UMD drops season opener to University of Sioux Falls under Malosky Stadium lights

For the second season in a row, the University of Minnesota Duluth football team drops its season opener. This time a 26-7 loss to the University of Sioux Falls under the Thursday night Malosky Stadium lights.

With tonight’s loss, the Bulldogs relinquish their 22-game winning streak at Malosky Stadium. The last time UMD lost in Duluth was September 21, 2013 to Minnesota State-Mankato.

It was a frustrating game for the Bulldogs from the start. UMD’s opening drive was plagued by a false start on the first play from scrimmage which was directly followed by Sioux Falls returning freshman running back Austin Sylvester’s fumble to the house to open the games scoring.

“it looked like we played a young quarterback tonight, it was frustrating,” said UMD head coach Curt Wiese. “We didn’t do a very good job offensively of making the adjustments that we needed to on the sidelines. We thought we had them but didn’t execute them on the field.”

Sophomore quarterback Mike Rybarcyzk made the first start of his collegiate career tonight and the nerves showed. Rybarcyzk completed 26 of 50 passes for 228 yards and an interception in tonight’s contest.

“It was his first start, Mike’s talented, we have to be behind him and we have to believe in him but in the same sense he has to be better and Mike knows that,” Wiese said. “He was frustrated tonight just like the rest of us.”

UMD struggled against the rush tonight allowing 107 yards on the ground of the 195 total yards given up. The Bulldogs had little answer for senior running back Max Mickey who ran for 90 of his 114 yards in the first half.

The Bulldogs return to the field next Saturday on the road in Fayetteville, Iowa against the Peacocks of Upper Iowa.

Photo courtesy of Brett Groehler