SEASON LOOMS, QUESTION MARKS REMAIN... (updated 8-22-2006) Hi Bison fans! As usual this time of the year everyone is getting in a fever pitch, just chomping at the bit to drink a beer and eat a brat in the Fargodome parking lot. The really big news waiting to happen will be unfolding nowhere near the dome. That will be the meeting of the Mid-Con presidents to vote on who they will extend a membership invitation to. But we'll have to put that on hold for a while, we've got football to play! So how is the team shaping up and what will be the keys to the season? I feel like NDSU has got a real offensive juggernaut. Don't ask me what a "juggernaut" is, I only use it because I've heard others use it. It looks like this year things will be a little different on the field. With Cole Heckendorf running his routes, the return of Travis White and the emergence of John Majeski and Elliot Belquist, the passing game will sparkle. The result? Opposing defenses will no longer be able to put 8 or 9 players in the box, allowing Kyle Steffes, Symeon Cabell, and Travis Roehl (when he's healthy) to run wild. Last season's 2, 3, or 4 yard passes to Heck are a thing of the past. The offensive line will be fine; the Bison have some great athletes there. At tight end, with big #80 patrolling the middle, opposing defenses are going to be occasionally stung deep. Steve Walker is going to have an All-American type of season. The really big competition on the practice field is between sophomore kicker Kyle, for some reason I want to call him Jeff, Wilcox and true freshman kicker Shawn Bibeau. The defense will take care of itself under the watchful eye of Willie Mack. The biggest problem I see is when we play the U of M and Cal Poly, they'll be matching up some big fast wide-outs with our small corners. If that is the case, how do we overcome that? You overcome that with a fierce pass rush. The key to that is the development of the defensive line. We'll have to trust that Todd Wash will get them going. They have some good athletes and I think they will be good. Of course, we've got the best linebackers in IAA and they can always slip one of those through the line after their QB. Barring a rash of injuries or a demoralizing mid season road campaign, by the time Cal Poly comes to town, we may be able to set an ambush for them and steal the Great West crown. Go Bison!! Bob H.