UND GAME

[JACKGUY]

It's time to get back on track and it would be feel very good to beat up on UND and silence the arrogant Sioux followers. This would be a great way to begin salvaging the season. Will be nice to back at home. What a brutal schedule!

[SDSUFAN]

Re: UND GAME

Agreed. UND was able to come back partially because SCSU running back Birkel went down with a sprain ankle.
If they had Birkel, they could have taken time off the clock with small draw plays and first down possessions.
Birkel's back up was not effective and UND pulled their first string qb at half time.

Hopefully we can get them this year.

[Texas_Jacks_Fan]

Re: UND GAME

Well, I'm very up for the game this weekend, I WILL BE THERE, tailgating as soon as possible on Saturday. Come by say hi, I'll be easy to find, the Lone Star flag will be flying, of course under the SDSU flag. We can still have a good season, I think playoffs are out of the question. but we have a good shot at the sue on Saturday night. One question I have is, how bad is Watson hurt? If he is able to go, it will help us a lot.
It sounds like the weather should be OK and a good crowd should be in the stands, although if we could have picked up a win in the past two weeks there would probably be a lot more excitement at Coughlin.
Anyway, cant wait to see the cornfields of SD again. GO RABBITS !
SDSU 32
grand forks 17

[Charger13]

Re: UND GAME

I'm really expecting a win this weekend.  Actually looking at the rest of our schedule I think we can win the rest of our games.  SCSU and UND should be the hardest games we have left.  With SCSU at home and on Hobo Day I think we will win that one. I'm sure the players can't wait to play at home.

[SDSUFAN]

Re: UND GAME

I read yesterday in the Grand Forks Herald, that UND will start Wilson a fifth year senior at QB instead of Bowenkamp who had been starting. Wilson lead the team in the comeback. I hope our coaches got that video and have been studying it with a passion. We need to get a win.

We are going to face another good defense so we need something new on offense as well.

[SDSUFAN]

Re: UND GAME

Here is today's Grand Fork Herald's article on the upcoming game. It would be nice if The Brookings Register was up to speed and did some articles during the week relating to upcoming games.


Posted on Thu, Oct. 09, 2003

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Dahlen delivers for Sioux
Son of former UND standout settles in at linebacker
By Wayne Nelson
Herald Staff Writer

St. Cloud State's Josh Williams was sprinting toward the UND end zone. The Huskies held a 13-0 lead against a stunned Sioux team, and Williams seemingly was in the clear - only a few strides from a three-touchdown lead.

But UND linebacker Tyler Dahlen never quit on the play, tackling Williams from behind at the Sioux 15. Dahlen's tackle, as it turned out, prevented St. Cloud from scoring a touchdown. Four plays later, St. Cloud was forced to settle for a field goal and a 16-0 lead.

"That's why you keep hustling every play," Dahlen said.

That's why UND kept plugging away in the second half, too, eventually taking a come-from-behind 29-28 win against St. Cloud - a victory that kept the Sioux on top of the North Central Conference.

Dahlen's hustling style mirrors that of his father, Andy, who was a standout Sioux linebacker from 1977-1980. The older Dahlen also was the captain of the 1980 UND team.

"He was a great linebacker," said Tyler, who played high school football at Fargo North. "I was in Fargo the other night and I checked out his scrapbook. It was full of great plays by him."

The younger Dahlen, a sophomore, admires what his father did at UND but still finds ways to needle his dad.

"I gave him a hard time," Tyler said. "I told him Digger (Anderson) might break his solo tackle record."

Anderson, another sophomore UND linebacker, is on pace to break Dahlen's career tackle record. Anderson has 63 solo stops in a season-and-a-half. Dahlen's career record is 182.

Every chance he gets, Tyler taps his dad's football knowledge.

"If he talks about football, I listen," Tyler said. "He helps me out with a lot of the little things. He gives me advice on taking the right angle (of pursuit) and how to get off blocks better."

Despite growing up in Fargo, the younger Dahlen had no thoughts about playing college football anywhere but UND.

UND coach Dale Lennon also was Andy Dahlen's teammate. The Sioux coach remembers his early days at UND, a time when Dahlen was one of the best.

"Tyler's dad was a tough linebacker," Lennon said. "He weighed only 185 pounds and started as a true freshman. I still give Andy a hard tough time about one practice.

"I was playing tailback on the scout team. We burned the defense and (former coach) Pat Behrns made us run the play again. Well, we burned the defense again. So Pat told us to walk through the play. So we walk through it. But Andy didn't walk through it. He hit me as hard as I've ever been hit."

The younger Dahlen saw some playing time last season but has worked his way into the starting lineup this year. He ranks fifth on the team in total tackles with 17. He already has three quarterback hurries, a blocked kick and a pass breakup.

"Tyler is a player who has very good football instincts," Lennon said. "He has lived up to what we hoped he would be."

UND also is hoping for a better defensive showing Saturday night at South Dakota State, which has the NCC's top passing offense (284 yards per game).

The Sioux surrendered 403 yards against St. Cloud last week, but 277 of those yards came in the first half.

"Our first half was shaky," Tyler said. "Our second half was better, but we still made mistakes. But those mistakes are correctable."


| Copyright

[SDSUFAN]

Re: UND GAME

heres Sunday's article which has details about the UND comeback and the qb Wilson.


Posted on Sun, Oct. 05, 2003

UND NOTEBOOK: Ready and able, Wilson goes on a tear
By Wayne Nelson
Herald Staff Writer

Herald photo by Cory Ryan

Caleb Johnson pulls down a second quarter pass between St. Cloud's Shane Rohman, (right) and Matt Nicholson during Saturday's game.


UND's Joe Wilson hasn't played much during his career, but he has always been prepared.

"I practice like I'm going to play each week," Wilson said after leading the Sioux to a stunning 29-28 come-from-behind win against St. Cloud State on Saturday.

The former Grand Forks Red River standout certainly was prepared for his role against the Huskies, who led the Sioux 28-3 before Wilson took over.

The sixth-year senior, who had completed 36 of 52 career passes before the St. Cloud game, came off the bench to complete 19 of 30 passes. In the fourth quarter, he had two touchdown strikes and a key completion that kept alive UND's game-winning drive that was capped by Jeff Glas' 52-yard field goal with 3 seconds to play.

"Everything just worked out," Wilson said. "We just wanted to keep chipping away at the rock. Eventually, we knew it'd break. And once we got the momentum, they couldn't stop us."

And it was Wilson who helped UND gain the momentum by his second-half play.

The decision to replace starter John Bowenkamp with Wilson was made at halftime.

"John wasn't playing his best game and we thought it was time to give Joe a shot," UND coach Dale Lennon said.

So, who will start at quarterback next Saturday when the Sioux hit the road for a North Central Conference game at South Dakota State?

"There'll be a decision to make," Lennon said. "But in fairness to John, we'll have to watch the tape to evaluate his performance."

A different style

When Wilson entered the game, the Sioux had a different look at quarterback.

"Joe is so gutsy," Lennon said. "He'll find various ways to get first downs. He scares you sometimes because he'll take chances because he's such a competitor."

But the Sioux needed someone to take chances after falling behind by 25 points at halftime.

"We needed someone to spark us," Lennon said.

Wilson threw for 190 yards but he also picked up 9 yards on 4 rushing attempts. His 6-yard gain on a third-and-three from the Sioux 26 helped keep alive a UND scoring drive that ended with Wilson's 34-yard pass to Willis Stattelman.

That cut St. Cloud's lead to 28-26.

Huskies stunned

Everything seemed fine for St. Cloud at halftime. St. Cloud quarterback Keith Heckendorf's seemingly effortless performance carried the Huskies to a 28-3 halftime lead.

"We came out in the first half and mixed it up with the run and pass," Heckendorf said. "We were hitting on all cylinders. But in the second half, we gave them the momentum and for some reason couldn't get it back. We pretty much had only one drive in the second half."

And that drive failed to produce points as Shawn Braunagel's 34-yard field goal was off the mark. The Huskies led 28-10 at the time.

"We had opportunities, but we didn't put them away," added St. Cloud coach Randy Hedberg. "Even in the second half, we had opportunities to keep them at a distance, but we didn't do it.

"It'll be interesting to see how we respond."A big daySenior wide receiver Willis Stattelman is having a big season.

Stattelman caught 10 passes for 161 yards and three touchdowns. Last week, he hauled in eight passes for 52 yards against Augustana.

"There were a lot of make-or- break plays in the second half," Stattelman said.

The receiver said UND's locker room at halftime was remarkably calm.

"It was pretty quiet," he said. "No one was negative. We weren't yelling at each other. We stayed calm and focused."

Notes and quotes

• St. Cloud botched three extra-point attempts, a fact that may have been lost in UND's comeback.

• Hedberg on the kicking of Jeff Glas: "Jeff kicked the ball well the whole game. His kickoffs kept us pinned deep in our territory."

• A big blow for the Huskies came late in the second half. Matt Birkel, the second-leading rusher in the NCC, went down with a sprained ankle. He gained 36 yards on 10 carries before leaving.

• After missing last week's game with an injury, Sioux left tackle Brian Dokken played. Injured UND linebacker and captain Tom Irvin, however, did not play. He hasn't played since UND's first game.

• UND running back Brandon Strouth on the many fans who left after the first half: "I bet they regret that now."

• Lennon on UND's first touchdown coming on Strouth's halfback pass to Stattelman in the third quarter: "We needed a spark. We needed to have success on our first drive."

• Lennon on St. Cloud's first-half offensive showing: "They shook us. I think we were in awe of them at that time."

• Wilson on the performance of Glas: "He's been kicking great all week in practice."

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[89rabbit]

Re: UND GAME

Hey gang,

I am back after a very long week of traveling on business.  Hopefully the Rabbits get back on the winning track, after their very long road trips.  I am sure they are as happy to be home as I am!

Go State!

Oh yea, SDSU 23 UND 21.

[MN_BISON]

Re: UND GAME

Good luck tomorrow, bring home the beef and send the Susan's home with a loss. We'll send them packing for good next week. Best of luck tomorrow! ;D

[Charger13]

Re: UND GAME

Ok, I heard the score at half time and then at the end. What the hell happened? Sounds like they pulled a Minnesota and pissed it down their legs.

[SoDak]

Re: UND GAME

Dang, that sucked. I think Stig has to be let go. I think there's a lot of unfocused talent on this squad. Please, bring on basketball.

[JACKGUY]

Re: UND GAME

I've said it before and will say it again. We have enough talent to win. We are getting outcoached and fail to make the necessary adjustments at half time. If Stig and his crew is getting outcoached at DII what is it going to be like at the next level..I feel sorry for the players that they are not getting more help from those that are there to teach. Poor play calling and no sense of a running game that shined early in the year. Its hard to get anymore emotionally involved in a Stig coached team.....Our performance in the second half was similar to the Gophers meltdown on Friday. We should win our
remaining games but its discouraging when we could have acheived much more with this group. The turnovers are killing us. I hate to say I'm craving Basketball as Nagy is rarely outcoached.

[SDSUFAN]

Re: UND GAME

Having witnessed the melt down before my eyes,  I am as stunned and in shock. I feel this state of shock will not go away until about Jan 3, when I retire from USDA and have more time to think about it.

I think we have some very good talented young players who seem to really excel at times, but sometimes these guys try to do to much and thats when we get the turnovers. I really wonder if that is a controllable situation for anyone.

Coaching and call playing, I really dont want to comment it on.  Lets see how the season works out and go from there.

[Texas_Jacks_Fan]

Re: UND GAME

I realize this post is late-I just returned from SD today and was at the game on Saturday-We went from dominating 2 3/4 quarters and then totally went in the tank. That was the most disapointing loss in my recent memory. But on a positive note, I had a good meeting yesterday with Dr. Oien and Keith Mahlum. Its exciting to hear all of the plans for the future... I'll elaboate later. and the tailgaiting before the game was a blast. very cool and well worth it. Jacks fans can tailgate with the best of them.

[89rabbit]

Re: UND GAME

Glad to hear from you Texas, thought you hadn't recovered from the shock. Glad to here you just hadn't returned yet. Good to hear that the tailgating is fun. I am looking forward to hearing what you and Dr. Oien talked about.

Go SDSU!