First things first: Drake

[SiouxFan100]

I would think Drake has to be the least talented team we will play this year. Doesn’t bode well for us if we can’t expect a comfortable win.

Not saying I am right but if the game is close I have to be disappointed. 

[northernraider]

Drake has finished 7-4 the past three years, so not a terrible team. They have struggled against non-conference FCS opponents with huge losses to Montana in 2018 and both South Dakota Schools in 2017,  but only lost 2 conference games. This is a great first match up to me. A challenging enough team that you must play all 4 quarters, but on paper should defeat by 21 points. 

Drake men's basketball on the other hand: tough team to beat

[jdub27]

29 minutes ago, northernraider said:

Drake has finished 7-4 the past three years, so not a terrible team. They have struggled against non-conference FCS opponents with huge losses to Montana in 2018 and both South Dakota Schools in 2017,  but only lost 2 conference games. This is a great first match up to me. A challenging enough team that you must play all 4 quarters, but on paper should defeat by 21 points. 

Drake men's basketball on the other hand: tough team to beat

On the other hand, they took 24th ranked Iowa State (who finished 8-5) to the wire last year 27-24 in the final week of the season, including having a 24-20 as late as the final minute of the 3rd quarter. 

[UND1983]

The Drake-Montana game was 17-10 late in the 3rd quarter.  Montana then pulled away with two quick TD's to end the 3rd.  

[UNDColorado]

34 minutes ago, jdub27 said:

On the other hand, they took 24th ranked Iowa State (who finished 8-5) to the wire last year 27-24 in the final week of the season, including having a 24-20 as late as the final minute of the 3rd quarter. 

I think it's important to note that game was a mud bowl and right before ISU played in their bowl game. I suspect ISU didn't show up for that one. Regardless, a good showing by Drake.

[Ozzie82]

 

4 minutes ago, UNDColorado said:

I think it's important to note that game was a mud bowl and right before ISU played in their bowl game. I suspect ISU didn't show up for that one. Regardless, a good showing by Drake.

It's important to note the schedule in Drake's losses, too. A big part of football is WHEN you play a team, especially in college. It's why Ohio State can get blown out by Purdue then go on to win the Big Ten and the Rose Bowl - there are a million examples. That's why it's dangerous to compare records because they aren't apple-to-apples. And why conclusions cannot necessarily be drawn if we beat Drake by 1, lose by 1, or win by 50. The final score may be an indicator of future results, but often it's not.

[gundy1124]

2015-  UND 21/Drake 18        Yotes 52/Drake 0

2016-  Jacks 56/Drake 28

2017-  Yotes 77/Drake 7       Jacks 51/Drake 10

2018-  Griz 48/Drake 16      Iowa St 27/Drake 24 (this game was a torrential down pour and mud fest, FYI)

Every good/decent FCS team has more/less smoked Drake early in the year.  The exception was us in 2015 when we smoked them in the first half, then almost completely melted down and had to hang on.  The following week the Yotes annihilate them 52-0.  2017 the Yotes 77-7, ouch!!

If this game is close we don't have a play-off caliber team.  It's that telling to me.

[UNDColorado]

20 minutes ago, Ozzie82 said:

 

It's important to note the schedule in Drake's losses, too. A big part of football is WHEN you play a team, especially in college. It's why Ohio State can get blown out by Purdue then go on to win the Big Ten and the Rose Bowl - there are a million examples. That's why it's dangerous to compare records because they aren't apple-to-apples. And why conclusions cannot necessarily be drawn if we beat Drake by 1, lose by 1, or win by 50. The final score may be an indicator of future results, but often it's not.

I don't disagree with you at all. Good thing my opinion doesn't really matter!

[Ozzie82]

34 minutes ago, UNDColorado said:

I don't disagree with you at all. Good thing my opinion doesn't really matter!

Nor mine! Ha! You and I are on the same page. 

[Ozzie82]

47 minutes ago, gundy1124 said:

2015-  UND 21/Drake 18        Yotes 52/Drake 0

2016-  Jacks 56/Drake 28

2017-  Yotes 77/Drake 7       Jacks 51/Drake 10

2018-  Griz 48/Drake 16      Iowa St 27/Drake 24 (this game was a torrential down pour and mud fest, FYI)

Every good/decent FCS team has more/less smoked Drake early in the year.  The exception was us in 2015 when we smoked them in the first half, then almost completely melted down and had to hang on.  The following week the Yotes annihilate them 52-0.  2017 the Yotes 77-7, ouch!!

If this game is close we don't have a play-off caliber team.  It's that telling to me.

You're right. I would hope we'd beat them handily, especially based on previous seasons and the results you posted.

 

But this is a different Drake team this year, and this is a different UND team. They have a brand new head coach, we have a new OC and a brand new style of offense, personnel is different, etc. You know how football works. It can be weird. But feel free to draw any conclusion you wish if UND doesn't win by the artificial margin you have deemed necessary.

[gundy1124]

The Excuse Tour game analysis is over for me!!   Let's look at Mississippi Valley State by the numbers.  In 2017 the Bison sleep thru a 72-7 game.  So. Illinois smashes them 55-3.  The Delta Dud-Devils finish 2-9 with 1 victory against Virginia University of Lynchburg.  (so basically only 1 W)

In 2018 we beat MVSU 35-7 and the Excuse bus loads up with "they are better this year as a program" or "we held back our offense, didn't show them anything".

The following week Jacksonville St. dismantles them 71-0. (uh-oh, please pass the crow as MVSU is still dogsh_t)

Texas Southern and Alabama A & M beat MSVU by the same margin UND did, by 28 points. (That's pathetic)

It's a shorter list, 3 teams, to name that put up less points than we did.  Jackson State put up 23, Grambling put up 24, and Alabama St. put up 31, UND put up 35. 

All other teams put up more points than UND and the list of teams has better athletes in the bands than on the football teams.  (Hampton put up 54, Alcorn St. put up 56, Ark Pine Bluff put up 47, Bethune-Cookman put up 41, Texas Southern and Alabama A & M put up 42, and as mentioned a real team like Jack St. put up 71, and the Bison do 72 points in 2017 and played their starters maybe 4 series)

This Drake game is a big deal.

[Sioux94]

13 minutes ago, Ozzie82 said:

You're right. I would hope we'd beat them handily, especially based on previous seasons and the results you posted.

 

But this is a different Drake team this year, and this is a different UND team. They have a brand new head coach, we have a new OC and a brand new style of offense, personnel is different, etc. You know how football works. It can be weird. But feel free to draw any conclusion you wish if UND doesn't win by the artificial margin you have deemed necessary.

In my mind I'd like to score at least 40 points and win pretty handily.  However I guess what really matters is that we pass the eye test and just look better than them and still win, it doesn't necessarily have to be by 25 plus points.  Last time we played in Fargo it was 35-9, which is not close but yet it's not 52-6 either, but yet the game felt more  like 52-6.    You never know if fluky weird things are going to happen where a tipped pass gets returned for a TD or whatever which could make the score look better or worse in one direction.  But I sure as heck hope we are not sitting mid third quarter wondering what the heck is going on like last time we played them. 

[gundy1124]

19 minutes ago, Ozzie82 said:

You're right. I would hope we'd beat them handily, especially based on previous seasons and the results you posted.

 

But this is a different Drake team this year, and this is a different UND team. They have a brand new head coach, we have a new OC and a brand new style of offense, personnel is different, etc. You know how football works. It can be weird. But feel free to draw any conclusion you wish if UND doesn't win by the artificial margin you have deemed necessary.

I will.  35 points.

[Ozzie82]

Man, your buttons are easy to push!

[Mama Sue]

17 days

[SiouxFan100]

I am with Gundy. Not saying the opponent is bad - but saying it is a game we should dominate- not saying the opponent is a pushover but we are supposed to beat teams like this. If we cannot dominate then the coaches didn’t do there job. It would mean we don’t know how to come out and impose our will against one of the teams we should handle. Not saying we can’t improve but I am looking for us to be good more than the opponent to be bad.

[GoHawks]

https://www.drakenation.com/136487/at-North-Dakota-Aug-31-2019

[Nodak78]

DB's will have to keep this guy in check.

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/nfl-teams-playing-close-attention-to-drake-wide-receiver-devin-cates/ar-AAFACB7

[SkoHawks]

2 hours ago, GoHawks said:

https://www.drakenation.com/136487/at-North-Dakota-Aug-31-2019

4.  In case you want to visit Emerson, Manitoba after the game, it's about an hour and a half from the stadium.

lol......

 

[gundy1124]

5 hours ago, Nodak78 said:

DB's will have to keep this guy in check.

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/nfl-teams-playing-close-attention-to-drake-wide-receiver-devin-cates/ar-AAFACB7

Stepsis said what really jumps out about the wide receiver are his intangibles. Cates checks in a 6-foot-4, 240 pounds. He's also been clocked running the 40-yard dash in 4.7 seconds twice in front of representatives from the Bears and Vikings.

My God, how will we ever keep up with a 4.7!!  9 passes for 80 yards against the vaunted Griz  (less than 9 yards per reception) seems like a real threat down the field.  If we can't cover this guy we'll be in trouble all season long.

 

[Mama Sue]

Kleinsasser (sp?) 2.0??

[petey23]

4 hours ago, SkoHawks said:

4.  In case you want to visit Emerson, Manitoba after the game, it's about an hour and a half from the stadium.

lol......

 

Flip the tape, eh!

Do they still have strippers on Thursday nights in Emerson?

[geaux_sioux]

1 hour ago, Mama Sue said:

Kleinsasser (sp?) 2.0??

In 8th grade maybe.

[iramurphy]

7 hours ago, Mama Sue said:

Kleinsasser (sp?) 2.0??

Kleinsasser ran a 4.5 and weighed 275lbs.  

[UND-FB-FAN]

On 8/13/2019 at 3:53 PM, Ozzie82 said:

You're right. I would hope we'd beat them handily, especially based on previous seasons and the results you posted.

 

But this is a different Drake team this year, and this is a different UND team. They have a brand new head coach, we have a new OC and a brand new style of offense, personnel is different, etc. You know how football works. It can be weird. But feel free to draw any conclusion you wish if UND doesn't win by the artificial margin you have deemed necessary.

UND *should* beat Drake handily. If they don't, Bubba and the coaching staff failed the players and the players failed themselves. No excuse to play a non-scholarship Pioneer league team close if UND expects to be an FCS playoff team this season. 

Remember, style points matter in college football and to the FCS playoff committee. UND needs to beat Drake by a sizable margin.