June Random Updates

Posted on June 18, 2013 by oskie

There have a been a couple newsworthy items that have popped up in the last couple weeks concerning UND Football.  June is obviously a slow time of the year so when something actually does happen it becomes major news.

1.  Athletic Director Brian Faison hit a couple grand slams in the past few weeks with his future FBS scheduling.  UND announced that they will be playing the University of Utah in 2017 out in Salt Lake City.  In return for traveling out to take on the Utes, who get to keep their native american nickname, UND receives $450,000.  Utah, who recently joined the Pac-12 conference, was 5-7 last season – their first in the conference.  This will be a very tough game for UND as Utah is usually a solid club and will have 4 years of Pac-12 revenue sharing flowing into the coffers before UND heads out there.

2.  Just when UND fans thought that the payday/opponent couldn’t get a whole lot better, Faison announces that UND will take on Steve Sarkisian and the Washington Huskies in 2018 out in Seattle.  The payday for this Pac-12 game:  $500,000.  Now that is a heck of chunk of change.  The Huskies were 7-6 in 2012, losing to Boise State in the Maaco Bowl, 28-26.  Since Sarkisian took over the helm in 2010, Washington has been a very good offensive team and at the same time a very bad defensive team.  Last year they tried to slow it down a bit to keep things under control but historically they have had no problem getting in a track meet with their fellow Pac-12 teams.

3.  Multiple 2013 FCS Preseason Polls have been released.  UND is not ranked in any of them but many of their 2013 opponents are.  Lindy’s and Athlon have both put their’s out so far.  UND has four Top-10 teams AT HOME this year, according to those two polls.  South Dakota State, Montana, Montana State, and Eastern Washington all visit the Alerus Center this fall, making this by far the most attractive home schedule in UND history and possibly the best home schedule in all of FCS.  UND has seven home games in 2013.

 

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UND Football Staff Adds Two

Posted on June 6, 2013 by oskie

UND has hired two football coaches to complete their staff for the 2013 season.  Mike Cunningham was hired as the offensive line coach, a position that was being filled by Head Coach Chris Mussman.  Jason Thier was hired as the outside linebackers coach.

Cunningham comes to UND from Mankato State, a former rival of UND’s from the old NCC days.  Cunningham was the run game coordinator and O-line coach at Mankato for the last seven years.  He is a graduate of New Mexico State University.

Thier comes to UND from Montana Western, an NAIA school.  He served as the team’s defensive coordinator the past two years.  Prior to UMW, Thier coached at Augustana, another former NCC rival of UND’s.  Thier played linebacker at Truman State from 2005-2008, being coached one of those years by current UND defensive coordinator Josh Kotelnicki.

The most intriguing addition is Cunningham.  The UND run game has fallen off in recent years and definitely needs a shot in the arm.  Cunningham helped Mankato to a 13-1 record in 2012, losing in the national semi-finals to Valdosta State.  The Mavericks averaged 235 yds/game rushing during that run, which is encouraging for UND fans in that they were able to run the ball under Cunningham’s watch.

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Odds and Ends

Posted on May 23, 2013 by oskie
  • UND has signed junior college defensive lineman Humberto Espinoza.  Espinoza, 6’2″-260, was an All-Region First Team performer for the Feather River CC Golden Eagles (CA).  In 2012, he amassed 50 tackles, 4.5 sacks and 13 tackles-for-loss.  Espinoza appears to have pretty good footwork and quickness for an interior defensive lineman.  He will add much needed depth to a defensive line that lost 3 senior starters from last years team.  We see him playing one of the defensive end positions and immediately challenging for playing time.  Espinoza will have two years of eligibility remaining.
  • Now that the longest-winter-ever is over, rumors are swirling that the UND Athletics Complex (IPF) will officially begin the demolition phase sometime in the next month.  The old REA needs to be completely removed for the IPF to be built so that will be the first order of business.  This demolition phase should be completed by August. 
  • UND has apparently added another preferred walk-on to the Class of 2013.  Zach Selland, a 6’4″-185lb wide receiver from Horizon Christian High School in Tualatin, Oregon, had 57 catches for 1,095 yds and 20 TD’s for the Hawks in 2012.  He also threw 5 TD’s and ran in 3 more.   Selland was a 3A First Team All-State WR and also was the First Team All-State Punter.  He appears to be a bigger, physical receiver who could be used to run fades and any other “mismatch” route that applies.  It is obvious he is a very good athlete.
  • We have come across a few times/distances for the UND Class of 2013 as they finish up their senior track seasons.  Marcus Cheatom of Brother Rice in Chicago had a school record toss of 56′-8″ in the shot put.   Cam Kuksa of Palatine ran a 14.72 in the 110 hurdles and went 45’4″ in the triple jump. 
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Spring Game Review – Defense

Posted on April 24, 2013 by oskie

Now we will give our impressions of the UND defense, both from the spring game and from an overall spring ball prespective.

  1. Tackling appeared to be much better than we remember it from last fall when it was atrocious.  There were still a few missed tackles and some bad angles taken - on a bubble screen by a safety, for example, but all in all it looked better on Saturday.  Being able to tackle the ball carrier in the open field and thus making the offense snap it again in search of a first down is huge when trying to win ball games.  One instance of this we noticed was the backside pursuit by freshman corner Dan Konowalski on Jer Garman’s long run that ‘got out the gate’.  The UND defense gave up way, way too many easy first downs and big plays last year simply by missing a one-on-one tackle.
  2. The Defensive Line did create some pressure at times, which is not always easy to do in a 3-4 scheme.  Spencer Cummings and Seth Stanchik both broke through forcing the QB to scramble, with Stanchik also forcing a QB fumble in the end zone for a TD.  In the run game, there was too much consistent push backwards for the D-Line quite frankly.  They have to be better individually at executing assignments and holding their run fits in order to be a good run defense.  Defensive line is a critical area of the defense that needs to get shored up.
  3. The secondary did not have a very good day overall.  However, a lot of that has to do with the receivers they were going against.  UND’s receivers are just plain better than UND’s secondary, man for man.  We did like the fact they appeared to be playing with better technique and were around every ball but just couldn’t make the play vs. the much bigger and faster wide receivers.  The open field tackling by the secondary was noticeably improved on Saturday from last season.  This is a group that we feel will be improved come fall camp based on the experience in the Big Sky and an improved, deeper overall talent level.  One guy who has stuck out to us is sophomore cornerback Rumeal Harris.  The Eden Prairie product has shown some nice footwork and instincts at the cornerback position and is definitely improving as he gets older, which is not always the case.  His playing experience from last season will help him in 2013.
  4. Sophomore ILB Will Ratelle was another guy we noticed in the game.  He had a nice inside blitz where he fought throw two interior offensive lineman to get to the QB and register the sack.  He is an all-out, all-guts type of player who lives off of that kind of extra effort.
  5. Freshman OLB Taj Rich has to be the surprise of the defense thus far in spring ball.  Rich has shown legitimate play-making ability and has the size (6’1″-225) to play the run and also rush the passer.   He will be in the mix come fall, most likely backing up seniors Dom Bennett and Cordero Finley.
  6. Freshman OLB Dayo Idowu had a nice game.  He is basically a safety in body type and athletic ability and it showed as he seemed to catch our attention on multiple plays early on in the game.  We see him getting a fair amount of game reps next fall also, similar to Rich.
  7. Two other youngsters that we noticed were sophomore safety William James from Sweden and sophomore  LB Alex Nelson out of Minot, ND.  James is a guy who likes to hit from the safety position.  He reminds us a little bit of former Sioux safety Kris Ankenbauer in that respect.  He is still acclimating to the program/defense but should factor in heavily on special teams.  Nelson is a bigger LB who could actually contribute next year on defense and provide depth.  Both of these guys should be on numerous special teams – they are effort guys.

Overall, we loved how “active” the defense looked on Saturday.  They played with a little fire and were always hustling to the ball no matter how far away it ended up.  They are going to need that kind of intensity and effort to improve their play come Big Sky season.  There is massive room for improvement with this unit but they did appear to be playing faster and looser, which tells us experience may be setting in for some of the guys and they are starting to understand the schemes much better.

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Spring Game Review – Offense

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Fritz Jarrett

The White Team, led by Defensive Coordinator Josh Kotelnicki and alumni captain Bill Reviere came out of Saturday’s spring game with a 24-14 victory over the Green Team Offensive Coordinator Luke Schleusner and alumni captain Erik Gunderson in front of an Alerus crowd of approximately 2,000 in attendance.

After watching the spring game and getting a chance to discuss our thoughts with each other, we came up with some observations on how we saw things on both sides of the ball.  Today, we will look at how the Offenses performed.  In Part 2, we will review the Defenses.

It should also be noted that spring ball is not over, so development overall was probably a little behind, especially from a mental aspect on both sides of the ball.  This week will be another chance for everyone to get better prior to the finish of spring practices.

Here are our thoughts on the position groups on offense heading into the final week of spring practices.  Please take everything at face value, these are just our amateur opinions:

1.  QB – Ryan Bartels has really come along over the past week and the battle for the #1 spot with Joe Mollberg remains at a dead heat.  As we have said before, this will not be settled until late into fall camp.  Both QBs are showing traits beyond their years and do not look like typical redshirt freshman, although they will no doubt make freshman mistakes.  The Bartels TD pass to Jameer Jackson in the corner on a fade route was absolutely perfect placement on the back shoulder, where only the WR had a chance to catch it.  That throw is nearly indefensible, regardless of coverage.  Mollberg still looks very polished on his footwork and pocket presence, but still needs to follow through and complete the throws downfield more consistently.  He has the size and speed to play the position but will need time to develop the mental side of the game.

Grafton native Jake Hanson is probably still a long ways off from being ‘ready’ to play in a game, but he definitely is making strides and is ahead of where we thought he would be.  He will provide valuable depth and hopefully be ready if needed within the next 2 years.

2.  RB – Adam Shaugabay, Jer Garman and Kodee Varner all showed flashes of what they can do on Saturday.  They all bring different styles of running to the offense.  Shaugabay is more of a physical guy, but he also showed that he can drop his hips, cut and make a guy miss downfield.  He has improved immensely in the past two years.  Garman showed his explosiveness on his long run on an inside zone play where he saw a hole and burst through it to get to the next level.  Varner also showed some combo skills of speed and a little power as well.

We thought the overall pass protection from the RBs was pretty good.  Right now, with Jake Miller not in the equation, we put Shaugabay in the lead with Varner and Garman tied for the backup spot.

3.  OL – Overall, the running game was pretty impressive for both teams.  The final stats showed a 5.6 yds/carry average, which is great.  On a couple drives, the ‘big uglies’ really imposed their will on the defensive front and sustained some drives by moving the chains on the ground.  However, there were still too many breakdowns in the pass protection that resulted in sacks, turnovers and defensive points on the board.  This has to get better.  We understand there was a mix of younger guys down the depth chart on each side, but the mental and physical breakdowns were critical in the pass protection.  Last season, the experienced senior QBs had a certain feel in the pocket when they sensed pressure and reacted accordingly.  You probably won’t see that as much early on with the freshman QBs, so the protection up front becomes even more important.

Overall, we think the quality of depth here has improved, but it still needs to get better, specifically at a couple of the positions.  Getting Darren Deneui back healthy will make a huge difference and will get some of the guys who are playing out of position back to their comfort zone.  Lots of positives here, but big improvement still needed.  Joe Kleason will need time to adjust to the LT position but once he gets acclimated he should be good.  We still look for freshman Sean Meehan to crack the lineup at RG, splitting time with senior Jake Hoerchner.

4.  WR – Depth.  While we have droned on about the top-end talent in this group, the spring game showed what kind of depth they have waiting in the wings to get on the field.  Guys like Casey Young, Romon Bridges and Anthony Fletcher were all making plays on Saturday.  Casey Young showed a little of everything and was a pleasant surprise.  Blair Townsend also looked better physically and is primed to be an intermediate threat in the underneath passing game.  Romon Bridges can be a legit threat on the inside if called upon.  Anthony Fletcher showed flashes but still needs to polish up on some things – and it will come – he is a big, physical type of receiver that needs time to develop his game.  Physically, JJ Robertson looks older than a freshman but he just needs to become more comfortable and familiar with the offense.  We just can’t get over the depth and talent of this group overall.

Oh yeah – Kenny Golladay.  Too big for the corners on the outside, too fast for the linebackers and safeties inside.  He is a total mismatch just waiting to happen.  It’s safe to say that the offense will try isolate him on a regular basis.  He should NEVER EVER be overthrown by the UND QBs, which happened a couple of times on Saturday by Mollberg specifically.  Just give him the chance to catch the ball and you have done your job.

Greg Hardin dropped a long pass on a post route.  We’re going to be hard on him this year - that cannot continue to happen in 2013.  Hardin has the potential to be an NFL late-round draft pick and needs to show consistency in order to make that happen.  Most importantly, he cannot let his team down with drops.

This WR position group is possibly the best we have ever seen at UND, for both depth and talent.  That is not hyperbole or a stretch; only the truth as we see it.

FINAL OFFENSE THOUGHTS:  Our biggest concern as spring ball wraps up is the state of the offensive line pass protection and establishing the running game as a staple of the offense.  It is going to be imperative that the running game gets going better early in 2013.  They will not be allowed much time for a learning curve as they begin the season with SDSU, Montana, and Montana State (after the Valpo opener).   UND will be starting a redshirt freshman QB in 2013 and whoever it is will NEED a somewhat serviceable running game to take the heat off of them when trying to move the chains and score some points.  Throwing the ball 35-40 times a game should be the exception and not the norm next season.  If it happens once or twice because of necessity, so be it. We don’t think it can happen 11 times, however.  Controlling to clock and time of possession will be crucial.  This will also depend on the defense, which we will review in our next blog post.

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What To Look For – Spring Game 2013

Posted on April 19, 2013 by oskie

With the annual spring game coming up tomorrow at 2pm at the Alerus Center, we thought we would share what we are watching for.  One nice feature that we assume will be available again this year is the ability to watch the spring game via UNDSports.com.   This allows us to verify what we thought we saw and to also watch the interior line play, which is very hard to judge at game speed.

  1. Which young QB will shine?  Joe Mollberg and Ryan Bartels have each taken their turns having good and bad days.  Ever since the defense opened up the playbook and was more aggressive in spring ball, the QB play became more inconsistent.  This is to be expected to a certain degree, but they need to start adjusting to it better.  Can Jake Hanson move around to make plays and provide the depth they need if someone goes down?
  2. Which interior offensive lineman will shine through?  We will be watching young OL like Sean Meehan and Ross Windfeldt.  The RG position is wide open and Meehan will need to step up and push senior Jake Hoerchner.  Depth at the center position is also a concern and someone needs to step up.
  3. Which cornerback wants to win the job opposite Daryl Brown?  Going into the spring game our pick for starter opposite Brown is sophomore Rumeal Harris.  The Eden Prairie alum has had a noticeably good spring.  Junior Tyrhe Ivery and senior Chris Hall will also be in the mix.  We aren’t sleeping on freshman Dan Konowalski either.  While he isn’t quite ready right now, we hope that by the end of fall camp he has a comfort level with his technique and the defense so that he can be in the rotation.  He has showed promise so far this spring and his confidence has grown.
  4. We are excited to see freshman RB Kodee Varner and junior RB Adam Shaugabay run the ball in a game situation.  Its unfortunate that PJ Sparks will not be able to play due to injury because we were expecting good things from him in the future.
  5. Its also unfortunate for UND fans that freshmen LB Brian Labat and NG Mike Edwards will both be out with injuries.  They have both been talked about very highly but UND fans will need to wait until fall to see them play.

 

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Spring Game Week

Posted on April 17, 2013 by oskie

The UND Football Team has only gotten in one scrimmage so far this spring.  Normally, they have at least two, if not three, scrimmages in the books by now.  Poor weather has been the reason why and with all the youth on their roster we hope it does not severely affect the development of those young players.

Here are some updated thoughts on the overall state of the team and position battles, etc based on a couple practices we have seen and what we have also heard and read:

  • First and foremost on UND football fans mind’s – the QB battle.  This appears to be about as even of a QB battle as we can remember at UND.  Two freshman, Joe Mollberg and Ryan Bartels are both in the mix for the starting job at this point.  The 3rd freshman QB – Jake Hanson – is also doing better than expected in the time with the reps he has gotten this spring.  From everything we have seen, heard, and read, there is no clear-cut favorite, but based solely on our own observations, we believe Mollberg may have a slight edge at this point. Both are taking the majority of the snaps and have made numerous big-time throws while also making their fair share of rookie mistakes.  Mollberg appears to have the better throwing mechanics and footwork and physically looks the part, while Bartels has combatted that by showing good touch on his long balls and seems to have a good understanding of the offense and playbook.  It is truly a battle that won’t be settled until a couple of weeks into fall camp, in our opinion.  However, this spring will be a tone-setter moving forward for whomever comes out ahead.
  • At running back, Kodee Varner and Adam Shaugabay have really been doing well.  At times we feel like they need to work on their pass protection, but that is probably to be expected at their age and experience level.  Unfortunately, PJ Sparks has been hampered by injury all spring.  Zach Adler seems to be moving along as the leader to be the starter at tight end/H-back and we think he has the potential to be a long term contributor.  He definitely has the size and athletic ability.
  • The offensive line appears to be progressing fairly slowly.  Part of that is due to tackle Darren Deneui being out due to injury and freshman transfer Dustin Adams also being out due to an injury.  Joe Kleason has been moved to left tackle and will be relied up heavily this fall to anchor the young OL.  Shea Walker is playing well at center, showing a nice ability to pull from that position – now he just needs to clean up his snaps from the shotgun.  After those two, the other three spots are getting a mix of guys all taking their shot at showing they can get it done.  Brandon Anderson should be the starter at left guard.  Jake Hoerchner and Sean Meehan are battling it out at right guard with neither really sticking out.  Overall, the OL needs to improve off of last season, especially in the run game.  This is a position group to watch through fall camp.  Depth needs to be of more quality as well, and we think it will be by Valparaiso week.
  • We are going to say it right now:  As long as the QB’s can get the ball to them, Greg Hardin and Kenny Golladay will be the best receiving in FCS football from a complementary talent standpoint.  We realize blanket statements like that are subjective but if they are not “the best” they will be one of the best.  Both of them look even faster/quicker than last fall.  Strength Coach Nate Baukol’s winter workouts did wonders for these two, as well as many others.  The winter testing results are proof of that.  RJ McGill, Jameer Jackson and Blair Townsend will also make this corps one of the deepest in all of FCS .
  • The cornerback position is also one that needs to have some players step up and earn their own spot.  Between incumbent Daryl Brown, Chris Hall, Tyrhe Ivery, Rumeal Harris, Dan Konowalski, and Chris Brown, UND needs two guys to show they want to be starting corners in the Big Sky.  Konowalski is a young guy we think has made good strides already this spring and has made some plays on the ball that have been noticed.  He still has a long way to go, but he is progressing nicely.  We believe Daryl Brown will be one them for sure with the other side being up for grabs.  We also hope Rumeal Harris builds off last year and feel he can be a regular in the rotation.  The position has been way too inconsistent over the past couple years.  The numbers are their to create competition and hopefully it produces a couple solid corners.  Just a little improvement in pass coverage at this position would go a long way for the 2013 UND Defense.
  • At linebacker, Will Ratelle and Ben Peters have had good springs and a couple of other surprises have joined them.  Taj Rich has made some strides and is starting to look comfortable while walk-on Alex Nelson looks to be a surprise candidate to play some at ‘Stud’ OLB next year.  We’ve also noticed Brandon Larson on a number of occasions at ILB.  Unfortunately, Brian Labat has an injury and looks to probably be out for the remainder of spring.
  • On the defensive line, Seth Stanchik has been a leader and made a lot of plays from his defensive end spot.  Mike Edwards was having a good spring until an injury sidelined him for the rest of spring ball.  In his absence, Ben Henson has taken advantage of the extra reps and done a great job at noseguard.  Overall, however, this position needs to be tougher and stronger at the point of attack moving forward.

 

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UND Spring Football Update

Posted on April 13, 2013 by oskie

After some un-seasonal winter weather dropped down in late March, the UND football team was finally able to start practice on April 5th and have now completed six practices.  We are waiting for the first scrimmage to try and report what we have seen and heard.  UNDSports.com and the Grand Forks Herald have both been providing second-to-none coverage of spring ball so we felt no need to recap what they already provided.

UND has named former Sioux WR Luke Schleusner the team’s new Offensive Coordinator.  Schleusner had been the TE and WR coach prior to this promotion.  We have a feeling that Luke will do very well in this new role.  From all we have heard and seen from him he appears to be a real “student of the game” and has a passion for coaching offensive football.  He will undoubtedly take his lumps early as he adjusts to the play-calling role in the offense but we have faith he will adjust sooner than later.  Facing SDSU, Montana, and Montana State all in a row will make any young OC grow up in a hurry.

UND also made a couple other official hires/coach position changes.  Kyle Myers was named the defensive line coach, effectively taking over the position group that former DC Mike Mannausau coached.  Myers initially joined the staff in 2009 as a volunteer defensive line assistant, then left to go be the DC at Northland Community College for the 2011 season, but came back to UND last season.   Also, former UND safety Joel Schwenzfeier has come back to the UND program as the team’s RB coach.

The UND Football Spring Football Kids Clinic will be held from 12:30 – 1:30 on Saturday, April 20th, prior to the annual Spring Football Game.

With Scrimmage #1 coming tomorrow (Sunday-14th) at noon, we will have a post-scrimmage writeup on Monday.  Our hope is things start to shake themselves out now as spring has progressed, which will allow us to prognosticate on any position battles that are going on.

 

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Greg Breitbach Nabs Head Job

Posted on April 4, 2013 by oskie

It is official:  UND Offensive Coordinator Greg Breitbach has been named the Head Coach at Millersville University in Millersville, PA and has agreed to a 4-year deal.  He will be the 21st head coach in Marauder history.

Millersville is a Division II program that plays in the PSAC East Division.  The PSAC is one of the stronger DII conferences, with the likes of East Stroudsburg, California (PA), and Indiana (PA), who UND squared off against in the DII semi-finals back in 1993 (beating UND 21-6).  In 2012, Millersville put up a 2-9 record, leaving Breitbach some definite room for improvement.

While at UND, Breitbach was at the wheel of one of the most prolific offense’s in school history last season when they averaged 33.5 pts and 430 yds/game.  QB Braden Hanson set the Big Sky record for most passing yards in a game vs. Montana with 660, while QB Marcus Hendrickson blossomed as a senior, as well.  WR Greg Hardin flourished in Breitbach’s offense, setting a Big Sky record for most receiving yards in a game vs. Montana with 330.  Hardin went on to be named to multiple FCS All-American teams.

Breitbach leaves UND after 7 seasons in Grand Forks.  Arriving in 2006, he coached running backs and quarterbacks as a position coach, prior to being name offensive coordinator.

It’s been no secret that Breitbach has had aspirations of becoming a head coach so this move comes as no surprise – it was only a matter of time.  The Baker, Montana native has earned this opportunity and he will be missed at UND.

We wish him and his family nothing but the best and thank him for his 7 years of service to the UND Football Program.

 

 

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Spring Ball Delayed – Again

Posted on April 2, 2013 by oskie

UND’s spring football practice was originally set to begin on March 25th but was delayed due to the massive amount of snow that was still covering the turf at Memorial Stadium.  The new date became Monday, April 1st but the weather had not warmed up enough to melt the snow so now the newest ‘new’ starting day is tomorrow, April 3rd.   This means there will more than likely be 4 practices after the annual Spring Game on April 20th.

The locker room at Memorial Stadium (UND’s main locker room) has recently been renovated and now has new lockers, carpet, etc.  The lockers were all custom made and look very nice, decked out with all the little things a football locker should have.

 

 

 

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