Pitt State Game

[UND Fan]

Well, I will start with a prediction on Saturday's game:

UND 23 Pitt 17

If our defense plays well, we will win. I believe we can score on them.

[Wilbur]

I'll predict that UND will win the game 28-21. UND's defense has been solid but they seem to be suseptible to giving up the long play once in a while. I read somewhere that it is pretty easy to pass on Pitt St. and if thats the case Bowenkamp should have a field day with the recievers we have. Good luck to the Sioux, were all for you!!!!

[Fighting Sioux Fan]

UND 38

Pitt St. 0

wait, that was two years ago...

UND 30

Pitt St. 17

[Brent_Bobyck]

Ditka.....435

PSU.......-2

Who would win in a fight between UND Football and God?

Ans: Trick Question! UND Football is God

[Justaguest]

Hey there up north- I"m writing from Pittsburg Kansas! Just thought I'd see what you guys were saying about the game this next weekend. I've seen all but 2 Pitt Games this year, and I thought I'd share with you, whether you want it or not, things from the other side of the coin.

First off, UND is not as good as they were in 2001.

Second off, Pitt State is much better than they were in 2003.

There. I said it. That much is obvious. Let's move on.

When we came up in 2001, you kicked the absolute crap out of us. Watching that game on TV was the worst 3 hours of my life. Our poor Freshman QB Philpot was being driven into the turf like a penny nail. It was the most complete domination I've ever seen in a Division II playoff game. Only Pitt Game I've never finished.

But times have changed, and, God Willing, the outcome will as well.

First- what's different and good about Pitt State?

1. Our D-Line is fantastic. I mean it, our D Tackles are great. They put a consistent pash rush by themselves, freeing up the linebackers to make a lot of plays. They are so tough to run on because the D-Linemen, McConnell and Stephens are almost impossible to handle one on one. Running the ball on us is difficult.

2. Our team defensive speed has greatly improved, and we can cover a LOT more ground.

3. Our offensive line is improved.

4. Philpot is a much better passer than 2 years ago, and he is a physical specimen. He rarely if ever gets taken down by one guy.

5. Our WR position has been filled out, with viable deep threats that never existed before.

6. Overall, the offensive personnel is much better than 2 years ago, especially at Running back, which lately seems to be window dressing. Not much to do other than lead block for Philpot.

When operating correctly, our offense is very difficult to stop, and Philpot is a beast to contain.

There. Enough bragging.

Now for what scares Pitt Fans about Pitt State.

1. Our kicking game sucks. Absolutely horrible. Cost us both games we lost this season. I mean, two missed PATS and a blocked FG at the end of the game? ARGH! Its not just the kicker, but the blocking, the snapping, all of it. Awful.

2. Losing Levi Neville, our All-American DB on the first play of the Emporia State game has really hurt our secondary. Our corners, in a word, blow. They're fast, and they move to the ball well, but they regularly get toasted like marshmallows at a bonfire. Having 3 of your top five getting hurt before fall camp even opens really takes a toll on your ability to keep the opponents from having big plays. Since the SIoux pass (ALOT, by the looks of it), that scares the bejeezus out of me!

3. Opposing QBs who scramble a lot. NW Mo St's QB was able to throw for 320 yards because he just ran around and our crappy DBs would lose coverage. Plus, the two WRs for NW are fantastic athletes. I've read on here, and looking at your numbers, that you have very good WRs. Is your QB a scrambler or a pocket passer?

4. Our offense, much to our chagrin, gets WAY too conservative against good defenses. Against poor opponents, we open it up and move the ball in all sorts of crazy ways. But lately, it's just been Philpot left, Philpot right, Philpot up the middle. We killed St. Cloud State this year, just abused them. We mixed it up on offense with Play Action, the deep ball, moving the pocket, all of it. But lately it's just been Ground Chuck again, which will work against teams we can dominate the line against, but get killed against the likes of UND in '01 and Omaha in '00.

Still, we're just 3 points from being undefeated, and we'd be playing this game outdoors in the rain this next weekend. Darn kicking game!

This is what I and many others down in this neck of the woods think about Saturday's game:

First, we will not get beat 38-0. Or anywhere close to it. We have a decent shot to win. But the following things must happen.

1. Our D-Line must get by your O-Line, which I hear is pretty good, and put pressure on your talented QB.

2. We must contain the run.

3. We must be in the game at halftime (ahead, tied, or within one score).

4. Our offense cannot go three and out like last time we played up there. We MUST be more varied on offense.

5. Our kicker cannot have any attempts blocked.

So what are your guys' strengths and weaknesses? And don't give the typical diehard fanatic viewpoint where your players fart pixie dust and poop gold, give me a true analytical evaluation of your team.

But no matter what, small college football is great, and the fact that we actually have these honest and true PLAYOFFS to determine the best team is a Godsend.

Best of luck, hope to hear from some of you on here!

[UND92,96]

I would say that UND's strengths are:

1. Throwing the ball. Bowenkamp has a pretty strong arm and has completed 65% of his passes. The top three receivers are all at least 6'2", and are pretty sure-handed. Lueck is an exceptional athlete and a big-play threat. The offensive line has given up just four sacks, or about 1 out of every 85 passing plays.

2. Stopping the run. With the exception of the UNO game, this has generally been good. Not as good as 2001, of course, but still pretty good. NDSU had a good running game but was only able to run for about 75 yards against UND. The Sioux rotate a lot of people in the front seven and probably won't wear down as the game goes along due to all the substitutions.

3. Solid kicker. He's missed some field goals (has made 12 out of 20 on the year) but he's made some clutch ones to win games and has made all of his extra points.

4. Not penalized very much. This was a problem early on, but in the end UND was the least-penalized team in the NCC.

Weaknesses:

1. Running the ball. It's been effective against poor teams like MSU-Mankato, but generally this has been a problem. But if the passing game is as effective as it normally is, 75 yards rushing is probably enough to keep the defense honest. UND is not a team that can just line up and run the ball down the throat of a good defense.

2. Stopping the pass. Some of this has been towards the end of games which really weren't close, but some big plays have been given up against a number of teams. The pass rush isn't as good as it was two years ago and this makes the db's jobs more difficult.

This year, UND games have tended to be pretty close. I wouldn't expect much of a margin of victory for either team. The home field advantage should be pretty significant for UND, and I am thinking that Pitt St.'s lack of a consistent kicking game could be a problem for them, particularly in a close game as this one quite likely will be. The NCC has fared pretty well against the MIAA in the playoffs recently, as the past three years have all had an NCC rep come out of this region. Hopefully for us, that trend continues this year.

[Fighting Sioux Fan]

Check out this link

...your D line is good, but so is our O line. If UND can contain your D line, then UND's passing attack will be the end of Pitt St...

[Smoggy]

Lueck returning punts could be the scariest thing Pitt. St. sees. Special teams could become the most important aspect of this game.

[UND92,96]

Another possible Pitt St. weakness: turnovers. 11 int's thrown and 13 lost fumbles.

[Riverman]

Lueck returning punts could be the scariest thing Pitt. St. sees.  Special teams could become the most important aspect of this game.

I agree. IMHO it will come down to special teams.Both teams by the stats look like they can score big.IMMHO the D for both teams will have a battle.But we don't play games on paper do we.

Now for the score :

UND 33

Pitt 31

Welcome Pitt fans to the home of our FIGHTING SIOOOOOUX!

[SiouxFan4Life]

My prediction

The "special teams" of UND will win the game, because they are comprised of just that special players. Pitt State wont handle what goes on on 4th down. Which will carry over into 1st through 3rd. Its our house, and the visitors will learn soon enough, that we dont like company.

[Give Em' Six]

Just another Gorilla Fan checking in. The previous post from another Pitt State fan has a lot of merit. While its true, the Gorillas absolutely destroyed St. Cloud, that was our A+ game of the year. It was like watching a group of guys draw up plays in the dirt (not saying we ran any kind of trick plays), but everything worked. The Gorillas played with a lot of emotion from the opening kickoff and it was very evident the difference in team speed on that particular evening.

I have a lot of respect for UND and your football program. I was sure rooting for you guys to go all the way and represent the Midwest Region in 2001 after you kicked our sorry A$$ and Congrats on your National Championship.

Prediction Time--

Well, will get to that in a minute. The most important part of this game IMO is the first 3 series from each team. I fear that the Gorillas may still have the Northwest Missouri Bearcat hangover early in this game. IF the Sioux doesn't rock us back on our heels early, then it will be a dogfight until the end.

The Gorillas have recorded 14 sacks in the last 2 games, the Sioux have given up 4 sacks all year. Is this a result of your Offensive Line, or does your offense and QB have a quick release? I think our D-Line will get a sack at some point in the game, but if we get more than one or if we have constant pressure throughout the game, that would play into our favor. If we cannot get to your QB, then you will move the ball at will against our Defense, our only hope then is to hold the Sioux to 3 pts, instead of 6.

***

The Key to this game comes down to the Sioux Offensive Line play vs the Gorilla Defensive Line play, whoever wins this battle wins the game.

I'm a homer so I have to pick my Gorillas 28-24, but if you win the previous mentioned battle, Sioux win 31-27.

Best of Luck to both the Sioux and the Gorillas and I hope to read more predictions and check out this site again after the game. If I can acquire the Satellite coordinates I hope to be watching this game from a Sports Bar in Kansas City, if not I will be watching from a Sports Bar in Pittsburg.