2003

[fytingsu]

questions when looking to next seasons team . who are the "stars" (off and def) going to be? will all the coaches be back? which frosh (who redshirted this year) will contribute ? anyone know anything about groeshel(qb), hoffschneider(cb), desautel(s) or ullsperger(lb) ?these 4 were mentioned by coach lennon in the paper.

[dbarker]

I would look for Mahmoud, Travis Lueck (sat out this year) and possibly Bowenkamp if his decision-making improves to be the offensive standouts. Defensively, Digger Anderson, Irvin, Brennan, Hermes and Stratton should lead the way.

I know Hoffschneider was an all-stater at cornerback in Colorado's largest-school class of high school football, which is impressive in and of itself. I wouldn't be surprised if he starts next year. DeSautel is very tall and a good athlete. I didn't realize he may play tight end as he was listed as a safety on the roster, but the Sioux could certainly use a receiving threat at tight end so that may make sense if he can put on some weight. Ullsperger will likely be in the rotation at inside linebacker next year. Groeschl had a nice high school career as a qb in Wisconsin, and has evidently emerged as the front-runner of the three qb recruits in last year's recruiting class. I guess I'd be surprised if he actually gets any playing time next year, though. I had thought Shad Carney might see some time this year after having been named the offensive scout player of the year last season, and he never played a single down to my knowledge.

[fytingsu]

thanks for the info dbarker. i know an offensive player who said as defensive scouts this year that hoffschneider was really quick and agressive getting to the ball and that at lb ullsperger was just frickin' nuts. go soiux.

[dbarker]

Coach Lennon made the comment (I believe it was on the Sioux Football show Sun. night) that last spring's recruiting class reminds him of last year's group of seniors (Schmidt, Riendeau, etc.). If they have anything resembling the talent of that group, then this year will hopefully not be repeating itself anytime soon. I also think the previous class has a lot of ability, as displayed this year by Mahmoud, Anderson, Gagner, Alkins, etc. Better play-calling, fewer turnovers and more forced turnovers could turn things around pretty quickly.

[pirate]

I believe the critical question is who will be coming back from this past years team? A certain amount of attrition usually occurs, however, I see some players as not making the progression expected in a quality program. Next years team will be Coach Lennon's first with his own recruits and the transition from Coach Thomas to Lennon will be complete. As for players to lead the way, the "o"-line will have to replace Schnieder. Last week Coaches had Storhaug and Grant(moved over from guard) making snaps. Also, will have to replace Murphy at tight end, great at making blocks not used to catch passes. Vanderpan is back and has experience.Trevor Meilke(RS) some some time at the end of the year. I wonder where Eric Ahstrom fits in? The only thing the backs and receivers need is physical maturity(off-season weight and conditioning) for the RSs. The upperclassmen like Miller, Wistopf, Ahlers, Stattelman, Johnson et al are now the "leaders" and need to solidify that role. The defense has got to get it's confidence back. Making big plays and controlling the game is SIOUX defense. Turnovers, big hits and getting to the opposition's quarterback is SIOUX defense. Taking away the running game, neutralizing the opponents best receiver is SIOUX defense. This team has to regain that confidence AND ATTITUDE. I see those qualities in players like Anderson, Gagner and Stratton. Coach Lennon has talked about the evolution of the game and how He has recruited for that change. He is building a program based on speed and finesse. Gone are the days of bulk and brute force. He talks about generating strength from speed, quickness and technique. His reruits certainly reflect those qualities.

[jimdahl]

My impression of this season (not having seen a single game live) was that the Sioux losses were largely mental. The team just wasn't clicking and finishing off it's opponents.

When you look at the conference losses other than UNC, they were 17-20, 17-20, 35-36, and 31-38. The later contests included record-setting performances by Mahmoud and Bowenkamp and some great contributions by others including Ahlers and Stratton.

Every one of those games hinged on countless turnovers, missed opportunities, etc... None were blowouts. The final week performance proved what the team could do. Hopefully they'll carry that spirit into next season.

[dbarker]

Also,  will have to replace Murphy at tight end, great at making blocks not used to catch passes.

If he chooses to come back, Murphy does have another year of eligibility. As mentioned above, Tom Desautel is another option at tight end if he is not utilized as a safety. He would certainly bring an element of athleticism to the tight end position.

I wonder if there may be a handful of jucos brought in this year? I know there have been very few during the Thomas/Lennon era, but it wouldn't surprise me if we see a few this year. If there are positions where the staff feels an immediate talent upgrade is necessary, jucos are about the only option since there are so seldom high school players ready to contribute immediately. Unfortunately, with the small senior class there may not be much scholarship money available--unless there are more than the usual number of players leaving the program early.

[pirate]

Unless the JUCO is of extraordinary talent and also has impeccable academic credentials, I don't see Lennon and staff going that route. Lennon and staff have a history of 'red-shirting' transfers. (See Mikal Smith and this year Jarvis Thomas.)

[UND Fan]

Pirate -- please enlighten me as to who Jarvis Thomas is.

[dbarker]

Unless the JUCO is of extraordinary talent and also has impeccable academic credentials, I don't see Lennon and staff going that route. Lennon and staff have a history of 'red-shirting' transfers. (See Mikal Smith and this year Jarvis Thomas.)

I agree that the staff would be careful with regard to the character of a juco, but Lennon himself said on the radio show on KKXL last Wednesday night that they were going to take a look at whether they needed to recruit jucos to upgrade the talent at some positions. I look at it as similar to the basketball team where your nucleus is high school recruits but a few impact transfers can put you over the top. I wouldn't mind having another Glen Matthews on the team, although admitedly there aren't many players of his caliber on both the field and the classroom who attend a juco.

[RD17]

I think the 5-6 record isn't a true indicator of the talent on this team. Like Jim pointed out, there were two early losses against teams that are a combined 21-1, then the 4 close losses where UND just couldn't catch a break. If Klosterman would have been healthy, we'd probably have won 7 games with a tough schedule and a very young squad- not too bad if you ask me.

QB- I assume it's Bowenkamp's job to lose, and I agree with whoever said he needs to learn to make better decisions- he does have potential though. With Carney and Groeshel waiting their turn, we should be solid here.

RB- Mahmoud and Beatty will be a year stronger, and if Miller can come back healthy, we should have some depth. If Miller can go, who starts? Wisthoff is a good blocker and receiver at FB.

WR- Ahlers and Stattelman have good hands, but aren't incredibly fast. Caleb Johnson has got great potential- he's very quick, but I don't know if he's got the flat out speed to be a consistent deep threat. This is where Lueck and Alkins come in. If both of these guys can emerge as big play receivers, we're really sitting good here.

OL- With 4 returning starters, plus the emergence of Kuper late in the year should make the line much better next year. For the most part, the pass protection was good, but we didn't run the ball very well against the good teams. That needs to improve and should with a year of experience.

DL- Probably the biggest ? on the team. Brennan will be the NG, and I think he's got All-American type potential if his knee is healthy, but replacing Halverson and Dixon at the ends might be tough. I thought there was a noticeable drop off against the run this year when Momerak and Smith were in there. I've heard Chuck Erlandson looked good in practice this fall, so maybe he'll help out. If there's a place for the coaching staff to pick up a JUCO like a Glenn Matthews, this might be it.

LB- Irvin, Anderson, Hermes, Dahlen, Babington- Johnson, Ullsberger- it seems like we've always got talent and depth here. The LBs are a little smaller than what we've had in the past, but we need speed and quickness to deal with all of the spread offenses. Should be a good unit next year.

DB- Stratton and Gagner back at safety- very solid here. Manke had a decent year starting at one CB, but who will the other be? Hopefully either Thomas, Hoffschneider, or #11 (can't think of his name right now) can come in and do the job. We really need someone to step up and be a lock-down corner like Riendeau or Brant Grimes if we're going to get back to being a dominating defense.

Special teams- Kicker and Punter(s) return and alot of good return men. The thing I wish the coaching staff would do is get alot more aggressive at trying to block punts. We've got the athletes to do it, and there's nothing like a blocked punt to swing the momentum of the game in your favor. Send the special teams coaches down to some Virginia Tech coaching clinics to pick up some punt blocking schemes.

I think we will be at or near the top of the conference next year. UNC is gone. SCSU will be tough with Heckendorf back, but they've got to replace Ben Nelson at WR, and their TE who's said to have NFL potential. They'll have 14 starters back, but they do lose their entire DL. UNO loses half a dozen guys on each side of the ball. We should have a better team than the others in the conference. I'm already looking forward to a good year.

[dbarker]

One statistic that absolutely must improve next year is sacks. In 2001, the Sioux led the NCC is sacks with 23 (conference only). This year, that number dropped to 9. The pass rush is crucial to forcing turnovers, which this year's team was unable to do much of. If the staff looks at juco players, I would hope it would be a pass rusher. Maybe Babington-Johnson can be the guy, but he would need to put on some pounds in the off-season. He does have the speed, and he had a lot of sacks in high school.

[RD17]

One statistic that absolutely must improve next year is sacks. In 2001, the Sioux led the NCC is sacks with 23 (conference only). This year, that number dropped to 9. The pass rush is crucial to forcing turnovers, which this year's team was unable to do much of. If the staff looks at juco players, I would hope it would be a pass rusher. Maybe Babington-Johnson can be the guy, but he would need to put on some pounds in the off-season. He does have the speed, and he had a lot of sacks in high school.

I agree the defense needs to get more sacks, and I mentioned so earlier on this board. After looking back at the season, I think the lack of sacks probably had more to do with our propensity to get behind early in every game than a problem with the players or scheme.

When you're behind, teams run the ball more and it's alot harder as a defense to just pin your ears back and go after the QB. Last year, we'd get ahead early, shut down the run, then go relentlessly after the QB the rest of the game because we knew other teams had no other alternative than to pass.

[dbarker]

I had a chance to listen to the coach's show in KKXL tonight, and it was pretty interesting. Coach Lennon sounded pretty upbeat and was very optimistic about the future of the program. He sounded VERY high on Hoffschneider and Ullsperger. He also mentioned DeSautel, Schmitz, Steve Brennan, Babington-Johnson, and Groeschl, among others, as freshman who looked good this year in practice. He said something to the effect that Carney was still deciding on his future plans, but didn't really elaborate. I got the impression he is contemplating a transfer, although Lennon didn't specifically say that. He also said they will play at Mesa next year, and that they are talking to Duluth and Northern State about possible games next season. Now, for the really bad news. UND will play Crookston again next year. Ugh. I know they're division II and all, but I can't imagine there's too many people who really want to see that game again.

[pirate]

Jarvis Thomas is listed as a D-Back. He is a junior, who last attended Waldorf C.C. in Iowa. I would agree that if UND could get a transfer anywhere near the quality of Glenn Matthews, they should jump all over him. His football, academic and personal qualities are very rare. What I don't want to see are non-sucesses like Duston Broderick and Mykal Smith. I thought the O-Line matured as the season progressed. I had heard alot about Kuper since last year. I think moving Grant to Center and inserting Kuper into the line-up is a worthy experiment. The D-line can be effective in that all who return have "whiskers" with their game experience over the past years. A healthy Brennan will help. Again, the Line-backers are all very talented which we've come to expect. Some just need to mature physically. The same can be said for the D-backs.

[JBB]

I dont think Northern State is going to be much different than Crookston. But, another look at the future of your schedule.

[The Sicatoka]

But Duluth wouldn't be a bad game at all.

They are a playoff team this year.

Hey, why didn't Duluth and NDSU play this year? I had heard the deal was set. What caused the back-out (by Duluth)?

[RD17]

This is from Frank Fee's weekly Sports Feever column on the KROX-AM website (Crookston) found here. Fee is the UMC play by play guy:

The UMC football schedule for next year is still a work in progress. They are looking to fill one game.

August 28th - ST. CLOUD STATE (Thursday night game at home)

Sept. 6th -     Still looking to fill. They are talking with UND again and South Dakota

State. UMC athletic director, Lon Boike said that SDSU has said if UMC

comes down to Brookings next year, they would come to Crookston the

following year. UMC has told UND that, and UND is

[JBB]

He certainly would have been a competitor in the much coveted Golden Arm competition! Too bad for you home town boys. Klosterman and proxies needed all the help they could get. How is it that Lennon passed him up in favor of the perennial Harlon Hill favorite?

[star2city]

With the screwed up NCC schedule, we still have only 3 home conference games next year (4 away).

What are the three NCC home games next year?

[RD17]

This is the 2003 NCC schedule from the fightingsioux.com website. I'm assuming UNC will be removed:

Date Opponent

Sept. 13 Open

Sept. 20 at Nebraska-Omaha

Sept. 27 Augustana

Oct. 4 at South Dakota

Oct. 11 St. Cloud State

Oct. 18 at South Dakota State

Oct. 25 North Dakota State

Nov. 1 at MSU, Mankato

Nov. 8 Open

Nov. 15 Northern Colorado

[JBB]

The NDSU schedule for 2003 shows the sue soxers traveling to Fargo to Play the Fabulious Fargo Dome October 25. Maybe you read your schedule wrong?

2003 - NDSU

9/6 open

9/13 Cal Davis @ Fargo

9/20 UNC @ Fargo

9/27 SDSU @ Fargo

10/4 @ Augustana

10/11 USD @ Fargo

10/18 @ UNO

10/25 sue soxers @ FARGO

11/1 @ SCSU

11/8 Mankato @ Fargo

11/15 open

2004 shows NDSU @ sue soxers

2005 Shows sue soxers @ NDSU

I suppose the 04 & 05 schedules are not very accurate since both show full NCC schedules and presumably NDSU will be playing D1AA ball.

[dbarker]

I think the confusion regarding the conference schedule for next year is caused by the fact that a few years ago when the NCC released future schedules, they included Morningside. I have the 2000 UND football media guide and it listed the 2003 schedule as playing at ndsu. However, once Morningside dropped out, and now with UNC leaving as well, the schedules had to be changed. I'm assuming that's why the 2002 media guide lists the 2003 schedule as having ndsu coming here. Otherwise, UND would have two conference home games and five on the road next year. That's not going to happen, obviously.

On an unrelated note, the NCC all conference teams were announced today. Jesse Smith, Ben Olson, Dustin Thornburg and Ethan Marquis made the first team. Riza Mahmoud, Eric Halvorson and Josh Christofferson made the second team. Congrats to those players.

[JBB]

You assume all other dates are correct then? Only the NDSU date is wrong?

[jimdahl]

You assume all other dates are correct then?  Only the NDSU date is wrong?

I think, rather, that he was saying by tracing the date of publication on the varying schedules, you can figure out which is most current.

The 2000 media guide listed the 2003 game as being in Fargo. The 2002 media guide lists the 2003 game as being in Grand Forks. Hence, the game was changed from Fargo to Grand Forks at some point.

UND's conference schedule as of the 2002 media guide (minus the UNC game) was 3 home, 4 away. While it's possible that shifts since the publication of the 2002 media guide have resulted in the game being moved back to Fargo, that would have required UND to change at least two other games, sending giant ripples throughout the entire NCC schedule.

Since next year is NDSU's last in the conference, leaving that game as-is (in Grand Forks) seems least disruptive. Particularly since taking your schedule, but moving the UND game to Grand Forks, results in NDSU having a 4 home/4 away schedule.

To confuse things more. What's up with this (from Oct. 8, 2002)?

NDSU will field a Division II schedule next year in the first of a five-year reclassification period. The Bison are slated to play in Grand Forks on Oct. 18, 2003.

http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/s...rts/4239843.htm