Our UND vs NDSU Pregame Show has arrived!

Inside Shannon Schweigert and Kelly Howe break down the game offensively and defensively with tips from coaches who have gone against NDSU in the past, we speak with Fargo Forum report Jeff Kolpack, talk with DC Eric Schmidt & DB coach Travis Stepps and of course give our game predictions.

As always, the pregame show will also air on Saturday mornings at 10am on 1440am in Grand Forks.

We would like to thank our generous sponsors of the pregame show:

Rumors Sports Bar & Grill — Development Homes Gaming

Orthopedic & Sport Medicine Specialists of Fargo-Dr. Phil Johnson

—We would also like to announce our new sponsor Holiday Magic From Markus

HMFM is an outstanding organization that was started by the UND Football team in 2002 to honor Markus Bryant, who was battling cancer at the time. You can read more about his impact on the UND Football program at the link above.

  “Holiday Magic From Markus” is set up to raise money to go towards the purchase of Holiday gifts for the area children who are going to spend the winter Holidays in the hospital, or who are fighting these serious illnesses over the Holidays. 

 

 

 

 

 

Time Stamps:

00:00    Rewind – DC Eric Schmidt

11:30      Jeff Kolpack – The Forum

19:00     Heart of the Hawks – Sr. RB James Johannesson

25:46     2-Minute Drill: DB Coach Travis Stepps

                Who’s In – Who’s Out Injury Report

32:55     360 Game Preview


To add a little bit to what we already covered in the podcast – it’s going to come down to how good the UND defense can play in this game.

The UND defense will need to make a few big plays that flip the field for the offense or even score on their own.  To make the UND offense go 80 yards every drive isn’t going to be a successful recipe so a huge day out of the defense is a must.

It will also be interesting to see who UND uses as a ‘spy’ in passing downs to try and contain QB Trey Lance.  He is a scramble threat on every play, which puts immense pressure on a defense.

Offensively, I spoke with a few different coaches who have faced the NDSU defense in the past and here are some looks/ideas that they felt worked vs. the Tampa 2, 4-3 defense the Bison run:

  • 3×1 looks in 11 or 10 personnel.  Spread them out and get less hats in the box, hope to pop one in the zone-read downhill running game.
  • RPO (run-pass option) game in 2×2 look (10 personnel).  UND showed RPO game last week so we know it’s in the playbook.  Expect much more vs. Bison.
  • Find running backs underneath in the passing game.  The voids are there short but the QB has to settle for them and not try to throw it into the holes downfield.
  • Several trick plays or unorthodox formations to keep them off-balance and to also get quick yards via a big play.

Obviously, it’s all easier said than done and dependent upon personnel but it was interesting to hear of ways to attack the Bison defense.