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Football opens NCC schedule
By Ben Birnell
Published:
Thursday, September 25, 2003
The meat and potatoes of the Huskies' schedule begins this weekend with the opening of the team's North Central Conference season.
The rugged NCC looks to be up for grabs again this year, with Northern Colorado leaving for Division 1-AA football. The Huskies were preseason picks to win the conference by media and conference coaches. SCSU head coach Randy Hedberg knows that this is only the beginning.
"I think the (NCC) is very balanced," Hedberg said. "It's important to win and do well to get a spot in the playoffs."
Hedberg also stated that the Huskies are in the Midwest division, a tough division because other teams outside the NCC are also in the division and pose a reasonable threat to the Huskies playoff chances.
"Some of the other teams in the Midwest division are very good," he said. "Its important that we come away with a good record in our NCC games."
SCSU comes into this weekend's NCC opener with Minnesota State-Mankato tied for first place with the University of Nebraska-Omaha with records of 3-1.
Five teams come into this weekend game's with records of 2-1 and MSU-Mankato sits firmly in last place with a record of 0-4. As of Tuesday, four NCC teams ranked in the top 25 of the American Football Coaches Association Division II poll.
SCSU, UNO, North Dakota State and South Dakota all gained spots in the poll.
Here is a team-by-team look at the NCC:
North Dakota
The Sioux come off their first losing season (5-6) since they went 3-7-1 in 1989. A season-ending injury to quarterback Kelby Klosterman, the team�s MVP in 2001, hurt the team. ND returns eight starters on offense and five on defense. senior right tackle Ben Olson (6-5, 295) was an All-NCC first team pick last year. Junior quarterback John Bowenkamp and sophomore running back Chris Beatty return on offense. Senior free safety Adam Stratton and senior linebacker Tom Irvin are two top returners on defense.
"They're a very competitive team," Hedberg said. "They have a lot of good players returning and they're off to a good start, they're one of my picks to finish at the top of the conference this year."
Augustana
Junior quarterback Ryan DeGraff returns after breaking his leg in the season opener against Northern State.
Senior left tackle Derek Venenga and junior running back Ryan Ovenden are top returners on offense. Senior strong safety Ben Nauman leads the group of six returning starters on defense. He was an All-NCC pick last year.
"They're a team that'll be in the mix, they're a quality team, but they are kind of in the process of rebuilding," Hedberg said.
South Dakota
USD returns seven starters on offense and five on defense.
Senior outside linebacker Josh Gassen, an All-NCC second team pick last year, returns along with senior cornerback Dwight Anderson who's the top returner on defense.
Sophomore quarterback Sean McLaughlin and junior wide receiver Chris Mikkelsen return on offense.
"They're off to a good start and think they'll surprise a lot of people and a lot of teams this year," Hedberg said.
Nebraska-Omaha
The team has three NCC titles and seven-straight winning seasons under head coach Pat Behrns.
Sophomore quarterback Brian Masek and senior fullback Dustin Donahoo return on offense. Senior wide receiver Ryan Krause, an All-NCC first team pick, will also help boost the UNO offense.
Senior tackle Ryan Stubbendeck, junior end Corey Petersen and sophomore linebacker Taiwo Onatolu will be the key returners on defense.
"They're a good team on both sides of the ball," Hedberg said. "They have an athletic secondary and are very good running the ball offensively. They're another team to watch out for."
South Dakota State
SDSU returns eight starters back on defense and seven on offense from a team that won three of its last four games.
Senior left tackle Ben Studer was an All-NCC second team pick last year. Senior cornerback Kevin Brown and sophomore cornerback Hank McCall are back from last season. Brown was an All-NCC second team pick last year. This could be the last meeting between the two schools.
The Jackrabbits are splitting from the NCC for Division I-AA next year.
"I think they've performed better than some expect," Hedberg said. "They're a difficult team to predict, but I think they'll be in the hunt for the conference title."
North Dakota State
Head coach Craig Bohl takes over the Bison, which had its first losing season (2-8) in more than 25 years.
Nine starters return on offense and seven on defense. This could also be the last time these particular teams meet. NDSU is also leaving for DI-AA after the season.
The Huskies beat the Bison (31-7) for the first in six years last season.
"They've got a lot of good talent and a couple of good transfer students," Hedberg said. "They've got a lot of confidence with their program and it'll be interesting to see how they fair in the NCC this year."
MSU-Mankato
The Huskies open their conference schedule against the Mavericks.
The game has been marked on SCSU's schedule since last year�s 41-40 loss last season. Equally important in the Huskies' minds is the fact that the Traveling Trainer's Kit is on the line for bragging rights. Senior linebacker Shane Rohman wants nothing more than to have the trophy back in SCSU's hands.
"It's a huge rivalry," Rohman said. "I remember last year (Mankato) coming over (to our sidelines) and taking it. So I want nothing more than to run over there and take it back from them."
Hedberg also knows this game is very important to get off to a good start in the NCC.
"It's definitely on our minds as a big game," Hedberg said. "It's extremely important to win this. They hurt our chances of making it to the playoffs last year. We just have to limit their big plays offensively and be consistent on both sides of the ball."
Sophomore defensive end Charlie Cosgrove was selected as the NCC Defensive Player of the Week. Cosgrove, 6-foot-three, 265 lbs, had impressive numbers in SCSU's 27-13 win over Northern State. In the game, Cosgrove charted two solo tackles, two quarterback sacks, two forced fumbles, one quarterback hurry and one fumble recovery.
With a 3-1 record prior to the NCC season, Cosgrove wants nothing more than to avenge last year's loss to Mankato.
"It's a big game," he said. "We have a little business to take care of with them. We just want to go down there and take this game from them, nothing would be better."
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