Three-time defending national DII college champs Minnesota-Duluth took one step closer to defending their title with a 31-7 defeat of North Dakota State in the Northern Lights Conference final Sunday.

NDSU got by Winona State 17-7 on Saturday, while Duluth slammed St. Cloud State 112-0. That experience could well have had its effect on Sunday. North Dakota State didn't have much wiggle room on Saturday in which to rest some starters, and suffered a couple of injuries. Duluth was ahead early and was able to give some players some rest. In a very physical, hard-hitting game, Duluth controlled possession and territory, and forced NDSU to defend for long periods.

"They were really good in the rucks," said Duluth try-scorer Randy Tanaka. "But so are we. Our guys kept a lot of possession. The forwards kept securing the ball and the backs just went to work."

While Saturday was a points bonanza for many Duluth players - Matt Martin scored five tries, Tanaka scored four, and Trace Bolstad scored four, and kicked 11 conversions for 42 points - Sunday was a different situation, as five different players touched down - Addy Nyandieka, Tanaka, Bolstad, Martin, and Kupa Madzima. In addition, center Tim Stefczak has been something of a breakout performer, moving from flanker to the backs and probably being the team's most improved player.

It was a tough game, but Tanaka said his team welcomed the challenge. In five league games and one more playoff game on Saturday, Duluth averaged over 76 points per game. 

"Sometimes it's hard to know where we are as a team," said Tanaka. "But we look at every game like it's not been earned yet. We don't take anything for granted, and we play our hearts out every time. That's the key for us."

After the game, said Tanaka, the team had mixed feelings.

"We were happy we won, but we know we can play a lot better than we did today," he said. "And we know we've got a lot more tough games to come."