*No one just waltzes into the Kohl Center and wins, especially when you're a Big Sky team and I'm not saying UND is going to beat Wisconsin tonight..but there is a chance. So you're telling me there's a chance. Yes, Mr. Christmas, although the Big Ten Network will probably refer to North Dakota as NDSU or the "Fighting Sioux" five times tonight, UND has a shot at the Badgers. Here is why-
*Veteran Leadership: UND is a veteran squad, the muscle of the team. Between Troy Huff, Aaron Anderson, Jamal Webb, Josh Schuler, the green and white should not be rattled by the Kohl Center crowd of 17,000. They have been to Madison before, losing their freshman year. They have been to the Octagon of Doom. They have seen "big time" crowds. Now they must play well in front of one.
*Newcomer Nash: This is a big night for Texas Tech transfer Jaron Nash. If I had to guess, he will be the one guarding 6-7 sophomore Sam Dekker. Dekker should be All-Big Ten this season and probably an All-American by the time he steps off the Wisconsin campus. Nash is 6-8 and athletic meaning he might be the one who is called upon to shut down the Badgers best scorer. The Waterloo East grad showcased his skills at the Betty when he threw down multiple dunks. UND needs some of those tonight. If Nash can limit Dekker and score some buckets of his own, this gives UND a great shot.
*Three Point Threat: Speaking of shots, UND has proven they can shoot the three. They need to tonight. Wisconsin has held its opponents to just 22% from long range, giving up only an average of only three long-range shots a game. The way UND is built (very guard-oriented), they need to knock down 10-plus against the Badgers. If UND shoots well, they will stay in it. If not, it could get ugly..and fast.
*Style Of Play: UND needs to play their style of basketball...the old Wooden strategy comes into play here in concentrating on what you're doing, not what the other team is doing. Wisconsin will want to play half-court all night. If they do that, Wisconsin will win by 25. If UND can get out and run, they have a great shot to keep this thing close. To do that, they will have to play good defense to force missed Wisconsin shots. Rebounds lead to fast breaks, fast breaks for UND, leads to points. UND will probably need 70 to win.
*Drive The Ball: UND is great at driving to the hoop. They need to do that well tonight. Why? They (A) Need to get to the free throw line and (B) get the 7-footer, Frank Kaminsky in foul trouble. Kaminsky is having a breakout year and has the potential to be all-conference. UND has limited numbers in the post and has to get, has to get Wisconsin in foul trouble.
This begins a brutal stretch of tough opponents for UND-Wisconsin, NDSU, the Oregon Tournament, at Butler. Uff-da! This is a great chance for coach Brian Jones to see where his team is and a nice little appetizer for NDSU!
*My prediction is in the ballpark of Wisconsin-75 UND-61.
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Thursday, September 26, 2013
GameDay in Fargo, Lets play hockey, UND reeling
*Welcome back sports fans..
*What a day it was for North Dakota State and the city of Fargo last Saturday as ESPN's "College GameDay" headed to The Frozen Tundra.
*First off, it was crazy that GameDay even came to "The Peace Garden State"..but why not? The "BiZon" deserve it and so did Fargo and the state.
*When ESPN announced that Herbie and the boys were headed north, it was a question of where it should be held..on campus..or downtown? They chose downtown which raised blood pressure for some. Some NDSU fans wanted to have it in the dome or somewhere on campus. Ridiculous. Here's the thing. The show has been to Death Valley, College Station, Ann Arbor, Lincoln, etc. Places that know a thing or two about tailgating and football. I'm not saying that Bison fans don't know how to tailgate and to play football, because they clearly do. But ranking the NDSU tailgating scene to Alabama's is like the two squaring off in the actual game of football.
*ESPN knew what they were doing the entire time when they announced that it was going to be downtown. Feature the small-town USA feel(even though Fargo is not a small town) and show off Fargo's beautiful downtown.
*As most of us assumed, Bison fans came in flocks to be part of the show. Countless tweets and comments during the show, complimented the fans and the city of Fargo over and over, also adding that they will be back. Not sure they will be back year after year but the nation now knows about NDSU football(if they didn't before)(which they probably didn't)
*Text from a buddy in Iowa-"Is GameDay seriously in North Dakota? Is this real life?"
*Today the Grand Forks Herald had its UND hockey preview. If you haven't picked one up, do so. Fantastic stuff.
*It's no secret that UND loses a huge senior class with the likes of Kristo and Knight(two Hobey Baker finalists) now fighting for spots with the Rangers and the Flames. UND enters its new conference, the NCHC, which has created a buzz around town. The conference is loaded. Miami, Denver, UND, CC, Omaha, and the list goes on. We are going to see a lot of .500 teams that could win other conference's.
*UND is at Miami the 18th and 19th of October giving fans an early taste of what to expect for fans. Although Minnesota and Wisconsin are not on this year's schedule, this winter's slate serves up a lot of great weekends.
*The UND football team sits at 1-2 after their bye week with yet another ranked opponent coming to the Alerus Center. Montana State, another team reeling after a loss to SFA, visits Grand Forks for the first time since 1983. He is questionable, but more than likely, All-American quarterback Denarius McGee will not play.
*It's no question-UND must win one of these big games if they want to make the playoffs. The magic number seems to seven for UND if they want to make the playoffs. Technically, they could lose to Montana State and Eastern Washington, run the table, and get to seven. But is that good enough to make it into the postseason? They need a good win and hopefully for UND fans, it can come this Saturday against a beat up Bobcat team.
*What a day it was for North Dakota State and the city of Fargo last Saturday as ESPN's "College GameDay" headed to The Frozen Tundra.
*First off, it was crazy that GameDay even came to "The Peace Garden State"..but why not? The "BiZon" deserve it and so did Fargo and the state.
*When ESPN announced that Herbie and the boys were headed north, it was a question of where it should be held..on campus..or downtown? They chose downtown which raised blood pressure for some. Some NDSU fans wanted to have it in the dome or somewhere on campus. Ridiculous. Here's the thing. The show has been to Death Valley, College Station, Ann Arbor, Lincoln, etc. Places that know a thing or two about tailgating and football. I'm not saying that Bison fans don't know how to tailgate and to play football, because they clearly do. But ranking the NDSU tailgating scene to Alabama's is like the two squaring off in the actual game of football.
*ESPN knew what they were doing the entire time when they announced that it was going to be downtown. Feature the small-town USA feel(even though Fargo is not a small town) and show off Fargo's beautiful downtown.
*As most of us assumed, Bison fans came in flocks to be part of the show. Countless tweets and comments during the show, complimented the fans and the city of Fargo over and over, also adding that they will be back. Not sure they will be back year after year but the nation now knows about NDSU football(if they didn't before)(which they probably didn't)
*Text from a buddy in Iowa-"Is GameDay seriously in North Dakota? Is this real life?"
*Today the Grand Forks Herald had its UND hockey preview. If you haven't picked one up, do so. Fantastic stuff.
*It's no secret that UND loses a huge senior class with the likes of Kristo and Knight(two Hobey Baker finalists) now fighting for spots with the Rangers and the Flames. UND enters its new conference, the NCHC, which has created a buzz around town. The conference is loaded. Miami, Denver, UND, CC, Omaha, and the list goes on. We are going to see a lot of .500 teams that could win other conference's.
*UND is at Miami the 18th and 19th of October giving fans an early taste of what to expect for fans. Although Minnesota and Wisconsin are not on this year's schedule, this winter's slate serves up a lot of great weekends.
*The UND football team sits at 1-2 after their bye week with yet another ranked opponent coming to the Alerus Center. Montana State, another team reeling after a loss to SFA, visits Grand Forks for the first time since 1983. He is questionable, but more than likely, All-American quarterback Denarius McGee will not play.
*It's no question-UND must win one of these big games if they want to make the playoffs. The magic number seems to seven for UND if they want to make the playoffs. Technically, they could lose to Montana State and Eastern Washington, run the table, and get to seven. But is that good enough to make it into the postseason? They need a good win and hopefully for UND fans, it can come this Saturday against a beat up Bobcat team.
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Fear The FCS, Happy For Bohl, UND
*Welcome back football fans..
*Feels good to say that!
*What a weekend it was for the FCS! First it was NDSU Friday night and then it was Eastern Washington Saturday night. All in all, eight FCS teams knocked off FBS teams over the weekend. Not bad for the "little brother" of college football.
*The North Dakota State win over Billy S and the boys in Manhattan was incredible. The Bison won that game, Kansas State did not lose that game. Big difference. Head coach Craig Bohl could hardly enjoy it as it seemed that he was on every sports show over the weekend. Well-deserved. I'm so happy for Bohl. Manhattan hasn't treated Bohl well. Bohl served as Nebraska defensive coordinator for a few years before the entire NU coaching staff was let go in a matter of two years.
*The link below makes me sick to my stomach.
Still have nightmares
*Remember when this wasn't a penalty?
*In '02, the last gas for Bohl and many Husker coaches roaming the Nebraska sidelines, Kansas State kept scoring on Nebraska when the game was well out of reach. For many years of Nebraska crushing Kansas State, I'm sure it felt good for EMAW Nation.
*Forgive me of my Husker rants..all in all, I'm happy for Bohl.
*NDSU was trending on Twitter all night and I'm sure the Bison party lasted well into the weekend..and rightfully so. If fans didn't know about the back-to-back FCS champs, they do now.
*Eastern Washington kept the party going when the Eagles strolled into number 25 Oregon State and walked out with a dub. EWU QB Vernon Adams only went for over 500 yards and six touchdowns. He visits the Alerus Center October 12th for UND's homecoming.
*Let's put it this way: B1G commish Jimmy might be on to something when he said he doesn't want his conference playing these smaller schools. Luckily, I've know both sides of the spectrum..absolutely nothing can come of these games with the FCS teams. Nothing. You win, you did your job. You lose, you're the laughing stock of college football. Especially with the BCS gone and a playoff format among us, the strength of the non-conference becomes vital. Here's the thing: With these FCS teams in Dennis Dodd's power rankings, shouldn't the playoff committee consider some of these teams good competition. Food for thought. Fear The FCS
*One team that is trying to make that jump and become a household name in the FCS is UND. They will have a chance to make a splash this weekend when they host seventh-ranked South Dakota State. UND opened up the season by throttling Valpo 69-10. What we learned: Not a lot. We were just reminded that wide receiver Greg Hardin is very, very fast.
Highlight video of UND-Valpo
*The green and white have their work cut out for them. South Dakota State is good. Real good. When they're not handing it off to their All-American running back Zach Zenner, quarterback Austin Sumner is slicing defenses through the air.
*UND knows what's on the platter this Saturday night. From what I can gather, the program needs this win. Mussman needs this win. More on UND throughout the week.
*Feels good to say that!
*What a weekend it was for the FCS! First it was NDSU Friday night and then it was Eastern Washington Saturday night. All in all, eight FCS teams knocked off FBS teams over the weekend. Not bad for the "little brother" of college football.
*The North Dakota State win over Billy S and the boys in Manhattan was incredible. The Bison won that game, Kansas State did not lose that game. Big difference. Head coach Craig Bohl could hardly enjoy it as it seemed that he was on every sports show over the weekend. Well-deserved. I'm so happy for Bohl. Manhattan hasn't treated Bohl well. Bohl served as Nebraska defensive coordinator for a few years before the entire NU coaching staff was let go in a matter of two years.
*The link below makes me sick to my stomach.
Still have nightmares
*In '02, the last gas for Bohl and many Husker coaches roaming the Nebraska sidelines, Kansas State kept scoring on Nebraska when the game was well out of reach. For many years of Nebraska crushing Kansas State, I'm sure it felt good for EMAW Nation.
*Forgive me of my Husker rants..all in all, I'm happy for Bohl.
*NDSU was trending on Twitter all night and I'm sure the Bison party lasted well into the weekend..and rightfully so. If fans didn't know about the back-to-back FCS champs, they do now.
*Eastern Washington kept the party going when the Eagles strolled into number 25 Oregon State and walked out with a dub. EWU QB Vernon Adams only went for over 500 yards and six touchdowns. He visits the Alerus Center October 12th for UND's homecoming.
*Let's put it this way: B1G commish Jimmy might be on to something when he said he doesn't want his conference playing these smaller schools. Luckily, I've know both sides of the spectrum..absolutely nothing can come of these games with the FCS teams. Nothing. You win, you did your job. You lose, you're the laughing stock of college football. Especially with the BCS gone and a playoff format among us, the strength of the non-conference becomes vital. Here's the thing: With these FCS teams in Dennis Dodd's power rankings, shouldn't the playoff committee consider some of these teams good competition. Food for thought. Fear The FCS
*One team that is trying to make that jump and become a household name in the FCS is UND. They will have a chance to make a splash this weekend when they host seventh-ranked South Dakota State. UND opened up the season by throttling Valpo 69-10. What we learned: Not a lot. We were just reminded that wide receiver Greg Hardin is very, very fast.
Highlight video of UND-Valpo
*The green and white have their work cut out for them. South Dakota State is good. Real good. When they're not handing it off to their All-American running back Zach Zenner, quarterback Austin Sumner is slicing defenses through the air.
*UND knows what's on the platter this Saturday night. From what I can gather, the program needs this win. Mussman needs this win. More on UND throughout the week.
Friday, August 30, 2013
Rest of my top 25
*Welcome back sports fans
*I know you've been losing sleep so here is the rest of my top 25!
16. Florida-Head
coach Will Muschamp is coming off his best season at Florida. The Gators saw only one loss in the
regular season and could have easily been playing for the Natty title. The loss
to Louisville
in the Sugar Bowl put a sour taste in the Gators mouth heading into this year.
The team returns quarterback Jeff Driskel and a great wide receiving corps. The
biggest questions we find, are on the defensive side of the ball. Only a
handful of starters return on that side of the ball, a defense that was lit up
by Teddy Bridgewater. Not a huge concern as Bridgewater lights up a lot of defenses. The
schedule is challenging. Very challenging. At Miami,
at LSU, at Missouri, at South Carolina. Home against Tennessee and Florida
State. If Florida splits there, I
would call it a win.
Regular season
record: 9-3
15. Michigan State-I’ve been sold on this team all
off-season. Mark Dantonio is coming off a tough 7-6 season last fall but
returns a lot of talent that could take the Spartans to new heights. The talk
around Big Ten Country has been the qb spot. It was just assumed by the general
public that senior Andrew Maxwell would get the job. Maxwell started all 13
games last year but didn’t put up the numbers Spartan Nation wanted to see.
Enter sophomore Connor Cook. Cook has put the pressure on Maxwell all summer
but it was announced recently that Maxwell will get the start in game one
against Western Michigan. Whoever is at qb,
they will have a great offensive line in front of them. That’s the key this
year for Sparty, the lines. Both the lines are in position to have great years.
The Michigan State defense should be salty and the
green and white should be undefeated going into a late September game at Notre
Dame. If they can get past the Irish and a trip to Iowa
City, that should set up a great matchup with rival Michigan in early
November. That is followed by trips to Nebraska
and then Northwestern, a possible split.
Regular season
record: 10-2
14. Virginia Tech-We
will find out what the Hokies are about right away in the season opener in Atlanta against Alabama.
Do I see them winning this game? No. But I do see them coming back from it and
reeling off 8-10 straight wins. Frank
Beamer will rely heavily on his senior quarterback Logan Thomas. The duel-threat
qb helped Va. Tech put up great numbers offensively last fall, but saw his
defense get gashed through the air a few games. That must improve if the Hokies
want to return to the Big Boy Bowls.
Regular season
record: 10-2
13. Nebraska-Well,
this is the season that Huskers fans hope it comes together for sixth year head
coach Bo Pelini. The schedule is favorable as Nebraska has their best skill players since
2001. UCLA presents a threat early in Lincoln,
but if the Huskers can win against the Bruins, they should be 8-0 heading into Ann Arbor. That’s where
the schedule gets salty for senior quarterback Taylor Martinez and the crew. Michigan, Michigan State,
Penn State,
and Iowa all
follow a home contest with Northwestern. That’s five pretty tough opponents. By
then, the Nebraska
faithful is hopeful that the young defense has grown up.
Regular season
record: 10-2
12. Florida State-Head
coach Jimbo Fisher recently named Jameis Winston their starting quarterback..as
if it was ever a question. Seminole fans are banking on the athletic abilities
of Winston to take that next step and play for a national title. Many thought
it would come last year but a one point loss and a late season loss to rival Florida put them in the Orange
Bowl..where they stomped Northern Illinois.
The offense will be good..real good. The defense will need to find some fillers
up front, but if they can do so, this season could see the same success as last
season. At Pitt to open up this Monday, and trips to Clemson and The Swamp..two
very tough road trips for a freshman quarterback.
Regular season
record: 10-2
11. South
Carolina-The ‘Ol Ball Coach and the gang opened up the season
last night in a 27-10 win over North
Carolina. We expected a win like that. What we didn’t
expect was Jadeveon Clowney sucking air while it seemed that the Heisman
candidate was out of shape. He says it will come with time. It better come
quickly, the Gamecocks play at Georgia
two Saturdays from now. Shaw seemed to play well and they will need a
performance like that when they face Georgia. I see this as a loss for South Carolina and
another one late in the season.
Regular season
record: 10-2
10. Louisville-It’s
no secret for the Cardinals. They must run the table to be in the national
title hunt. The regular season slate ends with a trip to Cincy on a Thursday.
Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is a Heisman candidate but this team reminds me
of Boise State and the position that they were in
for so many years. You need to destroy your opponent every week and even if you
do, for 12 straight games, you still might not play for a national title. This
team could easily go undefeated but I see them losing at least one game.
Regular season
record: 11-1
9. LSU-The Tigers
open up another season with a bang as they face TCU in Arlington Saturday. LSU also goes to Georgia
and Bama but if there is any coach that can pull off wins such as, it would be
Les Miles. You have to figure at this point that the LSU defense will always be
solid..you also have to figure that there will always be a question mark at the
quarterback spot no matter who is under center. This year, the plan is that
senior Zach Mettenberger will be the one to get the job done.
Regular season
record: 10-2
8. Boise State-The
era is over where the Broncos come in and surprise people. Now, they’re just a
top-10 contender every year. This year the blue will rely on quarterback Joe
Southwick. Last year, Boise
had some ugly loses..and some ugly wins. Although Washington isn’t expected to do to much, the
Boise-U-Dub game is one to keep an eye on this Saturday. After that, a trip to Fresno might be the only
game that presents the Broncos with much trouble.
Regular season
record: 11-1
7. Oregon-The Chip Kelly era is over and
Mark Helfrich might have walked in at the perfect time. The schedule is
easy…really easy except for one game..you guessed it, Stanford. They go to the
Cardinal on a Thursday night in what will be one of the best games of the year
in college foortball. If they can beat Stanford, they very well could run the
table. Like LSU, you come to expect certain things from certain teams. With Oregon, it’s you know
that their uniforms are going to be ridiculous…and that they will have a
dynamic backfield.
Regular season
record: 11-1
6. Clemson-They
start the season with a tough game..they end the season with a tough game. In
between, is Florida
State. Those three games
will define the Clemson season led by Tajh Boyd. Boyd could win the Heisman,
especially if he leads the Tigers to a national title. I have Clemson up there
as I think it all comes together for them this year. Out of those three I just
mentioned, I see them going 2-1.
Regular season
record: 11-1
5. Stanford-I
find it impossible to hate Stanford. The defense should be locked and loaded
this year to go along with a pretty good offense. The team proved last season
that when the defense gives up a lot of points, they can overcome it by scoring
more than the other team. I have the Cardinal beating Oregon, but have them getting tripped up
along the way. At USC, Notre Dam might present a headache for head coach David
Shaw.
Regular season
record: 11-1
4. Ohio State-After coming off an
undefeated season, many are predicting the Buckeyes to go to the Natty
championship…and rightfully so. With Braxton Miller back, Carlos Hyde
back(eventually) and a lot of returners coming back. Somewhere along the way..I
see a loss. Would I be surprised if they go 12-0 again? Absolutely not. If
there is one quarterback that could handle the pressure that that would bring,
it’s Miller. Whether it’s at Northwestern, Wiscy, or at Michigan, I see a loss for OSU.
Regular season
record: 11-1
3. Alabama-Here
we go again. Another great season for Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide. Can they
win four in five? They have the talent to do so, and possibly the schedule. I
think they beat Texas A&M, maybe handily. You know Georgia is
gunning for them after the SEC Championship. Alabama will end up in a BCS bowl. But will
it be for the National Title?
Regular season record:
12-0
2. Georgia-It’s
the reason why Aaron Murray is back. To beat Alabama. I think he and Georgia will get
their shot in the SEC Championship. LSU, USC, and Clemson are the only ones who
will present a threat to the Dogs but I believe number 11 is on a mission after
that 32-28 loss in Atlanta.
Georgia
had their title hopes dashed in a matter of seconds and I think they play for
it this year.
Regular season
record: 12-0
Regular season record: 12-0
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Two-A-Days No More, Wildcats On The Prowl, Wegher, Shatel's Article on Husker Fans
*Hey sports fans..The blog has been slacking as of late as I'm sure most of you don't care about my top 25 so I'm going to try and pick it up.
*Iowa high school football teams have dropped the "two-a-day" practices and have went to a single practice a day due to the boys in Boone ending the multiple practices in a single day. I never played a down of high school football so I would like to hear what some of you former/current high school players think of this. I'm sure coaches do the best to find ways around the rule. Some questions to ponder...does it hurt the overall performance of high school football? Are the teams more "even" at the end of fall practice?
*I think the boys in B-Town have one question and one question only: Does this make practice "safer" for the kids? I think the answer to that is, yes. Whether you think they're being to "soft" on the kids or not getting them game ready, it's hard to argue that there will be less kids fainting/heat exhaustion, etc. Here's something to chew on: How about a running back faints in a game because he wasn't conditioned well enough where he could of been better conditioned better with two-a-days as opposed to one. Interesting.
*Former Sioux City Bishop Heelan running back Brandon Wegher is headed to Morningside. I touched on this a little in a previous blog. In my mind, Wegher is a NFL talent. Things didn't work out at Iowa...or Oklahoma...or Iowa Western.
*Here is the story by KCAU. Watching this, you want to root for the guy. He never killed anyone..He didn't get busted for coke...He made a few mistakes, we all do.
Saying All The Right Things
*Hard to imagine the last time he touched a football in uniform, it was for the game-clinching TD against Georgia Tech in the Orange Bowl..Remember those days, Iowa fans? Here's a reminder: USA NUMBER 1!!!
*Flipping over to the Huskers...Here is an absolutely great read by Omaha World Herald's Tom Shatel on Nebraska fans and the hope for the upcoming season.
Husker Fans Need Hope
*Shatel writes contrasting the anticipation of a past season compared to the outlook for this season, "If a Husker team had a four-year starter at quarterback, along with this arsenal of offensive weapons, and the 2013 schedule, nobody would be worrying about a young defense. People would be making their Jan. 1 hotel reservations.Alas, I think Husker fans have forgotten how to make those plans. And I think some of them are forgetting how to hope." BINGO. If the year was 1998 with the schedule Nebraska had and with the starting QB and running game coming back, Husker fans would have already had every hotel room checked out in Pasadena. Will that hope ever return for Nebraska fans?
*We have arrived at #17 on my college football top 25 poll: Northwestern
*Did you think you would ever see the Cats picked above Oklahoma, USC, AND Michigan? That must be why no one reads my blog.
*This is hands-down the best Pat Fitzgerald team that has ever put on the purple. The problem is they play one of the toughest schedules in the B1G. Ohio State to open up Big Ten play, at Wisconsin, at Nebraska, Michigan, and Michigan State.
*The Northwestern backfield is incredible. Kain Colter and Trevor Siemian will be the qbs, both very dangerous. Venric Mark will be the one who they will be handing the ball off to, the most underrated back in America. Northwestern returns just about everyone at the skill position and the defense has a chance to be decent.
*October 5th might be the biggest day in Northwestern football history. Homecoming. Ohio State comes to town. Both will be undefeated. Night game. Game Day will be there. Should be fun.
*Regular season: 9-3
*Iowa high school football teams have dropped the "two-a-day" practices and have went to a single practice a day due to the boys in Boone ending the multiple practices in a single day. I never played a down of high school football so I would like to hear what some of you former/current high school players think of this. I'm sure coaches do the best to find ways around the rule. Some questions to ponder...does it hurt the overall performance of high school football? Are the teams more "even" at the end of fall practice?
*I think the boys in B-Town have one question and one question only: Does this make practice "safer" for the kids? I think the answer to that is, yes. Whether you think they're being to "soft" on the kids or not getting them game ready, it's hard to argue that there will be less kids fainting/heat exhaustion, etc. Here's something to chew on: How about a running back faints in a game because he wasn't conditioned well enough where he could of been better conditioned better with two-a-days as opposed to one. Interesting.
*Former Sioux City Bishop Heelan running back Brandon Wegher is headed to Morningside. I touched on this a little in a previous blog. In my mind, Wegher is a NFL talent. Things didn't work out at Iowa...or Oklahoma...or Iowa Western.
*Here is the story by KCAU. Watching this, you want to root for the guy. He never killed anyone..He didn't get busted for coke...He made a few mistakes, we all do.
Saying All The Right Things
*Hard to imagine the last time he touched a football in uniform, it was for the game-clinching TD against Georgia Tech in the Orange Bowl..Remember those days, Iowa fans? Here's a reminder: USA NUMBER 1!!!
*Flipping over to the Huskers...Here is an absolutely great read by Omaha World Herald's Tom Shatel on Nebraska fans and the hope for the upcoming season.
Husker Fans Need Hope
*Shatel writes contrasting the anticipation of a past season compared to the outlook for this season, "If a Husker team had a four-year starter at quarterback, along with this arsenal of offensive weapons, and the 2013 schedule, nobody would be worrying about a young defense. People would be making their Jan. 1 hotel reservations.Alas, I think Husker fans have forgotten how to make those plans. And I think some of them are forgetting how to hope." BINGO. If the year was 1998 with the schedule Nebraska had and with the starting QB and running game coming back, Husker fans would have already had every hotel room checked out in Pasadena. Will that hope ever return for Nebraska fans?
*We have arrived at #17 on my college football top 25 poll: Northwestern
*Did you think you would ever see the Cats picked above Oklahoma, USC, AND Michigan? That must be why no one reads my blog.
*This is hands-down the best Pat Fitzgerald team that has ever put on the purple. The problem is they play one of the toughest schedules in the B1G. Ohio State to open up Big Ten play, at Wisconsin, at Nebraska, Michigan, and Michigan State.
*The Northwestern backfield is incredible. Kain Colter and Trevor Siemian will be the qbs, both very dangerous. Venric Mark will be the one who they will be handing the ball off to, the most underrated back in America. Northwestern returns just about everyone at the skill position and the defense has a chance to be decent.
*October 5th might be the biggest day in Northwestern football history. Homecoming. Ohio State comes to town. Both will be undefeated. Night game. Game Day will be there. Should be fun.
*Regular season: 9-3
Sunday, August 11, 2013
Top 25 countdown, Bills a Super Bowl favorite, Ending golf season with a yawn.
*Hey sports fans..
*Doing a neat little sports promo here at WDAZ where we're giving a chance for the smaller schools to get some love. Often times, the smaller schools don't get as much TV coverage as the bigger schools so we're giving all the teams in our viewing area a chance to be covered. "8 in 8" is what it is called where you can vote on our website and the top 8 vote-getters will be previewed. People bring the argument, "Well, all the bigger schools are going to win." Funny that after two days, Grand Forks Red River and Grand Forks Central(two of the biggest schools in it) have 43 combined votes. Win-E-Mac of Minnesota(enrollment of around 120) has 145 votes. Got to love Small Town, USA.
*My Top 25 countdown rolls on to the number 18 spot with UCLA.
*I really don't think this is the 18th best team in America but I think with the division they're in(the Pac-12 South) and the coach that they have(Jim Mora) that this team is going to end up in a better bowl.
*The team is set at quarterback with sophomore Brett Hundley. As many Nebraska fans know, number 17 is a fantastic talent. UCLA, like most teams, can't afford to see their qb get hurt.
*The Bruins face a very tough schedule. They go to Nebraska, Utah on a Thursday, Stanford, Oregon, Arizona, and USC(technically a road game but not really). That's about as bad as you can get it playing in the Pac-12. I think they make a clean sweep at home and beat SC for the second year in a row. That gives them seven wins. If they can win two more on the road, that gives them nine wins and playing in the Pac-12 Championship Game. If by that time they've improved on defense, UCLA could pull of the upset and end up in a BCS game.
*Regular season record: 9-3
*On Sunday, EJ Manuel and the Buffalo Bills rolled to a 44-20 win over the Colts. It's a question of why to even play the season at this point. The Bills are clearly the Super Bowl favorites and they should just hand the Rookie of the Year award to Manuel. Hey...as a Bills fan, you have to be optimistic right?
*Also on Sunday, Jason Dufner won his first major golf championship. Good for him. To bad it was the most boring golf major ever to watch. For what was an exciting golf season, it surely ended on a boring note. When is The Masters again?
*Have a good week all!
*Doing a neat little sports promo here at WDAZ where we're giving a chance for the smaller schools to get some love. Often times, the smaller schools don't get as much TV coverage as the bigger schools so we're giving all the teams in our viewing area a chance to be covered. "8 in 8" is what it is called where you can vote on our website and the top 8 vote-getters will be previewed. People bring the argument, "Well, all the bigger schools are going to win." Funny that after two days, Grand Forks Red River and Grand Forks Central(two of the biggest schools in it) have 43 combined votes. Win-E-Mac of Minnesota(enrollment of around 120) has 145 votes. Got to love Small Town, USA.
*My Top 25 countdown rolls on to the number 18 spot with UCLA.
*I really don't think this is the 18th best team in America but I think with the division they're in(the Pac-12 South) and the coach that they have(Jim Mora) that this team is going to end up in a better bowl.
*The team is set at quarterback with sophomore Brett Hundley. As many Nebraska fans know, number 17 is a fantastic talent. UCLA, like most teams, can't afford to see their qb get hurt.
*The Bruins face a very tough schedule. They go to Nebraska, Utah on a Thursday, Stanford, Oregon, Arizona, and USC(technically a road game but not really). That's about as bad as you can get it playing in the Pac-12. I think they make a clean sweep at home and beat SC for the second year in a row. That gives them seven wins. If they can win two more on the road, that gives them nine wins and playing in the Pac-12 Championship Game. If by that time they've improved on defense, UCLA could pull of the upset and end up in a BCS game.
*Regular season record: 9-3
*On Sunday, EJ Manuel and the Buffalo Bills rolled to a 44-20 win over the Colts. It's a question of why to even play the season at this point. The Bills are clearly the Super Bowl favorites and they should just hand the Rookie of the Year award to Manuel. Hey...as a Bills fan, you have to be optimistic right?
*Also on Sunday, Jason Dufner won his first major golf championship. Good for him. To bad it was the most boring golf major ever to watch. For what was an exciting golf season, it surely ended on a boring note. When is The Masters again?
*Have a good week all!
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Top 25 countdown rolls into Ann Arbor, Wegher to Morningside, UND football notes
*Greetings football fans..our top 25 countdown rolls on as we get to the 19th ranked in Michigan
*Coming off a very disappointing fall where the Wolverines went just 85 in Brady Hoke's second year, Devin Gardner and the bunch is looking to have a breakout season. They get the Irish at home in the second game of the season and since I'm not high on the Irish, I have Michigan winning this game. The blue should be undefeated heading into November when the Wolverines open up the month at rival Michigan State. Sparty will have revenge on their minds after a THRILLING up and down win for Michigan last year(12-10) in the Big House. In their last five games of the season, I see Hoke going 3 and 2. The question is, will they end up in the Big Ten Championship game? If so, they could face Ohio State in back to back weeks...wouldn't that be fun for both the fan bases.
*If they want to get there, they need to improve on their turnover ratio where they were minus nine last year. That falls on the junior Gardner, a season in which the expectation for him goes way up. The running game will be solid behind a veteran offensive line. The biggest question is, can they adjust to Hoke's new style, the pro-style offense. This is where it gets tricky because Gardner can run like the wind and you don't want to bottle that up. Gardner, like Denard Robinson, can expand the defense and is the key to make the offense go.
*You also want to keep Gardner healthy as we saw the wheel fall off last season when he went down with injury. The battle for the legends division is in the air with three maybe four teams reaching for it(Mich, MSU, Neb, and Northwestern)
*Regular season record: 9-3
*So former Bishop Heelan star and Iowa Hawkeye Brandon Wegher is back in the news..this time it's for getting back on the football field. Wegher is set to play for Morningside College(NAIA) in Sioux City. Since leaving Iowa, Wegher has been in the news several times, none in which were positive. Not a knock against the NAIA, but Wegher giving 50 percent would break NAIA rushing records. I wish him the best.
*UND football stories
*Coming off a very disappointing fall where the Wolverines went just 85 in Brady Hoke's second year, Devin Gardner and the bunch is looking to have a breakout season. They get the Irish at home in the second game of the season and since I'm not high on the Irish, I have Michigan winning this game. The blue should be undefeated heading into November when the Wolverines open up the month at rival Michigan State. Sparty will have revenge on their minds after a THRILLING up and down win for Michigan last year(12-10) in the Big House. In their last five games of the season, I see Hoke going 3 and 2. The question is, will they end up in the Big Ten Championship game? If so, they could face Ohio State in back to back weeks...wouldn't that be fun for both the fan bases.
*If they want to get there, they need to improve on their turnover ratio where they were minus nine last year. That falls on the junior Gardner, a season in which the expectation for him goes way up. The running game will be solid behind a veteran offensive line. The biggest question is, can they adjust to Hoke's new style, the pro-style offense. This is where it gets tricky because Gardner can run like the wind and you don't want to bottle that up. Gardner, like Denard Robinson, can expand the defense and is the key to make the offense go.
*You also want to keep Gardner healthy as we saw the wheel fall off last season when he went down with injury. The battle for the legends division is in the air with three maybe four teams reaching for it(Mich, MSU, Neb, and Northwestern)
*Regular season record: 9-3
*So former Bishop Heelan star and Iowa Hawkeye Brandon Wegher is back in the news..this time it's for getting back on the football field. Wegher is set to play for Morningside College(NAIA) in Sioux City. Since leaving Iowa, Wegher has been in the news several times, none in which were positive. Not a knock against the NAIA, but Wegher giving 50 percent would break NAIA rushing records. I wish him the best.
*UND football stories
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)