GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- This Saturday marks the start of the Division I-FCS playoffs. The University of North Dakota football team, which is making the transition to that level, will not be a part of the playoffs for the next few years. It will, however, get one more Saturday of football.
The Fighting Sioux travel to Central Arkansas on Saturday to face another transitional team.
Head coach Chris Mussman and the Fighting Sioux players, especially the seniors, expect to leave everything on the field this week.
"(Our coaching staff) really wants to prepare us for anything and any situation that we can call upon to get us a victory," senior captain Andrew Miller said.
Miller, who missed the final few games last season, said getting one final chance to play football is all he is looking for this weekend.
"It's a little bittersweet in the fact that we're excited to play one last game against a great opponent," Miller said. "But at the same time, we know that it will be our last one. Win, lose or draw, we need to leave it all on the field."
Weather vs. light
The cold weather has largely stayed away the past two weeks, as the Sioux prepare to head to Arkansas, which expects high 60s on Saturday. The one battle the team has faced this week is darkness, which keeps creeping earlier and earlier.
If the weather does turn for the worse, Mussman said the Sioux would head indoors to the Hyslop Sports Center to go through final game plan.
Team holidays
Playing games in late November also kees the team together, spending theThanksgiving holiday together as a group. The Fighting Sioux will practice on Thursday then head to Wilkerson Dining Hall on campus to eat a meal together.
Mussman said that UND Dining Services does a great job putting everything together for other students on campus, staff and their families and the football team. The coaching staff bring their families and a lot of memories are made.
"We used to do it every year when we were fortunate enough to be in the playoffs in Division II," Mussman said. "It was kind of a fun event you planned your season around it. You knew you were going to be there. So it will nice to be back."
And, one's sure, when the Fighting Sioux are playoff eligible again, it will a tradition continued.
