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Friday, September 28, 2012 www.GrandForksHerald.com www. ww w.Gr w. Gran Gr andF an dFor dF orks or ksHerald.com ks

A new era of UND football

UND’s R.J. McGill runs for yardage in an earlier game this season. John Stennes, staff photographer

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A new era of UND football

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A new era of UND football

Friday, September 28, 2012

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2012

www.GrandForksHerald.com When UND takes on Cal Poly on Saturday night at the

A new era of UND football

Of all UND programs, the school's football program faced the biggest challenge in finding a conference. The Big Sky filled UND's need. Now, UND competes in one of the top Division I FCS conferences in the country. After the Cal Poly game, the rest of UND's 2012 home schedule includes Northern Arizona, Montana and Southern Utah.

Alerus Center, the Big Sky era officially begins in Grand Forks. UND will be playing its first home league game as a Big Sky member. UND was accepted into the Big Sky on Nov. 1, 2010, perhaps the most significant day in the school's five-year transition to Friday, September 28, 2012 Division I athletics.

A new era of UND football

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Eastern Washington

University of Montana

2012

Portland State www.GrandForksHerald.com University Idaho State UC Davis

A new era of UND football

Montana State University

Weber State University

Cal StateSacramento

Southern Utah University

(football only)

University of Northern Colorado

Cal Poly (football only)

Northern Arizona University

Friday, September 28, 2012

Wayne Nelson

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In this case, change is for the better 2012

wnelson@gfherald.com

www.GrandForksHerald.com

Friday, September 28, 2012

On Nov. 1, 2010, UND officially was ac-

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2012

cepted by the Big Sky Conference. It was one of the biggest days — if not the biggest — for UND’s athletic program during the www.GrandForksHerald.com school’s five-year transition to Division I athletics. UND football, more than any of the school’s sports, needed the Big Sky. The football program would have been on life Friday,the September support without Big Sky. 28, 2012 Today, the program is alive, healthy and looking forward to many more birthdays thanks to the breath of fresh air provided by the Big Sky. On Saturday at the Alerus Center, UND plays Cal Poly in the first official Big Sky game in Grand Forks. Both teams are 1-0 in the Big Sky; both have three wins so far this season; and both are looking to make a statement in their initial Big Sky season. Saturday’s winner realistically can start thinking about a shot at the Division I FCS playoffs. In the fall of 2008, when UND began its arduous journey to Division I football, survival — not the playoffs — was the focus. Although we’re only two weeks into the Big Sky era, it’s clear we’re far removed from the Division II days and the North Central Conference.

No longer will we see:

■ Low-scoring games; the ones that end 1710 and produce only a handful of plays that go for more than 25 yards.

The rest of the Big Sky Eastern Washington

City: Cheney, Wash. Note: The Eagles won the Football Championship Subdivision national title in 2010.

Idaho State

City: Pocatello, Idaho. Note: The Bengals won the NCAA Division I-AA national championship in football in 1981.

Montana

City: Missoula, Mont. Note: The Grizzlies, who qualified for 16 consecutive NCAA football tournament appearances until 2010, won Division I-AA national football championships in 1995 and 2001.

Montana State

City: Bozeman, Mont. Note: The Bobcats have three national titles at three different NCAA classifications (NAIA 1956, Division II 1976 and Division I-AA 1984).

Northern Arizona

City: Flagstaff, Ariz. Note: The Arizona Cardinals of the NFL conduct their summer training camp on campus.

Northern Colorado

City: Greeley, Colo. Note: The Bears won the NCAA Division II national football title in 1996 and 1997 as part of the North Central Conference.

Portland State

City: Portland, Ore. Note: Former NFL coach Jerry Glanville coached the PSU football team from 2007-09, finishing with a record of 9-24.

Sacramento State

City: Sacramento, Calif. Note: Former UND athletic director Terry Wanless is the AD of the Hornets.

Weber State

City: Ogden, Utah. Note: The Wildcats are a men's basketball power. Weber State won its 18th overall Big Sky Conference championship in 2009.

Southern Utah

City: Cedar City, Utah. Note: The Thunderbirds’ football team competed in NAIA from 1963 to 1985, NCAA Division II from 1986 to 1992 and NCAA Division I-AA/FCS from 1993 to present.

■ Predictable outcomes. UND and North Dakota State dominated the NCC. The bottom half of the league rarely was in the title picture by mid-October. In the Big Sky, Montana has been the flag bearer. But Big Sky member Eastern Washington won the FCS national title in 2010; Montana State has been knocking on the door in recent years; and Northern Arizona, Cal Poly, Eastern Washington and Sacramento State all have wins against FBS programs so far this season. ■ The lack of media attention. Every Big Sky game is available on the web through the league and ROOT SPORTS carries a Big Sky game each week. The Oct. 20 game between UND and Montana, regarded to be the program’s marquee game this season, will be televised by ROOT.

Looking ahead, we will see the following in the Big Sky:

■ Wide-open football. It’s Week 4 of the season but so far six of the Big Sky teams have scored 127 or more points (42.3 points per game). In tune with the rest of Division I college football, Big Sky teams, it appears, have no shortage of offensive talent. ■ Stats, stats, stats. In keeping with the wide-open philosophy, Big Sky players rank No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 this week in FCS punt returns, punting, rushing, receptions per game and pass efficiency, respectively. UND’s Marcus Hendrickson is No. 2 in pass efficiency and the senior has produced passing games this season rarely seen in the program’s history.

■ Like institutions. UND joined a conference that institutionally fits the school. All have similar athletic goals; all strive for success and not the mediocrity that satisfied a number of UND opponents during the Division II, NCC days. UND was impressive during its win last week at Sacramento State. But first impressions don’t win conference titles. UND’s season now intensifies, starting with Saturday’s game against Cal Poly. When the calendar turns to October, UND will play Eastern Washington, Northern Arizona, Montana and Montana State. There are two former national FCS champions among the four. The new era of UND football is completely different than the past. Different sometimes doesn’t mean better. In this case, it does.

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A new era of UND football

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A new era of UND football

2012

Greg www.GrandForksHerald.com Hardin

Friday, September 28, 2012

Jameer Jackson

Size: 5-11, 167. Year: Junior. Stats: 20 catches, 457 yards, 7 TDs.

Size: 6-3, 233. Year: Redshirt freshman. Stats: 16 catches, 258 yards, 4 TDs.

Just the right mix

R.J. McGill

Kenny Golladay

Size: 5-10, 170. Year: Junior. Stats: 17 catches, 209 yards, 1 TD.

Size: 6-4, 185. Year: True freshman. Stats: 5 catches, 76 yards.

Associated Press North Dakota's Greg Hardin celebrates his touchdown against San Diego State during the first half of the Sept. 15 game between the teams.

UND’s blend of talents at wide receiver has become an impressive combination By Tom Miller

Herald Staff Writer

acramento State football coach Marshall Sperbeck picked a perfect word to describe the UND football team’s wide receiver corps. “They’re a nice blend,” the Hornets coach said prior to UND’s 35-13 win over Sac State last Saturday.

Offensive numbers

foot-3, 233-pound wide receiver who can use the size to his advantage. And true freshman Kenny Golladay brings a lanky 6-foot-4 frame with jumping ability to the mix. Jackson caught a pair of touchdown passes (32 and 20 yards) against Sacramento State, while Golladay has caught five passes for 76 yards in his three games. “Me and Greg don’t even hit 5-11,” the 5-foot-

Averages

2012 (4 games)

Rushing yards

Passing yards

310.6 496.0

2011

147.9 289.5

Yes, UND’s range of talents at wide receiver is a big reason the Green and White are off to a 3-1 start heading into Saturday’s matchup with Cal Poly at the Alerus Center. “They’re all great,” UND quarterback Marcus Hendrickson said of his targets. “They all win 1-on-1 matchups. They’re helping me out a lot.” UND leads the Big Sky in total offense with an average of almost 500 yards per game. North Dakota’s passing game is third in the league. Its highlight came against San Diego State of the FBS when Hendrickson passed for 434 yards in the Aztecs’ 49-41 victory. Improved quarterback play from 2011 has certainly helped, but why else are the UND wideouts enjoying such a successful season? UND junior R.J. McGill says it’s the size of a couple of newcomers. Any extra attention defenses pay to those rookies frees up space for the speedy McGill and Greg Hardin — two players who have been UND’s top offensive weapons for the last three years. Redshirt freshman Jameer Jackson is a 6-

Injuries to Jarrel Davis, Blair Townsend and Jon Heimler left the position incredibly thin. “Now there are more weapons than just Greg,” UND coach Chris Mussman said. “We’re a lot deeper. We can get Greg 1-on-1 more than in the past.” And when UND can’t get Hardin 1-on-1, there are other options to rely on. Hardin started the season with three straight

147.9 206.5

10 McGill said. “Jameer is like a tight end out there. And Kenny’s long. They bring size to our offense, which takes us to the next level.” Hardin caught more than 40 passes in each of his first two seasons despite missing two games in 2011 with an injury. He already has 20 catches for 457 yards and seven touchdowns this year. McGill caught 19 balls for 119 yards as a freshman, 34 catches for 433 yards as a sophomore and has 17 grabs for 209 yards this season. The additions of Jackson and Golladay are making things easier for Hardin and McGill, McGill said. “You get those two wide receivers to come in and you have four guys you have to respect,” McGill said. “You can’t stay in man because we’ve shown in man that we can beat man. That opens it up for everybody.” UND hasn’t always been so deep at wide receiver. In 2010, North Dakota had to move Hendrickson from quarterback to wide receiver to bolster the position’s depth.

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100-yard games. He had 103 receiving yards against South Dakota Mines, 190 against Portland State and 142 against San Diego State. Sac State, however, threw double coverage at Hardin. He was limited to three catches for 22 yards against the Hornets. As a result, UND was held to a season-low 147 passing yards against Sac State. But the extra attention on Hardin and the rest of the passing game allowed North Dakota to run for 294 yards, including 162 from Mitch Sutton. And UND’s wide receiver depth goes beyond the top four targets. Quarterbacks Hendrickson and Braden Hanson have completed passes with 13 different players, including touchdown passes to Tyrhe Ivery, Blair Townsend, fullback Seth Wisthoff and tight end Seth Nichols. “We had been dying for someone to make a play,” Mussman said of the past few seasons. “We’re much more wide open now.” Reach Miller at (701) 780-1121; (800) 477-6572, ext. 1121; or send e-mail to tmiller@gfherald.com.

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Friday, September 28, 2012

Marcus’ shocking showcase

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A new era of UND football

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Friday, September 28, 2012

North Dakota quarterback Marcus Hendrickson throws under pressure during the Sept. 15 game at San Diego State.

Associated Press

Backup senior quarterback racks up some of the country’s best numbers Hendrickson or Hanson?

By Tom Miller

Herald Staff Writer

ND football coach Chris Mussman recalls the scene vividly. With his team well on its way to a 66-0 season-opening victory over South Dakota School of Mines, starting quarterback Braden Hanson sat on the sideline talking to team doctors about what everyone would later learn was a broken leg. “Think about where everybody was a couple of weeks ago,” Mussman said earlier this week. “Collectively, the Alerus Center exhaled … they were exasperated.” Enter Marcus Hendrickson. The fifth-year senior quarterback was a wildcard — a player the coaching staff had labeled perhaps the program’s best athlete for years. Yet, the Perham, Minn., native struggled to climb even past No. 3 on the quarterback depth chart in his first four seasons on campus.

UND’s top 5 QB performances

Name

1. John Bowenkamp 2. Marcus Hendrickson 3. Kurt Otto 4. Chris Belmore 5. Corey Colehour

Year

2002 2012 1986 2004 1966

Opponent

Totals

(completions-attempts-yards)

Augustana San Diego State Tex. A&M-Kings South Dakota Morningside

36-54-515 27-50-434 41-72-431 28-39-404 20-33-397

Even in 2012, Hendrickson defaulted to the backup position when No. 2 Joey Bradley decided to leave the team prior to fall camp. Safe to say, expectations outside of the program weren’t high when Hendrickson was thrust into the starting role due to Hanson’s injury. Then, in a flash, Hendrickson proved all of his doubters wrong. The 6-foot-1, 197-pound Hendrickson has captained UND to the country’s third-best scoring offense and third-best total offense. He has North Dakota’s offense at the top of the Big Sky Conference statistics in points per game (46.8), yards per game (496.0), total touchdowns (25) and passing touchdowns (16). Hendrickson, individually, is second in the Football Championship Subdivision in pass efficiency (179.75) and his 14 touchdown passes are second in the country. To keep Hendrickson’s numbers in perspective, UND threw for 10 touchdown passes all of last year. In a shootout loss to San Diego State of the Mountain West Conference, Hendrickson chucked it around for 434 yards — the second highest total in program history. In total, Hendrickson has passed for 970 yards on 62-for-104 passing. He’s thrown two

Hendrickson

Hanson

interceptions. “It’s been a real surprise for all of us,” Mussman said. “We knew he was capable of it. For years, you’ve heard me talk about how athletic he is, about how he’s the best all-around athlete on the team and just gifted. All of a sudden this year, the light just turned on. “And it’s not just on the field. His grades are good, he’s going to class, and he has focus. He grew up. That’s the story, to me, that’s more important. He’s figured it out and knows what he wants in life and is attacking it aggressively.”

Background of competition

The numbers aren’t bad for a player who was moved to wide receiver his sophomore season in 2010 due to depth issues. “We had like three or four wideouts that fall camp,” Hendrickson said. “We had a need and my athletic skill set allowed me to play that position. It helped me learn a lot of things. I saw a different perspective of how the offense runs. Now, I know what releases are being taken and what coverages are seen.” Midway through that sophomore season, though, Hendrickson was forced back to quarterback when starter Jake Landry went down with an injury. Then, after backup Brent Goska struggled in his backup role, Hendrickson found himself leading the offense late in the year against the University of Montana in Missoula. Understandably, Hendrickson was underprepared. He was 6-for-23 for 29 yards against the Grizzlies. He was also sacked three times. Things didn’t improve much his junior season. At quarterback, UND returned Goska and brought in Bradley, a junior college transfer from California. The passing game struggled, yet Hendrickson didn’t take a snap in 2011. The start of 2012 wasn’t too promising, either. This time, UND expected to return Bradley and received the transfer of Hanson from the University of North Carolina. Hendrickson said he never let the extra competition at quarterback get under his skin. “I just worried about what I needed to do to make my team better,” he said. “I don’t worry about other guys. I like competition. This fall camp I honed my focus to prepare myself in case something happened. That happened and now I’m running with this opportunity. “I wanted to be prepared, so we didn’t skip a beat on offense. I didn’t want another letdown like a couple of years ago at Montana. I wanted to be ready for my teammates.”

Fittingly, Hendrickson finds himself in another competitive battle for playing time. Hanson, a smooth 6-foot-5 left-hander, has begun to recover from the broken leg and could push for playing time as early as this weekend against Cal Poly. “He’s coming to get his spot back,” Hendrickson said. “I just focus on what I need to do to be successful week to week. Competition will happen. Throughout my whole career, there’s been competition and it’s helped me to this point.” Either way, Hendrickson has gone from a quarterback after-thought in his final collegiate season to one of the country’s elite. Is he enjoying the moment? “Yes, sir.” Miller reports on sports. Call him at (701) 780-1121; (800) 477-6572, ext. 1121; or send email to tmiller@gfherald.com.

“ I just worried about what I needed to do to make my

team better.” – Marcus Hendrickson

FCS passing efficiency leaders

Name 1. T.J. Pryor 2. Marcus Hendrickson 3. Brock Jensen 4. Kurt Hess 5. Taylor Heinicke 6. Chuckie Looney 7. Jeff Mathews 8. Wynrick Smothers 9. Tre Lamb 10. Deaunte Mason

School Eastern Kentucky UND North Dakota St. Youngstown St. Old Dominion Marist Cornell Central Arkansas Tennessee Tech Alabama A&M

Rating 180.87 179.75 179.6 175.49 173.92 171.0 168.14 165.54 162.0 156.23

Friday, September 28, 2012

Page 6 Big Sky schedule

Saturday’s games2012 www.GrandForksHerald.com Cal Poly at UND, 6:05 p.m.

Sacramento State at Idaho State Montana State at Southern Utah Montana at Eastern Washington

Portland State at northern Arizona Weber State at UC Davis

A look

A new era of UND football

Page 5

2012

at the Big Sky www.GrandForksHerald.com

Friday, September 28, 2012

Oct. 5

Cal Poly at Weber State

Oct. 6 UND at Eastern Washington, 7:05 p.m. Sacramento State at Southern Utah Montana at Northern Colorado Montana State at UC Davis

Idaho State at Portland State

Oct. 13

Eric Hylden, staff photographer

Northern Arizona at UND, 3:05 p.m.

Southern Utah at Montana

Eastern Washington at Montana State UC Davis at Idaho State

Weber State at Sacramento State Northern Colorado at Cal Poly

Oct. 20 Montana at UND, 2:40 p.m. Weber State at Southern Utah

Idaho State at Northern Colorado

Sacramento State at Eastern Washington UC Davis at Northern Arizona Portland State at Cal Poly

Oct. 27 UND at Montana State, 3:05 p.m. Eastern Washington at Southern Utah

Northern Arizona at Northern Colorado Idaho State at Montana

Portland State at UC Davis

Cal Poly at Sacramento State

Nov. 3 Southern Utah at UND, 1:05 p.m. Northern Colorado at Portland State Cal Poly at Eastern Washington Montana at Weber State

Montana State at Sacramento State Northern Arizona at Idaho State

Nov. 10

Northern Colorado at Weber State UC Davis at Eastern Washington Portland State at Montana State Southern Utah Northern Arizona Idaho State at Cal Poly

Nov. 17 UND at Northern Colorado, 1:05 p.m. Eastern Washington at Portland State Montana State at Montana

Weber State at Idaho State

Cal Poly at Northern Arizona

Sacramento State at UC Davis

Big Sky launches 50th season with 13 members

Big Sky media relations

new era in the Big Sky Conference begins in 2012-13 as the league enters its 50th year of athletic competition, and its 25th sponsoring women’s collegiate athletics. The Division I Big Sky Conference welcomed UND and Southern Utah University into the fold as full members. Cal Poly and UC Davis join the league as affiliate members in football, where the league competes at the Championship Subdivision level (formerly I-AA). The additions of North Dakota and Southern Utah gave the stable Big Sky 11 full institutions and 13 football members. The current lineup includes four of the six charter members: Idaho State University, The University of Montana, Montana State University and Weber State. Northern Arizona enters its 43rd season in the Big Sky, giving the conference five members with at least 40 years of continuous membership. Eastern Washington University joined the Big Sky Conference in 1987, followed by Portland State University and Sacramento State in 1996. The Big Sky became a nineteam league in 2006 with the addition of the University of Northern Colorado. The league has become one of the strongest Division I conferences in the West and is a national leader in the Football Championship Subdivision. Six times, Big Sky teams have won the Division I National Championship, including Eastern Washington in 2010. A Big Sky team has played for the national championship in three of the past four seasons. The Big Sky Conference was established in 1963 by six charter members – Idaho, Idaho State, Gonzaga, Montana, Montana State and Weber State. Those six schools formed the foundation of the Big Sky before the league expanded in 1970 by adding Boise State and Northern Arizona. Gonzaga left the Sky in 1979 and was replaced by Nevada, which gave the league eight members. The conference grew to nine schools in 1987 with the addition of Eastern Washington. The 1990s saw change in the makeup of the league, beginning in 1992 when Nevada departed and put the Big Sky back at eight teams. In 1996 Boise State and Idaho left and at the same time the conference added Portland State, Sacramento State and Cal State Northridge. The Big Sky maintained nine teams for

five years before Cal State Northridge departed in the spring of 2001. The Big Sky now includes nine states spanning from the Pacific Ocean to the Red River Valley of North Dakota. The league is represented along the entire west coast with institutions in Washington, Oregon and California. League schools also range up and down the Rocky Mountains with institutions in Montana, Idaho, Utah, Arizona and Colorado. On Feb 25, 1963, the name Big Sky was adopted by the six presidents of the charter members as the name of the new conference. The name Big Sky originated in a novel written by the late A.B. (Bud) Guthrie of Great Falls, Mont., in 1947 entitled “The Big Sky.” Jack Hollowell, a former Montana advertising director, promoted the Big Sky theme for the Treasure State. While on a track and field trip from Pocatello, Idaho, to Missoula, Mont., legendary Dubby Holt of Idaho State saw a “Welcome to Big Sky Country” sign as his team entered Montana. Holt, and his athletes thought “Big Sky” would be a perfect name for the new conference. Harry Missildine of the Spokane Spokesman-Review called for the newly formed league to be named the Big Sky Conference in his column dated Feb. 20, 1963. The Big Sky sponsors championships in 15 sports, including men’s and women’s cross country, indoor and outdoor track and field, basketball and tennis. In addition, there are also championships in football, and women’s volleyball, golf and soccer. This spring, the Big Sky will sponsor a softball championship for the first time. In 1988-89, the Big Sky Conference first began sponsoring women’s sports. The former Mountain West Conference existed from 1982-88, sponsoring championships for women’s sports at the same institutions the Big Sky had men’s programs. The Big Sky merged with the Mountain West in 1988, forming one league for both men and women. Doug Fullerton, the fifth commissioner of the Big Sky Conference, is in his 18th year at the helm. Fullerton took over the Big Sky on July 1, 1995, replacing longtime commissioner Ron Stephenson, who passed away in 2011. Stephenson served the league for 14 years. Steve Belko was the commissioner from 1977-81, while John Roning held the post from 1971-77. The first league commissioner was Jack Friel, who served from 1963-71.

Big Sky facts, figures

League office: 2491 Washington Blvd., Suite 201, Ogden, Utah, 84401 Phone number: 801-392-1978 Fax number: 801-392-5568 Founded: 1963 NCAA classification: Division I. Football Championship Subdivision Commissioner: Doug Fullerton

Big Sky champions 1963 – Idaho State, 3-1 1964 – Montana State, 3-0 1965 – Weber State/Idaho, 3-1 1966 – Montana State, 4-0 1967 – Montana State, 4-0 1968 – Weber State, Montana State/Idaho, 3-1 1969 – Montana, 4-0 1970 – Montana, 5-0 1971 – Idaho, 4-1 1972 – Montana State, 5-1 1973 – Boise State, 6-0 1974 – Boise State, 6-0 1975 – Boise State, 5-0-1 1976 – Montana State, 6-0 1977 – Boise State, 6-0 1978 – Northern Arizona, 6-0 1979 – Montana State, 6-1 1980 – Boise State, 6-1 1981 – Idaho State, 6-1 1982 – Idaho, Montana, Montana State, 5-2 1983 – Neavda, 6-1 1984 – Montana State, 6-1 1985 – Idaho, 6-1 1986 – Nevada, 7-0 1987 – Idaho, 7-1 1988 – Idaho, 7-1 1989 – Idaho, 8-0 1990 – Nevada, 7-1 1991 – Nevada, 8-0 1992 – Idaho, 6-1 1993 – Montana, 7-0 1994 – Boise State, 6-1 1995 – Montana, 6-1 1996 – Montana, 8-0 1997 – Eastern Washington, 7-1 1998 – Montana, 6-2 1999 – Montana, 7-1 2000 – Montana, 8-0 2001 – Montana, 7-0 2002 – Montana State, Montana, Idaho State, 5-2 2003 – Montana State, Montana, Northern Arizona, 5-2 2004 – Montana, Eastern Washington, 6-1 2005 – Eastern Washington, Montana State, Montana, 5-2 2006 – Montana, 8-0 2007 – Montana, 8-0 2008 – Montana, Weber State, 7-1 2009 – Montana, 8-0 2010 – Eastern Washington, Montana State, 7-1 2011 – Montana, Montana State, 7-1