JESUS,family,rutgers Posted April 8, 2006 Share Posted April 8, 2006 Do most of you think the Fighting Sioux will be better than last year,not as good, or about the same? GO FIGHTING SIOUX! GO SCARLET KNIGHTS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bincitysioux Posted April 8, 2006 Share Posted April 8, 2006 Unfortunately, I worry that the Sioux will not be as good as last year. We've lost the best defensive player in DII football (Digger Anderson), probably one of the best offensive linemen in all of college football (Chris Kuper), and of the most prolific kickers in the history of the NCAA (Jeff Glas). Not to mention the loss of our defensive coordinator. We haven't had a dominating running back (like the caliber of USD's Stephen Logan, or UNO's Jamar Day) since Phillip Moore and I don't see one taking over this year. Hopefully Manke steps up at QB and plays like he did at the end of last year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sioux27 Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 I see us being a better overrall team this year for various reasons. Here are a few bullets on my thoughts: 1) No longer will we typcially "settle" for 3 instead of trying for 6. Although I always want to get the points, I think we were in a comfort zone too much this last year. I think that going for the TD or 1st down more often will build the confidence of the offense much earlier in the season. Last year the offense seemed to actually lose confidence as the season came to a grinding hault. 2) We will not rely on the defense as much as in the past. Instead of the ball control scheme we have relied on we will start to look downfield more on offense and create more big plays on defense. (I think we always try create big plays on defense, but I think we will develop a better scheme of pass rushing as well as pass coverage) 3) We will have the right quarterback on the field who can create offensive plays when things get scrambled. This is going to both help and hurt us this season. Manke will possibly throw a few more INT's due to his lack of experience (Yes I know he is a senior and has played but not to the level of Belmore). Even though Manke is a tough kid, I think he will likely get hurt during the second half of the season from all the shots he will be taking. The O-line will be good this year, but when Manke gets down field he takes some hard shots from the LB's and DB's. Manke going down won't hurt us as bad, since Belmore is a solid backup. 4) The O-Line will be solid this year. This will not only help the passing game which was sporatic last year, it will help the running game. (As long as Beatty can run more than 3 yards without fumbling) 5) We need Strouth healthy for the whole year. Not having him last year was the reason we lost to UNO which was the loss that seemed to crumble the rest of the season. If Strouth stays healthy, we will go 9 - 1 next year. If we have to rely on Beatty, we are pretty much screwed and must settle for a 6 way share of the NCC crown at best. 6) Even though the loss of Digger will hurt, I think overall we will play much better overall on Defense. I don't think our defense will be better than last year, but I do think they won't be playing 40 minutes a game and getting tired. Our defense seeing less reps will allow us to play tougher in the end and give up less points. I am wondering however, who the next Digger will be. I can remember as far back as Dean Witkowski saying, "There will never be another one like him". Then came LB's like Digger and Tibesar etc!!!! There will be another Digger, just not with the same defensive stats. 7) One area we will be down in will be the kicking game. (Really going out on a limb here). It will be tough for the team and fans to realize that everytime we get inside the 30 that its no longer an automatic 3 on the board. I don't really know who the kicker is going to be and how good he is. Hellevang is apparently a good kicker, but doesn't have much for experience yet. With all that being said...............my prediction for next year is a 9 and 1 season (That 1 loss will be to UNO or USD) and as a number 3 seed in the region a trip to the semi-final game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RD17 Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 I agree with much of what Sioux27 said. Another factor to consider is that I don't think the NCC as a whole will be as strong this year. USD, UNO, and SCSU all had some major personnel losses and while those teams will all still be good, I don't know if they'll be as strong as the last couple of seasons. To me the ultimate success of this year's team will come down to two things: 1) The health/effectiveness of the offensive line. The article in today's Herald sure sounds promising and if all of these guys come together, stay healthy and play well UND will be a very good offensive team, maybe the best of the Lennon era. This is the first time since 1999 that there should be a healthy senior quarterback in the lineup all season and the depth at WR and RB looks outstanding, particularly if some of the talented young guys continue to develop (Brady, Chappell, Caufield, etc.). Even with UND's conservative nature I think production of over 400 yards and 35-40 points per game is attainable. 2) The development of a few guys in the front seven on defense. With ZBJ's status unknown, Matt Bodoh needs to become a player, Sam Schmitz needs to have a big senior year and a few of the young guys (Stroup, Dombrovski?) need to make an impact at linebacker and be able to provide depth. The starting D-line looks very strong, but some young guys are going to have to step up in that second group as well. That's it. I think everything else is in place to have a national championship caliber team. GVSU is also looking very strong this year so I think it will likely come down to a (final?) playoff battle between GVSU and UND. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigmrg74 Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 With all that being said...............my prediction for next year is a 9 and 1 season (That 1 loss will be to UNO or USD) and as a number 3 seed in the region a trip to the semi-final game. Don't you mean regional final trip?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fightin'su Posted April 11, 2006 Share Posted April 11, 2006 I think the starters on the defense are a very talented and game-tested group. Brennan, Enger, Wolff, Cadwell and ZBJ or Bodoh on the front / Ullsperger and Schmitz or Meek on the inside ( Ullsperger moved to Diggers spot and Schmitz and Meek will probably share time opposite him) / Hoffsneider, Greenwood, DeSautel and Alexander in the secondary. What this defense needs to be great are some hungry "2's" to spell and push the starters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irish Posted April 11, 2006 Share Posted April 11, 2006 I see us as an extremely talented team next year - different from last year, but just as talented. What will make or break us is offensive philosophy and play selection. Strangely enough, we seem to be in some ways worse off with a dominating and opportunistic defense - in close games we rely on the defense to make the plays and tighten up on offense. Coach Lennon has consistantly assembled teams that are more talented than ever - what holds us back is offensive philosophy. It seems that when we play weaker teams our offense plays like worldbeaters - we keep them off balance, take chances, and move the ball down field. It's only in tight situations that we get predictable. Watch tape of last years Omaha game and look at our offense. It's enough to make you pull our your hair. Hopefully, we'll see the need for balance next year. I'm looking foreword to watching our young talent - I wonder who will have breakout seasons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGSIOUX Posted April 13, 2006 Share Posted April 13, 2006 I think the starters on the defense are a very talented and game-tested group. Brennan, Enger, Wolff, Cadwell and ZBJ or Bodoh on the front / Ullsperger and Schmitz or Meek on the inside ( Ullsperger moved to Diggers spot and Schmitz and Meek will probably share time opposite him) / Hoffsneider, Greenwood, DeSautel and Alexander in the secondary. What this defense needs to be great are some hungry "2's" to spell and push the starters. isnt ZBJ gonezo?? i thought i heard rumblings of this around nov/december, anyone remember? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
82SiouxGuy Posted April 13, 2006 Share Posted April 13, 2006 isnt ZBJ gonezo?? i thought i heard rumblings of this around nov/december, anyone remember? The rumor from another thread is that ZBJ has been going to school somewhere in North Carolina but he plans to return for next season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ndsportsfan Posted April 15, 2006 Share Posted April 15, 2006 Unfortunately, I worry that the Sioux will not be as good as last year. We've lost the best defensive player in DII football (Digger Anderson), probably one of the best offensive linemen in all of college football (Chris Kuper), and of the most prolific kickers in the history of the NCAA (Jeff Glas). Not to mention the loss of our defensive coordinator. We haven't had a dominating running back (like the caliber of USD's Stephen Logan, or UNO's Jamar Day) since Phillip Moore and I don't see one taking over this year. Hopefully Manke steps up at QB and plays like he did at the end of last year. Best offensive lineman in all of college football? C'mon. Its time for a bit of objectivity. The draft analysts are calling him a developmental prospect and, to his credit, a sleeper. But to call him one of the best offensive line prospects in all of college football is a little over the top in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woden Posted April 15, 2006 Share Posted April 15, 2006 Best offensive lineman in all of college football? C'mon. Its time for a bit of objectivity. The draft analysts are calling him a developmental prospect and, to his credit, a sleeper. But to call him one of the best offensive line prospects in all of college football is a little over the top in my opinion. Well, I don't know what the purpose of your post is unless it is to spark a flame war, but to say Kuper is one of the top offensive lineman in college football is not really a stretch. Counting D1 (A &AA), D2, D3, NAIA, and JC, there are what, about 500 or so college football teams in America? For the sake of making the numbers easy, let's say each team carries six guards. That's 3000 guards playing football in America right now. Kuper is currently rated as the 16th guard in this year's draft. And like I stated in another post, that number can vary greatly depending on which team is looking at Kuper. Teams like the Broncos and Falcons would definitely put a better ranking on him due to his athletic ability. But, back to the point. Being there are about 3000 guards, and Kuper is the 16th rated, that means he is better than roughly 99% of the guards in college football. If that doesn't mean your one of the top o-lineman, I don't know what does. Just because he's called a development player by so called "experts" doesn't mean he isn't good. Hell, players that don't get drafted and sign as free agents are 10 times better athletes than you or I will ever be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiouxFarFromHome Posted April 20, 2006 Share Posted April 20, 2006 The rumor from another thread is that ZBJ has been going to school somewhere in North Carolina but he plans to return for next season. Just to clear all the confusion, this is coming strait out of the camels mouth. Ive been in North Carolina since January getting my grades and family things worked out, because its what I've needed to do. I very much look forward to finishing the things I started when I first enrolled at UND and thats getting my degree and winning that 2006 National Championship. I hope to be back within the next month or so, so please keep myself and my family in your prayers..... TIll we meet again ZZ TOPZ aka ZBJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sioux-cia Posted April 21, 2006 Share Posted April 21, 2006 Just to clear all the confusion, this is coming strait out of the camels mouth. Ive been in North Carolina since January getting my grades and family things worked out, because its what I've needed to do. I very much look forward to finishing the things I started when I first enrolled at UND and thats getting my degree and winning that 2006 National Championship. I hope to be back within the next month or so, so please keep myself and my family in your prayers..... TIll we meet again ZZ TOPZ aka ZBJ Take care of business and come back strong, healthy and ready to play!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UNDintheNHL Posted May 1, 2006 Share Posted May 1, 2006 Take care of business and come back strong, healthy and ready to play!! I am from NC. anyone know where in NC ZBJ is going to school right now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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