GAME OF THE WEEK
Minnesota Duluth at MSU Mankato, 2 p.m. Saturday: The top two teams in the NSIC meet with each looking to extend a long regular-season winning streak. The visiting Bulldogs (4-0), ranked No. 7 in Division II, have won 23 consecutive regular-season games, while the Mavericks (4-0), ranked No. 3, have a 28-game regular-season winning streak. The Mavericks have won the past four games between the two.
WEEK 5 STORY LINES
• Concordia (St. Paul) is off to its best start since 2013. The Golden Bears (3-1), who rallied to defeat Wayne State 28-21 last week, play at St. Cloud State (2-2) on Saturday.
• Sole possession of first place in the UMAC is at stake when Martin Luther (2-1, 1-0 UMAC) travels to Duluth to take on St. Scholastica (4-0, 2-0). Martin Luther won last year's meeting 49-21 in New Ulm, Minn.
• Grinnell, which lost to Macalester 42-3 last Saturday, announced Tuesday that it would cancel the remainder of its 2019 schedule. The school said it had only 28 healthy players after losing 11 players to injury in the season's first three weeks.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Jackson Erdmann, QB, St. John's: The senior from Rosemount has passed for 900 yards and 10 TDs in three games. Last week he became the MIAC's career leader in TD passes (102),
Maxon Hutton, QB, Concordia (St. Paul): The senior from Victoria is sixth in the NSIC in total offense (201 yards per game) after rushing for 120 yards and passing for 172 yards last week.
BY THE NUMBERS
2 Nonconference losses in the regular season for St. Thomas in 12 seasons under coach Glenn Caruso.
36 Completions (a school record) by St. Scholastica's Zach Edwards in a 28-27 victory over Westminster.
161 Rushing yards for SW Minnesota State in a 35-28 victory over Upper Iowa, after rushing for just 55 yards in its first three games.
JOEL RIPPEL
