THE ROCKY & BULLWINKLE SHOW....   (9/13/2006) Off My Office Floor.... Welcome back Rocky... We've got quite a show for you folks... Live and direct from Boston, Massachusetts... A North Dakota State University Sports Hall of Famer... And current Northeastern University head coach... Rocky Hager!! Just doesn't seem right; at least, the Northeastern University part. Not only is that bad enough, but then the Rocky said to a Boston Globe writer, "I can tell you right now that I want to whip 'em," Who's he going to whip? Who's he talking about? Rocky can't be talking about his beloved NDSU Bison? If so, it just doesn't seem right. Not only is Rocky coming to whip some Bison bootie, but he's bringing another Bison football alumnus with him to accomplish the job... Husky defensive coordinator and former Bison standout linebacker Paul Schaffner. Did I say it doesn't seem right? Ya know, I'm talking Old Testament, real wrath-of-God type stuff. Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies... Rivers and seas boiling... Forty years of darkness... Earthquakes, volcanoes... The dead rising from the grave... Human sacrifice... Dogs and cats living together... Mass hysteria. Ah heck, probably not... but it sure will be nice to see Mr. Hager again. Even if he's on the opposing sideline, losing a football game. For the dogs... College football has been significantly affected this season by two new clock rules, 3-2-5 and 3-2-5-e. They were designed to shorten the game. The first change (3-2-5) means the clock starts on a kickoff when the ball is kicked, not when the receiving team touches it. The other change (3-2-5-e) means the clock starts on a change of possession when the ball is marked ready for play, not when it is snapped. I have no problem with the clock being started when the ball is kicked, but the second rule change is a boat-load of manure and has to be eliminated from future play. After watching my usual 10-12 college football games on television this past week, I struggle to remember a game when the second new rule didn't come into play. With the clock started after a change of possession, the team trailing at the end of the game is put at an added disadvantage. After a defense plays their behinds off to force a punt, offenses were forced to call a timeout before taking possession of the ball; even if the kick returner was forced out of bounds or the ball simply bounced out of bounds on the kick. I guess "out of bounds" has lost some of its meaning. In terms of conformity, not a lot of thought was put into the final draft of the new rule. But I guess when big money (i.e. Television networks) is making a decision for the NCAA... sense doesn't need to make sense. On the other hand, thank goodness for these new clock rules because now I won't miss the first two games of a crucial professional tennis match or the first couple holes of PGA coverage... on a college football Saturday. Player Spotlight... South Dakota has been very generous to the Bison football program. In recent times, SoDak has lent a creditable who's who to the NDSU roster, producing such players as Justin Buckwalter, Tim Popowski, Brett Itterman, and today's Bison spotlight player. Defensive tackle Justin Frick, a 6'3 295-pound senior from the South Dakota football powerhouse, Yankton High School, combines power and speed to overwhelm opposing offensive lines. During his four year Bison football career, Frick has amassed 95 tackles (55 solo, 40 assist), 14 tackles of loss (10.5 in 2005), and 5.5 sacks. Big things are expected from Justin this 2006 season... not only from Bison fans but the I-AA community as he earned 1st-Team Football Gazette I-AA Preseason All-America honors, as well as being ranked #25 on the College Football News.com's list of I-AA Players "Worth the Price of Admission." Partisan recognition is nothing new to Justin Frick... As a senior at Yankton High School, Frick earned 1st-Team All-State and 1st-Team All-Eastern South Dakota Conference honors and was a member of the Sioux Falls Argus-Leader's Elite 45. Justin put up some incredible numbers in his senior high school season, finishing with 98 tackles and 11 sacks on the 13-0 state championship team. One time... During the past off-season, there has been a change to the Bison Radio Network. Most NDSU fans may not notice a difference, but I guarantee that fans in Western North Dakota notice a difference this year. Why? The radio broadcast of Bison games switched from Clear Channel station KXMR 710-AM to KLXX 1270-AM in the Bismarck area. C'mon JD, so what? As I've said before... this is bad. Let me explain. On any given day, I can listen to KXMR 710-AM in Watertown, South Dakota.... approximately 210 miles as the "crow flies" from Bismarck. My parents live 40 miles from Bismarck and on any given day, good luck on listening to a static-free signal from KLXX 1270-AM. As a matter of fact, I can get the KXMR 710-AM signal better in Watertown than I can get the WDAY 970-AM signal. I also realize that Clear Channel owns every strong AM-signal in the Bismarck-Mandan area. So here's a suggestion... The powers that be, should really consider adding Jamestown and Dickinson AM stations to the Bison Radio Network. North Dakotan's (tax payers) deserve the privilege of listen to static-free Bison broadcasts without subscribing to the Bison Zone internet broadcast. One more time... Even though we've actually won once, an announcement of a promotional giveaway during Bison games always generates a chuckle from the Bison Insider crew. Don't get me wrong, the giveaways are great... everybody likes free things. But you know what, teammaker members and season ticket holders are going to come to the games even without giveaways. It's true... I swear to the man upstairs. Here's an idea. Why not make sure the majority of the giveaways are awarded to fans in the general admission and student sections? First, these people probably could use the giveaway more than I. Second, maybe winning a giveaway will get these people back to another game expanding the Bison fan base (hopefully meaning an increase in season ticket holders). Third, since the Fargodome opened, have you heard of anyone in the general admission section every winning anything? Fans are fans... include everybody. It's only fair and it doesn't take very long to see if fans are sitting in a general admission section row. I realize this is trivial, but we've got to do everything possible to sell that place out every week. One last time... As most of you know, Bison backup linebacker Matt Kittelson was charged with resisting a police officer and minor in possession by Fargo police over the past weekend. My take... It's all part of eventually becoming a responsible adult. Learn from your experience Matt... there are no free "do-over cards" in life. One sad time... RIP Colin. See ya on the other side... It was a humble privilege for all of us to share our lives with you. The Northeastern Offense.... Base Offense: Pro-set... On offense the Huskies are led by 2005 All-Atlantic 10 2nd-team selection RB Maurice Murray, a 6'0 220-pound junior from Mamaroneck, New York. Murray is one of the A-10’s premier running backs rushing for 239 yards on 45 carries this season. The 2006 Atlantic 10-leader in rushing yards, Murray surpassed 1500 yards for his career last week and sprung into third on Northeastern's all-time rushing touchdowns list with 21. His 36-yard touchdown run against Holy Cross last week was the longest rush of his career. He ranks 21st in the nation currently in rushing. Anthony Orio, a 6'1 230-pound sophomore from Voorhees, New Jersey, remains the starter at quarterback for the Huskies, but sophomore John Sperrazza, a 5'11 240-pound sophomore from Mansfield, Massachusetts, has taken snaps on the first series of the second quarter in both of this year’s games. For the season, Orio has completed 23 of 41 passes for 165 yards and rushed, while Sperrazza is a perfect 3 of 3 for 78 yards. The receiving corps is led by tight end Kendrick Ballantyne, a 6'4 240-pound senior from Gorham, Maine. He has hauled in 4 passes for 101 yards. So far this season, the Huskies offensive attack has racked up an average of 270 yards of total offense per game last season, including 148.5 yards by land and 121.5 yards through the air... *Note: As one would expect, Hager's offense is centered around the running game. As the running game goes, so does the offense. I would expect the Bison to stack the line of scrimmage and challenge the Huskies to move the ball via the pass. The Bison linebackers will be big in this game either by the blitz or covering the talented Huskies' tight end Ballantyne... The Northeastern Defense.... Base Defense: 3-4 (UND style)... Eight of Northeastern’s top 10 tacklers are back from last season’s squad. In total, 87 percent of 2005’s total tackles are back on the field for NU, led by 2005 All-Atlantic 10 third-team linebackers Joe Mele and Jamil Young. Mele, a 6'1 235-pound junior from Sea Girt, New Jersey, leads the team in tackles with 7 solo and 3 assisted, while 1.5 tackles for loss including 1 sack. Young, a 5'11 225-pound senior from Bridgeville, Delaware, is second on the team with 9. Last year, Jamil Young led the Huskies in tackles with a very respectable 95 (54 solo, 41 assisted) plus 9.5 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions, 3 forced fumbles and 2 fumble recoveries. Young is very active and the player to watch on the Northeastern defense. The main concern along the defensive line is Matt Campopiano, a 6'2 240 senior defensive end from Walpole, Massachusetts. Campopiano has 1.5 tackles for loss including 1 sack this season, but last season he racked up 12 tackles for loss including 6 sacks. The secondary is led by "tough guy" free safety Lamar Gay, a 6'3 210-pound senior from Moreland, Georgia. The enforcer of the defense, Gay has 9 tackles (6 solo, 3 assisted) for the season. The Northeastern secondary is very experienced... 3 seniors and 1 junior. For 2006, the Northeastern defense has surrendered 310.5 total yards per game, including a 112 rushing yards and 198.5 yards through the air... *Note: Just as the Bison defense will try to take away the Huskies' rushing attack, the Northeastern defense will focus on stopping the NDSU rushing game (aka. UND defense). Most likely leaving the veteran Northeastern corners with single coverage on the Bison wide-outs... Which could mean a big days for Kole Heckendorf and Travis White, not to mention TE Jeremiah Wurzbacher... History.... This Saturday marks the first-ever meeting between the Huskies and the Bison. Show Me the Keys.... * The inexperienced Bison offensive line must establish themselves early. Against better competition, the Bison hogs MUST do a better job than the last game of establishing/maintaining their blocks (w/o holding). * I'll keep saying this until I'm blue in the face... "As Bison QB Steve Walker plays, so does the Bison offense." He is THE KEY to starting the engine. Walker showed an increased feel for the Bison medium-range passing game against Concordia-St. Paul. Early in the game, Northeastern will stack the line of scrimmage forcing the Bison to show off their passing attack... If the Huskies win the time of possession, Northeastern will be tough to beat... * The Bison return game must continue to show improvement. Symeon Cabell is the key. Given the experience he gained last week, I fully expect him to pick up his game this week on returns. Nothing like a little confidence... Watch out! Travis White does not look comfortable returning punts, possibly time to try someone else. * Control... The Bison offense must continue to finish what it starts... The offense did a nice job the last game, but field goals will not be good enough against DI-AA competition. Once in the red zone, the Bison offense needs to maintain the momentum and push the ball into the sacred land. No Penalties. I still have the feeling that the Bison offense just isn't good enough to overcome multiple penalties... * Kicking... Shawn Bibeau and Mike Dragosavich are nice weapons for the Bison. Taken in moderation... * Score early! Under head coach Craig Bohl slow starts have plagued the Bison. Get prepared. Get some sleep. Get ready to fire out of the gate. A fast start for the Bison can only improve confidence... * This is a very big season for the Bison coaching staff. Inexperience... A tough schedule... More than not leads to disaster. And as the playoff years approach it's not a good time to apply the brakes on this run-away train. Blue-chip high school recruits only want to know what the Bison have done lately? * One word -- 'Consistency'.... from play to play; from game to game. The maturation of young players such as CB Derrius Colvin, CB Courtney Mitchell, CB Richard Bowman, C Zach Harrington, DT Michael Fairbairn, LB Ramon Humber, OT Sam Laudner and others is so crucial to the success of the Bison program during the 2006 season. And help the Bison continue climbing to the top of the Division I-AA mountain.... * As for the Northeastern game... If the Bison play hard and limit their physical and mental mistakes, they should be able to take control of the game... * Sacks, interceptions, fumbles... Goal for takeaways this week for the Bison defense? Two... Two turnovers from the Bison defense equals a quality win over the Huskies... Four sacks means a 20-point win. Another Bison defensive touchdown would be big this week... Jottings.... * The weight in the trenches: Offensive line: NDSU 301, Northeastern 301 Defensive line: NDSU 270, Northeastern 265 * Injuries this week: WR Shamen Washington - out; DE Nick Compton - out; OG Justin Buckwalter - out; OT Adam Tadisch - probable (back)... * Starting Saturday with North Dakota State, Northeastern begins six consecutive weeks of games against teams currently ranked in The Sports Network’s Top 25 poll... The other opponents are James Madison, Richmond, Delaware, New Hampshire and Massachusetts... * Northeastern Head Coach Rocky Hager needs just one more victory for 100 in his career. Hager has posted a 99-41-1 career record in his 13th season of head coaching, and it probably fitting that he makes his first attempt for 100 in Fargo where he collected 91 of those wins... * The NU coaching staff will continue its homecoming tour next week, when the Huskies take on James Madison. Offense coordinator Eddie Davis, and running backs coach Darrius Smith have each coached at JMU, while tight ends coach Frank McArdle was a member of the 2004 NCAA National Championship team... * This week’s contest will be the second time that Northeastern has taken its game indoors. In 1992, the Huskies lost to Northern Arizona at their Skydome, 21-14... * Bison RB Kyle Steffes enters the Northeastern game ranked No. 7 in career rushing. He has rushed for 2,811 yards and 32 touchdowns on 575 carries in 30 games. Steffes is 27 yards away from passing No. 6 Chad Stark (1983-86, 406-2837, 30 TDs)... * Former Bison All-American center Rob Hunt was signed to the Denver Broncos practice squad last week... * Audio of Northeastern football games is available on the internet free of charge. Click Here to listen... * This year’s Northeastern Husky squad returns three All-Atlantic 10 members from 2005. Maurice Murray was a second team selection last season, while linebackers Jamil Young and Joe Mele were each named to the third team... * Poll Watch: The Bison are currently ranked #17 by the Sports Network, #11 Football Gazette, #10 Any Given Saturday and #9 in the Bison Insider Top 20. Northeastern University did not appear in any DI-AA polls this week....