The first year of the new era of UND football has come to a close, and while some may dismiss this team, fans who watched the Green and White this season know coach Bubba Schweigert has this team going in the right direction.

UND finished the year at 5-7 (3-5 in the Big Sky Conference). While the record may not be great, it was still a turnaround from the three-win season the year before.

The 2014 team also showed something that the 2013 team seemed to be lacking — the toughness and heart to finish games.

Especially at home at the Alerus Center, where UND finished the year with a positive 4-2 record, the Green and White had a knack for making things as intense as possible.

Whether it was heart-stopping defensive stands against Robert Morris, or a last-second drive to clinch an upset over one of the better teams in the Big Sky — Northern Arizona — the Green and White nearly always made it interesting for their fans at home.

Another way this team showed its heart is how it finished the season.

After a big Homecoming week, UND started to slump, losing three games in a row, two of which came against lesser teams in the standings. At that point, the team was 3-7, and, with not much else to play for, it could have packed it in.

But instead, North Dakota decided to play some of its best football of the season.

After the upset of the then No. 22 Lumberjacks, UND set its sights on completing two goals that had eluded it all season: win back-to-back games, and win on the road.

At Northern Colorado, the Green and White’s defense came to play. UND terrorized the Bear’s offense, forcing five fumbles, four of which were recovered by UND, and picking off UNC quarterback Sean Rubalcaba two times.

On the offensive side, running back Jer Garman finished the season with another stellar rushing performance. The senior rushed for 164 yards on 34 carries and added two more touchdowns to what has been a phenomenal run for Garman to finish off his football career.

“It’s awesome,” Garman said. “I couldn’t really ask for anything more. I appreciate my O-line for this whole season and it’s been really fun.”

Between the defensive dominance and the senior running rampant, UND cruised to a 33-14 win to cap off the season and accomplish its goals.

Check, and check.

“We came out here and were the more physical team today,” Schweigert said after the team’s final game of the season last Saturday. “We ran the football well. We were able to stop the run. We got some picks, and stripped the ball out a couple of times and we played really well on special teams. When you do those things, most times you will get the result that we did today.”

With the season coming to a close, the team will have to say goodbye to some of its leaders. Players like Alex Tillman and Garman were instrumental in many of the Green and White’s wins.

But while UND may be losing some key players, this team is very young and has many key pieces coming back. Will Ratelle, Taj Rich and Dayo Idowu, three of the top-four tacklers on the team, are all going to be back next year, with many more also returning.

Between the momentum formed through these last two games, the returning players and Schweigert getting a year to recruit and fine tune his game plan, UND’s new era of football is a promising one and will look to come back even stronger next year.

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