UND wil be holding their annual spring scrimmage/game tomorrow at 11am in the brand new High Performance Center.

Thunder Lake Lodge

The game will be around 50 plays total with young guys getting more reps than veterans, as usual.  This game is always a great for getting a sneak peek of what the redshirt freshmen bring to the table.

UND lost six starters off last years 7-4 team.  While that isn’t alot, they did lose many high-end, all-conference contributors like Will Ratelle, Brandon Anderson, Sean Meehan, and Colton Boas.

**This weekend also doubles as UND’s Junior Day.  They are expecting between 35-40 current junior’s to be on campus tomorrow for the game and other activities.

Here are five things we are going to evaluate during the spring game:

  1. Interior Offensive Line.  UND needs to replace the all-conference lineman we mentioned in our intro above.  Demon Taylor and Dan Bell have the inside track and the guard positions.  Both are more than capable of playing good football but need reps and consistency.  At center, we will be watching both sophomore Grant Aplin and freshman Patric Rooney to see who looks like they can lead the offensive line.  Center is crucial position on the field.  They touch the ball every play and need to make calls and help set protections vs. what they are seeing from the defense.  This is the team’s biggest concern/question mark going into next fall.
  2. Cornerback.  The UND corners are still not where they need to be.  With starter Tyus Carter out this spring, that leaves starter Deion Harris, Jahmere-Irvin Sills, Chris Carter, Garrett Bollant and newcomer Torrey Hunt.  UND needs to get to six deep at corner, meaning six guys that can play in a moment’s notice vs. pass-happy teams.  Hunt has shown promise this spring and is one to watch specifically on Saturday.
  3. QB Brad Heidlebaugh. “You’re only as good as your backup quarterback”.  UND learned that fact last year when starter Keaton Studsrud went down vs. Idaho State in the 3rd quarter and they ended up losing that game and the next two without him.  Heidlebaugh is only a freshman but is going to be fighting for backup duties with senior Ryan Bartels.  We will be watching for the flow of the offense under Brad, his timing on getting the ball out, and his overall mobility.
  4. ILB.  Filling the void left by Will Ratelle will be difficult and with Taj Rich out with an injury, Connor O’Brien is the experienced leader at this spot right now.  Freshman Donnell  Rodgers and transfer Dijon Murray have had the luxury of lots of reps and development time, which they needed.  Both have progressed well and will need to be in the rotation.  Hope to see them make plays on Saturday.  We are both nervous and excited for this position in 2016.
  5. TE/FB.  It’s no secret that OL and WR depth are an issue right now.  Because of that we fully expect to see multiple TE/FB formations & personnel groupings employed often.  They will be a critical part of the passing game, both in protection and down the field as receiving options.  The incoming freshman class has help on the way with two more TE’s and a FB, but the guys here on campus now will be more involved and have their numbers called more frequently.

The defense will only have three safeties in tomorrows game (Palmborg/Tucker/Galkoski).  Starters Cole Reyes and Zach Arnell are both being held out due to injury/rehab.

On the flip side, we can sit back and marvel at the depth on the defensive line.  We haven’t seen this quality depth there for quite some time, if ever.