Wayne Nelson
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CHENEY, Wash. -- UND will play Eastern Washington for the first time Satuday night. Also, UND will play at a field known as the Inferno -- a reference to the red artificial turf at Roos Field. Whether UND will be seeing red for the second straight week, however, remains to be seen. UND's fourth-quarter collapse against Cal Poly last week at home put UND in a tough spot as the Green and White (1-1 Big Sky, 3-2 overall) prepare for the heart of the program's first Big Sky Conference season. "Every week is just a battle," UND coach Chris Mussman said.
Cal Poly came into the Alerus Center ranked No. 23 in the FCS national top 25 poll. The Mustangs, after storming past UND 35-17, left little doubt they were better than their ranking. If the Sagarin Ratings are any indication as to a team's strength, Cal Poly is one of the top FCS teams in the country -- much better than its No. 23 ranking in the national polls. This week in the Sagarin, Cal Poly is ranked No. 3 among FCS programs in the country and No. 83 among all Division I teams.
UND is at the halfway point of its season. It's the time of the season when head coaches usually look at the medical reports first instead of the scouting reports. The medical reports for this week's game at No. 7 Eastern Washington had priority at Memorial Stadium on Tuesday as a handful of UND players are questionable for Saturday's Big Sky Conference game against the Eagles. "Today, we're pretty nicked up," UND coach Chris Mussman said. But that's nothing seriously out of the ordinary. "It's football; it's that time of the year," Mussman said.
Devin Monson doesn't have any immediate plans to run full marathons or even half-marathons. If he does change his mind, he'll have a good idea of what it takes after the Thompson, N.D., graduate and former Hamline University runner captured Saturday's inaugural Wild Hog Grand Forks Half-Marathon. Monson posted the fastest time among the approximate 700 runners that ran the half-marathon course, which started in south Grand Forks and worked its way to East Grand Forks before heading back to the Wild Hog along South Washington Street. Monson's winning time was 1 hour, 10 minutes, 12 seconds.
Tonight's UND-Cal Poly football game at the Alerus Center won't make or break the season for either team. But the winner can look ahead -- just a quick peek, really -- toward the possibility of postseason play. A 2-0 start in the Big Sky Conference is on the line for No. 23 Cal Poly and UND -- both newcomers to the Big Sky. And for UND, a win would certainly give the Green and White some serious momentum as they head to No. 7 Eastern Washington next week. "It'll be a fun game," UND coach Chris Mussman said.
Cal Poly at UND When: 6:05 p.m. Where: Alerus Center. Records: UND 1-0, 3-1, Cal Poly 1-0, 3-0. JUST THE FACTS Team website: UND Sports.com. On the radio: The Fox (96.1), Jack Michaels play-by-play; Mike Berg analyst; Paul Ralston, sideline. TV: Midco Sports (Channel 27, GF); Dan Hammer play-by-play; Tony Stein, analyst; Danny Luetzen, sideline. TV coaches show: UND Sports Extra, Tuesdays, 7 p.m., (Channel 27, GF). Coaches radio show: The Fan (1440 AM), WDAY (970 AM), Wednesdays, 6:30 p.m.
UND took a big step forward last week, beating Sacramento State in the program's first official Big Sky Conference football game. On Saturday, UND can take a big leap forward -- one that could put the Green and White in decent shape to make a run at the league title. UND hosts No. 23 Cal Poly at the Alerus Center in a game between two Big Sky newcomers trying to make a statement in their new home. "This is going to be fun," UND coach Chris Mussman said. "It'll be as big a game we've had in the Alerus Center in a while.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- UND proved it could play in the Big Sky Conference after dismantling Sacramento State on Saturday night. Now, UND wants to prove it can be one of the best in the Big Sky. That mission starts this Saturday when UND hosts Cal Poly, another first-year team in the Big Sky that is making some noise this season. "As we said in the locker room, we're on top of the Big Sky and we intend to stay there," said UND safety Erik Mersereau. "The sky is the limit." UND physically dominated Sac State, winning 35-13 in a game that had major implications for the program.
TODAY UND at Sacramento State When: 8:05 p.m. Where: Hornet Stadium, Sacramento, Calif. Records: UND 2-1, Sacramento State 2-1. JUST THE FACTS Team website: UND Sports.com. On the radio: The Fox (96.1), Jack Michaels play-by-play; Mike Berg analyst; Paul Ralston, sideline. TV: Midco Sports (Channel 27, GF); Dan Hammer play-by-play; Tony Stein, analyst; Danny Luetzen, sideline. TV coaches show: UND Sports Extra, Tuesdays, 7 p.m., (Channel 27, GF). Coaches radio show: The Fan (1440 AM), WDAY (970 AM), Wednesdays, 6:3
SACRAMENTO, Calif.