Doggone it.

Despite a first half where its offense sputtered and its defense seemingly camped on the field, the Winona State University football team was optimistic.

A bit frustrated, but optimistic.

After all, the mighty Bulldogs - the defending NCAA Division II national champion University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs - were up by just four points at the half.

"We went into halftime thinking we were going to win the game," WSU coach Tom Sawyer said. "We have been down before, we were at home, and we had the ball to start the second half."

In one crushing play, it all changed.

A sack that led to a fumble, a long drive and a blocked punt on three consecutive WSU possessions, and it was game over.

Minnesota-Duluth, ranked fifth in D2Football.com and sixth in the AFCA Division II national rankings, powered its way to a 41-16 win over the Warriors on Saturday before 1,283 sun-drenched fans at Maxwell Field.

WSU (7-4), which had an outside shot at either the Division II playoffs or the Mineral Water Bowl, saw the Bulldogs gobble up that chance.

"Those were big plays. We talked about it at halftime, (that) we really had not, in the first half, made any big plays," said Minnesota-Duluth coach Bob Nielson, whose team is 10-1 overall and has won 20 consecutive NSIC games.

"You come out and get a turnover right away, and we were able to punch it in right away."

The big play came courtesy of Bulldog linebacker Korey Horn. Horn blew past the right side of the Warriors' offensive line, then had a violent body-to-body collision with WSU quarterback Greg Preston, forcing him to fumble.

Horn recovered the fumble, and two Isaac Odim rushes later - the last being a 2-yard scoring run - and Minnesota-Duluth was in control, 20-9.

"That first play of the second half, I rolled out and didn't take care of the ball," said Preston, who was just 9 of 28 for 206 yards. "I didn't protect the ball. I tried to make something happen and I put the ball on the ground.

"That's on me. That was a big momentum shift for them and they took advantage of their opportunity."

WSU was unable to move the ball on its next possession of the third quarter, and Minnesota-Duluth did what it does best - long, clock-eating, punishing drives.

The Bulldogs, who won the time of possession battle by nearly 11 minutes, methodically pushed their way down the field. After 14 plays, 85 yards and 7 minutes, 31 seconds, Odim scored on a 6-yard run.

It was 27-9 Minnesota-Duluth, and WSU was in trouble with 4:28 left in the third quarter.

"We came out and played a lot better in the third quarter," said Odim, who rushed for 128 yards and three TDs.

"They played hard in the beginning and once I think we came out in the third quarter, we really started to pound it on them. I think it was a little discouraging for them."

Discouragement quickly transformed into gut-wrenching devastation 57 seconds later. That's when D.J. Winfield rushed in, blocked Cullen Fahey's punt, then watched teammate Cody Eich fall on it in the end zone.

A 21-point third quarter pushed the Bulldogs lead to 34-9. A full quarter remained, but it didn't matter. The damage was done.

"When you come out and turn it over on the first play, that just absolutely zapped us," Sawyer said. "We needed to have something positive happen, and it just didn't.

"You can't give that football team the ball on the 20-yard line. They are the top running team in the nation. That touchdown killed us, then it was just kind of survival."

Theo Burkett, a freshman running back from Urbandale, Iowa, scored on a 1-yard run in the fourth quarter, but Minnesota-Duluth won the game in the third quarter.

"A blocked kick is one of the biggest plays in football," Nielson said. "We executed that very, very well. That probably swung the momentum our way and we were able to finish it."