With the start of Spring Ball 2011 being next Monday, March 28th, we thought we would give a preview of each side of the football as we forge into an important time of the year.  Spring ball is going to critical for the Sioux this year being they have so many young players that are vying for playing time and experience as they get ever closer to the Big Sky in 2012.  It will be very interesting to see how the depth chart looks after spring and moving forward to fall camp.

Thunder Lake Lodge
Thunder Lake Lodge

Defensive Line

Key Losses:  Ty Boyle (All-GWC)

  • Junior starter Ross Brenneman returns as UND’s leader and most physical presence on the defensive line.  Brenneman finished the 2010 season with 35 tackles, 8 TFL, and 4 sacks.  We are expecting big things from him this season.  At 6’4 – 260 lbs he has the size to play the run and pass equally well from the DE position and should command his fair share of double teams this coming season to open up opportunities for others.
  • Senior starter Broc Bellmore returns at the other defensive end position.  Bellmore (6-1″-270) is a rugged, physical defensive lineman whose best physical trait is his strength.  He has broken most of UND’s lifting records and it shows on the goal line as the Sioux have been extremely good in short yardage situations over the past few season with Bellmore in the trenches.
  • Junior Devin Benjamin (6-3″-290) should be slated as the starter at nose tackle coming into spring ball.  NT is an extremely important position in a 3-4 scheme and we hope Benjamin can take that next step and be a two-gap dominant player like the Sioux have had so many of over the years (Shaide, Callahan, Schultz, Wolff).  He has the size and good feet which will help him at that position.
  • Senior Jay Nelson will backup either of the defensive tackle positions.  Nelson did a nice job last season after moving down from his outside linebacker position to provide much needed depth.  He should continue to get better as he gains more experience along the defensive line.
  • Sophomore Seth Stanchik returns from a broken leg he suffered during the 2010 season.  Stanchik, along with Sophomore Brent Cole, will provide depth at the defensive tackle position.  They both still need to put on size to be an every down player but that comes with time.  We do not see Stanchik participating in spring ball due to the nature of his injury.
  • Redshirt freshman Spencer Cummings (6-4″-250) made some heads turn during the fall season and will definitely compete for playing time as spring ball progresses.  He has the size and agility that is needed at the DL position and we think Cummings is going to be a good one for the Sioux.
  • Redshirt freshman Ekenna Anya-Gafu (6-2″-250) and redshirt freshman Ben Henson (6-1″-300) will also provide depth at the defensive tackle/nose tackle positions, respectively.  It will be interesting to see how much the first winter of full-time lifting/conditioning helped Cummings, Anya-Gafu, and Henson.  All three have talent and will get every opportunity to play based on depth issues.

Inside Linebacker

Key Losses:  Curtis Dublanko (strongside), Paul German (weakside)

  • Senior Dan Hendrickson (All-GWC) returns to lead a group of veteran inside linebackers.  The Minot, ND native had a break out year for the Sioux last season.  He led the team with 78 tackles and 8 TFL to go along with 3.5 sacks.  We are looking for even bigger things out of Hendrickson this season.  And we have to mention his outstanding efforts on kickoff coverage.  It got to the point last year where the entire sideline and most of the crowd was watching him run down to see how big of a hit he was going to put on the kick returner.
  • Mitch Goertz should get the nod at strongside inside linebacker.  The senior notched 54 tackles, 5.5 TFL and 2.5 sacks in his first year of major playing time.  He is a bigger, more physical type of linebacker who is built to play the run.
  • Sophomore Garrison Goodman returns at the strongside inside linebacker position after getting some good experience as a freshman last season.  He is similar to Goertz in size and ability and those two should get the bulk of the playing time at the strongside position.  Goodman notched 25 tackles and 3.5 TFL last season.
  • Redshirt freshman Ben Peters and sophomore Brian Otto will backup both the inside linebacker positions.  Peters came in as a fairly highly touted recruit out of Arizona and should get on the field through special teams in his first year.  Otto appeared in two games last season and will provide depth at the ILB position again this season.  Freshman Joey Walker and Nick Albano will also factor into the mix.

Outside Linebacker

Key Losses:  Ryan Kasowski (All-GWC) and Ross Cochran

  • There will be two new starters at the OLB position this coming season.  The odds on favorites to take on those two positions are sophomore Damon Andrews and senior Johnnie Daniels.  Andrews (6’4-230) gained some valuable playing time last season and should be ready to take over at the strongside OLB position.  Daniels, a transfer from Central Michigan, played sparingly last season but does have the ability to be a player at one of the OLB positions.
  • Sophomores Dominique Bennett and Cordero Finley will both be pushing for playing time and could end up starting with good springs.  Both are very athletic and have good speed.  As it is with all young players in the 3-4 system it will take time to become comfortable and we look for them to build off of last years experience.  Both are also full-time contributors on special teams.
  • Redshirt freshman Myles Jablonsky and Derrick Dulaney both bring nice athleticism to the position and should also be in the mix for backup playing time.  Both should be full-time special teamers at minimum.  This is the most athletic position on the team and it will be fun to watch these kids progress.

Defensive Back

Key losses:  Starting safeties Kris Ankenbauer and Joel Schwenzfeier

  • Senior Dominique Hawkins returns as the leader in the back row.  Hawkins has played a lot of football at cornerback during his career.  However, with his experience he may be called upon to move to safety this spring in order to get the best athletes on the field at the same time.  We feel with the bulk of the DB talent at corner and the inexperience at safety would warrant a move to safety for Hawkins.  We will have to wait and see how it plays out.  If the young safeties show they can play then Hawkins could stay at corner.
  • Sophomores Chris Hall and Chavon Mackey, both from Florida, are back at the corner position and could be slated as the starters when spring ball begins.  Mackey started most of the season opposite Hawkins and had an up and down year.  He showed flashes of promise but being a freshman he made mistakes that resulted in big plays.  Same can be said for Hall.  This defense is tough to learn and we expect both of them to make big strides this season after gaining valuable experience last year.  The talent is there.
  • Junior Erik Mersereau and senior Justin Belotti return at the safety positions.  They both will presumably be the starters once spring ball begins.  Belotti is more of a strong safety type with Mersereau having the speed to play free safety.  Both gained some experience last year in nickel situations but will need to step up this season.
  • Senior Mitch Kudrna will be back to provide depth at all defensive back positions.  We have seen him play safety and corner in his career and we assume he will do the same next season.  Plus, he is a valuable contributor on special teams.
  • Redshirt freshman Daryl Brown (Wayzata, MN) really turned some heads this past fall on the scout team.  We are looking for him to work his way into the mix at the corner position.  He is very athletic and has good speed and will be pushing Mackey and Hall.
  • Redshirt freshman Baylee Carr and sophomore Karl Hager will provide depth at the safety positions and could push for playing time being there are spots up for grabs.

Overall, the defense returns 5 starters but has 13 returning letterman.  They gave up 25 points per game last season against the most demanding schedule in school history.  This season they must get that number down.  The schedule is easier and there is more athleticism on the field.  A main concern is how many long TD’s were given up last season, most through the air.  There appeared to be communication breakdowns in the secondary on those plays.  Hopefully, experience will help negate those problems this season.  There is a chance for this unit to have a very good season and improve on last years numbers but it will take a good spring to help that happen.