A group of UND freshman football players stand up with fellow student athletes  to be recognized at the Pep Rally on Sunday evening at the Memorial Union. Photo by Jennifer Friese/The Dakota Student. 

Day by day.

That is the message new UND football head coach Kyle “Bubba” Schweigert is trying to convey to his players.

“You are going to hear that over and over again,” Schweigert said. “You’re going to hear it in team meetings. You’ll hear it in position meetings. You’re going to hear it in offense, defensive meetings — taking this one day at a time.”

With a fairly new coaching staff this year, the UND football team is ready to turn the page on what was a less than stellar season.

The team ranged last year from losing close games to getting blown out of the stadium. The highlight of the year came in the first game with a 69-10 win against Valparaiso.

With a 3-8 record, the school had seen enough and let go of then head coach Chris Mussman, and the majority of the coaching staff.

With the new era of Coach Schweigert, there is reason to hope.

Schweigert brings a defensive mindset to a team that desperately needs it, as the Green and White let up an average of 33.1 points per game last year.

The new coach also has history with UND football.

Schweigert was the defensive coordinator with UND when the school won its lone National Championship in 2001.

“Bubba” has found defensive success at the other schools he has coached. He has coached three first team All-Americans and 20 All-Conference players in six seasons at Southern Illinois.

While having a strong head coach is integral to the process of building a solid team, the coaches cannot play the games.

While the standout from last year’s team, Greg Hardin, has graduated, a new group of upperclassmen are looking to turn the page on last season.

Linebacker Will Ratelle, cornerback Alex Tillman, offensive lineman Brandon Anderson and fullback Dwayne Pecosky were all voted as captains this summer by the rest of the team.

“We hold all of our players to a high standard,” Schweigert said, “But the captains are held up a little higher and have a lot of responsibility in keeping this team together.”

These captains, though, are not of the standard fare.

Alex Tillman is a transfer from Houston playing his senior season for the Green and White. The starting cornerback has played well in summer camp and gained the trust of his fellow teammates.

“Alex came in here and got right to work and has done everything we have asked of him,” Schweigert said.

Tillman is not the only unconventional captain on the team.

Will Ratelle has yet to start a game for the Green and White, yet he has done enough to earn the respect of his teammates.

Dwayne Pecosky is a fullback for this season, but the captain has played three different positions in his three prior years, spending time on both offensive and defensive lines.

Finally, Brandon Anderson, the most “conventional” of the captains, has started 22 straight games at left guard and looks to continue that trend. As only a junior, Anderson looks to be a leader through example.

“Brandon was a guy that really bought into our philosophy from day one, and has come to work every day with the right attitude,” Schweigert said.

This new team looks to bring UND into a new era of competitive football.

So where does this new era begin?

While UND starts out on the road against San Jose State, its first home game will be against Robert Morris on Saturday, Sept. 6.

The road back to UND’s glory days in football starts now. And it will be remembered each and every day the team is on the field.

Alex Stadnik is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. He can be reached at [email protected].