The first home game of the year will bring the Northeastern State Riverhawks to the Alerus Center. It is also the 45th annual Potato Bowl game.
The Riverhawks are a Division II team out of Tahlequah, OK that plays in the Lone Star Conference, the same conference as 2008 opponent Texas A&M-Kingsville. They are 1-1 on the year.
On offense, the Riverhawks are very similar to UND’s last opponent Northern Illinois. They run a little Pistol and a little Spread. Their QB Kenny Davis is averaging 146 yards/game passing and their running game hasn’t got much going this year either, averaging 93 yards/game on the ground. The main receiving threat is #16 Trev McKay who has 148 yards and 2 TD’s on the year.
Defensively, they are giving up 33 pts/game and a shade under 400 yards per game. They appear to run a Base 4-3 Cover 2 scheme. They do have a couple solid defensive lineman that will once again test our O-line. Other than that they are a bit of an unkown.
This game is more about UND taking care of business at home on Potato Bowl than anything else. Every game since the start of the transition to FCS has either been a close hard fought game or the Sioux have been beat handily. They have not had a decisive victory of their own where the players could exhale towards the end of the game. We are not saying that this is definitely the week for a lopsided win but we are saying the Sioux players need to figure out how to take care of opponents that are inferior to them. Handing it to teams that you should breeds confidence.
We are extremely excited for the home opener this year and to finally see this team in person. To have the Potato Bowl back where it belongs in September is a plus for the team and the fans. We are expecting a big crowd and even bigger results.
UND 37
NSU 13