Tom Miller GF Herald 11-7-25

Sports editor of the Grand Forks Herald, Tom Miller stops in to talk about the big game coming up Saturday at the Alerus Center, between UND and NDSU.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Friday morning. Let's welcome to the program the sports senator
of the Grand Forks Herald, mister Tom Miller.

Speaker 2 (00:06):
Morning, Tom, Good morning, guys.

Speaker 1 (00:09):
I saw Friday he beat the BIS in time seven
thirty six. Tom said the nicest thing to me that
he actually tuned in last night. He was kind of
forced to because he was on a long drive back
from central North Dakota. But I appreciated all the same.
I left him no outs. He couldn't go anywhere else.
I had him locked in, So that was good. So
appreciate it. Tom.

Speaker 2 (00:30):
You painted a picture.

Speaker 1 (00:33):
And it was a picture. Like I said during the
broadcast in the second half, said none of this is
going in the museum, and Tim said that too. He's
like Tim, Tim said, He's like the only word I
can but right away this morning, first word out of
his mouth was like I was watching it at home,
and all I can say is, boy, that was ragged
at times. I'm like, that's an excellent word. That's a

(00:55):
perfect description. So yeah, it was that. But yeah, you know,
and I said, it's just not unusual in these times. No,
that's true too, Tim, Yeah, good, good point. What do
you think, Tom?

Speaker 2 (01:07):
Yeah, there's with all the new bodies there. I feel
like you have to almost give them some run to
figure out who deserves what, and uh you know, their
rotation will be trimmed at some point, but I think
you owe it to a few guys here to to

(01:27):
see what they can contribute. So I imagine that that
some of it will smooth out in the same breath
like that maybe a little bit who they are in
terms of there's gonna be a team that's gonna have
to hang his hat on turning teams over and playing defense.
And you know, it might not be tracing Eagle staff

(01:49):
pretty you know, it might be uh win and ugly
and they'll take that.

Speaker 1 (01:54):
Yeah, and they would have taken that last night. And
when I finished the broadcast, they said, Yeah, one team
is leaving here with the sweet taste because they're not
looking at how this game played out. They're just got
that sweet taste in their mouth because they put a
W in the column, and the other one just soured
because they're like, how did we figure out a way
to lose this thing? And and so that's kind of
way it went last night. And you're right, I don't

(02:17):
know what the rotation is. Of course it was made
a mess of even more with the kind of how
guys were feeling as something was running ramping through the program.
Thankfully knock on wood, and I say that I'm knocking
on every piece of wood I can find. Tom. I
don't want whatever that was going through them. So they're
dealing with that too. Turning the tables. Let's talk to
positive things though, well or at least anticipated to be positive.

(02:40):
A great atmosphere tomorrow at the Alera Center, a huge
Missouri Valley football contest, a huge national game in the
picture of FCS football, UND hosting NDSU. The last time
NDSU came here to Grand Forks, it wasn't North Dakota win.
It got off to a great start. Your thoughts of
kind of the feeling, the reads that you've been getting

(03:02):
here throughout the week and the lead up to this
one time, Yeah, you.

Speaker 2 (03:07):
Know, it's uh, it's interesting just the way this rivalry
is gone and the in recent years it's been a
heck of a game in Grand Forks and not much
of a game in Fargo. And if this is the
I would say this is the better team that you
and D's had in this rivalry in Grand Forks, and

(03:27):
so I'm I'm off curious to see how that plays out. Obviously,
North Kota State has established itself as I mean, it's
long established right as the standard in the FCS. This
year in particular, it certainly seems to be North Dakota
State in the pack. And so if that it truly
is the case, I'd like to see where where the

(03:48):
benchmark is then, And I think, uh, I think there's
every reason to believe that North Kota should be in
this game, that it's a one score game in the
fourth quarter, and that it can go. It can go
either way. You know, you and D has a lot
to prove bouncing out of that South Dakota game. You know,
was was that going to be a trend or is
that going to be the case? That happens to every team.

(04:10):
Every team has a clunker during the year, even the
n E s U or s CSU national championship years,
you can always point to a game that was a
you know, a head scratch or so to speak. They're
bound to happen. And we're about to see if if
North Dakota's headed down a certain path or if if

(04:31):
that was a one off situation and just a weird
game in Vermilion, which I wouldn't be surprised if that
was the case.

Speaker 1 (04:37):
Tim, go ahead, Well, so the bierson are due for
a clunker.

Speaker 2 (04:43):
Right, Well, I think their fan base would like to
think that. Giving up a whole bunch of points to
Youngstown State last week, it was their clunker. You know,
I think if you're U and D fans, maybe you're
looking at that saying, you know, if you're doing score comparisons,
which is how we dangerous, of course, but you know
you can look at it and say North Dakota handled

(05:06):
Youngstown Southern Indiana State in a superior fashion than North
Dakota State did. Is that a perfect gauge to to
look at this matchup? I don't know, but it tells
me that the un D shirt should feel like it's
got a fighting chance in this one, and and and

(05:27):
I think they do. I think Cole Payton is is
a fantastic quarterback that has shown this year that he
can throw the football, which was the question coming into
the year. I think you and D has done a
really really good job on guys like Beau Bruntguard of
Youngstown State, DJ Williams of Southern Illinois. I think the

(05:50):
question is can the coverage hold up on the back
end and allow North Dakota's pass rush to get home.
And I think that there's a better shot at it
happening in grand Port and then would be on the road.

Speaker 1 (06:02):
Yeah, you mentioned the secondary. They got their hands full
with maybe the best player in FCS football as far
as just pedigree as far as to make a play,
although Cole Payton, you don't, you mean, he can certainly
do it too. But Bryce Lentz is an electric receiver.
You throw it in his general direction, if he's got
any space, it's it's a problem for whoever he's playing,

(06:23):
including North Dakota. So, uh, that's that's a game changer,
electric player that they've got out on the edge.

Speaker 2 (06:30):
Yeah, one percent and North Dakota, you know, perhaps it's
the thinnest spot is that is at corner, especially after
the injury to Ben at Walker early in the year,
And that's got to be a frustrating one because I
feel like he's been weak to week for many weeks now,
and uh, you know, they're going through some growing pains
with with the true freshman out there. They've mixed it

(06:50):
up a little bit with Avery Scott doing some time
over there, and when North Kotas defense is gotten beat,
it's usually been to that side of the field. They've
been a little susceptible to the deep ball from time
to time, and I'm sure North kost State will take
their chances there because they've shown to be a pretty
complete offense. They're not just they're not quite Tyler Roll,

(07:13):
ground and pound anymore. Yeah, you know, they've opened it
up and become an offense that you know, not that
you didn't have to worry about them before, because you did.
You just had to worry about them doing the same thing,
punching in the mouth over and over and over. And
now now they can be a little bit more multiple.

Speaker 1 (07:30):
I feel like Tom I said this to Tim this
morning as well. One of the phrases that coach Schmidt
and his staff and their players have utilized a lot
is that we need to be consistently good, not occasionally great.
I do, however, think that for North could have its
best day tomorrow, and the offensive line has been fairly

(07:51):
consistently good for the most part all season long, although
I thought last week they were you know, had their
struggles as well, surprisingly at times. But I think they
need to be a little closer to the great button
against this NDSU front in order to be what they
want to be offensively tomorrow. That's just my feeling. If
they want to, if they want to, you know, really

(08:12):
take this game, I think that they're gonna have to
be slightly to the great month point in the trenches.
That's my that's my thought.

Speaker 2 (08:20):
Yeah, And I think, you know, you hit it with
the consistency, you know, I think there's been times this
year where Sawyer Sido's ability to break a big one
has kind of masked U and D's inability to consistently
run the football. I thought that was a case of
South Dakota. You know, he busts off the one for
forty yards, and I mean that's kind of the nature

(08:44):
of football to some extent. But you know, I thought
there were times where Sawyer was really bottled up well
by South Dakota, and that's their m O. They Sawyer
was the first one hundred yard rusher Sefthcote had allowed
since twenty twenty three when they allowed it to Tommy mallot.
I I I think it had been you know, upwards
of two years since they had given up one hundred

(09:06):
yard rusher, which which Sawyer ended up being against against
South Dkota last week. So that being said, North Kota
State has slightly better run defense numbers than North Dakota,
who has been really good this year in the run defense. Yeah,
then the football will be tough. But I think I
think it comes down to the Jerry Kaminski bounce back

(09:27):
and look like the Pois quarterback that we saw for
eight weeks, and and and avoid some of the mistakes
we saw in Vermilion.

Speaker 1 (09:33):
Tim anything else on this game. That was kind of
my question. Kaminsky's got to be better than he was
last week.

Speaker 2 (09:40):
Right, Yeah, And and I thought uh Isaac Frickty had
interesting comments at the Monday weekly press conference about maybe
not trying to do too much, you know, I think
he used to phrase not making the hero throw, making
the right throw. And I thought that was maybe for
the first time all year, that maybe Jerry got outside

(10:04):
of what had made him successful and you know, just
I mean, number one, just taking care of the football.
I'm sure ninety nine out of one hundred times that
second quarter interception he sails into the sideline and doesn't
leave it up for you know, a highlight, real tiptoe interception.

(10:26):
But he that's certainly a throw you cannot make against
North Dakota State.

Speaker 1 (10:30):
Didn't expect to win, no, no doubt about it. And
you know the other quick question that I'll leave with,
and then we'll wrap up you and d NDSU on
the grid iron here for tomorrow at the Ali Center
and we'll we'll get ready for it ourselves. But special
teams right now for North Kota so often, so good
this year in so many aspects in Montana. Talk about
some of the punts and coverage and all that stuff,

(10:53):
and recent games, the last couple of games, you know,
returns on kickops certainly the blocks this is. You know,
this is a program that typically carves out some pretty
good time and practices to work on its special teams.
And we've seen it what a difference it can make
in a game like this two years ago. That's exactly

(11:13):
a big factor as to why North's could have won
that game against the Bison. They can't have a letdown
on the special teams this go round against NDSU, because
usually the team that wins it is going to win
the game.

Speaker 2 (11:26):
Yeah, Luke scope and returning the kick for a touchdown.
Set of tone last the last time I got quorts
for sure. Yeah, there's something to be said like at
some point in North Dakota Swiss from a three man
personal protection to a two man personal protector on the
punt and I don't know if they, you know, are
confused about coverages, but it it seemed to be kind

(11:49):
of a same situation there two weeks in a row
with the with the punt block coming in. Now you
and he didn't have it easy backed up on the
one trying to get that punt off. But I think
there's just schematically some things to shure up. I don't
know if they would go back to a three personal
protector or if they just need to hammer home how

(12:09):
that set up works. And then who has who so
to speak, so special teams would be a concern because
the Bison are certainly taking advantage of that phase of
the game right now.

Speaker 1 (12:20):
Yeah, goes back to they don't hurt themselves. That's typically
the key, and that's why they've done what they've done
in their history here of the last decade plus. So now,
on a couple of other notes, we should mention that
we had some high school quarter final action from our
regional teams here in Minnesota. Yesterday, Kidson County Central no

(12:44):
trouble in their game, neither for Fortible Tremie. Both are
making a trip to the state Semis to the people
Stadium of US Bank. Tom.

Speaker 2 (12:53):
Yeah, Kissing County Central put a hurt and on Cook
County in Grand Rapids. We had a photographer there and
got some great shots of that action. And I think
what Kitchen was up thirty five donut after the first quarter,
and I think the second half was a JV fest,
so funny. I mean, Kitchen was probably the underdog in

(13:14):
the Section title game against Stevens, So it feels old
school if Kitchen and steven are the top two dogs
in the state to some extent. So yeah, good for
those Bernal and Kitchen moving on to US Bank Stadium. Now,
I got to figure out how we're going to.

Speaker 1 (13:30):
Cover that fair enough. Yeah, your your problems are are
like mine. I'm like, how are we covering that? That's
always my question too as well, even though you know
it's it's fun to cover and follow, But yeah, it's
that's always the question, all right, Tim? Anything else for
Tom on this Friday morning, I'm good? Yeah, me too.
I think we did a good job, and we're in

(13:51):
that crossover season where everything's raining down and it's fun,
but it's also makes this this month fly by. But
we gotta savor it too, with games like tomorrow up
on the docket and getting to cover that. So we
look forward to seeing it at the Alai Center tomorrow
tom and here in the coming days ahead with maybe
some basketball and your team out there as well. So

(14:11):
appreciate this and we'll talk to you tomorrow at the
Larra Center.

Speaker 2 (14:15):
Sounds good. Let's watch the sports.

Speaker 1 (14:17):
Okay, it sounds good. We go there goes Tom Miller,
the Grand Forks Herald sports editor over there, his team
as good as it gets with their coverage of just
about everything high school, college, and of course the main
sports out They do it right, Yeah, they certainly do it.
And you know when it comes to like the the
the money making sports of football and hockey, they are

(14:39):
on it in every detail, not no stone left unturned.
But they don't spread themselves too thin there. They get
out to men's and women's basketball games, get you all
the coverage, and then of course the high school stuff
as well. So make sure you get that subscription to
the Grand Forks Herald. You won't regret it. Our thanks
to Tom Miller, and we appreciate him joining us on
Fridays here on the Fence.