The Game Vitals
Game Time – 6pm. (Robert W. Plaster Stadium)
Opponent – Missouri State Bears (Springfield, MO)
Game Notes – UND
TV – None
Online Streaming – Bears All Access
Spread – Missouri State -26
Missouri State Breakdown (1-1 record)
— Offense = Shotgun/Pistol Spread with 3 receivers, 1 tight end and 1 back. Very similar to Robert Morris
— Defense = 3-4 defense
— Beat Northwestern State (LA) 34-27. Lost to Oklahoma State 40-23.
This is a very good Missouri State team. They have shown improvement over the years in not only talent but ability to play with anybody on their schedule. This year could be there best team yet.
QB Kierra Harris is the guy that UND needs to be worried about. Thus far in 2014, he is 25-43 for 401 yards and 5 TD’s through the air. However, he is just as big of a threat on the ground, rushing for 111 yards already this season. Harris has good arm strength and will take his time trying to find his receivers, but sometimes he does flee the pocket too quickly.
The Bears have a very experienced offensive line back this season. There are four starters back from last year and three of them were All-MVFC selections in the preseason (Booker, Cooley and Galbierz). They will definitely be a problem for the UND front-seven on Saturday.
Defensively, the Bears play a 3-4 scheme, similar to what UND plays. They are led by All-American safety Caleb Schaffitzel, who was a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award last season (FCS defensive player of the year). Thus far in 2014 the Bears defense is giving up 33.5 pts/game but that is vs. pretty good competition. From what we have seen they appear to be a fundamentally solid defense and will be a tough unit for the UND offense to attack.
North Dakota – Keys To The Game
We believe UND will be without safety Cole Reyes again this week. Freshman safety Joe Montague will be back in the rotation, along with freshman Deion Harris, to add depth that is sorely lacking right now. The UND secondary needs to continue to improve this week and add quality second level tackling that has not been there thus far. MSU is going to break runs up the middle, we know that much. Will the safeties/corners step up and bring the running back down for a marginal gain?
Missouri State likes to give the zone-read handoff to their running backs #11 Phoenix Johnson and #28 Calan Crowder (who are both very talented backs). Let them. If they get those two going up the middle and Harris is able to pull it and go off the end, UND is in trouble. Take away the Harris keeper and hope the rest of your front seven can slow down the running backs. UND can’t defend everything so they have to take away something.
The UND offense needs to do something. Anything. They were abysmal last week and are playing a much, much better opponent this week. QB Joe Mollberg is going to need to be accurate and aware this week as he will need to find easier targets, such as RB’s, FB’s and TE’s if UND is going to move the ball.
To have a chance to win this game, UND needs to win the special teams battle like it did last week vs. RMU. Pinning MSU deep in the punting game will be vital to UND having success on defense. They are not good enough to keep giving the Bears a mid to short field.
Let RB Adam Shaugabay carry the load this week. Cedric Simmons is out with a shoulder injury and RB Jer Garman has not shown the ability to be an every-down back. Shaugabay has the size and ability to run the ball in between the tackles, which is what UND wants to do.
Missouri State is a very good football team and could be a big factor in the MVFC this season. This one is going to be tough for a young UND team to win. A bunch of things need to go right on Saturday and based on the first two weeks UND is not to that point yet.
The Prediction
Missouri State 34
North Dakota 16