Head Coach: Wes Meier Nickname: Thunderbirds 2005 Record: (1-5) SUU Radio Net Stadium: Eccles Coliseum Capacity: 8,500 Surface: Grass Location: Cedar City, UT NCAA Division: I-AA Conference: Great West Colors: Scarlet and White Enrollment: 5,881 Vs. NDSU: (0-1-0) Last meeting: L 21-27 (2004) DII Playoff Appearances: 0 DII Playoff Record: (0-0) DII National Titles: 0 DI-AA Playoff Apearances: 0 DI-AA Playoff Record: (0-0) DI-AA National Titles: 0
When: Saturday, Oct. 29, 2005 Time: 7:00 p.m. Where: Eccles Coliseum - Cedar City, UT Radio: 970 WDAY-AM Fargo 550 KXMR-AM Bismarck 660 KEYZ-AM Williston
Head Coach: Craig Bohl Nickname: Bison 2005 Record: (4-3) NDSU Live Broadcast (Pay) Stadium: The Fargodome Capacity: 18,700 Surface: Artificial Turf Location: Fargo, ND NCAA Division: I-AA Conference: Great West Colors: Yellow & Green Enrollment: 12,099 Vs. SUU: (1-0-0) Last meeting: W 27-21 (2004) DII Playoff Appearances: 17 DII Playoff Record: (30-12) DII National Titles: 8 DI-AA Playoff Apearances: 0 DI-AA Playoff Record: (0-0) DI-AA National Titles: 0
Game Of The Week.... #8 Cal Poly (5-2) at UC Davis (3-3) When I left the Fargodome Saturday night, I felt like I had been kicked right in the box. Since the beginning of my Bison fan experience, I have never seen the Bison running game so totally whipped by an opposing defense. Playmakers, the bar, was definitely in order... But ya know what? The sun did rise again on Sunday morning.
Just a heads up for fans of both the Bison and Minnesota Vikings... If the Bison lose this year... the Vikings will win. If the Bison win... the Vikings will lose. It's actually pretty simple. The Bison were defeated by Montana State and the Vikings whipped New Orleans. The Bison lost to UC Davis and the Vikings defeated Green Bay. The Bison loss to Cal Poly occurred during the Vikings bye week so my theory may or may not hold water. But you sure as heck can bet that Bob Holiday (Mr. Fudge Packer) knows what I mean. I told him the exact same thing after the Bison loss on Saturday night. Better start believing in the 'Answer Man', Bob!!...
The UC Davis/Cal Poly game is crying... "Upset! Upset!" But is the 'Great One' (me) listening? Let's take a look... The Cal Poly offense will be without a major cog this Saturday. Stang quarterback Anthony Garnett is out with a possible season ending knee injury (pending MRI). So what's the big deal? Anthony Garnett has accounted for half of the Cal Poly total offense this season and without him the Mustang offense is in trouble. Big trouble. Especially against a defense that controlled the NDSU running game this past weekend. So with that being said, the offensive edge has to go to the Aggies. As for the defensive nod, I had to give this a lot of thought, but then decided to go to the tea leaves. The tea leaves suggest that the Cal Poly defense (Gocong, Shotwell, & Crew) are just too good to bet against. The kicking game is up in the air. But intangibles are heavily in the favor of UC Davis... winning confidence, home field, and health. So are the Aggies for real... they will be this week. This weekend will spell doom for any chance the Great West has for DI-AA playoff team... UC Davis 26, Cal Poly 24
The Truth Is.... North Dakota State (4-3) at Southern Utah (1-5) The Bison offense is reeling. The Bison defense might have to win this game. I can say with absolute certainty that the Bison defense didn't lost the game to UC Davis. And what's up with the people on the message board, the Bison deserve to be criticized for their play. These coaches and players aren't toddlers; they are grown men. A little criticism of coaches and players doesn't mean that a Bison fan doesn't care about the NDSU football program. Completely the opposite. And you know the 'Answer Man', he's not going to cuddle a football player twice the size of himself. Sometimes a player and/or coach needs a good ole' swift kick in the buttocks. And sometimes words sting. But if the truth hurts, a player better start living up to expectations and heal his wounds. Not for the screaming Bison fan, but for himself. But one thing I can positively tell you... the Bison Insider crew will never leave the Fargodome before there are three zereos on the clock...
So this week, the Bison travel to Cedar City, Utah to face the fabulous Thunderbirds of Southern Utah University. A couple of weeks ago this game would have been a 'no brainer' for the 'Answer Man', but after consecutive losses for the Bison... this game needs to be thoroughly examined. I'll call the Southern Utah and NDSU offenses even... The Bison still hold an overwhelming advantage on the defensive side of the ball. Special team play is also in the NDSU column, while home-field advantage is enjoyed by SUU. The big intangible will be if the Bison offense finally wakes up from its mid-season nap. If so, the Bison will come away with an easy win. If not, the Bison will again struggle on the field. But this time, my gut tells me that it will be a close game in favor of the good guys... North Dakota State 28, Southern Utah 23
My Other Winners....
#1 Western Kentucky 27, #11 Southern Illinois 24
#18 Coastal Carolina 31, Virginia Military 21
Northwestern State 24, Northeastern 20
#20 South Carolina State 34, Delaware State 24
#20 Georgia Southern 30, South Dakota State 23
#10 Montana State 37, Northern Arizona 27
#17 Illinois State 38, Western Illinois 17
Northern Colorado 35, Fort Lewis 18
#6 Montana 24, #19 Portland State 20
#16 Appalachian State 34, Chattanooga 21
Alabama State 28, Alabama A&M 14
#9 Eastern Washington 37, Sacramento State 20 Upset special:
Nicholls State 28, #7 Texas State 27
Last Week 10-4 (2005 Record: 80-18 82%)....
North Dakota State 24, UC Davis 17 - Loss
#3 New Hampshire 37, Northeastern 28 - Win
#6 William & Mary 29, Towson 23 - Win
#5 Furman 36, Elon 18 - Win
#8 Hampton 38, #12 South Carolina State 35 - Win
South Dakota State 52, Missouri Rolla 14 - Win
#2 Eastern Washington 37, Weber State 24 - Loss
#10 Texas State 27, Northwestern State 20 - Win
Northern Colorado 27, Southern Utah 24 - Loss
Idaho State 30, Sacramento State 23 - Win
Montana 23, Cal Poly 20 - Win
#15 Harvard 21, Princeton 17 - Loss
Portland State 42, Northern Arizona 26 - Win Upset special:
Illinois State 31, #14 Northern Iowa 21 - Win
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