UND92,96

Why do the words "more cowbell" keep popping into my head? I do kind of like the name, though.

Although this class isn't particularly large in numbers, a rather amazing number of them are already playing a lot, or at least are on the travel squad: Watkins, CB, not listed on two-deep, but has been seen considerable action Cameron, P, listed as starting punter, although he's only punted once so far Hendrickson, QB, primary holder Nichols, QB, fourth at QB Magstadt, FB, second on depth chart and has seen considerable playing time Sutton, RB, second on depth chart, but has been the top rusher by far Mersereau, S, like Watkins, he's not listed on the two-deep, but has seen considerable action Wisthoff, TE, second on depth chart and has seen considerable action McGurran, C, starter Gillson, T, second on depth chart Lynch, G, second on depth chart Heimler, WR, third or fourth on depth chart Benjamin, NG, not listed on two-deep, but plays on short yardage situations Brenemann, DE, starter Bamba, WR, starter and top pass catcher so far To the best of my knowledge, there's only one player from this group who possibly hasn't travelled yet this year (and he may actually have last week).

Against NW St., UND rushed 34 times for 96 yards. 47 of those yards were on Sutton's td run out of the so-called wildcat formation. So that means that UND had just 49 yards on the other 33 carries. And I don't think NW St.'s run defense is especially strong, at least judging by what Grambling did. IMO, we may be better served by getting away from a power rushing game and passing more and using more misdirection in the running game, along with some option (possibly with Goska playing a few series per game).

May as well get this thread started. Not much faith in the Sioux over at anygivensaturday. Before the season it looked like NW St. would be better than SFA, but that's not the way things have played out through the first three weeks of the season. SFA likes to throw. A lot. But can they stop anybody? Will the UND offense get into high gear? This will be a tough one, and the Sioux will need to play better than last night, but I think this is a winnable game with a strong performance.

How about the start for Hellevang? 3-3 on field goals, with two 50-yarders already!

A few random thoughts: -the extra week off may have been a mixed blessing--it allowed some players to get healthy, but it may also have resulted in the team not being as sharp as they could have been. -is the relative lack of size of our o-line part of the problem with the running game? When you consider the size of the linemen in the past two recruiting classes, it certainly appears that the current lack of size will be a temporary issue. Also, I believe one of our o-lineman had three penalties yesterday. -the tv announcers commented a few times in the second half how predictable our playcalling was--i.e. run on first and second down, and pass on third. -I'd like to see Davis get more involved in the passing game. It's clear he has some speed, and supposedly the ability to catch the ball is one of his strengths. -speaking of passing, I'd like to see us attempt to stretch the field once in awhile. Landry has a cannon, but thus far he really hasn't had much of a chance to throw downfield that I can recall. -any FCS road win is a good FCS road win.

From Mussman's comments on the coaches' show this week, it sounded likely.

I'd be more concerned had Nebraska's entire o-line transferred to NW St. In all seriousness, while Castille had a pretty good game against Grambling, I'd certainly like to think that UND's defense is better than Grambling's.

The Gophs are playing pretty well right now. I didn't think this game would be close.

I'm sure he'll be pretty good, but not any better than Batch for TT. And our front seven should have an advantage over their o-line.

It appears that Brittany Peterson's name has been removed from the roster posted as part of the prospectus. That would be unfortunate, but it may open up another scholarship for a 2010 grad. Even though Peterson was a walk-on, I had kind of assumed that she'd get one of the scholarships available after the graduation of Bagaason, Ledger, Bergan and Seay. Maybe Kate Warmack would now warrant a closer look for a scholarship?

Ask and ye shall receive: link

The Northwestern State Game Notes confirms that NW St. is coming to GF in 2010, although no date is indicated.

Game Notes: http://www.fightingsioux.com/downloads1/35...DB_OEM_ID=13500

I think weather (rain) was an issue yesterday too. Obviously it affects both teams, but depending upon the style of offense it can affect some teams more than others. I'm sure they'll also play better this Saturday because it's their home opener. But IMO this is absolutely a game UND can and probably should win.

I like the matchup for UND on defense, particularly if NW St. doesn't make a QB change. From reading posts from their own fans, their QB was brutal yesterday. And if TT couldn't run the ball against the Sioux, I just can't see NW St. having a lot of success on the ground. I agree that the jury is still very much out on the UND offense, but in fairness Bamba has produced and made big plays in the limited opportunities he's had in his brief career. With Konrath now out, Bamba will really need to step up and play to his talent level on a consistent basis. Also, my understanding is that Davis is supposed to be a good receiver out of the backfield. Might we see him more as a receiver if he's not going to beat out Solum and/or Sutton at RB?

38 Grambling 17 NW St. final

48 Sam Houston St. 45 NDSU final

14 NW St. 7 Grambling late first half

66-7. final

Northwestern St. and Grambling are scoreless at the end of the first quarter.

UNI is very good, and maybe USD's offense isn't as strong as it was supposed to have been. Their defense seems to be a problem nearly every year.

It doesn't seem as though anybody in the media has even addressed the issue of what happens if the SL tribal council refuses to take any action whatsoever, be it to ratify the position of a clear majority of the voters, or for that matter to rescind the support given by a previous council. I know what the settlement states, but I rather doubt it was ever contemplated that a situation could arise where a vote of the people takes place supporting UND's continued use of the nickname, but the tribal council isn't willing to act on the issue one way or the other. As mentioned, I doubt things will ever get to point where this even becomes an issue, but if there is a new chairperson and a number of new council members on SR who are either in support of the nickname, or who at least are willing to let the citizens decide, it could make for a very interesting political situation on SL.

Has SL ever gone on record as officially opposing the nickname? I don't recall that they have. Which would mean that inaction by the present council/chairperson shouldn't be enough to undo what a previous council/chairperson has already done, particularly in light of the results of the recent vote. But it seems Myra isn't personally thrilled with the nickname, and whether she would ever actually sign off on the 30-year deal required by the Board of Higher Ed is another question. Of course, this is all a moot point unless something big happens on SR within the next few months.

Regarding Konrath, Mussman said on the coaches' show that it was possible he could be ready to play as early as the Stephen F. Austin game, but that there was also still a chance he may not play at all the rest of the season. He did sound fairly optimistic, though. The only other injury mentioned at all was Kasowski's, but I didn't get the impression his was very serious.