The flaming meteor that crashed into the Midwest earlier this week still had some life to it on Saturday. It hit the North Dakota State defense in an intrasquad spring football scrimmage.

Running back Mike Sigers looked like he had jet-powered shoes on a 97-yard touchdown run against the No. 1 defense. Although no statistics were kept, Sigers probably threatened the 200-yard mark in the scheduled 70-play practice.

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“Hopefully it’s not the defense,” said linebacker Preston Evans. “Hopefully he’s that good.”

It was further evidence that Sigers is fully healed from a turf toe injury that cut his freshman season short last fall. Junior D.J. McNorton is the No. 1 back and junior Matt Voigtlander and sophomore Sam Ojuri have experience behind him.

But Sigers is showing that there could be a place for him in the backfield, too.

“He looked pretty explosive,” said head coach Craig Bohl. “He’s turning into an every-down back, but he still has some things that limit him. We’re pleased with his progress though.”

One limitation: pass blocking, a part of the game that Sigers said he works on daily. At 5-foot-6½ and 170 pounds, he doesn’t have the frame of the other three backs.

“I believe I can be an every down back,” Sigers said. “But picking up the blitz is what it is. I’m going to try and step up and do what I can.”

He showed toughness on Saturday too, playing through a hip pointer that he endured earlier in the week. Bohl said Sigers’

40-yard dash time, which this winter was measured at 4.41 seconds, is faster than what Shamen Washington turned in when Washington was at his fastest.

“He showed a lot of guts working through some pain,” Bohl said.

Sigers said he was told that his medical hardship was granted and that he will gain another year of eligibility. He played in just three games before being sidelined last fall.

The 97-yarder proved that no longer is a problem.

“We do the best we can against him,” Evans said. “You try to get him at the line of scrimmage.”

By Jeff Kolpack
Fargo Forum

http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/275846/group/Sports/