[On To Bowling Green]

Hope you folks are as ready as we (BG fans) are to put week 1 behind you and move on to week 2!!!   As I've posted before on this board, looking forward to this game a lot.   Playing Ohio State is interesting and nice pay-check for the school, and playing and beating teams like Maryland and Purdue last year was fun, but personally I really enjoy these non-conference games, with like-minded fans who follow and root for a non Power-5 team, and teams that are, for the most part, playing for a conference championship above all else.  

Making the drive back to BG from Chicago for this one...hoping to run into some Fighting Sioux fans...errrr, sorry, Fighting Hawks   at and around the tailgates.  If I see green it's a free beer for you.

Both teams need this win to get back on track so I'm expecting a good game.  Those in this thread who I saw are worried about your O-line opening up holes and running the ball, well, if BG has had a consistent weakness, even when they have had good teams, it's their run defense.  I see UND moving the ball well on the ground as long as you can keep the safeties honest with some play-action or at least a serviceable passing game.  BG needs to get their passing game clicking.  I was at the game last week against OSU and there were a number of plays where BG had wide open WRs but the QB (Knapke) didn't see them or threw the ball well behind them.  BG's chances to win this week's game hing on better QB play in my opinion. Personally I'd like to see James Morgan get more snaps over Knapke (the starter in the OSU game). The BG Oline did a great job last week so we are hoping that can continue.

So yeah, game probably comes down to that.  If UND can maintain long drives on the ground and control the clock, you win.  If BG can start hitting on the longer passes and get big plays from the WRs, BG probably wins.

Should be a good game!

Side note, if anyone is heading to BG for the game, stop in Myles Pizza Pub for a pizza...you won't regret it.

 

 

 

[BG game]

On 8/10/2016 at 3:39 PM, UND-FB-FAN said:

UND used to play outdoors until 2001, when the Alerus Center became the new home of UND football. Having an outdoor stadium, like UND's former game venue Memorial Stadium, has its advantages when it's nice and warm in the early fall, but the cold winter weather of North Dakota makes the controlled Alerus Center climate hard to beat in November and potentially December. Not to mention, the enclosed environment creates the potential for fans to produce a nice home field advantage in terms of noise. 

Indeed, was looking at some photos of your stadium and my first thought was "I'll bet it gets loud in there when the crowd is fired up".  I'm generally not a fan of indoor football, but it totally makes sense given the location.  Motivating a family to attend a game in Nov/Dec is a lot easier when they don't have to freeze their rears off for 4 hours.  Plus generating a crowd-noise advantage is a bonus.   There are some outdoor stadiums I've been to, such as University of Michigan, where the seating gradient is so flat and back from the field that all the sound just escapes up and out...one of the quietest big-program stadiums I've ever been to.  In contrast I was out at a game at University of Washington and while I'm guessing they built those metal roofs over the seating areas to keep rain off the crowd, it really kept the sound in...very loud outdoor stadium.

 

[BG game]

16 hours ago, Sioux>Bison said:

Yeah I agree big plays could win it for your team. UND is not much of a big play team and more pound the ball down the middle until we break one. You guys did lose some key players but your non conference performance last year proves the returning starters are no slouch.

The keys to winning this game will be to win the battles up front. How is your d line and linebacking core? If you can stop the run we may be in trouble with a still developing passing offense.

I have a feeling it will be a pretty good battle up front with your OL against our DLine. Our defense is no cupcake and the only unproven position is the cornerbacks. If you can get your new QB going with his receivers you may be able to beat this defense. 

For UND, we need to win these key battles, manage the turnovers, and execute on special teams.

Agree with your points, 100%

To answer your questions...

D-Line should be pretty solid with one starter returning, and another guy (Gus Schwieterman) returning after missing all of last season with an injury (he had a really good 2014 season so there's high hope for him).  The other guys on the line returning haven't been starters but I believe they are going to be juniors...so team experience if not a ton of game experience.   The LBs should be very strong as they return all 3 starters from last year including one All-MAC player.  DBs should be ok but took a hit with a key returning starter suffering a season ending injury already.

One thing I should mention that I didn't in an earlier post is that the QB situation at BG is still to be determined.  Most seem to feel that James Knapke will be the guy. He actually started most of the season in 2014 when Matt Johnson went down with injury.   BG won the MAC-East division that year, and he threw for over 3,000 yards, so Knapke has won games at BG.  But you'd be crazy to think there wouldn't be some drop off compared to what Matt Johnson did last season at QB (4,946 yards, 46 TDs, and only 8 INTs).  I am hearing that Knapke looks improved this year so hoping that's the case.  So it will be a new starting QB this year, but most likely not a NEW QB, if that makes sense.  

Just realized that UND plays home games in a "dome"...makes sense, and it's a nice looking facility, but I'm just curious what the fans think...do you like it or would your prefer outdoor football.  I have a lot of relatives in Minnesota and some of the old-timers speak fondly of the days the Vikings used to play outside, but I'm never sure if they are remembering it with rose-colored glasses and forgetting how damn cold sitting in the old stadium would be.

[BG game]

1 hour ago, UNDColorado said:

Thanks for dropping by. I am bored in the office and antsy for football and this is good stuff. Other than our game I hope you have a great season 

 

Thanks to Siouxfan512 for inviting us over.  The UND fans that have been over on the BG board have been solid posters.  And just to reiterate what the OP said in this thread, feel free to stop by the BG board at www.ay-ziggy-zoomba.com to discuss the upcoming game.  

I hear you on the "bored in the office and antsy for football"...early August always feels like the adult version of early December for kids, you know Christmas is right around the corner, but it still feels too far away.  JUST GET HERE ALREADY!

Also, back at you, hope you guys have a great season and your players stay healthy.  

If any of your are making the trip to BG, and you like pizza, you 100% have to hit up Myles Pizza Pub...I'm not ashamed to admit that on multiple occasions I've driven from Chicago to BG on a few weekends under the guise of visiting friends when my real goal was just to go to Myles.  

[BG game]

On 7/22/2016 at 9:33 PM, Sioux>Bison said:

So what's your opinion on the game? Do you see a full game battle or do you think the Hawks are going to be a cupcake?

 

None of the BG fans I've talked to think UND is going to be anything close to a cupcake.  I think BG fans are optimistic about a win, but certainly not taking anything for granted or expecting an easy game.   I think part of that is a respect for UND, and part of that is the uncertainty that comes with a coaching change and a LOT of turnover on offense.   Last year in non-conference play BG beat Maryland & Purdue (scoring over 40 in both games), hung 30 points on Tennessee and were in that game until very late...and then lost 41-44 to Paxton Lynch's Memphis team.  However, BG lost it's starting QB, RB, and two best WR's to graduation, early draft entry, or transfer (one of the WR's transferred to Alabama).  

On the plus side, BG returns all of their starters on the OL and brings back their back-up RB from last year (Fred Coppet) who has a lot of game experience (bigger RB, tough to bring down).  The new coach is from Texas Tech and will be keeping something similar to the fast-paced spread attack that the last coach (Dino Babers, formerly at Baylor, now at Syracuse) ran.  The question marks are obviously centered around how quickly the offense picks up the changes to the new coaches system, and what will the drop off be at QB, RB, WR from the talented guys who finished their time at BG last year in those positions (I have to expect some, at least early in the season).   BG got by last year by putting up a lot of points, so until we see similar production the jury is out on who this team can beat or by how much.

The defense returns, I think, 6 starters this year, so we're hoping for improvement there.  I don't have stats to back it up but in my opinion BG hasn't stopped a team committed to running the ball since approximately 1907.   So given UND's running game, I'm concerned.   Obviously my 1907 statement was a joke (they've had some great defensive teams) but lately it's been all about whether BG can score enough points to counter their defensive slips.  We're HOPING that the returning experience and new defensive coaches will step that up, but again, won't know until we see it on the field.  I feel like last year some teams came out and tried to throw the ball thinking they had to keep pace, but then at some point realized "hey, we can just run it up the middle for 8 yards a play" and those are the teams that beat us.

So yeah, hard to say what this version of BGSU football will look like...there's a lot of reasons to hopeful and optimistic, but I think there's more unknowns than knowns right now.  I'm seeing a close game, with UND controlling the clock but BG scoring on some big plays...could be one of those games where turnovers dictate the winner...I'm going be a homer and say BG 35, UND 28. 

Anyway, sorry for the long post...looking forward to heading back to BG for this game, and hope to share some beers with UND fans who make the trip.