TODAY, WE PLAY.

The University of North Dakota will celebrate area heroes on Saturday, Sept. 25 as it hosts Northwestern State for Military Appreciation Day. Kickoff is slated for 4 p.m. at the Alerus Center.

SERIES HISTORY

With several big plays by the North Dakota defensive unit, the Fighting Sioux put an end to Northwestern State's three-year, home-opener win streak with a convincing 27-20 victory over the Demons to open the series in 2009.

North Dakota finished with 79 total tackles, 20 more than the Demons, and stopped NWLA on three of its four fourth-down conversions. On two of those occasions, the Demons needed just one yard for the first-down.

The Fighting Sioux lead the series 1-0.

ON THIS DAY IN FIGHTING SIOUX HISTORY

In 1931, C.A. "Jack" West's team took the field on a Sept. 25 date for the first time in North Dakota football history. On that day, UND blanked St. Olaf College 22-0 at Memorial Stadium.

Since that day, the Fighting Sioux have tallied an overall record of 7-3, a perfect 4-0 home record, and an even 3-3 road mark with playing on the 268th day of the year.

During games played on the 25th day of September, UND has held its opponents scoreless on three occasions. In 1954, under the direction of Frank Zazula, UND silenced North Central Conference foe Augustana 39-0 on the Viking's home turf. It stands as the largest margin of victory and most points North Dakota has recorded in a Sept. 25 contest.

MILITARY APPRECIATION DAY

The Saturday, Sept. 25 football game against Northwestern State will serve as Military Appreciation Day.  In honor of our area heroes, active duty, Military ID card holders and up to three dependents can gain free entry to this game. Offer is available for first 1,000 tickets requested. After that time, tickets will be available for $5. These tickets will be available at the UND Box Office at the Ralph starting Aug. 19, 2010 or at any window at Alerus Center's Box Office on the day of the game starting at 10:00 AM.  Must present a valid Military ID at the Box Office to acquire tickets and gain entry.

LAST ACTION HEROES

The 9,719 fans in attendance may have seen something new in the pre-game presentation, but what they saw on the field afterward can only be described as old-fashioned, hard-nosed North Dakota football. In their 2010 home opener and annual Potato Bowl USA game, the Fighting Sioux trounced the RiverHawks of Northeastern State 55-14.

The win was UND's  eighth straight Potato Bowl USA victory and it's first this season.

When the final whistle sounded, the Fighting Sioux had set several new Great West Conference 2010 single-game records (see page 6 for a more detailed listing), a number of team single-game records and a handful of individual records. The fans also saw some new faces and heard some unfamiliar names as a few freshmen had the opportunity to face their first collegiate opponent.

ITS WORTH NOTING

In Saturday's game, Dan Hendrickson was credited with a fumble recovery in the third quarter. After reviewing the footage, it was found that redshirt freshman Damon Andrews (DB, West Concord, Minn.) was actually the player who pounced on the ball.

9/19/10: UND'S HENDRICKSON, MILLER NAMED GWC PLAYER OF THE WEEK

GRAND FORKS, N.D. - After helping the North Dakota to a 55-14 Potato Bowl USA victory over Northeastern State, junior Dan Hendrickson (Minot, N.D.) was named Great West Conference Defensive Player of the Week and redshirt freshman Zeb Miller (Ankey, Iowa) was named the Great West Conference Special Teams Player of the Week. See FightingSioux.com for full press release.

9/20/10: NORTH DAKOTA'S CAMERON RECEIVES HONORABLE MENTION ACCOLADES

GRAND FORKS, N.D. - For his efforts in North Dakota's 55-14 Potato Bowl USA win over Northeastern State (Sept. 18), UND punter Brett Cameron (Winnipeg, Manitoba) has been recognized by CollegeFootballPerformance.com.

UND CFPA Award Winners:

Week 3

• Punter Performer of the Week honorable mention: So., P, Brett Cameron

Week 2

• Wide Receiver Performer of the Week honorable mention: RFr., WR, Greg Hardin
• Defensive Back Performer of the Week honorable mention: Jr., CB, Dominique Hawkins

See FightingSioux.com for full press release.

NOTING THE FIGHTING SIOUX

The University of North Dakota picked up its first victory of the 2010 season with a 55-14 win over Northeastern State in the 45th annual Potato Bowl USA game on Sept. 18. ... Prior to the win, UND had fallen to a pair of tough FBS opponents: Idaho (L, 45-0; Northern Illinois, L, 23-17) ... 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

With 507 total offense last Saturday, the UND offense set a new single-game standard for both itself and the Great West. Junior running back Josh Murray (Pepin, Wis.) led the Fighting Sioux with 153 yards total offense, including 131 yard rushing on 13 attempts. He averaged 10.1 yards/carry and scrambled in for his first TD of the season. He leads the Sioux with 205 yards rushing (68.3/game) ... Senior quarterback Jake Landry (Grand Forks, N.D.) tossed   145 yards on 10-for-14 completions. Early in the second quarter, Landry connected with redshirt freshman wide receiver Greg Hardin (Bellevue, Neb.) for a 54-yard pass to set the Sioux up to take a 28-0 lead over the Demons. Landry leads the Sioux with 575 yards total offense (191.7/game) and has tossed for 534 yards on 47-for-79 passing, including a pair of TDs ... Hardin finished the game with 73 yard on two receptions, one of which he turned into six points. He also added a 63-yard touchdown run, the longest rush in the GWC this season. Hardin leads the team with 340 all-purpose yards (113.3/game), 271 yards receiving (90.3/game), and is tied with kicker Zeb Miller (Ankeny, Iowa) with a 18 points scored ... Making his "Sioux Debut" was true freshman running back Jake Miller (Bismarck, N.D.), who came away with 76 yards on 11 carries, including a 39-yard run. He, like Hardin, found the end zone on two occasions.

DEFENSIVE NOTES

For the third straight week, junior linebacker Dan Hendrickson (Minot, N.D.) led the Fighting Sioux in tackles. He finished with nine tackles (eight unassisted) to tie his single-game record set last weekend at Northern Illinois (Sept. 11). In the opening 15 minutes, Hendrickson racked up five tackles, including two solid hits while on the kickoff coverage unit. Hendrickson leads the team with 25 tackles (20 unassisted) ... Junior linebacker Mitch Goertz (Rothschild, Wis.) has totaled 14 tackles (seven solo) ... Senior linebacker Ross Cochran (Kenosha, Wis.) leads the team with 2.5 sacks. He brought the QB down twice, a personal best, in the home opener against Northeastern State (Sept. 18) ... UND leads the conference in pass defense efficiency (119.3), sacks by (nine; three/game), opponent penalties (74.3 yards/game), and red zone defense (8-for-10 scores, .909).

SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES

Redshirt freshman Zeb Miller (Ankeny, Iowa) helped the Sioux with 16 points - a league best -   against Northeastern State (Sept. 18). Miller was 7-for-7 in PATs - another league best -  and hit a pair of field goals (37 yards, 28 yards). This season, he is 9-for-9 in PATs and is averaging 64.9 yards/kickoff ... Punter Brett Cameron(Winnipeg, Manitoba) is averaging 40.8 yards/punt and has landed eight kicks inside the 20-yard line ... Junior Erik Mersereau (Junior linebacker Dan Hendrickson (Minot, N.D.) was key in holding the Demons to limited return yards with several play-stopping hits on kickoff coverage ... UND leads the conference in kickoff coverage (44.9 yards net average) and PAT kicking (9-for-9, 1.000).

NOTING THE DEMONS

Northwestern State, from Natchitoches, La., is a member of the Southland Conference ... Last Saturday, quarterback Paul Harris led the Demons on an 88-yard drive to a touchdown to open the game and NSU never trailed, holding off Division II power Tarleton State 17-14 at Turpin Stadium ... The win was the first of the season in three tries for Northwestern, and ended a 13-game skid dating back to the beginning of last season. 

OFFENSIVE NOTES

Quarterback Paul Harris has totaled 584 yards on 50-for-90 passing, including a 49-yard toss. He has hit three receivers for a touchdown thus far. On two occasions, that person was Justin Aldredge ... Bradley Brown leads all receivers with 229 yards (76.3 yards/game), including that afore mentioned 49-yard reception. Brown leads the team with 440 all-purpose yards ... On the ground, Sterling Endsley leads Northwestern State with 105 yards on 30 carries (32.0 yards/game) and has scored on of NWLA's three rushing TDs. The other two are attributed to Harris ... As a team, the Demons are averaging 293.3 yards/game.

DEFENSIVE NOTES

Derek Rose is leading the team with 35 tackles (21 unassisted). He has turned in 3.5 tackles for loss for a loss of a combined nine yards ... Jamaal White has recorded 24 tackles (16 solo) and is the only Demon with an interception ... Only two players have landed quarterback sacks: Anthony Gilbert and Cornist Broadway ... Northwestern State leads the Southland Conference in pass defense (180.7 yards/game) and opponent penalties (88.0 yards/game).

SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES

John Shaughnessy has only set up for one field goal attempt this season, but it was worth it as he landed the 44-yard kick ... Shaughnessy has also built up 561 yards on 10 kicks, for an average of 56.1yards/kick ... Bradley Russo is averaging 40.7 yards/punt and has landed seven inside the 20-yard line ... Bradley Brown is the team's punt returner and kickoff returner. He has gained 16 yards on four punt returns thus far  and has 177 yards on seven kick returns, including a 37 yard run ... Northwestern State leads the Southland Conference in field goals (1-for-1, 1.000).

NORTHWESTERN STATE HEAD COACH BRADLEY DALE PEVETO

The Demons' 2009 signing class, put together in six weeks after Bradley Dale Peveto was hired, was ranked No. 1 in FCS by Rivals.com experts. The 2010 class was rated No. 4 nationally among FCS schools in the Rivals.com rankings the day after National Signing Day.

Looking through his coaching staff, Peveto has blended highly-accomplished NSU assistants with top-quality newcomers to Natchitoches such as former Nicholls head coach Jay Thomas and former Central Arkansas offensive coordinator Todd Cooley. His staff has followed his lead and has become very active and visible in the community and with NSU alumni and supporters.

Peveto is a former LSU co-defensive coordinator whose highly-successful 22-year college football coaching career includes the Tigers' 2007 BCS national championship and Northwestern State's FCS semifinal playoff season of 1998.

Peveto (pronounced PEA-vit-toe) completed his duties as co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at LSU when the Tigers dominated Georgia Tech in the 2009 Chick-Fil-A Bowl in Atlanta. LSU's defense shackled the nation's No. 1 rushing offense in a 38-3 rout.

Peveto is the 13th head coach in the 102-year history of intercollegiate football at Northwestern. He was defensive coordinator for the Demons from 1996-98 under the school's winningest head coach, Sam Goodwin.

LEADERS AMONG MEN

Local fans will recognize the 2010 UND Fighting Sioux captains. Grand Forks, N.D., native Jake Landry (quarterback) and Ryan Kasowski (linebacker) will captain the young squad. Each game they will be joined by two other players.

• Idaho: Landry, Kasowski, Dressler, Dublanko
• NIU: Landry, Kasowski, Cochran, Queoff
• NSU: Landry, Kasowski, Schwenzfeier, Davis

HONORABLE MENTION

Each week, the Fighting Sioux captains of the game will be joined by an honorary captain. Here is who you can expect to be on the 50-yard line.

• Sept. 18: Dr. Steve Johnson (1983-85*)
• Sept. 25: Ross Almlie (1991-94*)
• Oct. 9: Jim LeClair (1970-71)
• Oct. 30: Mike Compton (1974-77)
• Nov. 6: Bill Predovich (1966-68*)

* denotes team captain

SIOUX STRONG

The University of North Dakota athletics department has announced the highlighted events for this year's Sioux Strong campaign. The two-month-long campaign, which will run from September though October, is dedicated to raising funds and helping spread awareness for breast cancer research in the greater Grand Forks area and beyond.

Altru Cancer Center has been designated to receive all funds raised as the Fighting Sioux recognize October's Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

This year's highlighted events include:

• UND women's hockey vs. Minnesota Duluth - 2 p.m. (Ralph Engelstad Arena)

• UND volleyball vs. South Dakota - 7 p.m. (Betty Engelstad Sioux Center)

• UND football vs. Lamar - 12 p.m. (Alerus Center)

• UND men's hockey vs. Denver - 7 p.m. (Ralph Engelstad Arena)

All individuals attending these special events are encouraged to wear their pink Sioux Strong t-shirts. The t-shirts are free with a $10 donation to Altru Cancer Center and are available at the UND Memorial Union, Altru Cancer Center, and the Alerus Center ticket office Monday - Friday during normal business hours. Shirts will also be distributed at various community and UND athletics events throughout the months of September and October.

Click on the link above to view the game notes in their entirety.

- Go Sioux -