North Dakota

Three Things We Learned: North Dakota

Published

2 weeks ago

September 4, 2024

Welcome back everyone to Three Things We Learned for the 2024 season. Let’s take a look at the win over North Dakota this past weekend in the season opener.

The Passing Game is as Good as Advertised

The Cyclones started the game last week with a bang, scoring a touchdown in less than a minute with huge catches by Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins, which signaled an explosive start to the career of Taylor Mouser as the offensive coordinator.

We also saw what the passing game can do on long drives, as the Cyclones were able to dink and dunk their way down the field, largely getting whatever they wanted in the passing game. I think that same formula could be a major key to success for Iowa State against Iowa’s very strong defense.

I also think the Cyclones may have found their third wide receiver in Eli Green, which could prove to be a big boost going forward. Given that defenses will need to focus a ton of their attention on Noel and Higgins, having Eli Green as another option will make it near impossible to cover all of Iowa State’s passing options on a well-designed route pattern. Green plays extremely similarly to Noel, so he’s a natural fit in the offense.

Linebacker is Thin

Most Cyclone fans went into the season largely agreeing that linebacker was probably the weakest position group on the defense, and that turned out to be true on Saturday. What we didn’t know was how shaky the situation actually is, as we found out on game day that Will McLaughlin is out for an extended period of time, and Caleb Bacon went down with a significant injury in the first quarter.

Right now Kooper Ebel, Jack Sadowsky, Zach Lovett, and Cael Brezina look to likely be your top four linebackers, with Jacob Ellis and John Klosterman also getting snaps. The loss of Bacon caused a lot of issues and was likely a driving factor in the twelve-minute-long possession North Dakota was able to sustain immediately following the injury.

This week, Jon Heacock and the rest of the defensive staff will be busy getting that linebacker group stabilized and figuring out a plan to deal with Iowa’s running game and tight end Luke Lachey.

Young Talent is Abundant

Even though Iowa State is returning nineteen of twenty-two starters, there is still a significant number of young players expected to get significant snaps this season, and we saw a few of them in action Saturday.

I think Kooper Ebel and Jontez Williams both had their moments of youth, but otherwise had strong showings against North Dakota that illustrate why we’ve heard so much about them in the offseason and through camp. Ebel looked the part of blossoming into another strong player in Iowa State’s lineage of great linebackers, and Jontez Williams nearly cut off a pass to the flat and took it to the house.

Williams did admit in his postgame interview that he was guilty of getting ahead of himself and not watching the ball in before running to the endzone, which shows maturity on his part.

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North Dakota

ETSU loses heartbreaker to North Dakota State

Published

7 hours ago

September 15, 2024

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North Dakota

North Dakota mashes Bengals to earn Potato Bowl victory – East Idaho News

Published

15 hours ago

September 14, 2024

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North Dakota mashes Bengals to earn Potato Bowl victory – East Idaho News

POCATELLO — Head coach Cody Hawkins said his offense linemen “played their nuts off” in a season-opening, hard-fought loss to Oregon State. Idaho State University linemen shined again when the Bengals beat Western Oregon last week.

On Saturday, the University of North Dakota defense had its way with that unit — at least in the first half. The result was a 52-28 drubbing at the hands of the Fighting Hawks (2-1)

Senior quarterback Kobe Tracy spent much of his time on the field in Grand Forks scrambling for his life. He was sacked just twice but seemed to be on his back after every pass attempt.

Making matters far worse for the Bengals (1-2), Tracy was stripped both times he was brought down, and both fumbles were recovered by the Fighting Hawks. And after one of the hits he endured, Tracy suffered an injury serious enough to send him to the bench temporarily.

Jackson Sharman came in for two snaps, hading the first off. His lone pass attempt of the game was made across the field, from the left hash to the right sideline. As is often the case, that pass was picked and returned for UND a defensive touchdown.

ISU’s struggles were not contained to the offensive side of the ball. After forcing a three-and-out on their first effort, the Bengal defense struggled to even slow the Fighting Hawks, who scored on three consecutive possessions — not including the pick-six — and jumped out to a 38-0 lead.

Down huge, Hawkins went to the more mobile quarterback, Hunter Hays.

Tracy had completed just six of his 18 pass attempts for 72 yards, and Sharman did not see the field again. Wide receiver Adam Watts attempted one throw on a reverse pass — completing it for 15 yards.

Hays, though, ignited the offense with both his legs and arm.

He completed 18 of 23 attempts for 206 yards and four touchdowns, adding 62 rushing yards.

While Tracy struggled under the pressure of a collapsing pocket, Hays seemed to relish it. Things do seem to loosen up on both sides when the score is what it was, however, so Hays may have benefitted from that a bit as well.

Regardless of the situation, Hays’ ability to lead the offense to four scores added respectability to the final score.

Wide receiver Jeff Weimer hauled in six catches for 92 yards and two scores — including a perfectly thrown 30-yarder from Hays that dropped perfectly into Weimer’s hands to beat a declined defensive pass interference penalty.

North Dakota was paced by senior wideout Bo Belquist, who set a school Division I career receptions record en route to a eight-catch, 165-yard performance. He added a touchdown, the Fighting Hawks’ last of the day.

UND improved to 46-12 all-time in the Potato Bowl. ISU last won the rivalry game in 2018.

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North Dakota

North Dakotans will vote on 5 measures. That's not unheard of.

Published

23 hours ago

September 14, 2024

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North Dakotans will vote on 5 measures. That's not unheard of.

BISMARCK — North Dakotans may feel like there are a lot of ballot measures to vote on in the general election, but recent history shows that the amount is not out of the ordinary.

The deadline to put measures on the general election ballot was July 8, meaning the ballot is finalized. Voters will decide whether to pass or fail five measures on Nov. 5.

Three are constitutional — put on the ballot by the North Dakota Legislature — while the other two were initiated by citizens. They need 50% plus one vote to pass.

Absentee ballots are available beginning Sept. 26.

The last time North Dakota had this many ballot measures in an election was for the 2016 general election, Secretary of State Michael Howe said. During that election, legislators put two on the ballot, while three came from citizens, he noted.

The most North Dakota has had since the turn of the millennium was 2014 with eight measures, with four each from the Legislature and citizens, Howe said. According to a list showing measures for elections dating back to 1889, the year North Dakota became a state, the most measures residents voted on was in the 1938 primary election with 13 questions.

The most in a general election was 10 in 1918.

It’s unclear why there are so many measures this election, compared to two each in the 2020 and 2022 general elections, Howe said.

“If you’re trying to find a pattern there, there really isn’t one,” he said. “Why are there more questions this time around then, say, the 2022 general election, where there were only two, I don’t know. I don’t have an answer for that.”

Compared to other states, North Dakota has a light ballot for the general election. Colorado voters will have to decide on 14 questions, the most of any state for November. Arizona has 13 measures, California has 10 and New Mexico has eight.

Minnesota has one.

If there is an anomaly in the data, it was 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic, when there were only two measures, Howe said. Both questions were from the Legislature.

North Dakotans had two measures in 2022 as well, one each from lawmakers and citizens.

It’s also hard to find a pattern that could conclusively show how the election will turn out with multiple ballots. In 2012, voters approved all but one of the five measures on the ballot. They reversed course in 2014, when they rejected all but one of the eight. In 2016, all but one of the five measures passed.

In 2008, two of the four measures passed.

North Dakotans do their homework and research when it comes to voting on measures, Howe said. They take the time to educate themselves so they know how to vote, he said.

“The citizens of North Dakota take these things seriously,” Howe said.

The Secretary of State’s Office website has the full text of each measure, official ballot language, an analysis of how the question will change North Dakota law and fiscal impacts at

sos.nd.gov/elections/voter/ballot-measures/measures-ballot

Measure 1:

A Constitutional question that would change outdated terminology that describes public institutions in North Dakota. That would include changing the “school for the deaf and dumb of North Dakota” to the “school for the deaf and hard of hearing,” the “state hospital for the insane” to a “state hospital for the care of individuals with mental illness,” the “institution for the feebleminded” to a “facility for individuals with developmental disabilities,” and the “state hospital for the mentally ill” to a “state hospital for the care of individuals with mental illness.”

Measure 2:

A Constitutional measure that would require initiated measures to be limited to one subject, measure sponsors and petition circulators to be qualified electors and petition signers to provide a complete residential address. The number of signatures needed to get a measure on the ballot would increase to 5% of the state population.

Measure 3:

A Constitutional measure that would decrease the amount of principal that the state could spend from the Legacy fund.

Measure 4:

An initiated measure that would eliminate property taxes.

Measure 5:

An initiated measure that would legalize marijuana use, production and sales by anyone at least 21 years old.

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