Safety Concerns

[ndsubison1]

To be honest, I always thought Ollman was a better SS against the pass then Heagle, who is more of a run stopper. I really think Ollman needs to start against Hess. Shepherd did not play well, but neither did Dudzik or Martin. Even Marcus got picked on a couple of times. But you are both right, the DBs have to play a LOT better for NDSU to be successful against YSU and the pass rush has to get better as well. I was not impressed with the DL. They got gashed in the middle, but perhaps that is because Perry got hurt. Anybody know the status of his wrist/arm injury?

also didnt help that we didnt get much pressure on the qb early in the game

[CaBisonFan]

UNI's athleticism on offense was impressive. Losing LeMaster hurt them.

[HerdBot]

To be honest, I always thought Ollman was a better SS against the pass then Heagle, who is more of a run stopper. I really think Ollman needs to start against Hess. Shepherd did not play well, but neither did Dudzik or Martin. Even Marcus got picked on a couple of times. But you are both right, the DBs have to play a LOT better for NDSU to be successful against YSU and the pass rush has to get better as well. I was not impressed with the DL. They got gashed in the middle, but perhaps that is because Perry got hurt. Anybody know the status of his wrist/arm injury?

The UNI offense is prolific. Only 1 team this year held them to less than 21 points and that was Iowa. Actually going back 5 years you can count the number of times UNI was held to less than 21 points on 1 hand.

[BisonNeil]

[QUOTE=CaBisonFan;660456]We were more focused on the run, I believe. Their offensive line pass-blocked extremely well. Their QB is going to be very good.

UNI was a playoff-caliber team...meaning, compared to teams we played last December.

I'm just glad that we escaped Cedar Falls with a win...any kind of win. Upset was in the air. Some of our leaders 'willed' it not to happen.

Our offense played a nearly perfect game...held onto the ball with nice drives. Brock is a great field leader.[/QUOTE]

I think Craig Haley of TSN said it best "The defense has been great the last two seasons, but quarterback Brock Jensen's continued development can't be understated.

http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/t...ddle/index.htm

[BisonNeil]

I was really impressed with their pass protection. Imho we will have similar problems getting pressure on Hess since he will throw out of the shotgun often.

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And as I pointed out in another thread, he has only been sacked twice in 4 games. But, they don't have to sack him, they just need to put pressure on him. Regardless, the DL will have a significant challenge.

[BisonNeil]

All the more reason to have a crazy good DOME field advantage next weekend. Also very thankful we have them at home instead of on the road.

I dunno about that. In the four games NDSU has played YSU the home team has only won once, and that was YSU at home in 2008.

[stevdock]

I dunno about that. In the four games NDSU has played YSU the home team has only won once, and that was YSU at home in 2008.

I fully remember that, but it's always more fun being at the game instead of yelling at the tv

[Tatanka]

All the more reason to have a crazy good DOME field advantage next weekend. Also very thankful we have them at home instead of on the road. As for UNI I would not be surprised at all if they finish 7-4 and then the AD/powers that be should be under fire for putting the football team with their back to the wall before the season even started.

I'd be very surprised if they go 7-4. Wouldn't shock me to see them lose two more games. They're playing for pride, and they know it.

[HerdBot]

I rewatched the game and our defensive line was very good. Looks like someone lost gap control up on a long run we allowed. It's hard to see on tv but it looked like most pass plays were a 2 or 3 step drop out of shotgun. No chance to get pressure. The few times they went deep they were in max protect. Their receivers did a good job of sprinting out to some open holes in the secondary. Looked like a zone. The only way we could have stopped it is to go straight man coverage but of course you have a chance of giving up a bit play. I think the refs helped out with penalties on UNI's first TD and the PI call on Shepherd was BS. The helmet to helmet was iffy too. Good learning experience. We really held them to 2 TD's.

[X-Factor]

Right after the game i thought that the secondary did not perform well. however, the defense is actually performing very good! If you look at the stats from last year, we gave up more passing yards and total yards; at a game that was played on our turf in the fargodome. This year UNI clearly has a better offense, specifically a much better passing offense, and we held them to 285 total, with a solid chunk of that in garbage time. By the end of the season you will be looking at an extremely good defense, plus an offense that can put up points which may be the biggest benefit for the defense.

Next year could REALLY be something special if the guys keep their head in the game. As much fun as we all are having this year, I hope you all realize the magnitude of next years team's potential. It is truly off the charts. For now, Youngstown should make for one heck of a challenge and a very entertaining homecoming!