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Finally made it to an away game and look at the luck I brought the dogs..... Anyway, it was an interesting game to watch with neither side playing their best ball (in my opinion). Here are my midyear thoughts:
Two weeks of what should be easier games for UMD before facing Bemidji at home in what I feel is a must win if Duluth has a chance to make the playoffs.
- Defense
- Hennessey and Klopp have played extremely well this year and hopefully Dati can get healthy for the second half as he is a difference maker. Strand is great on the run game but needs to cover better.
- Have been doing a good job getting pressure but give up big rushing yards to scrambling QB's when they dont get the sack
- Dline eating blocks for being a bit undersized
- Struggle in the coverage game - when they do not bring pressure they get picked apart
- Arm tackles - yards after contact are a major concern
- Offense
- WR play has been very poor all year. Nobody that can stretch the field vertically and drops continue to be an issue. They also struggle when the QB is scrambling. Noticed throughout the game on Saturday when the pocket broke down the WR's quit their routes and just kinda stood there. TE Pitz is their leading receiver in catches, yards, and TD's. Needs to be a major recruiting focus - need a portal guy
- QB play. Walljasper is a great runner and passing was always the question mark. Circling back to my point above, I think part of that question mark is attributed to the lack of receivers to throw the ball to. I thought he actually had an above average game throwing the ball on Saturday they just need to get the WR room and QB room on the same page.
- Wayne seemed to know each play before it was run. You could hear them yelling out what it was going to be from the sideline and they were right almost every time. I noticed this at the last home game as well. Either UMD is way to predictable based on formation or they are generous with their signals. Either way its an issue.
- Oline - tough to seal the edge on outside run when the defense knows the play so Ill give a pass there. Considering injuries for the most part they are doing well although there wasnt much pass protection this past game.
- Penalties - I think UMD had 6-7 on Saturday which doesn't sound too bad, however, I'd say 4 or 5 of those were on big, potential game changing plays.
- Play calling is baffling at times. 4th and goal an inch out last week and they run QB outside out of shotgun when they hadnt been getting the edge blocked all game. 3rd and 3 at midfield and you run a 2 route misdirection play and get an incomplete with nobody open and end up punting.
- Special Teams
- Punter is excellent. Been impressed all year with hangtime and ability to gain field position
- K has been better this year than last. Inside of 40 yards he is fairly reliable.
- KR - Ames does a good job here when he hangs on to the ball. A few fumbles this year and still holds that ball out there instead of putting it high and tight at contact. Maybe he is more of a return specialist type than a WR.
- Overall Thoughts
- Sidelines always seem flat. Coach Wiese is a mild mannered type of guy but would love to see some fire there.
- Never seen so many guys cramping up. Its an endless cycle of guys on the sideline laying getting stretched, coming off the filed limping with cramps, etc.. Maybe something with their strength and conditioning or players not hydrating up, but definitely an issue. Cost UMD a turnover on Saturday when Ames came up limp midway through his route which led to a pick.
- UMD should be better than what they've been. No playoff wins since 2014? Second highest enrollment of football schools. Offer 89 majors and 76 minors for undergrads and 24 fields for masters programs. There are ~ 300,000 people in the Duluth area. Close enough to Wisconsin to load up on kids that didnt get D1 and dont want to play WI D3. Close enough to Minneapolis to get talent from that area. I would argue that Duluth has a recruiting advantage over many of the other NSIC schools. Understand Duluth is a hockey school, but should they be content being the best of the middle class of the conference?
- Next year could be a tough one. Last year of eligibility for a bunch of guys and usual concerns about transfer portal.
Two weeks of what should be easier games for UMD before facing Bemidji at home in what I feel is a must win if Duluth has a chance to make the playoffs.
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