As the UND football team hits the back stretch of a schedule as tough as any in program history, Sioux players have developed an understanding of what a true Division I grind feels like.
"You realize now at this level that every game you have to really put your best product on the field and anything other than that, you're not going to win," UND defensive lineman Ty Boyle said. "Not only are you not going to win, but teams will be able to put up lots of points against you if you don't show your best effort."
UND's next challenge is Great West Conference member Cal-Poly, ranked No. 18 in the latest FCS poll. The Sioux host the Mustangs at the Alerus Center on Saturday at 4 p.m.
Cal-Poly is one of three teams ranked in the top 16 nationally on UND's schedule for this season. Stephen F. Austin, which beat the Sioux 65-31 in late September, has climbed to a No. 15 ranking. Central Arkansas, which the Sioux play Nov. 28, sits at No. 12.
Apart from NAIA schools Sioux Falls and Southern Oregon, the Sioux are in the midst of a steady diet of established Division I programs.
ADVERTISEMENT
"Playing against these elite teams, it takes a toll on your body," Sioux safety Joel Schwenzfeier said. "It takes a little more out of you. It really tests your depth, especially with the injuries we've had this season.
"But it's what you want to do. You want to compete against the best."
The Sioux also started the season against Big 12 member Texas Tech, a game that was the first of three straight UND road games against teams from the South.
How much the grueling schedule has played into UND's losses the past two weeks -- a 28-13 loss to Sioux Falls and a 35-10 defeat to Southern Utah -- remains unclear.
But the Sioux face a challenge in persevering past the lackluster stretch.
"I think we have to stay mentally together," Schwenzfeier said. "We can't give in and roll over. Things went down the drain here and there, but we have to keep each other going. I don't think it's physically; it's having the right mindset. It's tough to take losing, but you have to move on."
And that starts this weekend against Cal-Poly.
"When you're in a fix like this, the only thing you can do is go back to the basics and work hard to try to get better during the week," Boyle said. "As a team in general, we have to keep a good attitude. We have to keep the intensity we're used to here at UND."
ADVERTISEMENT
Miller reports on sports. Reach him at (701) 780-1121; (800) 477-6572, ext. 121; or send e-mail to tmiller@gfherald.com .
