Greetings from Salt Lake

[geaux_sioux]

1 hour ago, RavenousUte said:

You forget we have natural acoustics off the mountain side... kind of an amphitheater effect.    Well, that and over twice the mouth breathers. 

Your fans don't have a lifetime of hate built up towards us though. Your stadium won't be as loud as it would be for a big PAC 12 game either. Just pointing out that it won't be the loudest environment our guys have ever played in. Definitely cooler and nicer than the Fargo Dome, just not as loud.

[SlowHand]

5 hours ago, geaux_sioux said:

Utah will not be as loud as NDSU. It will be very loud but it won't be as loud as 20,000 fat mouth breathers with over a decade of built up angst packed together under a metal roof.

Why you gotta be such a dick.  Isn't it about time to let the stupid insults go?

 

[geaux_sioux]

25 minutes ago, SlowHand said:

Why you gotta be such a dick.  Isn't it about time to let the stupid insults go?

 

Thank you for proving my point.

[PATRIOT]

32 minutes ago, SlowHand said:

Why you gotta be such a dick.  Isn't it about time to let the stupid insults go?

 

Easy...You know that's his shtick/gimmick

[SiouxFan100]

3 hours ago, Sioux94 said:

I was hoping you guys would have stuck with Williams, as Huntley sounds like he is a better runner/scrambler.  Those types of QB's can be frustrating to play when they end up making big plays out of nothing.  

I agree in theory about not liking a scrambling QB. Offset the scrambling ability with a new QB that (I think) hasn't started before. Let's get him rattled a little and see how he holds up. What about a first play pick6 for a confidence builder!!

[RavenousUte]

1 hour ago, geaux_sioux said:

Your fans don't have a lifetime of hate built up towards us though. Your stadium won't be as loud as it would be for a big PAC 12 game either. Just pointing out that it won't be the loudest environment our guys have ever played in. Definitely cooler and nicer than the Fargo Dome, just not as loud.

Yeah we don't hate you guys... but still we have a rep for creating false starts to uphold...Nothing personal..

Quote

Since 2004, attendance at Utah football games has averaged above 40,000 people per game and sold out every home game since 2008. The increases in attendance combined with passionate University of Utah fans have made for a loud, hostile environment opposing teams do not look forward to. 

Guest Services employee David Bennion described the evolvement of Utah football crowds saying “It has been interesting to see more and more people come to the games. Six or seven years ago, you could buy tickets at the box office right before the game and sit wherever you wanted… now, its loud, the seats are full, and teams don’t enjoy playing here because of the noise”. 

Much of the noise during games is credited to the Mighty Utah Student Section (MUSS), a group of 6,000 plus students which create ruckus while opposing teams are on offense. The Muss has received national recognition as being among the best student sections in the country. 

MUSS Coordinator Brynn Whitchurch said “Our goal is to produce as much noise possible while the other team is trying to move the ball down the field. We take pride in making it difficult for the other team to communicate on offense and causing penalties that help the defense.” 

The MUSS keeps track of their success disrupting offenses with a line of 5’s posted along the railing of the Utes sideline tallying all the false starts this season.

USC even preps for trips here by having "crowd noise and static piped into practice (this week) to prepare players (for Saturday)."  

I hope you guys are pleasantly surprised at our intensity for every opponent.  We won't be overlooking or disrespecting you Hawks, neither the team, nor the fans. Don't be shocked, if it is the loudest environment you have played in.

[UNDColorado]

9 minutes ago, RavenousUte said:

Yeah we don't hate you guys... but still we have a rep for creating false starts to uphold...Nothing personal..

USC even preps for trips here by having "crowd noise and static piped into practice (this week) to prepare players (for Saturday)."  

I hope you guys are pleasantly surprised at our intensity for every opponent.  We won't be overlooking or disrespecting you Hawks, neither the team, nor the fans. Don't be shocked, if it is the loudest environment you have played in.

I am looking forward to the trip! It will be loud and a lot of fun.

 

[Irish]

7 hours ago, UND-FB-FAN said:

With this game approaching, I am becoming more concerned about the University of North Dakota's ability to handle the environment in Utah. In 2015, the University of North Dakota played in two high-intensity college football environments: North Dakota State University and the University of Montana. Both games ended very poorly for the University of North Dakota.  Wyoming is also a consideration from that year. That win remains a promising staple from 2015; of course, that Wyoming team was also very very bad.  UND will have to do a much better job of handling the crowd noise on August 31st. If anything, the matchup should prepare the Fighting Hawks for their October 14th game against the University of Montana in Missoula. That game, ultimately, will be more important due to its conference implications. 

 Bottom line: if the Fighting Hawks can prevent big plays on defense and get their three-headed rushing attack going, they may just be able to offset some of the crowd noise and pull off the upset. 

I'm much more concerned about play selection than noise - we did the old run, run, incomplete, punt sequence much more that we should have even last year.  Because of our winning ways, Rudolph got by easy last year (except for the last game where the outrage faded faster than a henna tattoo).  I feel that this sequence is just below the surface waiting to rear its ugly head as soon as things get tight.  I hope I am wrong.  

 

[Sioux94]

1 hour ago, RavenousUte said:

Yeah we don't hate you guys... but still we have a rep for creating false starts to uphold...Nothing personal..

USC even preps for trips here by having "crowd noise and static piped into practice (this week) to prepare players (for Saturday)."  

I hope you guys are pleasantly surprised at our intensity for every opponent.  We won't be overlooking or disrespecting you Hawks, neither the team, nor the fans. Don't be shocked, if it is the loudest environment you have played in.

I'm hoping it's loud the whole game, that means it is likely pretty competitive.  If you are up 35-7 in the 3rd quarter your fans will probably lose a little interest being up that much against an FCS school.  Montana fans like to quote Tony Romo who said playing in Montana was the loudest stadium he's played in, and Montana hates us almost as bad as NDSU does so I'm sure it was plenty loud in Montana when we played there two years ago.  

I think it's a given though that we will have at least one false start, which may have happened without the noise....but the noise certainly won't help.  First game of year, big and loud crowd, if we only have 1 false start I'd call it a win for us. 

[Sioux94]

How many rushing yards do you guys think we will get against Utah and their tough defensive front? 

[RavenousUte]

20 minutes ago, Sioux94 said:

How many rushing yards do you guys think we will get against Utah and their tough defensive front? 

• Are your backs inside or edge rushers?  
• Do you guys utilize a fullback?
• How good is your O-line at stunts and adapting to defensive shifts?
• How good is your passing game to keep the defense honest?
• How does your size compare to the defense below?

DEFENSE
LDE	56	Anae, Bradlee SO/1	92	Tupai, Maxs RS FR
LDT	45	Mokofisi, Filipo RS SR/3	99	Fotu, Leki SO/1
RDT	93	Lotulelei, Lowell SR/3	53	Havili-Katoa, Alani RS JR/2
RDE	11	Fitts, Kylie RS SR/TR/1	47	Repp, Caleb SO/1
MLB	10	Tauteoli, Sunia SR/TR/2	48	Liljenquist, Karsen JR/TR
ROVER	5	Luafatasaga, David SR/TR/1	30	Barton, Cody JR/2
LCB	21	Smith, Tyrone JR/2	18	King, Nygel RS FR
SS	22	Hansen, Chase RS JR/2
FS	15	Ballard, Corrion JR/TR	2	Afia, Philip RS SO/1
RCB	23	Blackmon, Julian SO/1	39	Call, Tanner FR
NB	26	Burgess, Terrell SO/1	1	Hobbs, Boobie SR/3

 

[UNDColorado]

8 minutes ago, RavenousUte said:

• Are your backs inside or edge rushers?  Both- Oliveria tends to be better inside the tackles and Santiago like to find space outside.
• Do you guys utilize a fullback? Yes, #42 Kyle Norberg. He is a physical specimen and can run the ball well when the opportunity is there.
• How good is your O-line at stunts and adapting to defensive shifts? Good question- Early last season not so much, but played better down the stretch. Most return this season.
• How good is your passing game to keep the defense honest? Another good question- last season we started slow here so we saw the box stacked for the first few games. Rookie receivers last season did not help but we return a lot of experience here so we should have a faster start this season.
• How does your size compare to the defense below? I don't see sizes, did it get cut off when you took the screenshot?

DEFENSE
LDE	56	Anae, Bradlee SO/1	92	Tupai, Maxs RS FR
LDT	45	Mokofisi, Filipo RS SR/3	99	Fotu, Leki SO/1
RDT	93	Lotulelei, Lowell SR/3	53	Havili-Katoa, Alani RS JR/2
RDE	11	Fitts, Kylie RS SR/TR/1	47	Repp, Caleb SO/1
MLB	10	Tauteoli, Sunia SR/TR/2	48	Liljenquist, Karsen JR/TR
ROVER	5	Luafatasaga, David SR/TR/1	30	Barton, Cody JR/2
LCB	21	Smith, Tyrone JR/2	18	King, Nygel RS FR
SS	22	Hansen, Chase RS JR/2
FS	15	Ballard, Corrion JR/TR	2	Afia, Philip RS SO/1
RCB	23	Blackmon, Julian SO/1	39	Call, Tanner FR
NB	26	Burgess, Terrell SO/1	1	Hobbs, Boobie SR/3

 

 

[Sioux94]

3 minutes ago, RavenousUte said:

• Are your backs inside or edge rushers?  
• Do you guys utilize a fullback?
• How good is your O-line at stunts and adapting to defensive shifts?
• How good is your passing game to keep the defense honest?
• How does your size compare to the defense below?

DEFENSE
LDE	56	Anae, Bradlee SO/1	92	Tupai, Maxs RS FR
LDT	45	Mokofisi, Filipo RS SR/3	99	Fotu, Leki SO/1
RDT	93	Lotulelei, Lowell SR/3	53	Havili-Katoa, Alani RS JR/2
RDE	11	Fitts, Kylie RS SR/TR/1	47	Repp, Caleb SO/1
MLB	10	Tauteoli, Sunia SR/TR/2	48	Liljenquist, Karsen JR/TR
ROVER	5	Luafatasaga, David SR/TR/1	30	Barton, Cody JR/2
LCB	21	Smith, Tyrone JR/2	18	King, Nygel RS FR
SS	22	Hansen, Chase RS JR/2
FS	15	Ballard, Corrion JR/TR	2	Afia, Philip RS SO/1
RCB	23	Blackmon, Julian SO/1	39	Call, Tanner FR
NB	26	Burgess, Terrell SO/1	1	Hobbs, Boobie SR/3

 

I will let others smarter and more knowledgeable than me reply....but here is a quick reply.

- We have three really good RB's, two are very powerful and strong inside rushers.  The other is a really quick and fast guy that is good around the edge or once he gets through the hole,  He is shorter and may seem small, but he has a mean stiff arm that takes defenders by surprise sometimes.  

- Yes we have a full back, and will probably hand off to him 3-4 times a game

- Our OL has some decent experience this year, I'll let others talk about their ability to pick stuff up and the details of that.  We are hoping experience pays off this year, but that said....our OL is also a concern going into the year as we were just average last year and the OL has started out slow the past couple of years.  

- Our QB is capable, but he's not light up the field type of guy because we are more of a run first offense.  Our QB we are hoping is more consistent this year because we now have experience at WR. Last year we had several injuries to our WR's and we had some true freshman playing quite a bit, and our only speed guy broke his leg in the first game which caused us to see a lot of 8 in the box.  We hope to take a step forward in the passing game this year, and quite frankly are going to have to be able to get some key completions against you guys to move the ball.  We just decided to pull the red shirt off a freshman this year because he is quick and will really be our only burner, and he'll likely play against you guys to help us at least try to stretch the field.    The one thing our QB usually doesn't do is turn the ball over, he's only had 6 INT's the past two seasons.  We need to win the turnover battle against you guys. 

[RavenousUte]

44 minutes ago, UNDColorado said:

 

Sorry I couldn't find a spreadsheet with sizes so I was lazy and provided one with links that lists the size of each...  I'll try updating it.

			Height	Weight			Height	Weight
LDE	56	Anae, Bradlee SO/1	6’3”	259	92	Tupai, Maxs RS FR	6’1”	249
LDT	45	Mokofisi, Filipo RS SR/3	6’3”	285	99	Fotu, Leki SO/1	6’5”	318
RDT	93	Lotulelei, Lowell SR/3	6’2”	317	53	Havili-Katoa, Alani RS JR/2	6’3”	304
RDE	11	Fitts, Kylie RS SR/TR/1	6’4”	254	47	Repp, Caleb SO/1	6’5”	216
MLB	10	Tauteoli, Sunia SR/TR/2	6’0”	227	48	Liljenquist, Karsen JR/TR	6’1	233
ROVER	5	Luafatasaga, David SR/TR/1	6’4”	225	30	Barton, Cody JR/2	6’2”	225
LCB	21	Smith, Tyrone JR/2	6’4”	205	18	King, Nygel RS FR	6’0”	178
SS	22	Hansen, Chase RS JR/2	6’3”	220
FS	15	Ballard, Corrion JR/TR	6’3”	205	2	Afia, Philip RS SO/1	6’1”	195
RCB	23	Blackmon, Julian SO/1	6’1”	187	39	Call, Tanner FR	5’11”	165
NB	26	Burgess, Terrell SO/1	6’0”	188	1	Hobbs, Boobie SR/3	5’10”	180

[UNDColorado]

2 hours ago, RavenousUte said:

Sorry I couldn't find a spreadsheet with sizes so I was lazy and provided one with links that lists the size of each...  I'll try updating it.

 

 

			Height	Weight			Height	Weight
LDE	56	Anae, Bradlee SO/1	6’3”	259	92	Tupai, Maxs RS FR	6’1”	249
LDT	45	Mokofisi, Filipo RS SR/3	6’3”	285	99	Fotu, Leki SO/1	6’5”	318
RDT	93	Lotulelei, Lowell SR/3	6’2”	317	53	Havili-Katoa, Alani RS JR/2	6’3”	304
RDE	11	Fitts, Kylie RS SR/TR/1	6’4”	254	47	Repp, Caleb SO/1	6’5”	216
MLB	10	Tauteoli, Sunia SR/TR/2	6’0”	227	48	Liljenquist, Karsen JR/TR	6’1	233
ROVER	5	Luafatasaga, David SR/TR/1	6’4”	225	30	Barton, Cody JR/2	6’2”	225
LCB	21	Smith, Tyrone JR/2	6’4”	205	18	King, Nygel RS FR	6’0”	178
SS	22	Hansen, Chase RS JR/2	6’3”	220
FS	15	Ballard, Corrion JR/TR	6’3”	205	2	Afia, Philip RS SO/1	6’1”	195
RCB	23	Blackmon, Julian SO/1	6’1”	187	39	Call, Tanner FR	5’11”	165
NB	26	Burgess, Terrell SO/1	6’0”	188	1	Hobbs, Boobie SR/3	5’10”	180

Thanks! When the updated two deep comes out I will post it so you can compare. The main roster page is hard to manipulate the way you have it as it is numerical, alphabetical or by position groups. http://www.undsports.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=13500&SPID=6399&SPSID=58641&DB_OEM_ID=13500

[RavenousUte]

10 hours ago, UNDColorado said:

• Are your backs inside or edge rushers?  Both- Oliveria tends to be better inside the tackles and Santiago like to find space outside.
• Do you guys utilize a fullback? Yes, #42 Kyle Norberg. He is a physical specimen and can run the ball well when the opportunity is there.
• How good is your O-line at stunts and adapting to defensive shifts? Good question- Early last season not so much, but played better down the stretch. Most return this season.
• How good is your passing game to keep the defense honest? Another good question- last season we started slow here so we saw the box stacked for the first few games. Rookie receivers last season did not help but we return a lot of experience here so we should have a faster start this season

 

10 hours ago, Sioux94 said:

I will let others smarter and more knowledgeable than me reply....but here is a quick reply.

- We have three really good RB's, two are very powerful and strong inside rushers.  The other is a really quick and fast guy that is good around the edge or once he gets through the hole,  He is shorter and may seem small, but he has a mean stiff arm that takes defenders by surprise sometimes.  

- Yes we have a full back, and will probably hand off to him 3-4 times a game

- Our OL has some decent experience this year, I'll let others talk about their ability to pick stuff up and the details of that.  We are hoping experience pays off this year, but that said....our OL is also a concern going into the year as we were just average last year and the OL has started out slow the past couple of years.  

- Our QB is capable, but he's not light up the field type of guy because we are more of a run first offense.  Our QB we are hoping is more consistent this year because we now have experience at WR. Last year we had several injuries to our WR's and we had some true freshman playing quite a bit, and our only speed guy broke his leg in the first game which caused us to see a lot of 8 in the box.  We hope to take a step forward in the passing game this year, and quite frankly are going to have to be able to get some key completions against you guys to move the ball.  We just decided to pull the red shirt off a freshman this year because he is quick and will really be our only burner, and he'll likely play against you guys to help us at least try to stretch the field.    The one thing our QB usually doesn't do is turn the ball over, he's only had 6 INT's the past two seasons.  We need to win the turnover battle against you guys. 

Ok some stats from last year... 

RUSHING YARDAGE	2782	1673
Yards gained rushing	3093	2093
Yards lost rushing	311	420
Rushing Attempts	570	428
Average Per Rush	4.9	3.9
Average Per Game	214.0	128.7
TDs Rushing	26	13

OPPONENT TEAM GAME HIGHS

 

Rushes	47	at Arizona State (Nov 10, 2016)
Yards Rushing	251	vs Oregon (Nov 19, 2016)
Yards Per Rush	6.5	vs USC (Sep 23, 2016)
TD Rushes	2	vs BYU (Sep 10, 2016)
		vs USC (Sep 23, 2016)
		at Arizona State (Nov 10, 2016)

So opposing  teams averaged 128.7 per game.  Talent differential aside not withstanding...  Our front 7 returns a lot of starters including  Lowell Lotulelei, younger brother of Star Lotulelei.  Probably a first round NFL pick and pretty much demands a double team.  Also back is Kylie Fitts, who missed most of last year due to injury, he is a pocket collapsing machine and not prone to overcommitting.   Our weakness is the DBs who only return Chase Hansen.  First consideration is opening holes in the line.   Unless you can pull our guys to create holes or have your fullback punch a hole for your RB, you aren't going to have success up the middle.  You will more likely have better luck on the edges if you can keep our Sam back in the nickel to help with pass protection.  Kyle is very good at teaching player to swarm to the ball.  

Best guess is you get between 80 on the low side and 150 on the high side rushing.  I don't think its going to be more than 150 because you will have to do a lot of passing to keep the defense honest. Basically, its going to be your strength (rushing) versus our strength (front-7) and 8 out of 10 we win strength vs strength based on talent.  

UND can definitely win... but you will need to exploit our weaknesses.  This year that is our secondary and our inexperienced O-line.  Also we have a position battle at placekicker.  If you can hold us to field goals, that's winning.  But beware the rest of our special teams.  They are Utah's hallmark and we are returning the Ray Guy award winner from last year at punter.

I've tried to be as objective and fair as possible.  If you think I am way off base let me know where I error in my assumptions.

[UND-FB-FAN]

8 hours ago, RavenousUte said:

 

Ok some stats from last year... 

RUSHING YARDAGE	2782	1673
Yards gained rushing	3093	2093
Yards lost rushing	311	420
Rushing Attempts	570	428
Average Per Rush	4.9	3.9
Average Per Game	214.0	128.7
TDs Rushing	26	13

OPPONENT TEAM GAME HIGHS

 

Rushes	47	at Arizona State (Nov 10, 2016)
Yards Rushing	251	vs Oregon (Nov 19, 2016)
Yards Per Rush	6.5	vs USC (Sep 23, 2016)
TD Rushes	2	vs BYU (Sep 10, 2016)
		vs USC (Sep 23, 2016)
		at Arizona State (Nov 10, 2016)

So opposing  teams averaged 128.7 per game.  Talent differential aside not withstanding...  Our front 7 returns a lot of starters including  Lowell Lotulelei, younger brother of Star Lotulelei.  Probably a first round NFL pick and pretty much demands a double team.  Also back is Kylie Fitts, who missed most of last year due to injury, he is a pocket collapsing machine and not prone to overcommitting.   Our weakness is the DBs who only return Chase Hansen.  First consideration is opening holes in the line.   Unless you can pull our guys to create holes or have your fullback punch a hole for your RB, you aren't going to have success up the middle.  You will more likely have better luck on the edges if you can keep our Sam back in the nickel to help with pass protection.  Kyle is very good at teaching player to swarm to the ball.  

Best guess is you get between 80 on the low side and 150 on the high side rushing.  I don't think its going to be more than 150 because you will have to do a lot of passing to keep the defense honest. Basically, its going to be your strength (rushing) versus our strength (front-7) and 8 out of 10 we win strength vs strength based on talent.  

UND can definitely win... but you will need to exploit our weaknesses.  This year that is our secondary and our inexperienced O-line.  Also we have a position battle at placekicker.  If you can hold us to field goals, that's winning.  But beware the rest of our special teams.  They are Utah's hallmark and we are returning the Ray Guy award winner from last year at punter.

I've tried to be as objective and fair as possible.  If you think I am way off base let me know where I error in my assumptions.

All fair points; thank you for the analysis!

I would say the University of North Dakota's strongest unit is by far their defensive line (and running backs if all 3 are healthy). UND runs a 3–4 base system and UND has 3 units (9 players) of experience and ability at d-line. 

That will be the matchup to watch closely: UND's defensive line vs Utah's offensive line. 

[RavenousUte]

7 hours ago, UND-FB-FAN said:

All fair points; thank you for the analysis!

I would say the University of North Dakota's strongest unit is by far their defensive line (and running backs if all 3 are healthy). UND runs a 3–4 base system and UND has 3 units (9 players) of experience and ability at d-line. 

That will be the matchup to watch closely: UND's defensive line vs Utah's offensive line. 

Defensive battles are fun to watch for me like 2 swordsmen fencing... Some people say they are boring but I like them.

[Sioux94]

16 hours ago, RavenousUte said:

 

Best guess is you get between 80 on the low side and 150 on the high side rushing.  I don't think its going to be more than 150 because you will have to do a lot of passing to keep the defense honest. Basically, its going to be your strength (rushing) versus our strength (front-7) and 8 out of 10 we win strength vs strength based on talent.  

 

I think you are being pretty fair and objective.  The initial number I had in my head was to hope to rush for 120-130 yards and try to get at least that, and then maybe we'd have a chance.  If we somehow got more than that.....that is just gravy.  I don't think we will go over 150 yards rushing either, unless we break a big one.  I could certainly see a scenario where we get less than 100 though, but hope that doesn't happen.  We are going to have to use our jet sweep to get our guys outside, screens and other passes too.  Our offensive coordinator is going to have to call a great game.  We are going to also have to hope your offense is maybe a little rusty or out of rhythm from learning a new offense and having a first year starter and have our defense take advantage of that.  We will need to win the turnover battle too.  We will need a lot of things to go right to pull off the upset, but anything can happen.   And at least the coach we have now will have our players in the mindset that we are going there to win the game, not just compete. 

[UofUUtes]

 

[UNDColorado]

24 minutes ago, UofUUtes said:

 

Colorado student section is legit...very "creative" cheers. Looking forward to evaluating the Ute students in just over a week 

[siouxfan512]

2 hours ago, UNDColorado said:

Colorado student section is legit...very "creative" cheers. Looking forward to evaluating the Ute students in just over a week 

Maybe they could get a hockey team, there are a few other schools in that state that are a little sad.

[UND-FB-FAN]

6 hours ago, siouxfan512 said:

Maybe they could get a hockey team, there are a few other schools in that state that are a little sad.

CU would be smart to continue to stay out of that endless money pit. 

[BarnWinterSportsEngelstad]

We''re preparing for the Utah noise, by having loud music played inside the HPC .

[forksandspoons]

Obviously, UND will need to pass to win the game. However, I still think they will do their best to pound the rock. It only takes a small opening to free Santiago. I'm predicting a couple of long Santiago runs and over 150 yards rushing as a team.