Morris, Minn. – It was not hard to find motivation for the Minnesota, Morris football team this week, as the squad looks to get back in the win column following their first conference loss last Saturday.

“The tone of practice was really up this week,” junior defensive lineman Mitch Zimmer said. “Everyone knows that we need to get our jobs done to be successful this coming Saturday.”

The tone he speaks of is one of intensity, and a “get the job done” attitude. The Cougars are aware of how tight the conference race is, and are not going to let one slip-up become mid-season slide.

“It's been pretty intense,” junior running back Todd Gramenz added. “We're bringing the intensity this week, and we want to redeem ourselves. We've been working hard and this is a big week for us.”

This week is yet another stiff test as the Cougars must travel to St. Paul to take on Northwestern. A perennial conference power, Northwestern was North Division runner-up last season, and in 2008 was UMAC Champion. This preseason they were picked to finish in third place in the annual coaches poll.

The Cougars were 3-0 in the UMAC entering last Saturday, but stumbled in their 28-21 loss to Martin Luther. The Cougars had their chances, tied 7-7 at halftime – and riding a wave of momentum scored in the final minutes to draw within a touchdown. Their ensuing onside kick attempt was unsuccessful, allowing the Knights to run out the clock for the win.

It was a missed opportunity to separate them self from the suddenly packed UMAC standings, where the Cougars now sit in second at 3-1. Five of the nine teams have just one loss or less, with the leagues lone unbeaten team, Greenville, sitting atop the standings at 2-0.

Part of their focus this week was fixing last week's mistakes. The defense was gashed by a powerful running game, as Martin Luther used their bread-and-butter to control the clock and string together long drives. The Knights finished with nearly 300 yards on the ground, and that is something the Cougars want to make sure won't happen again.

“Our main focus has been making tackles,” Zimmer said. “We were bad in the tackling area and that really hurt us, so a big emphasis this week was to make tackles and to get to the ball.”

On offense, it was finishing off drives and most importantly scoring points. The Cougars were held to 21 points against Martin Luther, just a week after scoring 47 in a win over Eureka. A powerful offense when it's clicking, the Cougars also scored 49 points in their season opening win over MacMurray. Getting the offense back to those types of numbers, could be key to a victory. 

“The main focus is to put up points,” Gramenz said. “That's what we need to do to win this game. We know that it may be a shoot-out and one of the main things is being assignment sound.”

With such parity in the early season standings, the players understand a great opportunity is still in front of them. When asked if they could use the tight race as motivation, Zimmer said, “Very much so, its huge motivation for us. Nobody in this conference is perfect, so we going to keep in and try to take it to the end.”

Kickoff for the Cougars and Eagles is set for 1:00 p.m. at Reynolds Field on the campus of Northwestern in St. Paul, Minn. Cougars enter at 3-2 and 3-1 in conference play, while Northwestern counters at 1-4, but 1-1 in league action. Fans that cannot make the trip can follow along from home with live video and live stats.