NDSUFREAK
August 5th, 2007, 11:12 AM
10 burning questions
The Forum's Jeff Kolpack tackles the big topics about the Bison as players report for practice today.
1) Who will end up being the starting tailback? We know Tyler Roehl (pictured at right) is the No. 1 guy coming out of spring ball, but Roehl has been a fullback his first two years and a valuable one at that. He had 22 catches for 259 yards last year, several of which went for crucial first downs. At 5-foot-10 and 232 pounds, he has a fullback’s body.
2) Can the Bison beat the Gophers? If ever there was a chance, sans 2007, this year is it. The Bison have a veteran quarterback in Steve Walker, great linebackers and a dynamic return specialist in Shamen Washington. Minnesota, meanwhile, has a new coach, several new players and will break in a new quarterback in a new offensive system.
3) Will Drago finally go national? We’ve seen the booming punts from Mike Dragosavich that seemingly tease the ceiling in the Fargodome. But the senior hasn’t gotten much national attention until being named to a couple of preseason teams last month.
4) Is Craig Bohl the next Ron Erhardt? Yes. There are several parallels to the legendary Bison head coach of the late ’60s and early ’70s. Erhardt took the baton from Darrell Mudra and escalated the Bison to the top of their division for the first time. Bohl is doing the same in Division I’s Football Championship Subdivision.
5) How long will Bohl be at NDSU? This question has been nervously asked by many Bison fans. They want to keep their coach. Bohl won’t take just any top-level Division I job for the money; it has to be a situation where he can win. So the answer to that question is at least two more years.
6) What is the strength of this team? In Joe Mays, Ramon Humber and Mike Maresh, you are looking at the best set of linebackers the Bison have ever had.
7) What is the team’s weakness? There aren’t many, but this is a tie between tailback and defensive tackle, and the reason is simple: Both spots are unproven. Roehl is new at tailback, and replacing defensive tackle Justin Frick will be critical. Mike Brown is the starter, and Matt Gratzek, who has gotten some notoriety in practice, is just a freshman.
8) What was the most significant offseason move? The better answer to this is, who didn’t move? The Bison have their offensive and defensive coordinators in Pat Perles and Willie Mack Garza back and that is a huge plus on a staff that has seen several coaches move on to bigger schools.
9) Can the Bison finish No. 1 in the polls? No. Because the Bison have one year left on their reclassification, they are not eligible for the playoffs and therefore will be left on the outside looking in after the final votes are tabulated. NDSU could very well be the best team in the FCS this year, but most voters will be watching the national championship game on TV, and that carries more weight.
10) If you were to go to one home game, which would it be? Cal Davis is always a dogfight, and the Texas schools (Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston) will be fun tests. But Illinois State on Nov. 3 will give Bison fans a glimpse of the future because the Bison will be joining ISU’s Gateway Football Conference next year
The Forum's Jeff Kolpack tackles the big topics about the Bison as players report for practice today.
1) Who will end up being the starting tailback? We know Tyler Roehl (pictured at right) is the No. 1 guy coming out of spring ball, but Roehl has been a fullback his first two years and a valuable one at that. He had 22 catches for 259 yards last year, several of which went for crucial first downs. At 5-foot-10 and 232 pounds, he has a fullback’s body.
2) Can the Bison beat the Gophers? If ever there was a chance, sans 2007, this year is it. The Bison have a veteran quarterback in Steve Walker, great linebackers and a dynamic return specialist in Shamen Washington. Minnesota, meanwhile, has a new coach, several new players and will break in a new quarterback in a new offensive system.
3) Will Drago finally go national? We’ve seen the booming punts from Mike Dragosavich that seemingly tease the ceiling in the Fargodome. But the senior hasn’t gotten much national attention until being named to a couple of preseason teams last month.
4) Is Craig Bohl the next Ron Erhardt? Yes. There are several parallels to the legendary Bison head coach of the late ’60s and early ’70s. Erhardt took the baton from Darrell Mudra and escalated the Bison to the top of their division for the first time. Bohl is doing the same in Division I’s Football Championship Subdivision.
5) How long will Bohl be at NDSU? This question has been nervously asked by many Bison fans. They want to keep their coach. Bohl won’t take just any top-level Division I job for the money; it has to be a situation where he can win. So the answer to that question is at least two more years.
6) What is the strength of this team? In Joe Mays, Ramon Humber and Mike Maresh, you are looking at the best set of linebackers the Bison have ever had.
7) What is the team’s weakness? There aren’t many, but this is a tie between tailback and defensive tackle, and the reason is simple: Both spots are unproven. Roehl is new at tailback, and replacing defensive tackle Justin Frick will be critical. Mike Brown is the starter, and Matt Gratzek, who has gotten some notoriety in practice, is just a freshman.
8) What was the most significant offseason move? The better answer to this is, who didn’t move? The Bison have their offensive and defensive coordinators in Pat Perles and Willie Mack Garza back and that is a huge plus on a staff that has seen several coaches move on to bigger schools.
9) Can the Bison finish No. 1 in the polls? No. Because the Bison have one year left on their reclassification, they are not eligible for the playoffs and therefore will be left on the outside looking in after the final votes are tabulated. NDSU could very well be the best team in the FCS this year, but most voters will be watching the national championship game on TV, and that carries more weight.
10) If you were to go to one home game, which would it be? Cal Davis is always a dogfight, and the Texas schools (Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston) will be fun tests. But Illinois State on Nov. 3 will give Bison fans a glimpse of the future because the Bison will be joining ISU’s Gateway Football Conference next year