I was admittedly a bit worried about UND going right back on the road again this week.
A long flight to Flagstaff, AZ, an emotional last second win, then a long flight back. Six days later they load up and do it again for the third time in four weeks.
To me it showed as the Hawks looked lethargic & slow on a hot day and the result was a 34-17 loss the Southern Illinois on Saturday. The loss dropped the Hawks to 2-2 on the season and 1-1 in the MVFC.
UND looked out of sorts all day. Sure there were some bright spots but overall it was a performance like we hadn’t seen all year. They looked tired, discombobulated, and uninspired. The travel and heat certainly didn’t help and were factors, I will take that to my grave. But they also didn’t block, run, and tackle very well either, regardless.
UND gave up seven sacks. SEVEN. UND had given up three sacks in the previous three games. It was a combination of poor blocking and not getting open on routes. Plenty of blame to spread around.
I fully expected the Hawks to be able to run the ball consistently vs SIU. That did not happen at all. UND ran the ball for only 38 net yards after losing 59 yards on sacks, etc. Credit has to be given to SIU, obviously, as they had a nice game plan of letting their front four eat and controlling the line of scrimmage. I was surprised by how well their defensive line played and credit must be given, once again.
The Hawks defense played one their worst games in recent memory. Not sure how else to explain it. SIU had 458 yards of offense, with 289 of it coming via the right arm of Nic Baker. Even though they got some pressure at times, UND had zero sacks in the game. Coverage was poor and tackling was also.
SIU was 8-12 on third down. UND has allowed an atrocious 59% conversion rate on third down this season – by far the worst in the MVFC. Getting off the field is a major issue right now.
UND had a couple nice scoring drives of 65 yards and 75 yards but just didn’t do enough overall to keep up with the Saluki offense. UND only had 271 yards of total offense.
There weren’t a whole lot of positives in this game, to be honest. Tyler Hoosman ran hard again (2 TD’s) and Tommy Schuster played alright (233 yards but 0 TD).
Garett Maag (67 yards) and Bo Belquist (78 yards) were the leading receivers again this week.
I am concerned about the number of busted coverages and just complete whiffs in the secondary. There were three SIU touchdowns where UND never even touched the receiver for whatever reason. It’s an issue that won’t happen every week but is concerning to see happen.
Time to move on. Missouri State is coming to the Alerus Center for Homecoming and they got weapons just like SIU does.
UND is a different animal at home and should look much better and much more inspired this weekend. I am not concerned about the focus & leadership of the team.
If I am a UND player today I have completely dismissed the loss and am onto the Bears. Nothing you can do about that game. Live and learn. Don’t let SIU beat you twice is the best advice they can get.
Beating #10 Missouri State would make everyone forget about SIU. It would also bring their record to 3-2 and keep all their goals in front of them. Another tough road matchup awaits them next week vs. Youngstown State, but then a much needed bye the week after.
Cover photo courtesy of Laura Schweigert Photography