The score might well make you take a double-take, it certainly did at GRR.

It's not often you see a multiple recent national champion team lose in league play, much less get shut out. But that's what happened as North Dakota State defeated Minnesota-Duluth Saturday.

"We came back in 2017 with another strong team, and a lot of our players stayed competitive over the off-season," said NDSU Head Coach Cory Schlack. "We stuck to our game plan, played stout defense and took advantage of UMD when they left openings."

Led by a superb game from scrumhalf Sam Dahle, and with rookie John Ashley showing well at flanker, North Dakota State completely shook up the Northern Lights Conference with the victory.

"We were really happy to keep them off the scoreboard," said Schlack. "I would say a lot of it is communication between players. Everyone is really getting in sync with one another. On offense our backs and forwards will communicate any open gaps and play to those gaps. On defense it is making sure everyone is covered and changing responsibilities if needed. The boys are also working on being patient - waiting for plays to develop rather than trying to force them through. There is a lot of good leadership on the field, and our new rookies are learning the game very quickly."

All of that is good, but now NDSU has a target on their backs.