One of the major talking points of the upcoming spring FCS football season is the wear and tear on bodies for a quick turnaround from the spring to the normal fall schedule.
Perhaps with that in mind, as well as the team coming off its first live session Thursday, UND held a light practice Saturday morning with shorts and helmets and quite a few veterans sitting out at the High Performance Center.
The Fighting Hawks went about a half hour earlier than normal on a cold Grand Forks day. Outside temperature during practice was minus-17, with a "feels like" of minus-38.
UND didn't hold any team work during practice. The Hawks worked on skelly drills and trick plays during the shortened schedule.
Here are the details from Day 13:
The scene: UND practiced in helmets and shorts from about 6:50 a.m. to 7:55 a.m. at the High Performance Center.
Play of the day: Jake Richter caught a deep ball from Reid Neal as he perfectly used his body to shield safety Jason Coley and haul in the catch.
Looking good: Quarterbacks. All three of Tommy Schuster, Quincy Vaughn and Brock Boltmann were on target Saturday morning.
Needs work: There wasn't much to critique without any team work.
Day 13 notes
- Quincy Vaughn continues to excel on routes down the field, as he hit Bo Belquist on a perfectly thrown out route during skelly work.
- Cornerback Sammy Fort made a nice defensive play to break up a Brock Boltmann deep ball to Tyler Burian.
- Caleb Nelson, who has to easily lead the camp in interceptions, picked off Reid Neal.
- Tight end Derek Paulson, perhaps known more for his run blocking, was heavily involved in the passing game with a number of catches down the field.
- Jacob Odom made a nice, fully extended catch on an out route from quarterback Ethan Postler.
- Tommy Schuster strung together a couple of well-placed balls back-to-back, hitting Bo Belquist and then tight end Adam Zavalney.
- UND worked on a wide variety of trick plays. With Brock Boltmann lining up anywhere, UND has a plethora of options. UND also will be a little more mobile at quarterback in 2021, adding to the options.
Past coverage
Day 2: Richter, Burian make plays
Day 3: UND develops Boltmann's versatility
Day 4: Hawks work to replace All-American at inside linebacker
Day 5: Offensive line develops chemistry with veteran group
Day 6: Quarterback room ramps up competition
Day 7: Sophomore cornerback's stock rising
Day 8: A look at returner options
Day 9: Wide receiver vets make case for playing time
Day 10: Tight end options provide variety
