2023 Football Season

[UND Football Fan]

No love from the way too early football bracket.

 

https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/article/2023-08-02/way-too-early-2023-fcs-playoff-bracket-preseason-predictions?fbclid=IwAR1YkJUwIXEt1ydeOUQbFMeWwWWD27qPe8StDfvLJsrXQCqNrYc8zoeYdtE

 

[Sioux94]

2 minutes ago, UND Football Fan said:

No love from the way too early football bracket.

 

https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/article/2023-08-02/way-too-early-2023-fcs-playoff-bracket-preseason-predictions?fbclid=IwAR1YkJUwIXEt1ydeOUQbFMeWwWWD27qPe8StDfvLJsrXQCqNrYc8zoeYdtE

 

Bulletin board material right there, not even a mention of UND. 

[fightingsioux4life]

8 hours ago, Sioux94 said:

Bulletin board material right there, not even a mention of UND. 

Preseason rankings of any kind are pretty much worthless.

[The Sicatoka]

Want preseason predictions?
Most overrated this pre-season: Idaho

[UND Football Fan]

33 minutes ago, fightingsioux4life said:

Preseason rankings of any kind are pretty much worthless.

UND was not ranked last year and it took us forever to get in. Doesn’t ranking help with playoff selection?
 

However, we need to prove we can consistently be a playoff caliber team. 

[UND-FB-FAN]

39 minutes ago, UND Football Fan said:

UND was not ranked last year and it took us forever to get in. Doesn’t ranking help with playoff selection?
 

However, we need to prove we can consistently be a playoff caliber team. 

You’ve disclosed an unfortunate truth; off the field perception does influence playoff selection based on how the process works.

with that said, it ultimately comes down to how you perform on the field; Bubba and boys simply need to win more big games (FBS games, NDSU, SDSU, etc). 

[fightingsioux4life]

1 hour ago, UND Football Fan said:

UND was not ranked last year and it took us forever to get in. Doesn’t ranking help with playoff selection?
 

However, we need to prove we can consistently be a playoff caliber team. 

My point is that nobody can predict what will happen for any team before a single down has been played. Picking a playoff bracket now is a waste of time. If we run the table during the regular season, not being included in the preseason playoff bracket won't matter. But yeah, not being included in a pre-season playoff bracket is a slap in the face and (I hope) bulletin board material for the team.

[fightingsioux4life]

1 hour ago, The Sicatoka said:

Want preseason predictions?
Most overrated this pre-season: Idaho

I think Northern Iowa is overrated in the MVFC poll.

[FSSD]

28 minutes ago, fightingsioux4life said:

I think Northern Iowa is overrated in the MVFC poll.

I think UNI is about right..  they could throw a wrench into MVFC this year.  SDSU needed a last second FG last year to win.  I think the top 4 SDSU, NDSU, UNI, UND are very close.  SDSU had the best D line in the MVFC last year.  They graduated a couple of disruptors from that line.  It will still be good.  But, not as good as it was last year.  So, it will be interesting to watch the MVFC.  I don't think SDSU runs the table in conference this year.

[fightingsioux4life]

13 minutes ago, FSSD said:

I think UNI is about right..  they could throw a wrench into MVFC this year.  SDSU needed a last second FG last year to win.  I think the top 4 SDSU, NDSU, UNI, UND are very close.  SDSU had the best D line in the MVFC last year.  They graduated a couple of disruptors from that line.  It will still be good.  But, not as good as it was last year.  So, it will be interesting to watch the MVFC.  I don't think SDSU runs the table in conference this year.

I guess I am just tired of UNI getting into the playoffs with a 6-5 record more often than not.

[forksandspoons]

https://www.grandforksherald.com/sports/college/und-football-fall-camp-day-3-bo-belquist-now-the-veteran-leader-at-wide-receiver
 

Former UND OL and current Minnesota Vikings OL coach Chris Kuper addressed the team today 

[SuhakiYeahYeah]

5 minutes ago, forksandspoons said:

https://www.grandforksherald.com/sports/college/und-football-fall-camp-day-3-bo-belquist-now-the-veteran-leader-at-wide-receiver
 

Former UND OL and current Minnesota Vikings OL coach Chris Kuper addressed the team today 

Interesting. Thaden moved to the O-Line.

[Teeder11]

Friday 8/4/2023 dispatch from the Pollard:

Both sides of the ball were buzzing today.

They practiced in helmets and shoulder pads and did 3 live 11 on 11 sessions and some skelly work.

The day started with a 11 on 11 and the defense looked pumped and blew up a play right from the start.

The defense typically has a leg up on the offense to start fall camp and this year looks to be no different..although the gap seems much closer this year.

Offensively, the focus was on quick tempo plays ....get up to the line and get the play off quickly. 

Running backs Smith, Skokna and Z, along with Q at TE and newcomer Korey Tai at WR got a lot of targets early.

Future watch: Winnipegger CB Marcus Wahl is slight and not very tall but it's quickly evident what coaches saw in him. He's quick and sticky on defenders and practices at game speed always.

Top 3 newbies to keep an eye on early in camp (This does not mean they are candidates to have shirts pulled yet)

1. Marcus Wahl, CB

2. Lance Rucker, LB 

3. Korey Tai, WR

True freshman QB Jerry Kaminski looks to be about where Feeney was at this time last year. Head is swimming. He tucks and runs early a lot. He'll give plays more time as he grows into the playbook and things start to slow down. He looks the part, has an accurate arm when he throws. He hasn't demonstrated any deep throws yet. His progress is all very normal for young QB's first week.

O line gained a member in former TE 6-7 Trace Thaden

Starting O Line at practice today appeared to be Anderson and Kilty at tackles, Hagen and Ventrelli at guard and Borud at center. Bryant did spell Hagen at right gaurd sometimes today. Depth at O Line is the best I've seen in a long time.

 During the second 11 on 11 session:

The play was more even in this session with a slight edge given again to the D.

In an all former FM athlete affair, CB Dixon had a nice PBU on tall lanky freshman receiver Vuciri Hakim on a ball from lefty QB Feeney.

RB Ziebarth and Seidel had nice long runs during the this session.

Tommy hit Red in the backfield and the speedy WR darted around the end for a first down.

Newcomer Safety Tyler Erkman had a PBU on WR DeMontagnac on a 20 yard pass up the sideline, but, according to my eyes, Erkman got their a tad early.

During Skelly drills:

Tommy hit Jack Write on a rope for 25 yards over the middle.

LB Mullen stripped Skok,a who looked to be fighting for more yards, on a short pass play. Defense got the recovery. 

A player who needs to find a spot on the field other than QB is Simon Romfo, ala Brockstar Boltmann. He's just so poised and athletic.

Romfo hit Belquist on a 40 yard touch down pass during skelly drills. Romfo put it in front of Belquist who had to burst to catch up to it, grab it and score.

Impressive and talented back up CB Bleuett followed that play up with a PBU

Several times today, Skokna reminded us what we were missing last year. His legs are fresh after a year off and his cuts are still sudden and sharp with incredible burst.

Local LB Paine Parks has strung together 3 strong practices at fall camp. Good size and athleticism for depth to backup Kelley, Pedigo, and MacNeil.

Elijah Klein finally made his appearance known today in the final 11 on 11 session of the day with two 20 or so yard grabs over the middle, one from Tommy and one from Feeney.

Red wound things up with a nice misdirection play in the backfield. The D bit hard on another player one way and Red who actually had the ball took it around the other way for what would have been a long TD. 

 

[MoSiouxFan]

20 minutes ago, Teeder11 said:

Friday 8/4/2023 dispatch from the Pollard:

Both sides of the ball were buzzing today.

They practiced in helmets and shoulder pads and did 3 live 11 on 11 sessions and some skelly work.

The day started with a 11 on 11 and the defense looked pumped and blew up a play right from the start.

The defense typically has a leg up on the offense to start fall camp and this year looks to be no different..although the gap seems much closer this year.

Offensively, the focus was on quick tempo plays ....get up to the line and get the play off quickly. 

Running backs Smith, Skokna and Z, along with Q at TE and newcomer Korey Tai at WR got a lot of targets early.

Future watch: Winnipegger CB Marcus Wahl is slight and not very tall but it's quickly evident what coaches saw in him. He's quick and sticky on defenders and practices at game speed always.

Top 3 newbies to keep an eye on early in camp (This does not mean they are candidates to have shirts pulled yet)

1. Marcus Wahl, CB

2. Lance Rucker, LB 

3. Korey Tai, WR

True freshman QB Jerry Kaminski looks to be about where Feeney was at this time last year. Head is swimming. He tucks and runs early a lot. He'll give plays more time as he grows into the playbook and things start to slow down. He looks the part, has an accurate arm when he throws. He hasn't demonstrated any deep throws yet. His progress is all very normal for young QB's first week.

O line gained a member in former TE 6-7 Trace Thaden

Starting O Line at practice today appeared to be Anderson and Kilty at tackles, Hagen and Ventrelli at guard and Borud at center. Bryant did spell Hagen at right gaurd sometimes today. Depth at O Line is the best I've seen in a long time.

 During the second 11 on 11 session:

The play was more even in this session with a slight edge given again to the D.

In an all former FM athlete affair, CB Dixon had a nice PBU on tall lanky freshman receiver Vuciri Hakim on a ball from lefty QB Feeney.

RB Ziebarth and Seidel had nice long runs during the this session.

Tommy hit Red in the backfield and the speedy WR darted around the end for a first down.

Newcomer Safety Tyler Erkman had a PBU on WR DeMontagnac on a 20 yard pass up the sideline, but, according to my eyes, Erkman got their a tad early.

During Skelly drills:

Tommy hit Jack Write on a rope for 25 yards over the middle.

LB Mullen stripped Skok,a who looked to be fighting for more yards, on a short pass play. Defense got the recovery. 

A player who needs to find a spot on the field other than QB is Simon Romfo, ala Brockstar Boltmann. He's just so poised and athletic.

Romfo hit Belquist on a 40 yard touch down pass during skelly drills. Romfo put it in front of Belquist who had to burst to catch up to it, grab it and score.

Impressive and talented back up CB Bleuett followed that play up with a PBU

Several times today, Skokna reminded us what we were missing last year. His legs are fresh after a year off and his cuts are still sudden and sharp with incredible burst.

Local LB Paine Parks has strung together 3 strong practices at fall camp. Good size and athleticism for depth to backup Kelley, Pedigo, and MacNeil.

Elijah Klein finally made his appearance known today in the final 11 on 11 session of the day with two 20 or so yard grabs over the middle, one from Tommy and one from Feeney.

Red wound things up with a nice misdirection play in the backfield. The D bit hard on another player one way and Red who actually had the ball took it around the other way for what would have been a long TD. 

 

Appreciate the excellent recap.  Thanks!

[Wilbur]

Read the Herald article and Tom mentioned that former player Greg Lotysz is having health issues.  I guess I've been under a rock, because I noticed that Peyton was no longer on the team.  Anybody know what happened there?

[shep]

1 hour ago, Wilbur said:

Read the Herald article and Tom mentioned that former player Greg Lotysz is having health issues.  I guess I've been under a rock, because I noticed that Peyton was no longer on the team.  Anybody know what happened there?

Injuries. Not sure if ACL or what 

[McBuckets]

4 hours ago, Teeder11 said:

Elijah Klein finally made his appearance known today in the final 11 on 11 session of the day with two 20 or so yard grabs over the middle, one from Tommy and one from Feeney.

Really hoping he sees the field this year, have to hope he can beat the injury bug and we get "one of the greatest wide receivers in North Dakota prep history" out on the field 

[Teeder11]

20 minutes ago, McBuckets said:

Really hoping he sees the field this year, have to hope he can beat the injury bug and we get "one of the greatest wide receivers in North Dakota prep history" out on the field 

For sure. When you watch him walk and run it looks like he’s patched together with spare parts. But my can he catch!

[Nodak78]

 

[SiouxHawkGuy]

https://www.underdogdynasty.com/2023/8/5/23811802/fcs-2023-predictions-preview-playoffs-montana-state-south-dakota-state-furman-holy-cross-samford
 

 

 

[Teeder11]

Tucked casually into Tom Miller’s Fall Camp Day 4 recap was this observation. FWIW, I’ve observed good defensive trends, as well, in my limited early looks at this year’s Hawks:

• The defense disrupted more plays than usual Saturday with pressure at the quarterback. Jaelen Johnson, Josh Navratil and Devin Hembry all had quarterback "sacks" in the non-contact team drills.

Still a lot to be determined if these are sustained trends or flashes in the pan. Whether it’s  a simplified playbook or chip on their collective shoulders or both, it’s encouraging. All that said, the defensive side of the ball usually comes out of the gates faster in fall camp and the O plays catch up. And Depth at linebacker is still a concern. However a few young LBs have come in with the right body types and are vying to play sooner than later. 

Buckle up!

[homer]

20 minutes ago, Teeder11 said:

Tucked casually into Tom Miller’s Fall Cap Day 4 recap was this observation. FWIW, I’ve observed good defensive trends, as well, in my limited early looks at this year’s Hawks:

• The defense disrupted more plays than usual Saturday with pressure at the quarterback. Jaelen Johnson, Josh Navratil and Devin Hembry all had quarterback "sacks" in the non-contact team drills.

Still a lot to be determined if these are sustained trends and or flashes in the pan. Whether it’s  a simplified playbook or chip on their collective shoulders or both, it’s encouraging. All that said, the defensive side of the ball usually comes out of the gates faster in fall camp and the O plays catch up. And Depth at linebacker is still a concern. However a few young LBs have come in with the right body types and are vying to play sooner than later. 

Buckle up!

The encouraging part is we have a ton returning on offense so the defense coming out of the gate faster should a bit tougher to do.   Hopefully a sign of good things to come

[Teeder11]

1 minute ago, homer said:

The encouraging part is we have a ton returning on offense so the defense coming out of the gate faster should a bit tougher to do.   Hopefully a sign of good things to come

Indeed, the real test will happen next week when full pads and more contact starts to be allowed. But then my anxiety also rises due to risk of stupid practice injuries. I’m never settled. 

[Sioux94]

Hoping Navratil becomes a consistent playmaker for us at OLB this year. 

[Dustin]

5 hours ago, Teeder11 said:

Tucked casually into Tom Miller’s Fall Camp Day 4 recap was this observation. FWIW, I’ve observed good defensive trends, as well, in my limited early looks at this year’s Hawks:

• The defense disrupted more plays than usual Saturday with pressure at the quarterback. Jaelen Johnson, Josh Navratil and Devin Hembry all had quarterback "sacks" in the non-contact team drills.

Still a lot to be determined if these are sustained trends or flashes in the pan. Whether it’s  a simplified playbook or chip on their collective shoulders or both, it’s encouraging. All that said, the defensive side of the ball usually comes out of the gates faster in fall camp and the O plays catch up. And Depth at linebacker is still a concern. However a few young LBs have come in with the right body types and are vying to play sooner than later. 

Buckle up!

I did catch that about the defense. If they can disrupt what will likely be one of the top offenses in the league, things are heading in a good direction.