After a 38-31 loss on Saturday to Bemidji State, the UMD football team is no longer in prime position for a playoff spot.

For the Bulldogs though, that doesn’t mean they’ll be giving up on the rest of the season.

“I think we were pretty defeated going into Sunday, but already going into Monday,” said Nathan Bursch, UMD defensive lineman. “We’ve already got guys smiling and joking and ready to get back to it and finish strong, whatever that may be.”

While UMD doesn’t control their destiny, they must win out and hope that a team in front of them in the playoff tree loses.

For Head Coach Curt Wiese, the message is clear.

“We can control what we can control, and that’s going to be one week at a time here through the last couple of weeks of the season and cross our fingers. We have an opportunity to get in the playoffs. So we still have a chance to tie for a conference championship. We still have a chance to be in the national playoffs. We still have a lot to play for.”

Saturday marks UMD’s Senior day, where they’ll take on Concordia St. Paul.