St. Joseph, Mo. - Minnesota Duluth fell 57-55 to Missouri Western in triple overtime in the opening round of NCAA DII Super Region #3 Football playoffs.  The two teams combined for over 1,100 yard of total offense in the game. Box Score

For the remarkable career Chase Vogler has had at the University of Minnesota Duluth, the way it ended  Saturday afternoon was just plain heartbreaking. Vogler stumbled and fell as he rolled out on UMD’s two-point conversion in the third overtime, and watched as Missouri Western State University celebrated a 57-55 victory in the opening round of the NCAA Division II playoffs Saturday afternoon. 

Vogler, who finished his career with a staggering record of 46-6 (7-3 in the NCAA II playoffs), set a single-game career high for total offense in his final collegiate game. The second team All-Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference quarterback accounted for 379 all-purpose yards (195 passing, 184 rushing) on his way to moving into fifth place among Bulldogs in career rushing yards.

Typically dominant in the opening frame, UMD fell behind 7-0 early in the first quarter on a 21-yard scoring strike by Missouri Western. The Bulldogs chipped away at the lead on a 27-yard field goal by freshman kicker Andrew Brees, which cut the lead to 7-3. The Griffons continued to move the ball and scored through the air once again (completing a 91-yard drive) on their next possession before a Brees' second three-point try of the afternoon put the Bulldogs down 14-6 at the end of the first quarter. In 11 regular season games, UMD outscored the opposition 132-20 in the first quarter and hadn't allowed a point in the opening 15 minutes of play since surrendering a field goal in week three.

The Bulldogs hit pay dirt for the first time on the afternoon five minutes into the second quarter when Vogler slashed his way into the end zone from 15 yards out for his 16th rushing score of the season. UMD would take its first lead of the afternoon moments later when sophomore tailback Austin Sikorski darted up the middle for a 12-yard touchdown, giving the Bulldogs a 20-14 lead at the half.

Missouri Western grabbed the lead right back on its opening possession of the second half and tacked on a two-point conversion to put the hosts in front 21-20. The back-and-forth affair continued, with Vogler giving UMD the lead on a quarterback sneak from a yard out. The Bulldogs carried a 28-21 lead into the fourth quarter, but surrendered a Griffin rushing touchdowns on both sides of a one-yard plunge to the end zone by Sikorski, creating a 35-35 deadlock in the latter portions of regulation. Vogler engineered a drive deep into Griffin territory in the final two minutes, but UMD was stopped inches short of a first down, turning the ball over and allowing Missouri Western to force overtime.

The shootout carried on throughout the extra sessions, with both offenses gaining the end zone in all three overtime periods. Sikorski capped all three extra-session drives with rushing touchdowns, finishing the day with five scores on the ground. The Bulldogs racked up 608 yards of total offense on the afternoon, including 408 via the rush. Sikorski joined Vogler as the UMD's second 100-yard rusher with 139 yards on 26 carries.

Saturday marked the final appearance for 10 other Bulldog seniors in addition to Vogler. Since this class first arrived on campus back in 2008, they have been part of the most prolific run in the 80-year history of Bulldog football. That run has included a 62-6 overall record, two NCAA Division II national championships, a record four straight NSIC titles (2008-11), two separate 17-game winning streaks, and five NCAA II playoff appearances.