Jake Miller might just be the Great West Conference offensive player of the week for the fourth straight time after his performance in Saturday's 42-9 win over Montana Western at the Alerus Center.
No matter how dominant the Sioux rushing attack has been lately, it can't mask an undeniable concern.
The coaches know it.
"Someone will shut (our running game) down," UND coach Chris Mussman said. "Someone will force us to throw the ball more effectively than we have the first half of the year."
The players know it.
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"I know when we have Cal Poly and South Dakota, we're going to have to throw," Sioux wideout R.J. McGill said. "We know they're going to sit in there with eight or nine dudes in the box. Me and Greg (Hardin) are going to have to get open and make plays."
It's alarming when the Sioux complete two passes in the first half against a one-win NAIA school.
That's right, the UND men's hockey team scored more goals Friday night against Air Force than passes UND could complete in the first half against a team that plays in the same NAIA conference Jamestown College is set to join.
Against Montana Western, the Sioux rushed for 224 yards -- 152 of them belonging to Miller.
The Sioux, though, went for just 117 yards through the air. In fact, UND hasn't eclipsed the 200-yard passing mark in a game all year.
Sioux quarterback Joey Bradley's biggest output was a 166-yard performance in Week 2 against Idaho. Bradley has three passing touchdowns through the first six games of the year.
Against Montana Western, the Sioux completed two passes in the first half for 12 yards -- 9 of those yards going to fullback Catlin Solum.
"They were stopping us in the first half," McGill said. "We couldn't get anything going. The whole idea for the second half was to run the ball and mix in short passes. It all starts there. The shorter passes build up to deeper passes."
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The Sioux passed for 105 yards in the second half, primarily on wide-receiver screens in which Hardin or McGill did most of the leg work with yards after the catch.
The quick hitters allowed Bradley to get into a rhythm.
"A lot of times we were going for the home-run ball too much and throwing it deep," Mussman said. "In the second half, we got it to our guys on the perimeter and let them run."
The Sioux proved they can rout Montana Western purely on the shoulders of their run game. But this style won't win the Great West Conference.
Not only does UND's bye week come at an opportune time to heal a handful of injuries, but it also allows the Sioux a little extra time to fine tune the aerial attack.
"That's the focus in the off week," Mussman said, "... getting better at throwing the football. We have to know what (Bradley) is comfortable with. Find what throws he likes and what plays he sees best ... then giving him the opportunities to make those throws."
Striking that balance between the run and pass will go a long way in determining the conference title.
"It's huge," Mussman said. "We'll need it later in the year."
