On Thursday, Sept. 1, the Bulldogs hit the ground running at the home opener football game against SMSU with a winning score of 31-21. But this wasn’t just a kickoff for the football team — it also marked many freshmen’s first ever UMD sporting event and was the first game that Athbands has performed under student management. 

The student section was overflowing with excitement on this 87 almost 90-degree Thursday night. With the first week of classes being done and over with, freshmen were eager to experience their first football game as a Bulldog.

Cheers filled James S. Malosky Stadium as sophomore Logan Graetz took charge as the quarterback, eventually scoring three touchdowns during the entirety of the game. Although the dogs were still in the lead, they played harder and rougher than ever during the last quarter to ensure their win. 

With 441 total yards from UMD, the class of 2026 will be able to hold the memory of their first football game fondly. It was definitely a win for the books! 

Throughout the first half of the game, the student section was not the only section overflowing with Bulldog pride. After an uncertain few months, the UMD Athbands were ready to cheer on the dogs in their first performance as a student-led organization. 

Both the marching band and the pep band crowed the field during half-time to play classics such as, ‘Crazy Train,’ ‘Basket Case,’ ‘We’re an American Band’ and fan favorite ‘Beer Song.’ It is apparent that even though marching and pep band were cut as classes, they are working just as hard as a student organization to play the dogs into victory this school year. 

The next home game for UMD is against The Upper Iowa Peacocks on Saturday, Sept. 17 at James. S Malosky Stadium — kickoff is at 6 p.m. 

For more information about Bulldog football, visit the UMD Bulldogs page where you can also find information on other sports as their seasons come to a start.

You can also support the UMD Athbands by following them on Instagram and Twitter.