Photo courtesy of Eric Burton.
In what is definitely a unique weekend at in Grand Forks, the Hawks will cap off all the festivities with another homecoming tilt vs. the Idaho State Bengals.
Idaho State vs North Dakota
Idaho State comes into the game with a 1-1 record. The Bengals pounded D2 Western State 45-10 to open the season but lost last week to California 45-23. The score was not indicative of how the game was played as Cal scored on a KO return to add to the scoring. The Bengals played admirably against the PAC-12 opponent.
The Bengal offense begins and ends with the Gueller brothers. #4 Tanner Gueller is a four-year player at QB for ISU and is the typical shotgun passer that is prevalent in the Big Sky. On the year he is 32-50 for 293 yards and 2 TD’s. Those numbers are a bit tempered by the fact they were up big vs. WSU and played vs a PAC-12 team. They like to setup Gueller in 11 personnel that spreads out the defense and creates one-on-one scenarios.
His brother #2 Mitch Gueller, a former first-round pick in baseball by Philadelphia, has become a dominant force at wide receiver for the Bengals. At 6’3″-220 he is a physical threat that can box-out most defensive backs. He will be a handful for the UND secondary. In 2018, Gueller has 10 catches for 237 yards and 2 TD’s.
This Bengal offense always comes out with a “unique” game plan when taking on UND. Some of it may have to do with the way DC Eric Schmidt likes to bring pressure. Some because UND is always tough vs. the run. But, one thing is for sure: the Bengals will spread UND out and try to replicate the 2015 game plan that led them to a 37-31 upset victory in Grand Forks. They would be crazy not to.
Defensively, Idaho State plays fast and hard. We were impressed by the film. They employ a 3-4 scheme and play a lot of 2-high looks and will play primarily ‘quarters’ in zone coverage but will also mix in some ‘2-man’ in blitzing situations. ‘Man free/cover 1’ looks will also be shown when they roll down late before the snap.
The Bengals look solid in the back row specifically as their safeties do a great job of covering over the top. Safety #12 Adkin Aguire leads the Bengals secondary. Linebacker #51 Paea Moala leads the defense in tackles and is a force in the run game.
On the season, their defense is giving up 27.5 points, 120.5 rushing yards and 188 passing yards per game.
ISU will definitely look to stop the run early on and make UND beat them in the pass game. Their defensive front three down lineman are big and physical and can wreak havoc between the tackles.
It will be incumbent on UND to establish the run game early and use play action and quick passes to move the ball in the passing game. Nate Ketteringham needs to take the next step and grab the reins of this offense and show everyone, including his teammates, that he’s the leader, catalyst and calming influence of this offense. Make smart decisions, be efficient and show the requisite QB traits that everyone buys in to. When deep shots are taken, make them count.Top sum it up – this is a pretty solid Bengals team. Coach Rob Phenicie has done a nice job building that program back up after the Mike Kramer era fell apart.
Our Prediction – North Dakota 31 Idaho State 24
2018 Hall of Fame Inductee: RB Phillip Moore
The greatest running back in UND history and arguably the best running back in NCC history is being inducted into the Hall of Fame this weekend. For anybody who was around the NCC in the mid/late-90’s, Phillip Moore was a household name who dominated the league for three years straight. Moore was a four-year starter at running back, which is rare in any era. He also was the workhorse. There was no rotation in the backfield like we see today.
He’d bang all day between the tackles running power, counter and zone plays but still had the breakaway ‘homerun’ speed to go the distance for the TD and not get caught. A true hybrid style running back that could do whatever was asked of him.
Besides his blazing speed, Moore was more than likely the toughest football player on the team. A nice piece by the Grand Forks Herald attests to that with quotes from his former teammates. As teammates of Phillip, we personally witnessed him taking a couple of the biggest hits we have ever heard, literally, only to see him get picked up by his teammates and struggle back to the huddle. One of those hits happened vs perennial NCC power Northern Colorado. Next play after that big hit – handoff to Phillip. Yep, business as usual for the All-American after taking 15 seconds of huddle time to shake it off. The defensive guys would look at each other on the sidelines and shake our heads. Much respect.
Here is the bio of Moore’s career via fightinghawks.com:
Phillip Moore | Football | 1995-98: NCAA Division II All-America running back as a junior and senior and was an honorable mention as a sophomore … Two-time finalist for the Harlon Hill Trophy, awarded to the most outstanding player in NCAA DII football … Graduated as UND’s all-time leader in rushing yards (5,697), rushing attempts (1,101), rushing touchdowns (51), total touchdowns (53) and all-purpose yards (5,857, since broken) … Also set NCC records for career rushing yards (4,892, later broken), career rushing attempts (88), single-season rushing attempts (294) and single-season rushing yards (later broken) … Owns the top two single-season rushing performances in UND history: 1,771 yards in 1997 and 1,722 in 1998 … Broke UND’s single-game rushing record three times over his final two years, including a high of 282 yards against Augustana on Nov. 7, 1998 (since broken) … Helped UND win an NCC title as a freshman in 1998 and played on two NCAA Division II Playoffs qualifiers (1995, 1998).
Photo courtesy of fightinghawks.com