The Sioux lost 27-17 on Saturday to fall to 3-7 on the year.  It was a pretty even game throughout and UND had its chances to win the game.  These are the games they need to learn how to win, somebody needs to make that one big play to get them over the hump.

Rumors
Thunder Lake Lodge
  • The offensive passing game was dreadful to say the least.  The two Sioux QB’s were a combined 9-30 for 56 yards passing.  Those numbers are what you might see out of an option team that falls behind and has to pass, not one that is used to throwing a fair amount of the game.
  • The Sioux running game looked pretty good and kept them in it.  They ran for 153 yards as a team with Mitch Sutton scoring both of UND’s TD’s via the ground game.  Sutton showed some nice speed on his 50 yard TD run in the 3rd quarter.
  • Greg Hardin can 100% be defined as a casualty of the Jake Landry season ending injury.  The Sioux have tried to get him the ball but Goska and Hendrickson do not have the long ball touch to hit him in stride.  Sad to see because he was having a record setting year before Jake’s injury.  We can’t help but think what the loss of Blair Townsend has meant to this offense.  He could have been a big difference maker this year.  Just a reminder:  Hardin, McGill and Townsend are all freshman, and there will be more young ammo added to that position next season.
  • Special Teams were the highlight of the game again this week.  Dominique Hawkins 99 yard kick return to the one yard line and Brett Cameron’s 7 punts inside the opponents 20 yard line were major factors in this game.
  • We gave way too much credit to Montana’s passing game, which was pedestrian, and way too little credit to their running game which opened up some big holes for Chase Reynolds.
  • The defense played pretty well overall.  With 7 minutes left in the game it was 20-17 Montana and UND had the ball.  The defense gave the offense good field position many times but they couldn’t do anything with it.
  • The Sioux D had 4 sacks and 12 tackles for loss on the day.  That is a pretty good effort up front.
  • The Sioux D also held Montana to 2-14 on third down, which is excellent.
  • The Sioux were much more disciplined in this game:  3 penalties for 25 yards.
  • UND ran more plays than Montana.
  • Apparently the Montana defensive back got a finger on the long pass in the 4th quarter that glanced off Greg Hardins hands.  If Hardin is able to come up with that one it is an easy TD and the Sioux would have been up by 4 with six minutes left.  Instead, the Sioux punt and 3 plays later Montana scores to make it 27-17.
  • More UND freshman on both sides of the ball continue to gain confidence and make more plays as the season winds down.  We have noticed them much more during the second half of the season.  Garrison Goodman stuck out on Saturday.
  • The Sioux head down to SDSU this week to renew their “rivalry” with the Jacks.