UND vs NSU

[TechFirst]

dam......Texas TD up by 14

[TechFirst]

Tech drives the field in 8 plays, 7 point game, 7 mins left

[TechFirst]

UT is gonna win 34-24. I hate that, but it's better than the blowout everyone was predicting.

[bincitysioux]

Watched the whole game on TV, here's my thoughts:

Run Offense: C

Gained 125 yards on the night, but just for a 3.9 yd average. On running plays, the O-Line didn't get alot of push, none really. Sutton appears to be a very good football player, but ain't real speedy, and is indesicive on when to make a cut or follow blockers. He looks like a good receiver out of the back field. Solum and Davis didn't do much. None of the running backs are as gifted as Josh Murray.

Pass Offense: B

The O-Line did a nice job in pass protection. IIRC, only gave up two sacks. Ian McGurran played center all night and it looks to me like shotgun snaps have the potential to be an issue. Landry was constantly reaching above his head to reel in snaps, and the one that Sutton scored on out of the "wildcat" nearly went over his head. Landry has a real good arm as advertised. He did have two BAD throws tonight that were costly. The tipped INT to Dombrovski was a very poorly thrown ball, and he overthrew Bamba on a pass over the middle of the field in the 3rd quarter that would have been a sure TD. But overall, he has been great in the first two games.......I have no worries at all about our QB. Bamba played well tonight. Chris Anderson dropped a first down catch. Looks like our RB's are good recievers.

Overall Offense: C+

Need more out of the running game to win a GWC title this year. The passing game appears to be very efficient. Getting outgained by 165 yards isn't going to cut it week in and week out.

Run Defense: B

Opportunistic. They contained NSU's backs, and turned them back on on a goal-line stand.

Pass Defense: C-

Gave up alot of yards on some big plays. Watkins' coverage on the reciever on NSU's 2nd quarter TD was atrocious.

Overall Defense: B

Again, oppourtunistic. They held up in very key moments, but gave up some big plays along the way. Forced a safety.

Special Teams: A

A 50 yd field goal for Hellevang. A punt downed inside the 3 yd line. A fumble recovery by Ankenbauer. A blocked punt for a safety. A blocked PAT. (would have been an A+ if not for our own blocked PAT)

My biggest head-scratchers in this game came from the two head coach's on a couple of decisions for each school. I don't understand why Mussman declined the penalty on Hellevang's FG, which would have resulted in a first down. It worked out fine, but why not take the first down? And for the life of me, I can't understand why NSU's coach Peveto would decide to go for it on 4th & 1 from thrier own 17 yd line while trailing by just 3 in the 2nd quarter. He must be a real re-knob.

[Dagger]

I think Mitch Sutton is going to be a real stud for the Sioux.

[UNDvince97-01]

I don't understand why Mussman declined the penalty on Hellevang's FG, which would have resulted in a first down. It worked out fine, but why not take the first down?

IMO, you don't take points off the board in that situation. Nothing is guaranteed if you take the penalty except for a 1st down and 1 more play.

[SiouxMeNow]

UT is gonna win 34-24. I hate that, but it's better than the blowout everyone was predicting.

So what did you think of TT's performance tonight TF? I've never really been a major college FB fan so I'm interested what the over/under of this game was? I only caught the last half of the 4th quarter...also where do you think Tech will finish this year? The ABC guy said Tech exceeded expectations and "look out" for them for the rest of the season...I'd guess that's a good thing in the world of FBS

(PS - thanks for following us! We had a nice win tonight against a decent FCS opponent in a totally meaningless season - transitions SUCK but we have to do it but we also appreciate respect from much BETTER programs we've played...it's humbling and gratifying at the same time - THANKS!)

[TechFirst]

Y'all seem to be doing just fine at your new level. When you get out-gained and still win, that says something for playing smart and opportunistic.

I really had no illusions that Tech would win tonight. Three new starters on the O-line (and still switching out positions as late as half-time last week) had me worried, and it showed tonight with Potts being pressured all the time. I really felt pretty good about the D overall, at least until we lost all those players this week. We have a solid LB group and some good players in the center of the D-line. They wore down at the end at that cost us. But 3 turnovers and a punt return are hard for anyone to overcome. Potts looks like the real deal.

Overall, I'm fairly happy and optimistic. I'm REALLY glad we didn't get blown out like I feared. We weren't supposed to be a factor until next year and were picked to finish 4th or 5th in the south division of the Big 12. We have Nebraska, Okla St and Houston on the road, (and OU at home) so our work is cut out for us. Anywhere from 7-5 to 11-1 is a possibility, just depending on how we grow up during the year.

I was kind of excited about going to see your game down here next week, but we have a big game with Houston that starts two hours later. I could TEVO our game and come to yours, too. We'll see. Anybody coming to Texas again? This trip would be several hundred miles longer than the one to Lubbock. SFA is darn near in Houston.

[SiouxMeNow]

Here's a link to a feature NFL films did a couple years ago about our ND rivalry...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cwbop13A9yQ

The best part? UND WINS!!!!!! (and the BISON SUCK!!!!)

ps - we also have rivalries in nd...especially with PUSSIES who moved up first but later decided they were "TOO GOOD...or scared" to play us.....girls...)

Y'all seem to be doing just fine at your new level. When you get out-gained and still win, that says something for playing smart and opportunistic.

I really had no illusions that Tech would win tonight. Three new starters on the O-line (and still switching out positions as late as half-time last week) had me worried, and it showed tonight with Potts being pressured all the time. I really felt pretty good about the D overall, at least until we lost all those players this week. We have a solid LB group and some good players in the center of the D-line. They wore down at the end at that cost us. But 3 turnovers and a punt return are hard for anyone to overcome. Potts looks like the real deal.

Overall, I'm fairly happy and optimistic. I'm REALLY glad we didn't get blown out like I feared. We weren't supposed to be a factor until next year and were picked to finish 4th or 5th in the south division of the Big 12. We have Nebraska, Okla St and Houston on the road, (and OU at home) so our work is cut out for us. Anywhere from 7-5 to 11-1 is a possibility, just depending on how we grow up during the year.

I was kind of excited about going to see your game down here next week, but we have a big game with Houston that starts two hours later. I could TEVO our game and come to yours, too. We'll see. Anybody coming to Texas again? This trip would be several hundred miles longer than the one to Lubbock. SFA is darn near in Houston.

[BigGame]

Watched the whole game on TV, here's my thoughts:

Run Offense: C

Gained 125 yards on the night, but just for a 3.9 yd average. On running plays, the O-Line didn't get alot of push, none really. Sutton appears to be a very good football player, but ain't real speedy, and is indesicive on when to make a cut or follow blockers. He looks like a good receiver out of the back field. Solum and Davis didn't do much. None of the running backs are as gifted as Josh Murray.

Pass Offense: B

The O-Line did a nice job in pass protection. IIRC, only gave up two sacks. Ian McGurran played center all night and it looks to me like shotgun snaps have the potential to be an issue. Landry was constantly reaching above his head to reel in snaps, and the one that Sutton scored on out of the "wildcat" nearly went over his head. Landry has a real good arm as advertised. He did have two BAD throws tonight that were costly. The tipped INT to Dombrovski was a very poorly thrown ball, and he overthrew Bamba on a pass over the middle of the field in the 3rd quarter that would have been a sure TD. But overall, he has been great in the first two games.......I have no worries at all about our QB. Bamba played well tonight. Chris Anderson dropped a first down catch. Looks like our RB's are good recievers.

Overall Offense: C+

Need more out of the running game to win a GWC title this year. The passing game appears to be very efficient. Getting outgained by 165 yards isn't going to cut it week in and week out.

Run Defense: B

Opportunistic. They contained NSU's backs, and turned them back on on a goal-line stand.

Pass Defense: C-

Gave up alot of yards on some big plays. Watkins' coverage on the reciever on NSU's 2nd quarter TD was atrocious.

Overall Defense: B

Again, oppourtunistic. They held up in very key moments, but gave up some big plays along the way. Forced a safety.

Special Teams: A

A 50 yd field goal for Hellevang. A punt downed inside the 3 yd line. A fumble recovery by Ankenbauer. A blocked punt for a safety. A blocked PAT. (would have been an A+ if not for our own blocked PAT)

My biggest head-scratchers in this game came from the two head coach's on a couple of decisions for each school. I don't understand why Mussman declined the penalty on Hellevang's FG, which would have resulted in a first down. It worked out fine, but why not take the first down? And for the life of me, I can't understand why NSU's coach Peveto would decide to go for it on 4th & 1 from thrier own 17 yd line while trailing by just 3 in the 2nd quarter. He must be a real re-knob.

I was lucky enough to be able to watch the entire game on local cable in Houston and disagree with some of what you say.

Run offense needs a lot of work, none of the backs seem to be able to break a tackle or at least they didn't yesterday (several did push the pile a little at times though). Sutton is fast, he just doesn't get to full speed extremely quickly and NSU had a lot of team speed. The Oline has a lot of work to do!

Landry may have been great against Tech but he was fairly erratic at times yesterday. Even some of the catches were bad throws that WR had to adjust to catch and then could possibly get any yards after the catch. Landry also did make some nice throws though. Bamba kept falling or slipping every time he got the ball until the long TD anyway. I think if they can figure out what to do with Davis in the passing game he could make some big plays, he looks like a very nice athlete.

Pass defense was OK most of the time, I think the bigger issue is getting a pass rush. UND was chasing down the QB a lot but couldn't get to him fast enough to make much difference most of the time. Needs work, but it was very clear that NSU had a pretty healthy speed advantage. I think the big pass play in the 2nd must have a mental screw up, on TV it really looked like he thought a safety was behind him but the camera work didn't show the play that closely.

I thought the run D played well especially considering the amount of jersey pulling the NSU offense was getting away with. On the first drive I was very surprised NSU didn't get several holding penalties. The big standout for me was that the Sioux need to tackle better (wrap up) a few big hits with no wrap up led to first downs for NSU.

Special teams was very good overall, but the punts made me a little nervous because a few times they out kicked coverage and big returns could have been had if the NSU punt returner wasn't having so much trouble. He fair caught the ball when I don't think he would or should have but I am sure he was thinking about his mishandling of the ball earlier.

The offense needs to get better to win next week. SFA will be a good team and they will not be nearly as mistake prone as NSU (they were terrible). I get to go watch the this next game in person, which will give me a much better perspective about how good the sioux are and can be.

[UND92,96]

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.

[GeauxSioux]

NSU drops third game in a row

Said Peveto, "If it's fourth-and-an-inch again, I'm going for it. I believe in our football team."

This man shouldn't even be coaching flag football. That being said, NSU is going to win some games this year in spite of their coach.

Nice win, Sioux. Keep it rolling.

[Shawn-O]

Said Peveto, "If it's fourth-and-an-inch again, I'm going for it. I believe in our football team."

I would call the QB sneak in that situation as well...on Playstation or X-Box.

[Irish]

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.

Many positives from this game - A road win is great - The one negative I saw was the play selection. Almost every series began with a 1 -2 yard run. We put Landry in many awkward passing situations - mainly 3rd and longs. If we want to make our mark this year, we have to mix things up. I too would like to stretch the field - third and long is not condusive to a good passing attack. If we play a team that doesn't make so many crucial mistakes, we could get beat unless we try attack them. I hope this will not be our offense this year.

[terbele]

Was the game streamed last night? I just looked on F S S and do not see it archived. I thought they archived the next day?

[UND92,96]

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

[Sodbuster]

Here's a link to a feature NFL films did a couple years ago about our ND rivalry...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cwbop13A9yQ

The best part? UND WINS!!!!!! (and the BISON SUCK!!!!)

ps - we also have rivalries in nd...especially with PUSSIES who moved up first but later decided they were "TOO GOOD...or scared" to play us.....girls...)

Hey, thanks! It's been a few years since I'd last seen that. I know all those guys in the part from Mayville. The Soux fans in that segment I'd consider friends, the Bison fans misguided.

[SiouxMeNow]

NSU drops third game in a rowThis man shouldn't even be coaching flag football. That being said, NSU is going to win some games this year in spite of their coach.

Nice win, Sioux. Keep it rolling.

Yeah - nice win! I think most fans would be happy coming out of our first 3 games 1-2. Now we're on the happy side of that and could come out 2-1 which would be a big start to the season. Oh - and note to BRADLEY DALE? It's great to have "faith" in your football team but there's ALSO proven basic football strategy and you NEVER go for it on 4th and 1 inch in the 2nd QUARTER of any game at any time. I can imagine NSU fans are already lining up for refunds down there

[sIoUxPeRsTiTiOuS]

Great win for UND. I don't care how they got it. They won on the road against an established FCS team. Good job by the staff and players.

[TechFirst]

I watched that video on the UND-NDSU rivalry. Pretty neat. No different than small town folks down here.

But I gotta say I would have to surrender to keep from dying of exposure. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!! How do y'all stand that cold stuff?

[Sodbuster]

I watched that video on the UND-NDSU rivalry. Pretty neat. No different than small town folks down here.

But I gotta say I would have to surrender to keep from dying of exposure. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!! How do y'all stand that cold stuff?

I spent a few days in Phoenix in late June one summer. I'll take the cold any day. They stay inside in the summer, we stay inside in the winter. Just for different reasons. But........we can always dress for the cold.

[RD17]

I had a chance to watch the replay of the game and these are my thoughts:

1. The talent level is not yet where it needs to be a real good FCS team. Need more size and speed on defense and the oline needs to be better.

2. Landry did not play well and he has to do a better job. Too many missed receivers/ off throws. I think he will play better as he gets timing down with the young receivers but UND will struggle to win games if he continues to play like he did Saturday.

3. Mitch Sutton is a player. Not a polished running back at this point because he lacks patience to set up blocks but he will do some good things these next 4 years.

4. The offense needs to find a way to get the new RB Davis more involved. He is the one guy that can make people miss in space.

5. The special teams are very good. Hellevang is finally looking like a college kicker and the blocked punt was a huge play.

6. Mussman does a very good job of gameplanning and having the team prepared in general. He just needs to upgrade the talent level (which I continue to hear is on the way with this year's recruiting class) and this will be an upper echelon FCS program very soon.

7. The NSU secondary could have been exploited with better play from Landry and the receivers. The 2007 UND team would have scored 2-3 more TDs on them IMO.

8. As was stated by others, any road win at this point is a good one no matter how its done. Need to keep improving the program incrementally and this team will be where it needs to be in 2012.

9. After watching the replay in slow motion the NSU player definitely fumbled on their last scoring drive (ref said he was down) which would have put the game away.

10. I still think this is a 5 or maybe 6 win team at this point unless the offense improves greatly over the next couple of weeks.

[jimdahl]

I had a chance to watch the replay of the game and these are my thoughts:

1. The talent level is not yet where it needs to be a real good FCS team. Need more size and speed on defense and the oline needs to be better.

2. Landry did not play well and he has to do a better job. Too many missed receivers/ off throws. I think he will play better as he gets timing down with the young receivers but UND will struggle to win games if he continues to play like he did Saturday.

3. Mitch Sutton is a player. Not a polished running back at this point because he lacks patience to set up blocks but he will do some good things these next 4 years.

4. The offense needs to find a way to get the new RB Davis more involved. He is the one guy that can make people miss in space.

5. The special teams are very good. Hellevang is finally looking like a college kicker and the blocked punt was a huge play.

6. Mussman does a very good job of gameplanning and having the team prepared in general. He just needs to upgrade the talent level (which I continue to hear is on the way with this year's recruiting class) and this will be an upper echelon FCS program very soon.

7. The NSU secondary could have been exploited with better play from Landry and the receivers. The 2007 UND team would have scored 2-3 more TDs on them IMO.

8. As was stated by others, any road win at this point is a good one no matter how its done. Need to keep improving the program incrementally and this team will be where it needs to be in 2012.

9. After watching the replay in slow motion the NSU player definitely fumbled on their last scoring drive (ref said he was down) which would have put the game away.

10. I still think this is a 5 or maybe 6 win team at this point unless the offense improves greatly over the next couple of weeks.

Thanks Bob -- I always appreciate your insight. Didn't get to see the game myself, so it's nice to see this sort of analysis.

[UND92,96]

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).

[RD17]

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).

I think some of this goes back to line play, but in addition the poor running game was also due to the game situation. I think Mussman and the offensive coaches knew that the offense was not ready to really open up the playbook and once the interception that led to the NSU touchdown happened, the decision was made to go very conservative and try to led the defense win the game. NSU knew it also and was crowding the line of scrimmage and limiting most runs to 3 yards or less, but I'm guessing that Mussman felt that NSU was so mistake prone offensively that they wouldn't be able to score more points unless they were handed to them.