UND freshman WR Greg Hardin is doing things as a freshman that we really haven’t ever seen before at UND. Through 7 games so far this season, Hardin has 33 catches for 661 yards and 9 TDs. He also has 74 yards rushing for another TD. That’s 10 TDs for a freshman WR who gets all the attention from opposing defenses, and he still has 4 games left to go. If he is able to keep that pace, we are talking about over 50 catches, 1,000 yards and 15 TDs. We also understand and realize that with Jake Landry out now for the year, it will be tougher for him to continue that pace. That is where coaching comes in and we have been impressed with the way the coaching staff has gotten Hardin the ball in a number of unique formations and routes.
We wonder what he will be capable of when he gets some help from the younger freshman once they hit the field and get comfortable in the offense. Ivery, Carrasco, Townsend, even a more experienced McGill should get more athleticism out on the field at the WR position to help Hardin. It will also help to have a pass-catching TE in the fold who can run the seam route up the hashes and stretch the field horizontally. Hopefully we have that with freshmen Taylor Grant and Tyler Jensen.
Of course, Hardin will also need a QB to throw the ball to him in the next few years. Freshman Chris Comes and Trey Demler have both impressed the coaching staff and we are assuming they are going to be battling Brent Goska and Seth Nichols for the starting job.Â
