TODAY, WE PLAY.
After a well-needed bye week, the University of North Dakota will get back to the regular season schedule as it travels to No. 23/21 Cal Poly. Great West Conference action is set to kickoff at 8 p.m. on Saturday night at Alex G. Spanos Stadium (11,075) in San Luis Obispo, Calif.
LIVE FROM SAN LUIS OBISPO
All UND football games can be heard on 96.1FM ("TheFox") in Grand Forks and on stations across the Fighting Sioux Radio Network. Dan Hammer calls the play-by-play with former Grand Forks Central High School football coach Mike Berg as his color analyst. Sean Johnson will serve as the sideline reporter for all away games and Bruce Nelson will step in for home games.
Links to live audio, a live audio/video web cast, live stats, and a live chat will also be available on FightingSioux.com.
In the San Luis Obispo area, the game will also be broadcast live on ESPN Radio (1280 am) and KCPR Radio (91.3 fm) with Tom Barket providing the play-by-play and Joe Harper doing color commentary.
SERIES HISTORY
- Series: UND leads 2-0
- Home: UND leads 1-0
- Away: Tied at 0-0
- Neutral: UND leads 1-0
Saturday's contest between North Dakota and Cal Poly will mark the third game overall between the two teams and the first time UND has traveled to San Luis Obispo to play the Mustangs.
Last year, the Fighting Sioux upset No. 18/16 Cal Poly with a 31-17 Hall of Fame victory at the Alerus Center in front of a crowd of 6,711.
After trailing 17-14 going into the second half, UND scored 17 unanswered points to take its second Great West Conference win of the season. The 14-point victory snapped a two-game skid for the Sioux and broke a two-game winning streak for the Mustangs.
Led by Mitch Sutton (RB, Plover, Wis.), UND totaled 427 total offensive yards - the most it had seen since the South Dakota game on Oct. 3. Sutton finished with 143 yards rushing on 30 attempts with a pair of touchdowns. Sutton also added 45 yards on three receptions.
Defense was a key factor in UND's win as the Mustangs were held to under 70 yards rushing with no touchdowns on the ground. Before that day, Cal Poly was averaging 206.9 yards rushing per game.
The first and last time that North Dakota and Cal Poly met at midfield was in the 1972 Camilla Bowl in Sacremento, Calif. In front of over 17,000 fans at Hughes Stadium, No. 6 North Dakota defeated No. 3 Cal Poly-San Louis Obispo, 38-21, to become the NCAA West College Football champions.
The win was the 10th of the season for the Fighting Sioux, setting a new school record.
ON THIS DAY IN FIGHTING SIOUX HISTORY
On Oct. 23, 1909, head coach Dr. David L. Dunlap and his North Dakota football team rolled over Valley City 58-0 at Memorial Stadium. It was the fourth straight shutout in the 4-0-1 season. Since that day, the Fighting Sioux have gone 6-3 at home and 3-2 on the road for an overall 9-5 record when playing on the 23rd day of October. In 14 games, the Sioux have out-scored their foes an average of 33-10. UND has silenced their opponents on two occasions and twice the Sioux have been held silent.
NOTING THE FIGHTING SIOUX
North Dakota is on a two-game skid after falling to a pair of Great West Conference opponents - South Dakota, 27-17, Southern Utah, 31-21 ... Coming out of the bye week, UND is looking for its first conference win and its first victory in the month of October.
North Dakota is in its third year of transition towards NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) status ... UND returns 2009 Great West Conference Rookie of the Year Mitch Sutton (So., RB, Plover, Wis.), along with first team all-conference Ryan Kasowski (Sr., LB, Grand Forks, N.D.), second teamers Ty Boyle (Sr., DL, International Falls, Minn.) and Dominique Hawkins (Jr., CB, Plymouth, Minn.), and honorable mention Kris Ankenbauer (Jr., DB, Murphy, Texas) and Ross Brenneman (So., DL, Omaha, Neb.) ... UND has tallied a winning record in the past seven-straight seasons and has turned in a winning record in 19 of the last 20 years.
OFFENSIVE NOTES
Last week, the Fighting Sioux were held to under 200 total yards of offense for the first time this season. Senior Jake Landry (Grand Forks, N.D.) was 13-for-25 for a season low 100 yards. Landry is averaging 184.3 yards/game and has tossed 10 touchdown passes ... Landry's prime target, Greg Hardin (Bellevue, Neb.) was held to just 47 yards and a single touchdown. Hardin is averaging 19.4 yards/reception and 99.8 yards/game. He has reached the end zone on eight occasions ... With Mitch Sutton (Plover, Wis.) still working up to 100 percent, Josh Murray (Pepin, Wis.) was charged with doing the bulk of the work on the ground. After picking up over 200 all-purpose yards at South Dakota (Oct. 2), Murray was held to 51 yards rushing and 34 yards receiving. He did, however, tally his third touchdown of the season ... As a team, UND is averaging 164.2 yards/game rushing, 185.5 yards/game receiving, and are 75 percent (12-for-16) on red zone scores ... UND is averaging 26.5 points/game.
DEFENSIVE NOTES
Against Southern Utah, the Fighting Sioux amassed 75 total tackles, including a season-high four quarterback sacks ... Highlighting the Sioux defense was Joel Schwenzfeier (Hallock, Minn.), who picked off SUU QB Brad Sorensen in the end zone and took the ball the length of the field for the touchdown. It marked the first interception for Schwenzfeier this season and the eighth of his career ... Dominique Hawkins (Plymouth, Minn.) led the team with eight tackles (all unassisted). He ranks third on the team with 33 total tackles this season and is one of five players with an interception this season ... Dan Hendrickson (Minot, N.D.) leads the team with 41 tackles (29 unassisted) ... As a team, UND is holding its opponents to 59 percent (13-for-22) on red zone touchdowns, 38 percent (35-for-92) on 3rd-down conversions, and 50 percent (7-for-14) on 4th-down conversions ... Opponents are averaging 27.3 points/game.
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
Zeb Miller (Ankeny, Iowa) is 21-for-21 on PAT attempts and is 4-for-6 on field goal attempts. On kickoff, Miller is averaging 64.7 yards/kickoff ... Punter Brett Cameron (Winnipeg, Manitoba) is averaging 39.1 yards/punt and has dropped 10 kicks inside of the 20-yard line ... On punt return, Josh Murray (Pepin, Wis.) picked up three yards on a single punt return. He is averaging 105 yards/punt return ... R.J. McGill (Phoenix, Ariz.) picked up 34 yards on a his first two career kickoff returns ... Dominique Hawkins (Plymouth, Minn.) lead the kickoff return team with an average of 23.8 yards/kickoff return ... As a team, UND has blocked four kicks and have held opponents to 9.7 yards/punt return.
NOTING THE MUSTANGS
The Mustangs, who fell from No. 13 to No. 23 in the Sports Network media poll this week and from No. 13 to No. 21 in the coaches poll, opened the 2000 campaign with four games in a row on the road and have played three straight road games seven times since moving to the Football Championship Subdivision in 1994, but played five consecutive games on the road for the first time this fall.
The road trip ended Saturday in Cedar City, Utah, with Cal Poly falling 20-7 to Southern Utah. The Mustangs produced advantages in first downs (21-15), total yards (376-346) and time of possession (33:43 to 26:17), but were 0-for-2 in the red zone (compared to 6-for-6 in a 50-37 win at Old Dominion the week before), missed two field goals and twice failed to convert on fourth down less than 30 yards from the end zone. Sophomore quarterback Andre Broadous completed 19 of 31 passes for 201 yards and the lone Cal Poly score -- a 29-yard pass to Mark Rodgers -- and also was the top Mustang rusher with 65 yards on 21 trips.
The Mustangs have captured three Great West Conference titles in the last six years (2004, 2005, 2008) and earned NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision playoff berths in both 2005 and 2008. Cal Poly has won 56 of its last 87 games dating back to the 2002 season finale and has won 20 of its last 41 games on the road and 36 of its last 43 home contests.
OFFENSIVE NOTES
Mark Rogers leads the team with 372 yards (53.1 yards/game) rushing and four touchdowns ... Andre Broadous leads a trio of quarterbacks with 510 yards (102.0 yards/game) on 41-for-64 passing ... Dominique Johnson has 379 yards (63.2 yards/game) and three receiving touchdowns ... As a team, Cal Poly is averaging 249.1 yards rushing/game and 113.0 yards receiving/game ... The Mustangs are 43 percent (48-for-111) in 3rd-down conversions and 43 percent (6-for-14) in 4th-down conversions.
DEFENSIVE NOTES
Marty Mohamed leads the team with 56 tackles (24 unassisted). He has racked up a trio of interceptions and has recovered one fumble ... Kevin Hess has registered a team-high three QB sacks ... Seven players have accounted for 10 interceptions, seven players have recovered eight fumbles and another seven players have forced a fumble ... As a team, Cal Poly is holding its opponents to 25.7 points/game, 121.3 yards rushing/game and 7.8 yards/reception.
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
Jake West is 17-for-18 in PAT attempts and 7-for-12 in field goals, including a season-best 39-yard kick ... Punter Chris Pinto is averaging 36.2 yards/punt and has dropped 10 kicks inside the 20-yard line ... On kickoff, James Langford is averaging 68.1 yards/kick ... Asa Jackson, SUU's primary punt returner, is averaging 10.5 yards/punt return ... On kickoff return, Mark Rogers leads the team with 29.0 yards/return, including a 65-yard kickoff return.
CAL POLY HEAD COACH TIM WALSH
Tim Walsh, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the United States Military Academy the last two seasons, was named Cal Poly's 16th head football coach on Jan. 9, 2009, and guided the Mustangs to a 4-7 mark in his first campaign.
Walsh replaced Rich Ellerson, the Mustangs' head football coach for the last eight seasons. Ellerson was named head coach at Army on Dec. 26, 2008.
Walsh has compiled a 121-89 record in 19 seasons as a college head coach, including four years at Sonoma State (27-14 from 1989-92), 14 more seasons at Portland State (90-68 from 1993-2006) and one at Cal Poly (4-7 in 2009). He guided Sonoma State to the Northern California Athletic Conference title in 1991 (ending UC Davis' streak of 20 consecutive conference titles), a pair of NCAA Division II playoff berths while at Sonoma State and four more postseason berths while at Portland State.
LAST ACTION
Southern Utah scored 31 straight points, defeating the Univeristy of North Dakota 31-21 and spoiling UND's plans in front of a Homecoming crowd of 10,215.
The game started on a high note for North Dakota (2-4, 0-2 GWC), which was looking for its first Great West Conference win on the season. The Fighting Sioux capped their opening drive with a 7-yard touchdown pass from Jake Landry (Sr., QB, Grand Forks, N.D.) to Greg Hardin (RFr., WR, Bellevue, Neb.) and then followed three minutes later with a UND record-breaking interception-turned-touchdown by Joel Schwenzfeier (Sr., SS, Hallock, Minn.). Schwenzfeier's 100-yard return surpassed Kelly Howe's (1996-99) 97-yard interception-to-touchdown return in 1998.
The Sioux held onto the 14-0 lead through the first quarter, but then SUU (2-4, 1-0 GWC) put up its first points of the game and slowly turned the tables in its favor.
Click the PDF link above for the complete game notes release ...
-Go Sioux -
