Author Archives: Jeff Kolpack and Dom Izzo

Does NDSU even factor into Gophers’ future scheduling plans?

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It was a head scratcher this week when the University of Minnesota paid North Carolina $800,000 to buy out of a home-and-home contract with the Tar Heels. Wow, times must be good when you can pay 800k to get out of a couple of games with a team better known for basketball. I have to wonder what the Gopher season ticket holder is thinking; I’m going to shell out some bucks to watch a bunch of mediocre nonconference teams for the next few years.

The Gophers also announced they are playing South Dakota State in 2019. Their future schedule includes the Jackrabbits in 2015 and Indiana State in 2016. Would NDSU fit in 2017 or 2018? Do the Gophers even want to play the Bison after dropping the last two?

It’s a no-win situation for Minnesota in the fact you’re always going to have to fight that recruit-overlooked factor, but I suppose SDSU has kids who can claim that also. I would guess Minneapolis bar and hotel owners would encourage a Bison-Gopher game every year. Even so, here’s the main point: if the Gophers are confident they’re on the right track to building their program, then a quality Big Ten team scheduling NDSU by 2017 or 2018 should be not a question. If not, then we’ve reached another historic level: who would have thought 10 years ago that Minnesota would be evading little ol’ NDSU?

LATE UPDATE: Star Tribune reporting that Minnesota has replaced the open dates created by buying out North Carolina with New Mexico State, one of the worst FBS programs currently. NMSU along with Idaho, will be without a conference home next season when the WAC folds, and much like the Vandals, does not want to drop down to FCS, so they need to schedule 12 independent games. New Mexico State beat Minnesota last year at TCF, the Gophers will travel to Las Cruces in 2013, with a return trip in 2014. There was already a scheduled game between the two set for 2016, meaning New Mexico State will come to Minneapolis three times in six years, that’s more than FIVE teams in the Big Ten. Problem with non-confernece scheduling in my mind.

Ladies and gentlemen: start your recruiting engines-Friday Update

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Jarrod Tuszka

It was bound to happen any day, and NDSU football recruiting is off and running with the verbal commitments of a pair of players who are similar in stature. Jarrod Tuszka is a 6-foot-4, 215-pound prospect at defensive end from Warner, S.D., and Grant Morgan is a 6-5, 250-pound defensive tackle prospect from Oshkosh, Wis.

Tuszka, playing for a small school, does everything for his team, as you would expect. “He has great skills,” said Tom Kulesa, his head coach.

Tuszka said his performance at NDSU’s summer camp was probably the biggest reason he got an offer. He said Minnesota-Duluth was his other scholarship option, although other, unspecified schools were in the mix.

Morgan is more of a highly-touted recruit. Central Michigan of the FBS Mid-American Conference also offered. Here is his highlight tape.

DOM:

Morgan’s coach Chris Kujawa told me that Morgan loved the atmosphere when he came to Fargo and what really put NDSU over the top is that Morgan has relatives in North Dakota.

FRIDAY UPDATE 11:45 AM

Not soon after those two recruits verballed, NDSU got another from the state of Wisconsin in 6’1, 205 pound linebacker Alex Hahn. His head coach at Oak Creek HS, Mike Bartholomew told me “he’s got a great motor, has only played D-line the last two years, this will be his first season without his hand on the ground.” His stats last year as a defensive lineman are impressive, he racked up 75 tackles wih 9 sacks and 8 tackles for loss. 75 tackles from the d-line is a massive total, made more impressive that Oak Creek plays at the top level of football in Wisconsin. I also asked Bartholomew about the run of players NDSU is getting in Wisconsin and he said it all traces back to Tim Polasek. Polasek used to play for Bartholomew and have a great relationship, Bartholomew said that is consistent with most of the high school coaches in the state of Wisconsin. It’s a terrific pipeline for NDSU, look at the current roster, led by Brock Jensen, Colten Heagle and Justin Juckem. That takes the verbal total for 3 for 2013, that’s a lot this early, I think NDSU didn’t hit 3 last year till late August/early September.

 

Bison fans taking advantage of USD promotion

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 Here is a short version of story that will be up on www.inforum.com soon:

FARGO – A two-game football ticket promotion by the University of South Dakota attracted more than Coyote fans to the school’s ticket website on Wednesday. North Dakota State fans also took advantage.

For $35, USD is offering a ticket for the Sept. 8 home opener against Colgate and another for the Oct. 20 game against NDSU in Sioux Falls, S.D. The result: an unknown number of Bison fans wanting good seats for the showdown at Howard Wood Field also have a Colgate ticket at the DakotaDome in Vermillion.

Having Bison fans take advantage of the promotion is not the intent of the USD ticket office.

“You know, if it happens, it happens,” said Brad Simons, coordinator of USD ticket operations. “If NDSU fans want to buy the Colgate game, more power to them.”

Simons said some Bison fans have told the Coyote ticket office that they’re willing to donate them back to USD. The promotion is running through the month of July.

“We’ve had quite a few people do that,” he said.

Simons said the ticket website went down because of technical difficulties but the glitch was not expected to last long. Tickets to the general public go on sale Aug. 1.

Howard Wood has a capacity of 10,000.