Aug. 1—GRAND FORKS — In the classic cyclical nature of fall practices, the UND defense answered back Friday morning on the second day of fall camp at Memorial Field.
After starting camp Thursday on the grass surface to the south of the Pollard Center, the Hawks returned to the usual outdoor setting of artificial turf and Memorial Field on Friday.
After Day 1 saw the UND passing game take major strides compared to spring ball, the Fighting Hawks’ defense made moving the ball much more difficult on Day 2.
UND’s defense is transforming from running a 3-4 scheme for roughly 30 years to a 4-2-5 scheme brought in by new head coach Eric Schmidt.
The Hawks’ passing game didn’t pick up big plays often on Day 2 with defensive backs winning many of the 50-50 battles, mixed with some drops from the targets.
Defensive backs Bennett Walker and Avery Scott intercepted passes during team drills, while UND continued to rotate its deep quarterback battle.
The scene: UND practiced from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. on Friday on the turf at Memorial Field. Temps were in the 70s with Canadian wildfire smoke limiting the sun.
The play of the day: Near the end of practice, wide receiver Keegan Ryan won a 50-50 jump ball on a 15-yard rollout throw from rookie quarterback Etienne Higgins.
Keep an eye on: Bennett Walker. The senior transfer from San Diego State made a diving interception on an out route from Simon Romfo intended for Caden Dennis.
Daily dose of QB: It’s still to early to declare a front-runner. The quarterbacks struggled a bit Friday with the passing targets receiving some of the blame with drops. Transfer Javance Tupou’ata-Johnson, however, provided some glimpses of excellent mobility despite the no-contact setting.
* Although pass-catchers struggled for the most part Friday, UND’s running backs were on point in the passing game with a number of moments of good hands from Gaven Ziebarth and transfer Xavier Leigh.
* Kristen Hoskins, an Alexandria native and Minnesota Gophers transfer, had the longest connection of the practice. Tupou’ata-Johnson hit Hoskins on a short route and the small speedster found open space up the middle of the field.
* UND practiced some kick return situations, which gave a glimpse into some options in the return game. B.J. Fleming, Leigh, Korey Tai, Nate DeMontagnac and Gaven Ziebarth were a few of the players taking reps at returner.
* Fleming, a transfer wide receiver from Northern Arizona, has stood out through two days with his productivity.
* For the defense, Grand Forks’ Paine Parks and junior college transfer defensive tackle Montre Samuels-Parker recorded what would have been sacks in a live setting.
* UND has issued an updated roster with the start of fall camp. Promising young defensive tackle Brennen Blegen, who played in a few games as a true freshman in 2024, is no longer on the roster. One surprise addition is 6-foot-3 safety Evan Kludt of Alexandria. The freshman had committed to South Dakota previously.
* UND practices again Saturday morning for Day 3 of fall camp at 9:30 a.m.