St. Cloud State's football program didn't have much luck in 2006, losing seven of eight games by an average of 6.8 points. Included was a heartbreaking overtime loss against UND, which had to rally in the fourth quarter to force the extra session.
Earlier this week, St. Cloud coach Randy Hedberg watched a tape of last season's game against UND. After watching it, he realized St. Cloud's luck probably hasn't changed that much this season.
"We had four receivers who played against the Sioux last season and all four were underclassmen," Hedberg said. "They won't play against the Sioux this week because of injuries. We lost two with shoulder injuries and two with leg injuries."
St. Cloud's injuries and scoring-challenged offense will be two obstacles facing the Huskies on Saturday when they meet No. 7 UND in a North Central Conference game in the Alerus Center.
The Huskies' biggest challenge, however, will come from 7-1 UND, which appears to be headed for another NCAA Division II postseason berth.
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St. Cloud's season has been marred by injuries, especially on offense.
In addition to the injuries at wide receiver, St. Cloud lost its starting quarterback - Jake Kranz - to a season-ending injury.
"He went down with a knee injury in late September," Hedberg said. "We had anticipated that he'd be our quarterback for the last seven games of this season and next season."
As a result, the Huskies will rotate quarterbacks Jon Quesnel and Mike Hammerseng against the Sioux. "They're different players," Hedberg said. "Jon is more of a pocket-type guy while Mike will move around a little more."
The injuries on offense have been reflected in the NCC statistics. St. Cloud ranks last in scoring offense (13.6 points per game) and eighth in total offense (287.1 ypg).
But St. Cloud's defense is the team's bright spot. The Huskies have one of the best defensive units in the conference, as evidenced by their game last week against Nebraska-Omaha. Undefeated Omaha had to grind out a 13-3 win at St. Cloud.
"Our defense has played well all year," Hedberg said. "Our defensive front is pretty good. Ryan Kees and Cale Pulczinski (defensive ends) are fairly athletic for their size, and they run real well.
St. Cloud ranks fourth in scoring defense (20.4 ppg) and second in total defense (336.6 ypg).
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"Our defense has kept us in games," Hedberg said. "But we've had so many injuries on offense. We're struggling on offense from a consistency standpoint."
With its struggling offense, St. Cloud has little - if any - room for error against the top teams in the NCC.
But the Huskies, who are 1-5 in the NCC and 4-5 overall, still have some goals in sight.
"Our goal is to finish 6-5 and we're not that far away," said Hedberg, a former Sioux assistant. "We have to play better offensively, and we have to get better play from our quarterbacks and running backs."
And he wouldn't mind a little luck, either.
"Last year against Omaha, we had a punt blocked in the final seconds and that gave them the win," Hedberg said. "Then the Sioux beat us in overtime.
"This is a tough league. You look for consistency from year to year, but we've had to piecemeal things together."
Reach Nelson at 780-1268, (800) 477-6572 ext. 268 or wnelson@gfherald.com .
