UND92,96

You're welcome.

Per SFI, Cal Poly's best defensive player, Asa Jackson, reportedly has a broken bone in his foot. If he's out or seriously hobbled, that could be a big factor on Saturday.

I follow on twitter the reporter who covers DL sports for the local paper, and he tweeted yesterday that it was due to an ankle injury.

This will be the first home game I've had to miss since 1999. I have four tickets--excellent seats. PM me if you are interested--will give them away.

It's a case of strength vs. strength: -Poly running game vs. UND run defense; -UND run offense vs. Poly run defense; and weakness vs. weakness: -both teams' passing game vs. pass defenses that have given up considerable yardage. It just seems like this might be a better matchup for UND, particularly considering last year's team with a much weaker defense and running game nearly knocked off a pretty decent Poly team in SLO. If UND can avoid losing the turnover battle, and get above-average production, by this year's standards, from the passing game (150-plus yards), I think the Sioux win this one.

UND will play at Wyoming on September 5, 2015 per a tweet by Dom Izzo.

Right now, there are only seven FCS teams who average fewer passing yards per game than does UND.

Upon further review, it would appear that SIU's big annual loss on football is apparently mostly due to how revenues are allocated within the athletic department, since UND supposedly has a similar football budget, but roughly three times the reported revenue compared to SIU despite lower attendance. In other words, disregard my previous posts on this topic.

Last time I checked, SIU isn't doing so well in basketball, and they only average a little over 4000 per game. It's not like they're Butler or something in terms of NCAA tournament money. Unless simply being in the MVC for basketball is so lucrative that it allows its member schools to grossly overspend on football, it makes no sense to me.

I've mentioned this before, but it's so bizarre that it may bear repeating--according to the OPE web site, SIU spends just over $3.2 million annually on its football program. It generates just over $1 million annually in revenue. How can a school justify losing $2.2 million per year on one sport? Where is that money coming from?

Tom Miller column on the alarmingly ineffective UND passing game: http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/217860/

Jody Norstedt just tweeted this:

UND will be playing Minot State in Minot on October 30 with the proceeds going for flood relief: http://www.fightings...TCLID=205312231 The game can be seen on the Midcontinent Sports Network.

Here's a prospectus for the upcoming season: http://www.fightingsioux.com/fls/13500/pdf/2011-12/2011_und_wbb_prospectus.pdf I'm a little surprised that Roehrich is only listed at 5'8". I don't recall a forward that short at UND in a long time.

In the past, UND would automatically get over 10,000 for the Potato Bowl even though the opponent was often very weak. This year, it didn't happen. The reason? Disappointing 2009 and 2010 seasons. NDSU had a good average attendance in 2009 based upon the previous few seasons. I'm not saying the caliber of the home schedule is irrelevant, but it's much easier to overlook when the team is doing well. UND lost its momentum in 2009 and 2010. It can, and probably will be regained, but it will take a few more good wins, and then we'll probably see the fruits next season. If by chance UND goes into the tank the rest of this season, then I suspect attendance still won't be back to 2008 levels next year even with an excellent home schedule.

I agree that attendance is based on both winning and the caliber of opponents. For a time, you can probably get by on one or the other, as we saw in 2008 (record attendance despite a terrible home schedule). But eventually, people will find other things to do on Saturdays if the product on the field isn't a good one. If the type of football we saw at Fresno and SUU continues, I believe the vastly improved home schedule next year will translate into much larger crowds.

Last year's game was totally dominated by SUU, as Sorensen threw for 413 yards, and the UND offense did almost nothing after the first drive. But on the bright side, 317 of those yards were by Poots and Sitake, who are no longer on the team. I also find it somewhat encouraging that SDSU had a lot of success moving the ball against them earlier this season, gaining over 400 yards despite not having a very good quarterback. I don't believe the SUU run defense is all that great (giving up 150 yards per game), but Bradley will need to be accurate when called upon so as to discourage SUU from putting eight or nine in the box to stop the run. As others have mentioned, the keys are: 1. avoid turning the ball over, as SUU has made a living off defensive scores; 2. run the ball well to control the clock, and mix in some shots down the field to keep the defense somewhat honest. Give Hardin and McGill a chance to make some plays; 3. learn from the mistakes of last year, and from the Idaho game this year with regard to pass defense. SUU is going to throw the ball 40-plus times, and chances are a few will be potential int's. Take advantage when the opportunity arises, and don't give huge cushions or Sorensen will complete the 5 to 10 yard passes all day long. Be aggressive and let the chips fall where they may.

Just curious--do people think that the fact that a kid once red-shirted automatically means that he/she will be invited back for a fifth year on scholarship? I don't believe so, and that's likely where Jones will make a couple of scholarships available to recruit some size.

In FCS football I believe the scholarships can be divided so that a maximum of 85 players can be on some form of scholarship. With regard to basketball, I believe you are correct. Or maybe you were just referring to FBS football?

Prior to the season, I thought this would probably be the second-most difficult game on the schedule, after Fresno State. And right now, SUU is ahead of Idaho in both computer polls. We've been waiting for three-plus years for a signature dI win. Here is a golden opportunity.

For those waiting for some sort of "official" announcement of the Mollberg commitment, a Tom Miller tweet confirms:

Yes, the Morman issue was what I meant by SUU having handicaps we don't. I agree that it likely makes it difficult to recruit non-Mormans.

Over the past seven games, UND quarterbacks have combined for one td pass.

Just read that Kill suffered another seizure today, and is now at the Mayo.

Just some food for thought--USD parlayed its win vs. the Goofs last year to a stellar 4-7 season. I certainly don't expect NDSU to follow suit, but it just goes to show that it doesn't take an FCS national championship contender--or even a team with a .500 record--to beat Minnesota these days.