Did you know this about North Dakota State

[e.bigelow]

Here is a link to our roster: http://www.gobison.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=2400&SPID=695&SPSID=11845

Players to watch--in not particular order(also, notice where most are from if you look up the link):

#1-Williams (CB)
#8-McNorton (RB)
#20-Heagle (SS)
#22-Ojuri (RB)
#38-Littlejohn (LB)
#40-Grothman (FB--kid is an effin animal)
#56-Jemison (LB--very athletic)
#71-Gimmestad (OG who is very mobile)
#77-Turner (OT--he is huge--looks like Loadholt(sp?)
#78-Cornick(OG--tough bastard who kinda likes to fight)
#81-Holloway (WR--descent speed, good hands, but not a burnerr)
#82-Veldmen (TE--6'7'' and can catch over the middle/top of LB's and safeties).

Our weaknesses are our offensive play calling, our QB is young and telegraphs his passes, our receiving core is suspect as a group, McNorton jukes and jives a bit too much when the hole isn't right there, and the cadence of our offense is generally slow.

On D, we have outstanding team speed (we run a 4-3 btw), we are very athletic, but not big, so we can get pushed around a bit against bigger/stronger opponents. We have a good DC who knows how to make adjustments, and you may see #1 playing on Sundays--he is that good. If our LB's can keep track of and manage Grey, we should do OK, but we are very susceptable to a good running QB out of spread/read option play--that could get ugly, especially if it is late in the game, and you guys have the ball. Please don't let it come down to that, please!!!!

Thanks man, really appreciate your comments. Appreciate the comments from a fan who does not lament to just show up on other teams boards to bash the opposing team all day.

I fully expect NDSU to show up well prepared and fired up to play us. I think the outcome will depend on what Gopher team shows up. If it is the team that took NMSU too lightly (IMO) we will get defeated handily. We really need to come out fired up in the first half and play tough. As a team, we can not afford to "look past" anybody. Getting all the more excited for Saturday under the lights! Shoud be a great time.

 

[dpodoll68]

One of my favorite LOL moments is, when playing a college football or basketball video game, you go to the database of available players to recruit, and players from rural SD/ND are often black. I think to myself, surely these game developers have never been anywhere near either of the Dakotas.

 

[Vitojr130]

One of my favorite LOL moments is, when playing a college football or basketball video game, you go to the database of available players to recruit, and players from rural SD/ND are often black. I think to myself, surely these game developers have never been anywhere near either of the Dakotas.

+1000. FACT. The only black students at NDSU are from the football team. (Then again, the Sheriff of MacKenzie county in ND is black...)

 

[CAS4127]

@Sometimegophs: Good breakdown, especially on the outpattern pic by Jensen--MN CB's are likely licking their chops. I bet we don't throw that much, if at all, especially if it is at all windy. Warning: we have not even started running our middle or flat screens, so maybe we will catch the Gophs off guard there

@Khaliq: LMAO, but don't know how to rep here!!! Ever heard of Mike Favor from Mpls North? He and I were teammates!!

 

[DLguy]

Have you been to these places personally? I will agree that Fargo can rock and is a great party town...but it sucks for 9 out of 12 months...winter, spring floods and late summer bugs. And you should head west my man...cuz if you check out some of the middle and western NoDak towns, you will find that no more than 4 last names exist in their phone books. Johnson, Anderson and whatever the town name is and the next closest town. In breeding lives strong in NoDak. Now they do got money, like the PA Dutch and Menonites, these are hard working folks...freaky, but hard working.

Well I grew up in Detroit Lakes, and visit Fargo often and love it besides a few cold months. So yes, I know the area very well. And to say inbreeding exists, well I guess that is one man's ignorant take.

 

[NoDakGopher]

I smell a UND Fighting Who fan here....

GOOD GOD NO!!!! I feel like hunting you down just for saying that lol. I live a mile from campus and can't stand the ignorance of EVERY single student on that campus. UND has by far the worst fans in all of sports. I'm talking college and professional. They think their football team can beat Minnesota and NDSU every year, even though only a small fraction of their fans actually give a crap about football.

 

[BleedGopher]

NDSU coach on Gophers: 'Make no mistake, this is an important game for us'

http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_18929723

Go Gophers!!

 

[Schnauzer]

2 games in a row against teams coming off of bye weeks, with the Gopher game circled on their schedule long before that...

 

[Stan The Caddy]

I know this about North Dakota State...Minnesota will beat them by double digits.

 

[Vitojr130]

I know this about North Dakota State...Minnesota will beat them by double digits.

Did you already forget the Bison completely manhandled the Gophers last time the two teams met? Did you already forget that the time before that, the Gophers beat the Bison by 1 point when it came down to a blocked field goal in the final seconds of the game? Did you forget that the Bison are ranked higher on the Sagarin poll than the Gophers are? I caution you not to get so cocky about playing this FCS team. We will show up to play and if the Gophers do not, you can kiss the chance of a win goodbye.

 

[GopherHole Staff]

Game Notes: Gophers Host Bison Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium

http://www.forums.gopherhole.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1481

 

[Stan The Caddy]

Did you already forget the Bison completely manhandled the Gophers last time the two teams met? Did you already forget that the time before that, the Gophers beat the Bison by 1 point when it came down to a blocked field goal in the final seconds of the game? Did you forget that the Bison are ranked higher on the Sagarin poll than the Gophers are? I caution you not to get so cocky about playing this FCS team. We will show up to play and if the Gophers do not, you can kiss the chance of a win goodbye.

No, I did not forget about all that stuff that happened 4-5 years ago. Again, that victory was in 2007. Last time I checked that was Tim freaking Brewster's first year with a completely barren roster. How am I being cocky? My team just lost to NMSU. I am simply making a prediction and if that offends you, I am not sorry.

Now go and calm down and do not start working yourself into a frenzy until about 2pm on Saturday. Thanks in advance.

 

[Vitojr130]

No, I did not forget about all that stuff that happened 4-5 years ago. Again, that victory was in 2007. Last time I checked that was Tim freaking Brewster's first year with a completely barren roster. How am I being cocky? My team just lost to NMSU. I am simply making a prediction and if that offends you, I am not sorry.

Now go and calm down and do not start working yourself into a frenzy until about 2pm on Saturday. Thanks in advance.

Haha I believe you mean do not start DRINKING yourself into a frenzy until about 2pm on Saturday. How is the tailgating down at TCF? I plan on hitting that up hard.

 

[CAS4127]

Bison fans will be in the fairgrounds for tailgating Vito--whoever you are. You should know me if you are on Bisonville--same username.

 

[Stan The Caddy]

Haha I believe you mean do not start DRINKING yourself into a frenzy until about 2pm on Saturday. How is the tailgating down at TCF? I plan on hitting that up hard.

I figured you would be driniking non-stop by Thursday night...

 

[supadupafly]

yawn. why are some of you feeding these und sue trolls? let's just play the game on saturday and let that be the arbiter. forget the und trolls and flamers.

 

[Stan The Caddy]

Seriously though Vito, I just have a gut feeling Coach Kill will have a game plan that plays to Minnesota's strengths and they will not take NDSU lightly in any way, shape or form. It is time we do not have to sweat out a game against a FCS team.

 

[Gopherocious]

Special Teams:

I give the distinct advantage to the Gophers who have an excellent punter and placekicker versus the Bison who have a serviceable punter and a horribly inconsistent PK. Also, Stoudermire is a beast running back kicks and the Bison have not done well covering kick offs in their first two games. I hope this game doesn't come down to a blocked punt, I think this aspect also favors the Gophers because of their overall team speed coming off the edge.

I agree with about everything except for the part where you mention we have an excellent placekicker. He has looked far from excellent so far this year. Otherwise, thanks for the great info and scouting report!

 

[Vitojr130]

Seriously though Vito, I just have a gut feeling Coach Kill will have a game plan that plays to Minnesota's strengths and they will not take NDSU lightly in any way, shape or form. It is time we do not have to sweat out a game against a FCS team.

And maybe he will. Kill has coached against NDSU and knows this team. FBS teams (especially Big Ten) should stomp FCS programs. However, I have a feeling this is going to be a very, very close game and can go either way. It'll definitely be a good game.

 

[GoAUpher]

I agree with about everything except for the part where you mention we have an excellent placekicker. He has looked far from excellent so far this year. Otherwise, thanks for the great info and scouting report!

I personally think he has simply looked inconsistent. There have been moments of very good stuff and plenty of horrid stuff too. Have to wait and see if he can improve. But the fact is that he seems to be a kid with plenty of potential. And that's not a bad place to start with a kicker (see: Orseske, Dan for an example of what happens when the kid with potential gets his stuff together).

 

[Gopherocious]

I personally think he has simply looked inconsistent. There have been moments of very good stuff and plenty of horrid stuff too. Have to wait and see if he can improve. But the fact is that he seems to be a kid with plenty of potential. And that's not a bad place to start with a kicker (see: Orseske, Dan for an example of what happens when the kid with potential gets his stuff together).

I agree that he is young, and it may take some time to become a solid, consistent kicker. But that's what I mean when I do not think he is excellent. For a kicker to look excellent in my book, everything under 35-40 yards should be about automatic. When he misses a PAT, I can't use the term excellent. Hopefully soon I can.

 

[GoAUpher]

But that's what I mean when I do not think he is excellent. For a kicker to look excellent in my book, everything under 35-40 yards should be about automatic. When he misses a PAT, I can't use the term excellent. Hopefully soon I can.

Don't disagree. His is certainly not excellent yet.

 

[Flatfoot]

Don't disagree. His is certainly not excellent yet.

I would prefer to have Hawthorne work on his PATs and FGs, rather than making tackles on kickoffs too.

There are a lot of little things that need to be worked on on both sides of the ball and special teams. Each player and the backups need to keep doing this week in and week out. I like what I am seeing especially if we can continue to make progress. It will be another tough test this Saturday to stay focused and execute.

 

[Wheaton]

Dog the football team all you want, but leave the students city and school out of it.

I am a Minnesota native and recent graduate of NDSU. I can assure you it is a top notch school, with a great athletic tradition in many sports. UND is the school where they marry their cousins! haha jk

 

[Wheaton]

I always hate this game because I am both a huge Gopher and Bison fan. I can't cheer against either of them!

 

[NoDakGopher]

Dog the football team all you want, but leave the students city and school out of it.

I am a Minnesota native and recent graduate of NDSU. I can assure you it is a top notch school, with a great athletic tradition in many sports. UND is the school where they marry their cousins! haha jk

UND is just a bunch of idiots. They literally don't deny anyone entrance to their school. I know a guy from Grand Forks that got a scholarship on their football team with a 12 on his ACT. Pretty sure they had a monkey take it once and it got a 15. I didn't even think it was possible to get a 12

 

[disco]

NDSU is very good at one thing. Marketing. When I was in college at MSU, I was amazed at the amount of fuss made in Fargo over what was then a D2 school (a very successful D2 school, but still...) The town has always been nuts for Bison football.

That said, ragging on UND for letting a bunch of idiots in is the pot calling the kettle black. NDSU has had its share of meatheads and thugs in that program, dating back to the Rocky Hager days.

As far as Fargo goes, I did my four years living up there in college, I still have friends there, and I had a lot of fun, but I'd never live there again. The weather is just too brutal, and it's not one month a year, it's most of the year. The winters are beyond awful (I recall a week where the temperature never got above -20, and that's not windchill), the wind is terrible year round, making the summers brutal and dusty as well, and the smell from the beet plants in parts of town is sickening.

 

[NoDakGopher]

I also happen to be best friends with a teacher at UND and he has told me that some hockey players have been failing his class and they have come up to him asking him to change the grade and he says no because he hates hockey (he played DI football, can't stand hockey at all). He said that they always just say they'll have the dean or whomever change the grades if he doesn't and he has told them a few times, "good luck with that." Lord behold, every time their grades had been changed to A's when they were completely failing. He tells me all the time how much it pisses him off and that he doesn't think there's really much he can do about it.

 

[NoDakGopher]

NDSU is very good at one thing. Marketing. When I was in college at MSU, I was amazed at the amount of fuss made in Fargo over what was then a D2 school (a very successful D2 school, but still...) The town has always been nuts for Bison football.

That said, ragging on UND for letting a bunch of idiots in is the pot calling the kettle black. NDSU has had its share of meatheads and thugs in that program, dating back to the Rocky Hager days.

As far as Fargo goes, I did my four years living up there in college, I still have friends there, and I had a lot of fun, but I'd never live there again. The weather is just too brutal, and it's not one month a year, it's most of the year. The winters are beyond awful (I recall a week where the temperature never got above -20, and that's not windchill), the wind is terrible year round, making the summers brutal and dusty as well, and the smell from the beet plants in parts of town is sickening.

Sounds like you need to toughen up just kidding lol.

 

[lakesgopher]

@DGopher: I don't understand why NDSU fans are considered arrogant by expecting to win. We are confident we have a good team, and playing you guys will tell us whether that is the case or not. I am not interested in getting into any sort of pissing match here, but isn't thinking you are going to win because you are an FBS team v. a FCS team really where the arrogance lies?!

Now, back to substance, I am not sure that the Bison team that beat you was our "best team ever". Some of our skill positions were damn good that year, but this 2011 team has much more depth and overall team speed. One downfall is that we have a very suspect offensive coordinator who may be over his head a bit when up against a Kill-coached team. When this happens, he usually goes quite conservative, and that could spell danger for us if we can't run between and just off the tackles, because that is what his safety mode is.

I have not been able to watch the Gophers this year. Do you run a spread/read option offense? Also, what is your base D, 3-4, 4-3 . . .? How good are your corners? Enough speed to man up on us so as to allow you to keep 8 in the box? What about your LB's, are they "rangy" or just big, physical hitters. Are's are the former. I think we average about 5'11, 220 pounds, but they can run. Same with our D-line, they are athletic. We have one very good corner (#1), Williams and a big hitting safety in Heagle (#20).

Hope the weather is conducive to a nice afternoon of tailgating and a good game where the elements don't dictate play calling.

in 06 i was tailgating and on multiple occasions from several different groups of people i was told to "respect ndsu's d2 titles" as well as the "goofer football is a joke and we(ndsu) could compete for B1G titles before the goofers ever could."

i have been to quite a few games across the country-fav is still florida st vs clemson @FSU, and to this day i have never heard a more arrogant and annoying fanbase then ndsu's! that says a ton since we play wisky and the assbags from iowa!