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KEARNEY — In the first round of the NCAA Division II playoffs, the University of Nebraska at Kearney answered its first challenge — establishing the run — with sophomore Rustin Dring plowing through the Saginaw Valley State defense for 188 yards.

This week, the Lopers will have to do that again while meeting another challenge: stopping Minnesota-Duluth running back Isaac Odim, who is very similar to Dring. The third-leading rusher in the nation and a Harlon Hill Award finalist, Odim is averaging 149 yards per game, 7.3 yards per carry and has scored 29 of the 61 touchdowns the Bulldogs have put on the board this season.

“He’s a great player, one of the best players in Division II,” said Minnesota-Duluth coach Bob Nielson, who guided the Bulldogs to the national championship last season. “He has all the elements a great running back has. He has size, speed, power and the ability to make people miss.

“He’s somebody we’re going to need to have play very well as we enter the playoff run.”

UNK will face Minnesota-Duluth at noon Saturday in Duluth in the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs.

Odim has rushed for more than 100 yards in 18 of the Bulldogs’ last 19 games. He also runs back kicks.

And he’s not the only stalwart in the Bulldogs’ running game. Backups Brad Foss and Brian Hanson combine for another 100-plus yards per game, and quarterback Chase Vogler is a threat to run.

“We’ve got our work cut out for us. It’ll be challenge for our guys,” UNK defensive coordinator Bob Crocker said. “We’ve got to concentrate on tackling their tailback. He’s a big, strong back, and we have to handle their play-action pass.”

Crocker said Odim is a lot like Dring in size, speed and skill, and the best running back UNK has faced since Chadron State’s Danny Woodhead, the all-time leading rusher in college football.

“He’s a different type of back, but he still has some pretty good feet and runs through a lot of tackles,” Crocker said.

He runs behind a big offensive line that can move, Crocker said, and defenses that concentrate on stopping Odim are vulnerable to the play-action pass.

Last year, while winning the national title, the Bulldogs had an offense balanced by a four-year, veteran quarterback. Vogler, however, is a true freshman.

“He’s gone through some growing pains,” Nielson said. “Any time you’re playing a freshman, he’s learning as he goes. But at the same time, he’s started nine consecutive games, including some big games … and he’s improved, he’s gained in confidence and I don’t know if you can call him a true freshman any more.”

Nielson said Vogler can make plays with his feet, but he’s gaining confidence in his passing skills and he’s gaining an understanding of the offense, making good play-calling decisions and becoming more of a team leader.

The result: “On film, they’re they best offense we’ve seen. We’ve seen some good ones, but the thing about them is they keep pounding and pounding and pounding. You have to make sure we do our part and hold up and get a lot of guys to the football,” Crocker said.

On defense, the Bulldogs are “solid as a rock,” UNK head coach Darrell Morris said.

Minnesota-Duluth allows less than 55 rushing yards per game, second-best in the nation, and has posted three shutouts this season. The Bulldogs are led by inside linebacker Robbie Aurich, the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Defensive Player of the Year, who has been the team’s leading tackler in 13 of its last 15 games.

“It’s a group that’s played well together and played consistently… They’ve improved and taken pride in the way they execute,” Nielson said.

Execution will be a key against the Lopers. Nielson doesn’t want to see Dring sprinting down the field with his defenders in pursuit.

“That’s what team defense is: People being in the right place and executing their defense. When big runs happen, typically it’s because you had a breakdown somewhere,” Nielson said.

e-mail to:

buck.mahoney@kearneyhub.com

Tale of the Tape

UNK vs. UMD with national ranking in parentheses

    UNK    UMD

Rushing offense    260 (5)    304 (2)

Rushing defense    83 (9)    55 (2)

Passing offense    215 (63)    131 (136)

Total offense    475 (8)    435 (16)

Total defense    309 (38)    247 (4)

Scoring offense    39 (10)    41 (7)

Scoring defense    16 (9)    12 (2)

Leading Rusher

UNK — Rustin Dring 141.8

UMD — Isaac Odim 149.0

Leading Receiver

UNK — Kyle Kaiser 79.8

UMD — D.J. Winfield 44.8

 

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