game skid on Sept. 13 with a 12-7 road win over Jamestown (N.D.), but have resumed struggling since then. SMSU lost 40-9 at home against UMary (N.D.) two weeks ago and 51-6 to Wayne State (Neb.) last weekend to fall to 1-3 overall and in conference on the season.

Over the course of SMSU’s four games this year, they’ve put together an average scoring margin of minus-30.

In last week’s loss to Wayne State, the Mustangs made a quarterback change in the second half with the pass and run both struggling. Macleod Crowton completed 10 of his 27 attempts for 90 yards and a pair of interceptions, while redshirt freshman Drew Kluender completed five of his 20 attempts for 43 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Crowton remains atop the team’s depth chart heading into Saturday’s game.

On the ground, SMSU had a net loss of 75 yards against Wayne State last week. The Mustangs currently rank last in the NSIC with 15 rushing yards per game — 37 fewer than any other team — and 0.5 yards per rush — 1.9 fewer than any other team.

Minnesota Duluth, meanwhile, has continued to look like one of Division II’s premier programs. The Bulldogs enter Saturday’s game a perfect 5-0 overall and 4-0 in the NSIC on the season. The Bulldogs have outscored their opponents by an average margin of 23.2 points per game, and have already earned a signature win against No. 15 Minnesota State, 17-14.

Most recently, Duluth defeated Minnesota State University-Moorhead 28-14, led by Kyle Walljasper’s 188 passing yards, 88 rushing yards and two total touchdowns. The Bulldogs also got an 82-yard pick-6 to tie the game at 7-7 in the second quarter.

David vs. Goliath

Duluth has been a tough team for the Mustangs to beat historically, with the Bulldogs holding a 30-7-1 advantage in the all-time series and a 12-1 record against the Mustangs since 2000.

Road matchups against the Bulldogs have been particularly tough for SMSU; the Mustangs are 2-17-1 in Duluth, with their most recent win coming by a score of 14-9 in 1999.

When the Mustangs and Bulldogs met last season in Malosky Stadium, Duluth ran away with a 62-0 win over SMSU. The Bulldogs had four different players take snaps under center and another four who carried the ball at least five times for 25 or more yards. Walljasper led the way with 147 yards and two touchdowns on six pass attempts, while Ben Vallafskey led the ground game with seven carries for 124 yards and a touchdown. The Bulldogs also tallied 10 sacks defensively in the game.

New year, new crew

The Mustangs have many different players at impact position this year than they did in last season’s matchup. Crowton has taken over under center for Kendon Krogman, who completed seven of his 19 attempts for 58 yards and a pick in last year’s matchup, while Tariq Parker has joined Jacob Honstetter in the backfield.

The Mustangs have also had Colin Maher emerge as a bona fide top wide receiver, ranking 10th in the NSIC with 61.8 receiving yards per game. On the other hand, SMSU has lost defensive end Avery Johnson — who had a pair of sacks in last year’s game against the Bulldogs — to an upper-body injury, with his return this season still in doubt.

Duluth is also largely a different team this season outside of the quarterback position. Walljasper remains one of the NSIC’s premier dual-threat quarterbacks, averaging 184.2 passing yards per game with seven touchdowns and two interceptions. He also ranks 10th in the NSIC with 290 rushing yards and is tied with Minnesota State’s Sam Backer for a conference-leading seven rushing touchdowns.

DaShaun Ames’ departure, after finishing last season seventh in the conference with 756 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns, is a blow to the Bulldogs’ pass-catching corps but Duluth has still reloaded. Luke Dehnicke has stepped up big time, ranking fourth in the NSIC with 88.4 yards per game with a pair of receiving touchdowns.

The pressure is on

SMSU’s offensive line has struggled at points to keep pass-rushers at bay. The Mustangs have given up 12 sacks on the season for a loss of 75 yards. Duluth, meanwhile, has been one of the conference’s best teams in terms of applying pressure on the pass rush with 12 sacks for 71 yards. Mojo Weerts has led the Bulldogs’ pass rush with four sacks in four games.

Where to watch

Tickets for Saturday’s noon kickoff at James S. Malosky Stadium are available on UMDbulldogs.com. General admission tickets are going for $15, senior tickets for $1 and youth ages 3-17 tickets are available for $9.

A radio broadcast of the game can be found on 105.1 FM KARL, while live video and stats can be found online at SMSUmustangs.com.