After coronavirus pause, UND football returns to practice in hopes of making a playoff run – Grand Forks Herald

UND returned to workouts Monday and practiced Tuesday and Thursday as it nears preparation for the final regular-season game of the year at Youngstown State on April 17.

"It was better already (Thursday)," UND coach Bubba Schweigert said. "We're still getting guys back. As we get guys back, we have to make sure we're conditioning them to be ready to have a preparation week, which starts Sunday."

It's an important reset for UND, which will return to action for the first time since March 20, with a lot on the line.

At 4-1, the Hawks are still in contention for the Missouri Valley Football Conference title.

Four games remain on the league schedule, and each game involves a team that is currently tied for first place in the league standings (UND, North Dakota State, South Dakota State, Missouri State).

According to the MVFC, the results of those four games can result in 16 different outcomes and only NDSU controls its own destiny to receive the league's automatic berth to the FCS playoffs.

Of the remaining 16 scenarios, there are six ways SDSU can win the AQ, five ways for NDSU, four for UND and one for Missouri State.

Schweigert said he doesn't shy away from addressing with the team what's at stake.

"This is something we've got to take advantage of when you have that opportunity," Schweigert said. "Youngstown has our attention. When you look at them from the first game to the fourth or fifth, they've improved a lot. It's a new coaching staff, and we understand it takes guys a while to adjust."

On Thursday, UND was announced as one of 14 possible host sites for the FCS playoffs.

"We need to put ourselves in the best position to move on and the way to do that is to win this game," Schweigert said. "This is a chance to be at the top of the league and be selected for the playoffs. You don't want to scoreboard watch this time of year. You control what you can control and what we can control is our preparation for Youngstown State and perform at our best next Saturday."

If UND doesn't receive the AQ for winning the MVFC, only six at-large bids are available for this spring's FCS playoffs. That's down from the usual 14 bids during a normal fall season.

UND was ranked No. 5 earlier this month when the FCS released its first and only seeding projections. With the help of UND's win over South Dakota State earlier this spring, the Fighting Hawks would almost certainly be in the field with a win over Youngstown.

"Our captains and leaders have done a great job keeping guys in the moment," Schweigert said. "Was (the pause) a challenge? No doubt. But by the weekend, we feel like we'll have everybody back and then we can get into game-week prep like any other game week."

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After coronavirus pause, UND football returns to practice in hopes of making a playoff run - Grand Forks Herald