The last two Upper Midwest Athletic Conference champions square off on Saturday with sole possession of first place in the league on the line, when defending champion Minnesota Morris plays at Northwestern (St. Paul), which won the title in 2022.
Minnesota Morris (3-3, 2-1 UMAC) is coming off a 32-7 victory at home over Westminster while Northwestern (2-3, 2-0) won 34-14 at Greenville (Ill.).
Both teams went into the final game of the 2023 regular season unbeaten. Minnesota Morris pulled out a 42-39 victory to earn its first conference title since 2006.
This season, the Cougars have been led by Izayah Boss, who has rushed for 748 yards and five TDs, while averaging 6.9 yards per carry.
The host Eagles have gotten a lift from running back Sivert Klefsaas. In the Eagles’ victories over Crown and Greenville, Klefsaas, a junior from Motley, Minn., rushed for 277 yards and four TDs. On the season, he is averaging 6.4 yards per carry.
UMAC co-leader Martin Luther (4-1, 2-0) will play at Greenville (3-2, 1-1) on Saturday.
Here are four other Minnesota college football story lines this week:
St. Thomas (3-3, 2-0 Pioneer) will try to extend its winning streak to three games on Saturday at Valparaiso.
