Looking Toward The Fall

[AJS]

20 minutes ago, SiouxFan100 said:

Stats?

No stats. Was a Redshirt Freshman last year, only played in a few games.

[SiouxFan100]

3 minutes ago, AJS said:

No stats. Was a Redshirt Freshman last year, only played in a few games.

Sorry

height weight position 

I and internet challenged 

[AJS]

1 minute ago, SiouxFan100 said:

Sorry

height weight position 

I and internet challenged 

6'3" / 240lbs / DE

Really like that he'll only be a Sophomore. Interesting note is his dad played at UND.

[SiouxFan100]

1 minute ago, AJS said:

6'3" / 240lbs / DE

Really like that he'll only be a Sophomore. Interesting note is his dad played at UND.

Thanks 

what weight do we want our d ends to be? Probably 265? He will have the frame. Nice that his dad was here

thanks again!

 

[Siouxperman8]

6 hours ago, nodak651 said:

Is that all the co-champs listed on there?  

In all seriousness, the team is getting rings, right?  Also where can I buy a UND MVFC Football champs t-shirt?  I have bought all two football apparel items available and I want more... 

I will be in GF tomorrow.  Does anyone know if MVFC champs gear is for sale anywhere?

[Mama Sue]

10 hours ago, Siouxperman8 said:

I will be in GF tomorrow.  Does anyone know if MVFC champs gear is for sale anywhere?

Is it available on line?

[Goon]

16 hours ago, The Sicatoka said:

 

Apparently, my nephew Mitchell knows this kid, he's from Rogers. Sounds like we're getting a good player. 

[UND Fan]

On 5/3/2021 at 12:26 AM, geaux_sioux said:

First of all, this season went way better than I was expecting. In no way did I see the playoffs as a possibility. We overachieved with a mix of heart and good coaching. Also some guys are better earlier than expected. All things considered, this season was a massive success. There is a lot to build on for the fall. 

Offense:

The QB position is locked and loaded for the foreseeable future. With Feeney coming in, I think it's safe to say this is the best the QB room has ever been at UND. That's huge because only a couple of season ago this was a huge weakness of the program. It will be interesting to see how things play out with Vaughn and Schuster as they develop. Tough to beat out a guy who doesn't really lose. And then there's Feeney, he looks legit. Exciting stuff.

RB is an interesting position group. We have some proven, really good backs in Otis and Skokna, and some promising but very much unproven guys in Mitchell and Smith and Clemetson. We need a bigger back and hopefully the incoming FR Ziebarth can fill that roll. He's also got some wheels which is nice to match with power. If we have two of the unproven/ new guys step up and provide quality reps we'll have a really good looking RB room.

WR has some nice length and experience, but as we all know we lack any game breaking speed. Our offense will never be complete without this. If we bring in some guys who can pop the top off a defense at any moment, all of a sudden everything opens up. Now our big tall and slow white boys have better matchups and won't be asked to do things that don't match their skillset. Also our intermediate guys will have larger windows. This is why we need Damien Owens to come in and be that guy. If he does, look out. Also, it will be huge if Belquist and Boltmann are ready to go in the fall. 

TE has some nice body types and athletes. We're a but green here but there is great potential. Zavalney with 20 more lbs will be a good one. Gunderson looks like a prospect as well. Will we have a Foix or Riviere sighting next year? 

OL I think we finally have a unit that can compete at this level with depth. We've got some older guys with a ton experience but also some young guys who cut their teeth this year and thrived. They need to continue to beef up a bit but already you could see the night and day difference from before when we had them try and play light. This season we had probably our most consistent OL of the D1 era. We now need to get to the point where we can drop the plow on teams and grind out a game on the ground when they know it's coming.

DL.... this unit needs to take the biggest step going into the fall. We have a lot of guys that just aren't big and strong enough. Part of it is recruiting guys who just don't have the frame and part of it is young guys who just haven't had the time to put on the weight yet. Guys like Johnson, Morrison, Lennon, and Seguin need to put on at least another 10 lbs over the summer. Guys like Beach, Orlando, and Keech need to get healthy and see the field more next fall. Especially Orlando, we need him, probably more than anyone, to be a difference maker next fall. Our ability to make a deep playoff run hinges on the progression of this unit. 

LB will need to see some young guys step up on the outside in the fall. It's going to be really hard to replace Turner and Haas out there but, once again there are some good looking young LBs waiting in the wings. Gotta think a guy like Navratil will flourish with even more reps. It seems we always find a way to have a good LB corpse so I am not worried about this group.

CB is stacked. We've never been anywhere near this deep and good at this position. One thing I will say that needs to improve for the fall is our guys need to do a better job of battling with the WRs. Siegle in particular struggles with this. He's a phenomenal athlete and is often in great position to make a play. We saw tonight and against NDSU, though, that he lets guys push off on him too easily. He plays the ball as if there isn't an opponent to throw him off. Improving that will be the difference from being in position and making game changing plays. Im confident this group will take that step and be really really good next season. 

Safety worries me a great deal. We have done a terrible job of recruiting this position. We don't have great length or great size or great speed. The injury to Canaday hurt us and exposed our lack of quality at this spot. Is Koshiol ready? Or will he be the next safety to get slid down to OLB? Kauponnen and Galvin have been hit and miss. Will Coley be an answer? I just don't see it right now from this position. We need to recruit safety better.

All in all, we have a roster that is finally looking legit. A few spots need work but overall we have a young team that gained valuable experience this spring. Can't wait for the fall.

This is an excellent overview.  I agree that we are getting closer!  Just a few thoughts:

• We simply must continue to get bigger, faster and more athletic at all positions.  Players on the current roster will improve/get bigger, etc. but this will be done primarily through recruiting. 
• I agree that Schuster did a great job as a freshman.  He certainly understands the game well and what he can and can't do.  It would be great if he could get a little more zip on the ball as well as improve his long ball.  I expect he will.  It will be interesting how Vaughn matures - his size is intriguing.  I fully expect Feeney to be in the mix very early in his career.
• We have had excellent PKs over the last 30+ years - until the last 2-3 years.  With a good program and playing all home games indoors, we should sure be able to attract a PK at least as good as the many we had during our DII days.
• Similar to above, we can't afford to lose the better part of 10 yards per punt compared to the competition.  Over the course of a game (and a season), those yards can be the difference between winning or losing.  I would hope we could find both a new PK and P in the portal as we haven't recruited either in the latest class.
• Recruiting is so important.  It is great that recruiting will be back to normal on June 1 and that we will be hosting camps again this summer.  Getting kids on campus is vital to our recruiting success - they see the HPC, a beautiful campus (in the summer) with a ton of new buildings going up, etc.   Hopefully, quite soon they will be hearing about HPC2 becoming a reality.  All this will make it easier for a kid to decide to continue his athletic and academic career at UND even though many will drive by other MVC schools to get to GF.  On the down side, competing against NDSU for talented kids will continue to be a major challenge AND, with SDSU's success, they will likely continue to get some of the kids we really want.
• Finally, I hope none of us get too optimistic about next year.  We should be a better team but we open with two road games (one FBS) and have four other road games - at USD, SIU, MO St & SDSU.  Despite our improvement, many of those games are going to be tough to win! 

 

 

[AJS]

@UND Fan Care to expand on your last bullet point? Given the short turn around, all things considered, Fall 2021 should mirror relatively closely to Spring 2021. UND was a Top 10 program. The Missouri Valley is tough no doubt, but found the phrase hope we don’t get too optimistic pretty odd. Everyone’s schedules have road games. 

[Siouxperman8]

8 hours ago, Mama Sue said:

Is it available on line?

I haven't seen anything yet.  Nothing at Scheels or the Bookstore today.  Didn't get to Siouxshop

 

[Boomer 40AAA]

Word on the street is former Bison QB will join the SC Gamecocks as a coach.

[UND Fan]

1 hour ago, AJS said:

@UND Fan Care to expand on your last bullet point? Given the short turn around, all things considered, Fall 2021 should mirror relatively closely to Spring 2021. UND was a Top 10 program. The Missouri Valley is tough no doubt, but found the phrase hope we don’t get too optimistic pretty odd. Everyone’s schedules have road games. 

That wasn't meant to be negative - just saying that we play a bunch of good teams on the road.  I just don't want our fans to jump off the bandwagon - we could be a much better team but have a poorer record.  I certainly hope that isn't the case!

[UND-FB-FAN]

4 hours ago, UND Fan said:

This is an excellent overview.  I agree that we are getting closer!  Just a few thoughts:

• We simply must continue to get bigger, faster and more athletic at all positions.  Players on the current roster will improve/get bigger, etc. but this will be done primarily through recruiting. 
• I agree that Schuster did a great job as a freshman.  He certainly understands the game well and what he can and can't do.  It would be great if he could get a little more zip on the ball as well as improve his long ball.  I expect he will.  It will be interesting how Vaughn matures - his size is intriguing.  I fully expect Feeney to be in the mix very early in his career.
• We have had excellent PKs over the last 30+ years - until the last 2-3 years.  With a good program and playing all home games indoors, we should sure be able to attract a PK at least as good as the many we had during our DII days.
• Similar to above, we can't afford to lose the better part of 10 yards per punt compared to the competition.  Over the course of a game (and a season), those yards can be the difference between winning or losing.  I would hope we could find both a new PK and P in the portal as we haven't recruited either in the latest class.
• Recruiting is so important.  It is great that recruiting will be back to normal on June 1 and that we will be hosting camps again this summer.  Getting kids on campus is vital to our recruiting success - they see the HPC, a beautiful campus (in the summer) with a ton of new buildings going up, etc.   Hopefully, quite soon they will be hearing about HPC2 becoming a reality.  All this will make it easier for a kid to decide to continue his athletic and academic career at UND even though many will drive by other MVC schools to get to GF.  On the down side, competing against NDSU for talented kids will continue to be a major challenge AND, with SDSU's success, they will likely continue to get some of the kids we really want.
• Finally, I hope none of us get too optimistic about next year.  We should be a better team but we open with two road games (one FBS) and have four other road games - at USD, SIU, MO St & SDSU.  Despite our improvement, many of those games are going to be tough to win! 

 

 

I love all your points except the last one. No need to dampen the expectations. UND (and the supporters who pay the bills) needs to have high expectations in order to continue to ascend. The MVFC inaugural season seemed to be the fuel to the fire this spring. 
 

Sure, UND may very well lose a game or two next season, but we don’t need to pump the brakes because that is a possibility. It is perfectly normal (and healthy) for a fan base to be upset if they have high expectations. It’s better than the opposite which is apathy.

Keep going, keep recruiting, keep developing, keep striving to go undefeated. 

[SWSiouxMN]

Play past December 11th (Rough dates for the quarterfinals?)

[Midwestern Hawk]

12 hours ago, UND-FB-FAN said:

I love all your points except the last one. No need to dampen the expectations. UND (and the supporters who pay the bills) needs to have high expectations in order to continue to ascend. The MVFC inaugural season seemed to be the fuel to the fire this spring. 
 

Sure, UND may very well lose a game or two next season, but we don’t need to pump the brakes because that is a possibility. It is perfectly normal (and healthy) for a fan base to be upset if they have high expectations. It’s better than the opposite which is apathy.

Keep going, keep recruiting, keep developing, keep striving to go undefeated. 

As UND football fans,  going into the fall, expectations and excitement should be at an all time high.  It has been a “different” season, but IMO, Bubba and everyone associated with the football program have brought us to the level we have been working towards since taking the plunge to FCS.
A share of MVFC championship, a very high national ranking, and a win against a national finalist(likely to be a win vs national champion).   We are easily among the top 10 teams this spring and likely top 5.   We still need to beat our nemesis to the south but I am confident it will happen very soon.  

[Going48]

Is there any help coming by way of the Freshman class?  Not transfers or JUCO's but potential diamonds in the rough that we recruited?

[Teeder11]

19 minutes ago, Going48 said:

Is there any help coming by way of the Freshman class?  Not transfers or JUCO's but potential diamonds in the rough that we recruited?

I really like this incoming class. Very strategic selections done by the staff, from QB to walk ons.  The ones I am most excited about below are Feeney, Ziebarth, Owens, McNeal, and Bishop.  

I think we could see Owens, McNeal and Bishop push for early playing time. On the transfer front, the FBS drop down can only help on the DL. 

Quarterbacks (1)

Trey Feeney, 6'2“, 195, Moorhead (Moorhead), MN 

Running Banks (1)

Gaven Ziebarth, 6’, 215, 4.5, Cambridge (Cambridge-Isanti), MN Had offers from Army & Air Force

Wide Receivers (3)

Nate Demontagnac, 6'3“, 180, Burlington (Clarkson North), ON

Damien Owens, 6'1”, 175, Scottsdale (Notre Dame Prep), AZ Had offers from Abilene Christian, ID & SUU

Jake Richter, 6'4“, 214, Detroit Lakes (MSU-Mhd), MN Grad Transfer

Tight Ends (1)

Jaden Norby, 6'4”, 230, Ashby (West Central), MN

Offensive Centers (1)

Danny Carroll, 6'2“, 255, 4.9, Overland Park (St. Thomas Aquinas), KS

Offensive Tackles (1)

Sam Hagen, 6'6”, 300, Park River (Park River), ND

Defensive Ends (1)

Casey Schultz, 6'4“, 230, Caledonia (Caledonia), MN Had DII offers

Linebackers (2)

Jaden Feteri, 6'3”, 210, Sioux Falls (Washington), SD

Malachi McNeal, 6', 220, Gurnee ( Warren Township), IL (3 Star - 247) Had offers from Kent St, SEMO, SIU, Fordham, MO St, WIU, Bowling Green & EIU

Cornerbacks (3)

Clayton Bishop, 6', 185, 4.7, Kenosha (Indian Trail), WI Had offers from Air Force, NDSU, SDSU, UNI, WIU & Bucknell

Cole Davis, 5'10“, 175, 4.5, Marenga, IL

Edmund Ocansey, Jr, 6'1“, 165, Champlin (Champlin Park) MN Had offer from St Thomas

PREFERRED WALK-ONS (4)

WR Nick Kupfer, 6'3”, 180, Bismarck (Legacy), ND

DE Ethan McKenney, 6'4“, 200, Kindred (Kindred), ND

QB Simon Rondo, 5'10”, 180, Langdon (Langdon-Edmore-Munich), ND

TE Noah Schaffner, 6'5“, 210, Bismarck (Century), ND

[UND Fan]

On 5/8/2021 at 7:24 PM, UND-FB-FAN said:

I love all your points except the last one. No need to dampen the expectations. UND (and the supporters who pay the bills) needs to have high expectations in order to continue to ascend. The MVFC inaugural season seemed to be the fuel to the fire this spring. 
 

Sure, UND may very well lose a game or two next season, but we don’t need to pump the brakes because that is a possibility. It is perfectly normal (and healthy) for a fan base to be upset if they have high expectations. It’s better than the opposite which is apathy.

Keep going, keep recruiting, keep developing, keep striving to go undefeated. 

AJS, UND-FB-FAN - you guys are correct!!  I shouldn't have made the summation of my post sound like a downer.  We should be very pleased with the spring season that just ended and excited & optimistic about the fall.  

Heck - I am the guy who does the Let's Help Bubba fundraising each year.  For that to be successful, we need as many fans as possible to be pumped and excited about the program.  Thanks for pointing this out!!

[UNDColorado]

15 minutes ago, UND Fan said:

AJS, UND-FB-FAN - you guys are correct!!  I shouldn't have made the summation of my post sound like a downer.  We should be very pleased with the spring season that just ended and excited & optimistic about the fall.  

Heck - I am the guy who does the Let's Help Bubba fundraising each year.  For that to be successful, we need as many fans as possible to be pumped and excited about the program.  Thanks for pointing this out!!

What does the team need this summer?

[SIOUXFAN97]

On 5/7/2021 at 8:10 AM, Midwestern Hawk said:

It's hard to tell for sure from camera angles where safety is when ball is thrown, but safety is not in frame when ball is thrown to Cochrane.  The safety is following the motion towards the boundary at the snap.  My bigger point on that play is Tommy goes to the receiver the play is designed for or he throws it away.  I'm not saying this is bad or necessarily wrong, I'm just saying when you look at the film critically that is what happens on every play.  IMO its also why our offense struggled down the stretch(last 3 games) other then 1st qtr vs MSU.

two plays that really stick out for me in the past couple of years with a running qb are.

1. studs run against wyoming

2. brockstar against sammy houston

a mobile/running qb is almost a must nowadays ...tommy turtled up early in the jmu game when the pocket collaseped on him...not sure why because he has shown he can (sammy game)

[UND Fan]

8 minutes ago, UNDColorado said:

What does the team need this summer?

Players to work hard (get bigger stronger, faster)

Belquist and Boltmann (and anyone else banged up) to get healthy

Pick up another player or two from the portal to strengthen a couple of positions

Host three great flagship summer camps.  In the past, we have hosted two of these camps where we invite top prospects in for us to evaluate them and for them to meet our staff, see our facilities and tour campus.  It is much easier to recruit kids after they have been to one of our camps.  The camps are June 10, 17 and July 17.

[Midwestern Hawk]

1 hour ago, SIOUXFAN97 said:

two plays that really stick out for me in the past couple of years with a running qb are.

1. studs run against wyoming

2. brockstar against sammy houston

a mobile/running qb is almost a must nowadays ...tommy turtled up early in the jmu game when the pocket collaseped on him...not sure why because he has shown he can (sammy game)

Completely agree.   A running QB is so tough to defend. Game changer for SDSU vs SIU.   Gronowski make the only guy left miss and its a TD.

 

[Sioux>Bison]

On 5/8/2021 at 5:43 PM, Midwestern Hawk said:

As UND football fans,  going into the fall, expectations and excitement should be at an all time high.  It has been a “different” season, but IMO, Bubba and everyone associated with the football program have brought us to the level we have been working towards since taking the plunge to FCS.
A share of MVFC championship, a very high national ranking, and a win against a national finalist(likely to be a win vs national champion).   We are easily among the top 10 teams this spring and likely top 5.   We still need to beat our nemesis to the south but I am confident it will happen very soon.  

I think the locker room wants it and knows they can get there more than ever. Just need to keep getting better and building this team into a national championship team. These guys don’t want it for themselves, they want it for each other. It all starts at the top, Bubba has built this team into something players want to be a part of. Can’t wait for the fall season!!!! We will see you all at Utah State!

[Sioux>Bison]

On 5/9/2021 at 9:19 AM, Teeder11 said:

I really like this incoming class. Very strategic selections done by the staff, from QB to walk ons.  The ones I am most excited about below are Feeney, Ziebarth, Owens, McNeal, and Bishop.  

I think we could see Owens, McNeal and Bishop push for early playing time. On the transfer front, the FBS drop down can only help on the DL. 

Quarterbacks (1)

Trey Feeney, 6'2“, 195, Moorhead (Moorhead), MN 

Running Banks (1)

Gaven Ziebarth, 6’, 215, 4.5, Cambridge (Cambridge-Isanti), MN Had offers from Army & Air Force

Wide Receivers (3)

Nate Demontagnac, 6'3“, 180, Burlington (Clarkson North), ON

Damien Owens, 6'1”, 175, Scottsdale (Notre Dame Prep), AZ Had offers from Abilene Christian, ID & SUU

Jake Richter, 6'4“, 214, Detroit Lakes (MSU-Mhd), MN Grad Transfer

Tight Ends (1)

Jaden Norby, 6'4”, 230, Ashby (West Central), MN

Offensive Centers (1)

Danny Carroll, 6'2“, 255, 4.9, Overland Park (St. Thomas Aquinas), KS

Offensive Tackles (1)

Sam Hagen, 6'6”, 300, Park River (Park River), ND

Defensive Ends (1)

Casey Schultz, 6'4“, 230, Caledonia (Caledonia), MN Had DII offers

Linebackers (2)

Jaden Feteri, 6'3”, 210, Sioux Falls (Washington), SD

Malachi McNeal, 6', 220, Gurnee ( Warren Township), IL (3 Star - 247) Had offers from Kent St, SEMO, SIU, Fordham, MO St, WIU, Bowling Green & EIU

Cornerbacks (3)

Clayton Bishop, 6', 185, 4.7, Kenosha (Indian Trail), WI Had offers from Air Force, NDSU, SDSU, UNI, WIU & Bucknell

Cole Davis, 5'10“, 175, 4.5, Marenga, IL

Edmund Ocansey, Jr, 6'1“, 165, Champlin (Champlin Park) MN Had offer from St Thomas

PREFERRED WALK-ONS (4)

WR Nick Kupfer, 6'3”, 180, Bismarck (Legacy), ND

DE Ethan McKenney, 6'4“, 200, Kindred (Kindred), ND

QB Simon Rondo, 5'10”, 180, Langdon (Langdon-Edmore-Munich), ND

TE Noah Schaffner, 6'5“, 210, Bismarck (Century), ND

Can Ziebarth catch? Maybe he should pull an anti Santiago and line up in the slot after coming in as a RB......

[UNDColorado]

14 hours ago, UND Fan said:

Players to work hard (get bigger stronger, faster)

Belquist and Boltmann (and anyone else banged up) to get healthy

Pick up another player or two from the portal to strengthen a couple of positions

Host three great flagship summer camps.  In the past, we have hosted two of these camps where we invite top prospects in for us to evaluate them and for them to meet our staff, see our facilities and tour campus.  It is much easier to recruit kids after they have been to one of our camps.  The camps are June 10, 17 and July 17.

For sure but I obviously meant financially since you have been setting up all of the help Bubba campaigns.