Montana Crushes ND in Badlands Bowl

Well...

Not a whole lot seemed to go right for North Dakota as they found themselves on the short end of a 54-14 game to Montana at the Badlands Bowl.

The backbreaker was a pair of picks that were taken back for points in the second quarter, moving a 14-0 Montana lead to 27-0.

From the comment left from Mr. Chris Aarhus, Montana had a pair of D-I offensive linemen that were pretty dominant.

Tyler Steffan had a solid game with three catches totaling 94 yards, the bulk of which came on a 50-yard scoring grab. But as far as highlights go, that would be about it as North Dakota's only other score came via a Michael McAtee three-yard plunge.

Montana's Beau Donaldson was named the game's MVP, rushing for 94 yards on 16 carries.

So that means no two-game winning streak for North Dakota as Montana has now won 11 of the first 15 games played.

To recap the damage, click here.

Question: Where's the Beef? Answer: North Dakota

North Dakota has a bit of a size advantage on the offensive line when it faces Montana at the Badlands Bowl.

According to the story by Chris Aarhus, six of the Prairie Rose state's 10 hogs (offensive linemen) tip the scales at 270 pounds or heavier. Yeah...love the girth. When it comes to pushing the ball down someone's throat, there is nothing better than leaning on a defense with a couple of beefy boys.

Nice selection Aarhus, saving a story about the linemen for the final preview. I likey.

Click here for the story.

Zach Wentz named ND starting QB

Chris Aarhus takes over for the third day of Badlands Bowl previews for the Dickinson Press, reporting that Century grad Zach Wentz will, in all likelyhood, be named the starting quarterback for Team North Dakota.

I am shocked. That is sarcasm.

Wentz was, in my opinion, the state's finest senior signal-caller last season, and if it is a wide-open offensive game, he is a solid choice to direct a team. Heading to NDSU in the fall, Wentz is legit on talent and last season made the Patriots a very dangerous offensive team.

To check out the Aarhus submission, give right here a click.

Tribune Feature on Bryan Sandy

When it comes to impact players, Harvey grad Bryan Sandy has lived up to the term.

Sandy, who comes from a successful family tree that includes football players and coaches, is at the Badlands Bowl this week, the first of two All-Star games he'll play in. In the fall he will head to Bismarck to play ball for U-Mary, and should be a nice asset for their squad.

As a senior Sandy was selected to his second straight All-State first team, helping lead the Hornets to a state title. As Harvey's primary receiving threat he tallied 37 catches for 664 yards (18 YPC) and 11 touchdowns. He's a player.

Mike Weber's got a solid story about Sandy, his family and his future, that is well worth a read. Click here to execute the commands that allow you to read it.

Monke's Badlands Bowl Coverage - Day 2

For the second day of previews on the Badlands Bowl, the Dickinson Press' Dustin Monke went into the trenches, where three future Dickinson State lineman are going to be playing side-by-side.

It has always intrigued me about how good offensive lines aren't always the sum of their parts. You can take two average lineman skill-wise, but if they communicate well and can compliment each other, suddenly you have a very strong side of a line.

As a fan of DSU coach Hank Biesiot, who definitely knows how to coach up an offensive line, Blue Hawk fans that get a first-glimpse at these players should really be getting excited. Add in that the three are going to be that much ahead of the curve when fall camps open in August...it is a good thing.

To check out Monke's preview, give this link a click.

Badlands Bowl In-Depth Look

Reading the Dickinson Press' Dustin Monke talk about the Badlands Bowl, I got a little football fever and decided to do some investigating on it.

Jason White, a former quarterback for the University of Oklahoma who won the Heismann Trophy in 2003, is going to be a guest speaker at the camp. Great pick. White tore ACLs in both knees (requiring surgery in both legs), but showed a resilient nature and came back to be the Sooners' all-time leader in career passing yards and career touchdown passes.

North Dakota won the 2007 Badlands Bowl 30-21, giving the state wins in two of the last three years. However, Montana owned the series from 1997-2004 winning by an average of 35-6.9 which included a pair of shutout victories.

Last year's game was won in the trenches when North Dakota got 69 yards rushing from Catlin Solum and 36 yards from Joey Dawson. Meanwhile Montana's leading rusher was Zach McRae, who posted 12 yards on five attempts. Montana did do a bit of damage through the air as McRae was 18-for-24, finishing with 276 yards passing. He hit five different receivers in the game, including completing seven passes to Christian Prosperie for 80 yards while Derryk VanZee had five catches totaling 90 yards. ND countered with Brandon Larson, who's 7 of 15 day through the air resulted in 129 yards.

This year's game will be played in Miles City, Mont., at Denton Field.

If you want to get some more information on the Badlands Bowl, including this year's rosters, how to order tickets, more historical data, a copy of last year's game, etc., give their website a click.

Good luck North Dakota!!

Ready For Football Yet?

It is never, I repeat NEVER, too early to start thinking about the gridiron. Football is one of those sports that always perks my ears, and this time of year I am anxiously waiting the Badlands Bowl.

The players got on the practice field, many putting on pads for the first time in seven months, and started kicking off the rust in hopes of putting together a two-game winning streak against Montana. The Montana team holds a 10-4 advantage in the series which is entering its 15th year.

Dustin Monke revolved his story around Dickinson High standout, and future U-Mary receiver, Tyler Steffan. If you are like me, you need no urging to click here to read the story.