Witt

UND stalls...punt to USF....USF at -9.

Goska makes a nice run on 3rd and 10....to move the chains. Miller trying to get it going here....had 9 for 22 in first half.

FG UND....13 10. USF short possession. UND with ball again own 27. 3rd q

Frankly....I'm just happy so far to see my Coo competing..

"We are lucky to be in the ballgame.." -Mussman, half

USF 13 UND 7 Half

Must be..just like in 2009....cuz USF's no good....lol

USF TD over the top....Oates goes up and gets it. XP blocked....13-7 USF....44s left half

#35 and #45 for UND are a load upfront.. USF marching now..2 big passes....1st and goal..

USF 4 sacks now. USF with the ball at their own 30......3m left before half. 7 7

IF USF could hit their targets in the passing game....geez....that'd be a real good spot in this one. ANOTHER block fg......7 7....late 2nd.

USF getting a little pressure now....2 sacks. UND much larger players..USF is using speed to compete right now. USF blocks the punt....almost tackles the punter. USF ball at about the UND 25..

End of 1Q....7 7 UND offensive line doing a good job giving Goska all day to find his target....Sioux converting on longer passes and 3rd downs. USF can't get off the field when they have UND in tough spots.

Glad to see my Coo has come to battle today..at least they are going after it.. USF is stuffing the run so far....but life UND, the USF secondary has struggled this year.. USF 7 UND 7 late 1st Q....UND blocked FG

Attendance was 7800 last time, with USF bringing a little over 500 fans. I do recall there being a MN@UND hockey game later in the day, so the student section was pretty bare.

http://mattyzimmer.tumblr.com/post/12315146558/the-call-usf-at-und-wayne-state-at-augie Sioux Falls beat writers (Argus Leader) take on the game.

RD....you are right about things I think. USF is better than the NAIA teams that UND has faced, but this also isn't the 2009 USF team either. They have the talent, but just haven't come together as a group. USF has 1 starter from that 2009 team left on the 2011 USF team....UND has 4. (not that it matters, but it shows the amount of turnover USF has seen since that time) They have played like a young team almost all season..and as a fan, I would love to see a growing up game here. USF Scouting Report: (since your own team already knows this stuff from watching film) USF will have a lefty QB who is making his 4th start of the year (Taylor Perkins) who is pretty athletic and makes quick reads. He had a bad game this last week versus Minot, but has shown signs of being pretty good also. He was a D-Back at New Mexico St last year, but wanted to play QB as eventually landed at USF due to some coaching connections, etc. Same can be said for USF starting RB Jordan Taylor (#9) who spent a year at Marshall University before landing at USF. Taylor is a load and runs well behind his pads. The 2 most dangerous players USF has on offense are Micheal Hicks (#6), who is the best return-man USF has seen..along with being a dangerous WR....and also Jeremiah Oates, who is a tall-thin WR who is an old VB player from Cali who can go up and get it, while being very athletic. These two guys are key for USF to have success stretching the field on UND as they can both do well in one-on-one type matchups. Last time around USF did a lot of screens and TE-delay plays, which got UND very off-balanced while slow to recover. I doubt USF goes in with the exact same plan as the OC, DC, and HC, are all different from that time..but the USF DC was the LB Coach from 2009 and uses the same 3-4 scheme that the Cougars used back in the first meeting. USF defense has been bend-but-dont-break much of this year and the front seven (mostly the LB) have kept things on-pace for this group. #45 Eric Anderson is the leader at inside-lb, with Robert Virgil (#20) making big plays in the secondary. This unit has not been as good as the past, but they've done a good job of keeping the other team from making the scoreboard dance....except for that NWMSU game. That squad is likely tops in D2 though, best I can tell..and they would've handled the FCS McNeese State squad that USF traveled to a week later. Special Teams: USF has blocked a few punts lately, along with having success in the return game. K/P Bradon Wieking was an NAIA All-American in the past and is D1 caliber in both punting and kicking. The best overall player on the team. Pretty consistent kicker from short range....and has missed 2 kicks over 50 this year, with 1 hitting the upright and the other being wide. I would think that he'd kick well in the dome after being used to kicking in the crazy Dakota winds. I'm a realistic homer here..I wanna see my Coo pull the upset again but I fully realize they are the clear underdog in this one. Game Notes from USF, if interested. http://www.usfcougar...pdf8/795095.pdf ....and yes, if USF gets thumped..I will come back around and give you guys congrats.

USF will have times now where they can't get a guy like Jon Eastman (2010 starting qb, who had already been at 2 NCAA schools), but for the most part USF has been ramping up for this change to D2 over the last few years. The 2011 USF isn't hasn't been under-performing due to NCAA rules..they are simply the youngest and most inexperienced USF team in the last 10 or more years. So that said, I don't dwell on the rules stuff since 95% of the USF players would have been playing in the NCAA also. The 2009 USF team was virtually all NCAA legal players, etc. I instead focus on the football game....the matchups..and such. USF has a new Head Coach, OC, and DC since we last met. They are also working to prove themselves. As for the Sioux, I've followed them from a distance this year and they seem more complete than the 2009 team..and healthier as well. RB Jake Miller looks like he's given you guys some real stability at his position and some very good performance. Greg Hardin also seems like a great talent for the Sioux at WR..and looks like a better overall player than Bamba who USF faced in 2009..who was primarily a homerun threat seemingly. I also see Dominique Hawkins is a senior now..and still making plays. Very athletic player. I was a little surprised at how UND struggled with Northern Colorado..but overall it looks like the Sioux controlled the clock and the ball for the most part. I assume the UND website will host a webfeed of the game..but maybe Midco is covering it and I just haven't gotten the word yet. In any event, it's always exciting when your team is the big underdog and going into someone elses house..especially when it's a storied program like UND. Looking forward to Saturday..

While I cannot make the trip up again this year..I think Sioux Falls will compete, as they competed at McNeese State earlier in the year (also a FCS team)...but so far this season the 2011 USF team has been trying to get accustom to playing together, as the team has a ton of new parts..especially at the skill positions. USF has been going back and forth between 2 QBs....1 lefty..1 righty....and hasn't thrown the ball anywhere near as good as in the past. USF would destroy teams like Minot in the past....this 2011 transition team struggles at times with them and doesn't have the offensive efficiency that they've displayed the last 5-6 seasons. USF was far more polished offensively and had playmakers like QB Lorenzo Brown. This current team is currently finding out who the playmakers are..and can be.. The bigger issue is that USF hasn't been as good as the line of scrimmage as in the past....and that's something the Cougars will need to restore to be a good team at the D2 level, starting next year in the NSIC. USF is a really young team at this moment and loses few difference makers to graduation..so for Cougar fans there is positive thoughts for the future. The USF defense has played well for the most part..but the offense has been sloppy too often. As a USF follower I'd love to see them get it all together this week in their finale....but I can't say I'm expecting it. http://www.ksfy.com/category/185294/video?clipId=6400376&autostart=true http://www.argusleader.com/article/20111030/SPORTS0204/110300334/USF-rallies-fourth-quarter-beat-Minot-State-29-10?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Sports|p

http://www.mtstandard.com/news/local/article_5dfe80a8-0c91-11e0-bfd5-001cc4c002e0.html Yotes....look like you just lost your DC today. (Chuck is a small town, fly fishing kinda guy....so this wasn't a shock to us USF folks) Kinda figured this was getting announced today..took all day.. Chuck Morrell finally expressed interest in being a head coach..something new for him. They are getting a heckuva coach out there in Butte. MT Tech is the biggest rival of Carroll College....the team who's won 6 of the last 9 NAIA national titles. The biggest rivalry at the NAIA level nationally. (Tech is a real good engineering school)

Yote....I'm not a USD fan by any means, but I agree with what you said here. USD handled that game with UND..I watched that beginning to end. USD has some real talent, especially on offense. I think UND has some work to do catching back up with the Coyotes right now.

I don't have the facts on the scholarships, etc..so that's gonna have to be a question for another day....as today is the first day for USF post-naia. USF will be losing....QB, RB, WR, WR, OT...DE, DE, LB, S. Key losses....QB Jon Eastman, NAIA POY WR-Jon Ryan,, WR Alex Anderson. LB Dominick Studzinski, DE Brandon Koolstra, S Dan Schmeichel. So biggest concerns for USF will be needing to replace 45 TD passes..and a WR who caught 24 of them and 1400 yards. While losing some real good defenders....but not a lot of them. The offense will need to re-tool more than the USF defense, who will return most....from the top unit in the NAIA this season. (8 ppg) Basically the QB....and two WR's that were 4-year starters....will be the biggest things to replace. Also the chance that a few of the guys transfer to other NAIA schools (maybe) as USF goes through this transition period. Always a small risk in a move like this. ,,,,,,,,,as for old QB Lorenzo Brown....he currently plays for the Sioux Falls Storm....a top IFL? Arena League team. Kinda plays a slash-position with them.

Yote....it certainly could be. Yes they play those teams in 2011. I'm pleased USF scheduled them..and they will all be uphill battles..but I'd rather see those games then the 60-0 kinda games, etc. As a Coo fan, we have to expect tough sledding with a move up..and especially when you schedule teams who are tops in D2 or even FCS level.

Obviously we were most concerned with Bamba back then....and Mitch Sutton....but he played only for a window of time in the 3rd quarter to try and light a spark I think. Is Sutton kinda always dinged up..or is he still the future at the RB position? (Seemed like a very good athlete, good burst)

Last year Sioux Falls was around 70th in Massey....that thing kinda goes crazy a bit. I've seen USF play weekly for years..and I've seen SDSU on our local programming....I'm not taking USF over SDSU, etc. USF might have only lost 1 game in the last 5 years, but as USF fans we know and realize we aren't playing UND, USD, Cal Poly, on a week to week basis either. Looking forward to some of the games USF has scheduled next year....playing upper level teams..obviously at UND....at Neb Omaha....at NWMSU (defending D2 champ)...at McNeese State....etc. (Northern Sun Conf in 2012, seemingly a done deal) Honest question....from a talent standpoint....will UND be better or worse, in terms of athletes, than what we saw in October of 2009..?