We are shocked by Thursday night’s outcome and genuinely thought we had a chance to win this game. Two things: we probably underestimated Idaho and we probably overestimated UND and their talent level right now. Idaho physically looked impressive and had speed and more speed on both sides of the ball. UND is VERY young, and it showed.
The good, the bad, and the ugly. Let’s review last nights performance vs. Idaho:
- Offense was out of sync early and it really cost the Sioux a chance at staying in the game and making the 2nd half a different style of contest. They had a few chances to come away with a FG that would have gotten them some momentum and it never happened due to turnovers.
- We think the potential is there for the Pistol/No Huddle to have success but it needs flow to work. There was no flow at all last night. Therefore, they could not change tempo’s of the no huddle and dictate pace.
- The run game showed flashes but its hard to stick with it when you’re behind by more than 2 scores.
- Josh Murray showed good speed/power and looked good. The only negative for him was the fumble deep in the Idaho zone.
- Height at the receiver position is going to be an issue. Short, quick guys are fine but a complement is going to be needed to stretch the field or change up the pass routes. Blair Townsend will be missed.
- OL did a decent job, better in run game than pass protection but overall just average. Lets remember, this was an FBS team we were facing in our first game of the year with a new offense.
- QB play was poor and needs to be better, starting this week. Landry is a senior and has the ability but needs to start showing it and the rest will follow. His receivers and backs are young.
- Defense started out well but big plays killed them, especially on third down or when they had Idaho backed up.
- We liked the pressure they were getting early but Idaho adjusted and the Sioux didn’t get home once in the 2nd half. The long TD pass was a direct result of too much time for the QB and D. Hawkins being beat by receiver. If the pressure would have got there, Enderle never would have found the receiver in the end zone. Pressure is a defensive backs best friend, it covers up a lot.
- D-line did a decent job against run which was a point of emphasis against Idaho.
- We felt the LB’s had a decent game also. They came through on blitzes a few times and got some pressure but it started to let less and less as the score spread more bigger and bigger. Damon Andrews impressed.
- The DB’s got beat too many times on simple routes. TE up the seam seemed to be open multiple times for some reason. Tackling was pretty bad. Corner play was bad. Too many big plays.
When the score ends 45-0 it is hard to come up with much good. However, there were some positives to build on for next week. This a big week for the Sioux. Even though they have another good FBS team on deck (Northern Illinois), they must show progress this week to give themselves something to rally behind. Leadership will show this week based on how the team bounces back. Will they feel sorry for themselves or will they play and prepare with a chip on their shoulders? It wont get any easier this week in Dekalb.
One thing everyone needs to remember: it was game #1 for a very young team. This team has a lot of young talent and has a lot of maturing to do. It’s not time to jump off the ledge yet. We are excited to watch them at home this season against a quality schedule of opponents.
