Looking forward to Saturday

[SiouxFan4Life]

Looking forward to Saturdays game, I see a few things:

1. I think Roland and our running attack will be too much for these Delta boys. That finess ish isnt too fancy when we get moving down hill.

2.I think special teams will be a large determining factor= Our All-American kicker versus theirs. It will be interesting to see , but I have a feeling as long as he is healthy that Jeff will be money.

3.I think our defense under the schooling of Tibesar will be phenomenal. I look for all our talented players to step up specifically:

Digger: He just gets better every year, and really impress' me with his class, and ability to read things well.

Brandstead: His coverage looks a lot better from last year, which means the big hits wont be all.

Gagner: That kid is just down right special, and from what I hear is a real student of the game.

Duescher: I think the nose gaurd will be huge in matchups against fast teams, because if the middle is closed, people are waiting on the outside.

Babington-Johnson: He played well against North Alabama and from what I hear the two teams have similarities.

Manke:He will be covering an all-american, but I think he is primed for his best season yet.

4.WR's. Everyone is saying this is the question mark of the team, and with a senior quaterback returning, I look for the Wr/s to take off and never look back especially Johnson, Grossman, Groeschol, and Webber.

[OETKB]

Yes, this is going to be a fun game. At first, when I heard how good Delta was, I was concerned about UND's ability to win. Then, when I started looking into the players listed in the preseason depth chart, that changed.

Defensively, I think we have few worries. Tons of talent there.

Offensively, can we score? That is the big question. Only time will tell if the O-Line is good enough to give Bowenkamp the time he needs to thread those passes. Also, can they open some holes for Roland?

Then there is the issue of WR's. Less concern here. I think Caleb J. and Grossman & crew will step up. How can they not with a passer like Bowenkamp in practice?

If UND's offense can get clicking early in the season, this could be another great year. Go Sioux!

[siouxjoy]

In my opinion, it all comes down to the hogs. I know there is some experience returning to the O-line, but if they can't make holes or protect Bownkamp it is going to be a long season. For those who have seen practices, how did John's scrambling look?

That being said, all that matters is that we score more than Delta, and with a stacked defense, I like our chances.

[Wilbur]

I'm a little bit scared about our kicking situation. Glas does have the leg, but he only made 50 percent of his kicks last season. He did make the ones at the end of games that won some games for the fighting sioux, but I really don't feel that confident in him making say a 43 yard field goal in the third quarter.....

[SiouxFan4Life]

Im not worried about Jeff one bit. He came off of his most clutch season in his life, and he is a pre-season all american. Guys who always hit in the clutch, will eventually get in sync enough to hit during the middle stages of the game. Have faith. Plus all of his games will be indoors except for st.cloud, augie, omaha, and the national championship game in Alabama. I think he will build up enough momentum for himself to be just fine.

[nickelboy]

I hope we can get a good crowd on Saturday. Usually our opponets for the opener are not that tough and the crowd is light, but not the case this year. I hope our "O" line is coming around. This will be a huge test for them. It would have been nice to have the line get their feet wet against a lesser opponet, but if they play well Saturday then we will know how well they are coming along. Ball control and field position will be BIG. Of course we are not selling tickets for $5.00 and giving them away to staff and faculty. The Bison started a thread about our crowd and that they will have many more fans then we will. Well let's see at $5.00 a seat and a area three times bigger then Grand Forks they should have tons of people. Welcome to D-1 football you can see a game for 5 cents, I mean a NICKEL, or is it 5 bucks. How exciting. I'm sure the BISON will set a record attendence and it will be ONE more fan then the UND/NDSU game. You know how they figure out their attendences down there. Bubble screen first play of the game saturday?

[bisonguy]

$5 is more than free to all military personnel in the region.

[choyt3]

$5 is more than free to all military personnel in the region.

[UND92,96]

If NDSU can sell out the Fargodome for a game against the likes of Valpo, more power to them. I only hope the the 5000 to 6000 people who show up on Saturday who DIDN'T go to games last year against far superior teams than Valpo, i.e. UNO, aren't really dumb enough to think that they're going to see a better brand of football from the opponent than what they've seen in the past. NDSU's m.o. in recent years is to draw really well early in the season (and against UND when that game was in Fargo), but then the crowds diminish pretty steadily. In terms of a core group of loyal fans, the two programs seem to have a pretty comparable number, but with the much larger metro area, NDSU has a larger pool from which to draw the casual fan. Those are the extra people who will probably be in the Fargodome on Saturday, but who probably won't still be there later in the season.

[bisonguy]

Pretty good analysis UND92,96. There are a few other factors that contribute to NDSU's diminished attendance late in the season, some of which I don't want to talk about.

I would like to see both UND and NDSU sell out their respective football venues (all season long). Hopefully it would help North Dakota high school football increase it's level of play.

[jimdahl]

No doubt UND's scheduling in the past few years hasn't convinced the casual fan to get excited about opening day, yet the fans have shown up pretty consistently. Openers in the Alerus:

2001 10396 vs. UM-Crookston

2002 9277 vs. UM-Crookston

2003 9253 vs. UM-Crookston

The potential attendance drawback to scheduling a competitive opponent for the opener is that a loss could lead to diminished fan interest; but I certainly think its better for the team to jump right into tougher competition.

As a fan, I'd certainly rather see them play competitive games than win easy games. I'm excited about this opener because I feel like I'm actually going to learn about the team, whereas it was always hard to take much away from the Crookston games.

[dakotadan]

From the sounds of it, the Fargodome is going to be sold out on saturday. Imagine the bragging that will be coming from down south. We need the same thing to happen at the Al. This is going to be a great game. UND has done a great job with the football schedule this year. The first three weeks should be especially exciting. Three very respectable opponents in a row. UND is at an all time high in it's football program and we need to get out and support them. Everyone needs to pick up tickets and tell everyone else you know to do the same. I want to see the Alerus rockin on saturday!

[dakotadan]

$5 is more than free to all military personnel in the region.

Oh, and bisonguy, apparantly all NDSU faculty and staff received two free tickets for saturday's game. What is wrong with us supporting our military and their families?

[bisonguy]

Oh, and bisonguy, apparantly all NDSU faculty and staff received two free tickets for saturday's game. What is wrong with us supporting our military and their families?

Nothing- whining about NDSU's $5 tickets that have to be purchased in a lot of 20 when UND offers free tickets to over 10,000 people in the region is a different story. Nothing wrong with free tickets at all- but stones in glass houses do pose a problem.

[Nodakstud]

So bisonguy, how do you explain the two "free" tickets that Titan machinery gave me a week ago (even though I told them I was a UND student and would not be going to the game). You guys must be tryin really hard for a sellout!!!

[SiouxMeNow]

So bisonguy, how do you explain the two "free" tickets that Titan machinery gave me a week ago (even though I told them I was a UND student and would not be going to the game). You guys must be tryin really hard for a sellout!!!

easy...they're DESPERATE for a sellout to show what a BIG division I (aa) INSTITUTION they've become...they figure if they give it away - fill the place and kick Valpo - THEY'RE IN THE BIG SKY

ps - Valpo FB has NO scholarships...guess what will happen?? Hey - even Crookston had 5 scholarships

[DamStrait]

Nothing- whining about NDSU's $5 tickets that have to be purchased in a lot of 20 when UND offers free tickets to over 10,000 people in the region is a different story. Nothing wrong with free tickets at all- but stones in glass houses do pose a problem.

I think UND does this every year for military (essentially GFAB) personnel, but not necessarily the first football game of the season. Is 'SU in the habit of offering these 20 seats for $100 tickets? If not, then it would appear that these were offered so that 'SU's DIAA coming out party did not fall flat. Nothing wrong with that, it's good marketing of a bad product - that bad product being Valpo (not 'SU) football. It's much more important for 'SU to be able to say they sold out their first ever DIAA home game than for UND to say they sold out the first home game of the 2004 season. Hopefully everybody can understand and agree with that.

Oh, and bisonguy? If 'SU is offering these special ticket prices as a one time deal solely to boost attendance their DIAA home opener, you better watch out because that glass house you're in is coming down around your ears, courtesy of that cinder block you just tossed through a bearing wall.

[jimdahl]

No doubt UND's scheduling in the past few years hasn't convinced the casual fan to get excited about opening day, yet the fans have shown up pretty consistently.  Openers in the Alerus:

2001 10396 vs. UM-Crookston

2002 9277 vs. UM-Crookston

2003 9253 vs. UM-Crookston

Opening day record for UND at the Alerus with official attendance of 10,613! Way to show up for the quality competition!