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As UND prepares to release the football schedule for it’s first year of D-I FCS (I-AA) football, fans have deduced that the schedule will probably look something like this:

Aug. 28 Texas A&M-Kingsville
Sept. 6 St. Cloud St.
Sept. 13 UW-La Crosse
Sept. 18 @ Idaho St.
Sept. 27 @ Southeastern Louisiana
Oct. 4 OPEN
Oct. 11 OPEN
Oct. 18 Western Washington
Oct. 25 @ UC Davis
Nov. 1 @ Southern Illinois
Nov. 8 Southern Utah
Nov. 15 OPEN
Nov. 22 @ South Dakota

Note — this is not the official schedule, but a fan compilation of known and rumored games

The first year of the transition is the toughest to schedule, because UND is considered a “non-counter” for teams with aspirations of making the I-AA playoffs. The inevitable comparisons with first-year schedules for other recently transitioned schools have arisen, and bincitysioux came through again with a breakdown of 1st year D-I schedules for current and former Great West members.

SDSU HOME GAMES: three DII’s, one transitional (GWFC game)
SDSU ROAD GAMES: two transitional, 5 established DI’s

UC DAVIS HOME GAMES: four DII’s, one transitional (future GWFC team), one established DI (future GWFC team)
UC DAVIS ROAD GAMES: one DII (future GWFC team), three established DI’s

NDSU HOME GAMES: one non-scholarship, one NAIA, one DII, three established DI’s (2 GWFC games)
NDSU ROAD GAMES: three transitionals (GWFC games), two established DI’s

USD HOME GAMES: three NAIA, one DII, one transitional (GWFC game)
USD ROAD GAMES: five established DI’s (2 GWFC games)

N. COLORADO HOME GAMES: five DII’s
N. COLORADO ROAD GAMES: one DII, one transitional (GWFC team) four established DI’s

UND HOME GAMES: one non-scholarship, three DII’s, one established DI (GWFC game)
UND ROAD GAMES: one transitional (GWFC game), 4 established DI’s (1 GWFC game)

While every football fan should have been hoping for a better schedule, this is on par with what other transitional teams were able to put together.

While comments here are always welcome, you might as well just head over to the UND 2008 Schedule thread and check on the latest.

This whole “it must be somebody’s fault that Dale Lennon left” line is total bunk. Yesterday on KFAN, Scott Swygman and Wayne Nelson of the Grand Forks Herald said it wasn’t widely known, but other schools had taken serious looks at Lennon and he’d taken serious looks at them.

Quite obviously, UND’s head football coach was considering better opportunities for some time. And that’s fine. There’s nothing wrong with it. Anyone with an ounce of sense should have understood that the moment Lennon won a national championship in 2001, there was a chance that he’d be offered a job he couldn’t refuse. Frankly, I think UND was extremely fortunate to have had a coach of his caliber here for so long.

But there were some who claimed that if not for former UND athletic director Tom Buning, Lennon would stay at UND for his entire coaching career. The university got rid of Buning and Lennon left anyway. So much for the accuracy of “inside” information.  The idea that a witch hunt should be conducted to purge the university of those responsible for Lennon’s departure is simply ridiculous.

The fact is, UND bent over backward to create a situation that would help keep Lennon here and it wasn’t enough. Until UND joins the ranks of the top dogs in college football, there will always be schools that can offer its coaches more money and better situations. It’s just a fact of life. It’s no single person’s fault.

When a coach as competent and as popular as Lennon leaves, it’s probably natural that the finger pointing and blame game takes place. But it’s unseemly, counter productive and childish.

Lennon is gone and publicly leveling accusations against certain individuals at UND isn’t going to change that. It’s time to get over it, move on and set the stage for UND’s next football coach to successfully transition the program to the next level. Public backbiting and infighting serves no useful purpose, a lesson Fighting Sioux fans should have learned from recent experience.

All-time: GVSU leads 3-2
At GVSU: GVSU leads 2-0
At UND: UND leads 1-0
Neutral: Tied 1-1

How GVSU’s past six seasons have ended

2001 - playoff loss vs UND
2002 - National Champ
2003 - National Champ
2004 - playoff loss at UND
2005 - National Champ
2006 - National Champ

How UND’s past six seasons have ended

2001 - National Champ
2002 - Did not make playoffs
2003 - playoff loss vs GVSU
2004 - playoff loss at Pitt St.
2005 - playoff loss at GVSU
2006 - playoff loss at GVSU

December 8, 2001

UND 17, GVSU 14
NCAA National Championship Game
Florence, AL

The Sioux were down 10-14 with 38 seconds left in the game. UND was on its own 41 and facing a fourth down. A missed tackle resulted in a pass to the Sioux tight end completing for 58 yards, setting the Sioux up with a first-and-goal and seconds on the clock. Jed Perkerewiez punched it in for the Sioux, sealing UND’s first national championship.

I was still pruning messages after 60 days and SiouxSports.com didn’t have a football forum yet. In fact, I think I added it due to the upsurge in interest on the site following UND’s first football national championship.

“Sioux Football, Way to go!” thread

December 13, 2003

UND 3, GVSU 10
NCAA National Championship Game
Florence, AL
Ugly weather and staunch defenses on both sides resulted in very little offensive production this game. The deciding, and only, touchdown came after GVSU returned a UND fumble in the red zone.

GVSU drove to the 1-yard line on the opening drive, but had to settle for a field goal in what would turn out to be the only points of the half.

UND drove to the GVSU 7 to open the second half, but the GVSU defense returned a turnover to the UND 20, setting their offense up for the only TD of the game, giving GVSU a 10-0 lead.

The Sioux again drove into Laker territory, but missed the 43-yard FG attempt when the kicker slipped in the mud. On subsequent drives in the fourth, the Sioux missed a 46-yard FG attempt and nailed a 35-yard one. GVSU missed a 43-yard attempt with about 4 minutes remaining, leaving UND one last chance.

In the game’s final drive, the Sioux were hoping to repeat their 2001 performance as they drove to a 1st-and-10 at the Grand Valley 17. However, the GVSU defense held and GVSU took the honor of having won two of the last three championships instead of UND.

Notably, GVSU did not have home field for any of its post-season games in this championship season.

SiouxSports.com game thread
My photos from the game
My road trip to the game

November 27, 2004

UND 19, GVSU 15
NCAA Quarterfinals
Grand Forks, ND

SiouxSports.com game thread

Between the 2003 and 2004 seasons, the NCAA realigned Division II, putting GVSU and UND in the same region. That meant we had seen the last GVSU vs. UND national championship game, and that the two teams would instead meet in the regionals.

The first such meeting occurred in Grand Forks, as GVSU had lost two games in the regular season. GVSU led 9-3 going into the fourth, when the scoring seesaw began. A 34 yard drive culminating in a Sioux field goal was answered by a 76 yard Laker drive for a TD, bringing the score to 15-6 GVSU (missed PAT). The Sioux answered with a 68 yard TD drive, the first UND TD against the Laker defense in seven quarters, leaving the Lakers with a 15-12 lead (on another missed PAT). The game was decided when UND sacked GVSU’s quarterback and forced a fumble, setting up a UND possession that would lead to the game-winning TD.

November 19, 2005

UND 3, GVSU 17
NCAA 2nd Round
Allendale, MI

The stat of the game:
Fumbles Lost: UND 3, GVSU 0

In UND’s first trip to Lubbers Stadium, GVSU scored TDs on consecutive drives of 85 and 69 yards with the wind in the 2nd quarter. Those two scores proved to be the margin of victory, as the Laker defense kept UND out of the end zone, including a four-down stop against the Sioux on a 1st and goal from the 3.

The Sioux were plagued by a slow start, as GVSU posted 208 yards of offense in the first half, while UND posted only 105. UND ended the game with 332 yards of total offense to GVSU’s 286.

December 2, 2006

UND 20, GVSU 30
NCAA Quarterfinals
Allendale, MI

Sioux comeback bid falls short
SiouxSports.com game thread

GVSU media relations’ description of this game opens:
“The play of the game between Grand Valley State and North Dakota might have come just after the coin toss. Grand Valley State won the toss and elected to defer to the second half, while the Fighting Sioux decided to go against the wind in the first quarter. That decision proved costly.”

I proposed early on that we played the wind wrong, while others noted bigger problems.

The bottom-line to this game is GVSU came out ready to play and used the wind advantage to run up the score to 27-0 by the end of the first. UND clawed back, scoring 20 points in the remaining three quarters, but also left plenty of points on the field.

I wonder what UND could have done if it GVSU hadn’t had the luxury of defending a 27 point lead for the final three quarters, but there’s no doubt that the team that played better football won this day.

Well, Jim wanted to get an opinion of a Grand Valley State University Laker fan on the upcoming football game between GVSU and UND, and just general thoughts on the quick little rivalry, and well, I figured I might as well give it a shot.  All in all, it has been a flat out blast playing you guys and it’s just not going to be the same next year looking at the playoff brackets without North Dakota in the mix.  So, here are some thoughts on some of our past matchups, and a little look back at it all. 

Sure the 2001 NC game really hurt for us when we’re up with like a minute left and then GV blitzes and misses that tackle that lets the Sioux make that long gain in which leads to the go ahead score for the Sioux.  That really sucked, and well, they would pull my GVSU fan card if I didn’t mention the fact that if Curt Anes was healthy, the Lakers would have put up a lot more points on the Sioux defense that day. 

2003, now that was a game there.  Back and forth all day, and us poor Laker fans having visions of 2001 running through our minds on that last UND drive.  Luck for us, we get that interception to seal the win that year. 

2004, Well, this is the year when I started to have a low opinion of the NCAA when they shifted the GLIAC west into the Northwest region along with the NCC.  If there’s one thing I’ve learned from this rivalry, is that they’re all a bunch of bums and idiots down there in Indianapolis.  I could say worse about them, but I’m sure you all have an even lower opinion of them than what I do.  With that shift, it ruined a great possible championship game matchup and left it at best, a regional final game.  Not what this matchup deserves, but eh, I guess we were spoiled in just meeting up twice in Alabama now weren’t we?  Still, it was a pretty close game, with the Sioux getting the better of the Lakers that time.

2005 and 2006, The Sioux travel to Lubbers both times and well, now it’s pretty well established that post season matchups between our two schools are destine to happen for as long as both of us are in Division Two.  The Lakers managed to get the better of the Sioux both times out on the icy windswept field of Lubbers stadium, but they were both games were everybody’s mettle was tested.  No sissy paddy cake games like what some other regions are like.  Both were some hard hitting games where the snot was sent flying on both sides and a few players wanting to get a license plate number of that truck that hit them. 

And so, it brings us to 2007.  And well, as I’m sure you’re all aware of, it will be the last time the Lakers and Sioux will have this donnybrook in the playoffs.  The Sioux will be moving on to D1, and well, us here in Laker land will be sad to see you guys go.  But for the Sioux, it’s a wise move for them, given your facilities, fan base, and general support you guys have in North Dakota.  Plus, that Ag College to the south going up to D1 did put a lot of pressure on UND to move up.  All in all, you guys will be missed by Division Two.  You guys were a great example of what D2 should be.  UND has been great competition for GVSU and made the Lakers raise their game up.

For those of you that do make it to the game, I’ll see you out at the Tailgater before the game.  Just ask around in the Irwin Lot for the one they call the Monster.  For those of you unable to make it, you’ll probably get to see me on TV. 

My third, but hopefully not final, post in the 2007 Fighting Sioux Football Records installment series. I know I haven’t tired of this subject, I hope you haven’t either.

The regular season ended with an aerial assault in South Dakota, we can now look at where this phenomenally prolific offense falls in the regular season single-season record books.

UND 2007 Football Cumulative Stats
UND Football Records

Final Regular Season Records for 2007 Fighting Sioux

Chappell

Rushing TDs 12 (T-#6 all time)
Rushing yds 1456 (#4 all time)
All purpose yds 1949 (#1 all time)
TDs scored 15 (T-#4 all time)

Dressler

Receiving TDs 12 (#1 all time)
Receiving yds 1142 yds (#2 all time)
All purpose yds 1850 (#2 all time)
TDs scored 12 (T-#9 all time)

Freund

Passing TDs 24 (#1 all time)
Passing yds 2573 (#1 all time)
Single season completion percentage .687 (#1 all time)

Off-the-cuff thoughts

• Remember in August when people were concerned about whether Freund was ready?
• At the risk of repeating myself, what’s the impact on the record books if we’d gotten that 11th game against East Stroudsburg?

In my mid-season look at UND’s offensive stats, Offense for the Record Books, I noted that the prolific Sioux offense was about to burst onto the records charts with just half their games played.

I’ve been updating the regular season stats in the comments of that post, but with just two games remaining, it’s time for a fresh look.

After 6 consecutive games of 500+ yards of offense (besting a previous record of 1), the offense has settled down with two games in the mere 400’s.

With eight contests settled and two remaining, regular season offensive production for the 2007 Sioux (and where each ranks, all-time):

Chappell
——–
Rushing TDs 10 (11 needed for top ten)
Rushing yds 1243 (#5 all time)
All purpose yds 1634 (#4 all time)

Dressler
——–
Receiving TDs 7 (8 needed for top ten)
Receiving yds 900 yds (#4 all time)

Freund
——
Passing TDs 18 (T-#6 all-time)
Passing yds 2044 (#8 all time)

Players have insisted in the past that they don’t watch their progress toward records during the season; but, when this regular season ends, a few of them may find themselves wondering what their place in history would be if UND had found an 11th game to schedule.

As I sit here after UND’s Saturday loss to UNO I’m wondering was UND more interested in playing UNO or playing Sioux Football.

I say this because UND left 3 points (I trust Hellevang from 23 yards) on the field in the second quarter. (Sorbo didn’t make a goal line twisting catch on fourth down.) Those three points would have made it most likely 21-17 at halftime.

Later, in the fourth, when it really was 21-17 (and could have been 21-20, see above), UND went on fourth and one and did not convert again. A field goal here combined with one just before half would have put UND into the lead (23-21) and forced UNO to play from behind for the first time on the day.

Instead, neither was attempted. That ultimately played right to UNO’s advantage and seemed out of character for Sioux Football.

The first round of the NCAA Regional Rankings were released on Monday.

Remember, the regional rankings reflect the NCAA tournament selection criteria. The top six teams from each region make the playoffs. There are no auto-qualifiers, though if a conference representative finishes in the top 10 of the regional rankings, that conference’s top team is guaranteed selection (”earned access”).

In the Northwest, the first 7 are:
1. Nebraska-Omaha 5-0
2. North Dakota 6-0
3. Grand Valley 5-0
4. Central Washington 4-1
5. Ashland 3-1
6. South Dakota 3-3
7. Winona State 5-1
(Full rankings for all regions)

A few things probably jump at you. Since UNO, UND, and GVSU are all undefeated, they’re presumably ranked on strength of schedule vs D-II opponents. Excluding common opponents between UNO and UND, UNO has played Nebraska-Kearney (3-2), and NW Missouri St (4-1) [.700], while UND has played Humboldt State (2-4), Central Washington (4-1) [.567].

Notice that at #6, USD is the fourth team from the NCC in the rankings. If the season ended today, USD would get bumped from the playoffs to make room for Winona State via “earned access”.

The numbers are somewhat meaningless at this point given the remaining games — for example, UNO vs. UND this weekend will send one of the two down the charts this weekend) — but it’s never too early to dive into the stats

UND’s offensive production began with 513 yards of offense in the season-opening 59-0 shutout of Humboldt State, and has only gone up from there. UND’s total yards of offense has increased each of the four games this season to a current average of 566 yards of offense per game.

Most Sioux fans already know about Chappell’s record-breaking rushing performance vs. Central Washington, but the splash the 2007 Sioux may soon make in the record books may surprise some.

Fallen individual game records

Regular season records at risk

Less than half way into the regular season, there are several single-season record tables with a 2007 Sioux already knocking on the door of entering the top ten:

Record Tables

SINGLE-SEASON RUSHING YARDS
1. Phillip Moore (1997) 1,771
2. Phillip Moore (1998) 1,567
3. Shannon Burnell (1991) 1,461
4. Phillip Moore (1996) 1,283
5. Shannon Burnell (1993) 1,224
6. Bill Deutsch (1974) 	1,173
7. Bill Deutsch (1975) 	1,169
8. Milson Jones (1981) 	1,159
9. Milson Jones (1980) 	1,117
10. Shannon Burnell (1992) 1,043 	

SINGLE-SEASON RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS
1. Mike Deutsch (1972) 	26
2. Dale Kasowski (1975) 16
3. Phillip Moore (1998) 15
4. Phillip Moore (1997) 14
Shannon Burnell (1991) 	14
6. Phillip Moore (1995) 12
Tom Biolo (1979) 12
8. Jed Perkerewicz (2000) 11
Shannon Burnell (1993) 	11
Dale Kasowski (1973) 11
Mark Bellmore (1971) 11 	 

SINGLE-SEASON TOUCHDOWN PASSES
1. Kelby Klosterman (2001) 23
2. John Bowenkamp (2003) 20
3. Kelby Klosterman (2000) 19
Tony Stein (1999) 19
Corey Colehour (1966) 19
6. Chris Belmore (2005) 18
Kevin Klancher (1995) 18
8. Jay Gustafson (1972) 17
9. Chris Belmore (2004) 16
10. Kevin Klancher (1997) 15
Kevin Klancher (1996) 15
Clay Wagner (1994) 15
Kory Wahl (1992) 15
Todd Kovash (1990) 15
Jay Gustafson (1973) 15 	 

SINGLE-SEASON RECEIVING YARDS
Ron Gustafson (1973) 1,210
Jesse Smith (2002) 1,011
Dan Grossman (2005) 1,001
Mike Juhasz (1999) 895
Tracy Martin (1986) 874
Jeff McElroy (1995) 867
7. Willis Stattelman (2003) 792
8. Dan Graf (2001) 714
9. Jim Kleinsasser (1998) 710
10. Mark Poolman (1988) 676

SINGLE-SEASON TOUCHDOWN RECEPTIONS
1. Jeff McElroy (1995) 11
2. Ron Gustafson (1973) 10
3. Dan Graf (2001) 9
Mike Juhasz (1999) 9
Tracy Martin (1986) 9
Peter Porinsh (1966) 9
7. Weston Dressler (2005) 8
Luke Schleusner (2001) 8
Jeff McElroy (1994) 8
Josh Ostby (1994) 8

It’s Potato Bowl week! What’s that mean for Sioux fans?

Potato Bowl celebration
The Official Potato Bowl site contains a complete calendar of events. Here are some highlights:

• Monday, September 10: Hugo’s Hidden Medallion Contest Begins! Oops, this week-long contest ended after perennial G.F. hidden item contest winner, Jeff Barta, found it after only one clue.
• Thursday, September 13: World’s largest french fry feed! Sponsored by Simplot, stop by University Park at 5pm.
• Saturday, September 15: Potato Bowl Parade 9:30am, downtown.

A football game
UND’s final conference run in D-II, and the North Central Conference’s final football season, begins on September 15. Recent NCC football affiliate, Central Washington University (1-0), visits Grand Forks for the 42nd Annual Potato Bowl.

Tabbed to finish in the middle of the NCC by the coaches and media, CWU is led by d2football.com preseason All-American signal caller Mike Reilly. In his first two seasons with CWU, the 6′4″ 215lb junior completed 64.5% of his passes for 5356 yards and 51 touchdowns. He has thrown for more than 200 yards in 18 of 21 starts. Reilly is CWU’s best hope for a win over the Sioux; he will test the Sioux secondary, hoping to find a weakness that leads to a shootout with the potent Sioux offense.

Central Washington opened its 2007 campaign with a resounding 44-0 home win over Humboldt State. Reilly threw for 270 yards and 3 TDs, while the CWU defense held Humboldt State to 117 yards of total offense. Bear in mind, however, that for its opener UND comparably blew out Humboldt State, 59-0, with 513 yards of total offense while holding HSU to 181.

Though Freund may be up for a matchup of gunslingers, a lot of Sioux fans would be unhappy to see the secondary bend too much under Reilly’s assault. After seeing the Sioux handily contain SUU quarterback, Wes Marshall, optimism isn’t unjustified.

Stats dump
Head-to-head: UND leads 5-1

• 2006 @UND 28-14
• 2005 UND 44-20
• 2004 @UND 34-0
• 2002 CWU 43-7
• 2001 UND 17-14
• 2000 @UND 52-7

Potato Bowls: UND is 30-11 all-time. UND has won 11 of its past 12 Potato Bowls, including a 34-0 win over CWU in their only previous Potato Bowl matchup in 2004

At Home: UND has won 31 of its last 32 games at home

Central Washington 2007 Statistics
Central Washington 2006 Statistics
UND 2007 Statistics

Links dump
UND game preview
CWU Football Home
SiouxSports.com forums pre-game discussion
Central Washington Live Stats feed (check it out during the game)