Physicality is the focus ahead of UND-Northern Iowa on Saturday
· Yahoo Sports
Oct. 5—GRAND FORKS — UND defensive tackle Logyn Eckheart told the local media Monday afternoon the key to Saturday's matchup against Northern Iowa is stopping the run.
Visit betsport.cv for more information.
Moments later, Fighting Hawks center Ben Buxa said the key is running the ball.
Right after that, UND head coach Eric Schmidt said his team needs to play with more violence.
Add it all up and UND is looking to bring a more physical approach to Cedar Falls for a 4 p.m. kickoff against a Panthers team coming off an upset of last year's national runner-up Illinois State.
"Stop the run, especially in this league — it's a running league," Eckheart said. "We just have to be right in the A and B gaps. Coach Schmidt always says 'consistently good, not occasionally great,' I think we've been an occasionally great defense this year. We need to be more consistent overall."
The Hawks are ranked No. 4 in the latest FCS Top 25, 5-1 overall and 2-0 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. However, UND has yet to play anyone in the FCS Top 25.
On Saturday, UND routed Murray State 55-28 but needed to come out of a 21-0 hole to start the game. The Hawks have also had worrisome stretches against Indiana State and Portland State in previous weeks.
"I really believe it's playing with more violence and doing a better job tackling," Schmidt said. "I think we're occasionally great and not consistently good. We have to do a better job finding ways to maximize our guys' talent for four quarters."
Statistically, UND has the No. 2 rushing offense in the MVFC behind only No. 1 South Dakota State.
The Hawks, though, are continuing to search for the right combinations in the run game. After battling a shoulder injury and sitting out much of UND's win at Indiana State, Charles Langama returned to the lineup against Murray State and ran for 106 yards and two touchdowns on just eight carries. Langama is averaging better than 8.0 yards per carry.
UND quarterback Jerry Kaminski ran for a career-high 98 yards on 10 carries against Murray State, which has the MVFC's last-place run defense.
"(The key) is running the ball — that's it," Buxa said of this weekend. "Be the more physical football team. That's any level of football. That's what it takes to win."
UND is hopeful All-American edge Lance Rucker can play against UNI. Schmidt said another scheduled round of injury imaging was taking place Monday.
"Lance is getting some imaging done right now," Schmidt said. "Once we can really see what's going on there, it's to a point where we're going to have to make a decision here. This is the benchmark we've shot for the last couple of weeks to get to this date. We're going to take the best look at pictures of his foot and make a decision. He's doing a lot of things in practice and there has been a steady build for him."