We know it may seem strange to update everyone on special teams play but there were a few statistics that shouldn’t be ignored. Special Teams coordinator/former Sioux OLB Josh Kotelnicki has done an excellent job of getting his special teams to win the battle each and every week of the season.
- The Sioux are averaging 21.3 yds/punt return on the season, by far the best in the GWC and Top 5 in the country. Eric Mersereau returned one punt for a TD vs. Idaho.
- The Kickoff Return team is not faring as well with a 19.7 yds/game average, which is 4th in the GWC. This is an area that needs improvement.
- The Kickoff team is netting 48.6 yards per kickoff which is #1 in the GWC by a decent margin (second is 41.9). Excellent coverage as usual for this squad. The effort given out by the Kickoff team year in and year out is second to none.
- Kicker Zeb Miller is 6-6 on FG’s this year with three over 40 yards, long being 49. He is 19-20 on extra points. Miller has a huge leg and is only a sophomore. His high and deep kickoffs are a major reason why the Sioux net so many yards on kickoffs.
- Sophomore punter Brett Cameron has also had a more consistent season averaging 40 yds/punt. Cameron has put ten punts inside the 20 with only two going for a touchback. He seems to be much more comfortable this season. We like how they alternate between a standard punt formation and the rugby style punt. Cameron has shown he can do both effectively.
- The Sioux have blocked 6 kicks on the year, which ranks them at the top of the FCS stats. Sioux fans have come accustomed to the defensive line blocking kicks and frankly, they are expecting to see one every week. This video shows how the Sioux go about working on getting a push up the middle on field goals and PAT’s.
- If the Sioux can come up with some consistent pressure on the punt return’s and block some punts, they could no doubt be one of the elite special teams unit in all of FCS.
Seems quiet on the verbal front. Curious, how many verbals UND had at this time last year?
Not sure about that but they have never had alot during the season. Usually 2-4 in season and then more come in December. We are not worried about it.
We did hear that LB Brian Labatt of Detroit Lakes has been offered and could be a future Sioux. We don’t think he has verballed or anything but we have heard he liked his time up at the game, etc. Also, the Taj Rich situation is still a mystery. Nobody has reported that he verballed but a couple HS coaches we know in that area said he did. Something to keep digging on I guess. One thing about our staff is they like to keep stuff quiet at times, don’t know the reason why but they do.
I can’t understand why there would be a desire to keep news of commitments quiet which could be revealed by high school coaches or the kids themselves through the local media. What harm is there? Is an FBS or even another FCS school really going to swoop in and steal a kid? It’s fairly unlikely, particularly now that the transition is over and the schedule is going to be considerably better starting next season. It seems to me that the potential benefits of having commitments publicized outweigh the potential negatives.