Schweigert and players look to build on last year’s success. Photo by Nick Nelson/ The Dakota Student

Some people detest the thought of fall. Maybe it is because it means back to school or that winter is screaming towards us. There are those though who are counting the days until there is a chill in the air again.

Why? Because they know that football season is right around the corner.

When looking at UND’s football team, the first thing one should note is their record from last season does not necessarily reflect how good the team actually was.

UND finished the season at 5-7 and while it was not exactly where first year head coach Bubba Schweigert wanted to be, he did see signs of improvement.

“We were happy with a lot of the progress we made,” Schweigert said. “So the message to the team was good progress but a long way to go and we gotta stay at it, day by day.”

At the same time, this team was drastically better than the 2013-14 version, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

UND’s defenders made it excruciatingly hard for opposing teams to run on them. They only allowed 12 rushing touchdowns and 2.7 yards a carry all season.

That effort put UND first in run defense in the Big Sky Conference. While the team may have lost some key contributors on the defensive side such as cornerback Alex Tillman, a majority of the team’s playmakers still play for the Green and White.

Dayo Idowu will join fellow linebacker Will Ratelle as a captain this year, which should scare Big Sky offenses. The two combined for 177 tackles over the course of last season.

“The team looks up to them for direction and leadership. We take these selections very serious,” Schweigert said, “It’s not a token position. We expect input from them, and these guys do a good job knowing the expectations of our program.”

Along with returning captain Brandon Anderson and new captain Zach Adler, UND has a solid leadership base to build on throughout the season. While the defense seems to be a strong point, the offense presents many more question marks.

To be fair, this was an offense that was decimated with injuries to key players last year. The first to go down was number one wide-receiver R.J. McGill, who went down early in the season.

The team also went through three different quarterbacks over the course of the season, not to mention the committee of running backs that seemed to dwindle after each game.

It was simply unrealistic to expect an offense to get on the same page and get in rhythm when half of the players are in the trainer’s office. Turning the page to this year, the team hopes for a better break when it comes to health.

Recently, Schweigert named Keaton Studsrud as the starting quarterback, over returning upperclassmen Joe Mollberg and Ryan Bartels.

“In the end, we think Keaton is the best choice for our football team right now and for how we are going to play. And he’s done a good job.” Schweigert said, “We liked what we saw in the spring but we also needed to challenge him to get better and better, and I think he’s done that.”

With stability at the quarterback position, the rest of the offense can begin to mesh and get on the same page. This time of year is always so exciting because there is a sense of hope in the crisp air when it comes to the UND football team.

While it is still unclear what the team will look like this year, it is clear that in his second year, Schweigert will build on the defensive foundation that make autumn

in Grand Forks that much more exciting.

Alex Stadnik is the sports editor for The Dakota Student. He can be reached at [email protected]