The Sicatoka

Verdict is in. Please stand by ...

So much can be gleaned from that sentence: 1. Clearly, we learned of your personal view of Dr. Charles Kupchella with the reference to him as "Kuppy." 2. Kupchella has a choice, he has the ultimate choice: Stay or go. He still has the big office on third floor in Twamley Hall. What's that say? 3. You have little idea how Kupchella operates and has operated. For starters, try reading Priority/Action Area A, Goal 5 in here**. That's Kupchella's Strategic Plan* for UND. We are in year two of five of that. Dr. Kupchella, and his senior most advisors, work to a well thought out plan, and to a schedule, controlling what's theirs to control. That the plan doesn't meet the desired timelines of other folks is not the primary concern. The concern is plan execution for the greatest long-term benefit to UND. (That's the job description.) * That's actually StratPlanII. He has already completed the actions from StratPlanI and used that as the foundation to build this one from. ** I'm sure you'll enjoy all of Priority/Action Area G also.

There's some subtle difference between DI and DII regarding "five years" versus "ten semesters". Seeing how DI is what's ahead (and that I think primarily in 'hockey') I think of "five years". That difference allowed UND Football to pick up an all-conference offensive lineman from SDSU for this season because his DI eligibility was up, but he was still eligible in DII for another (football) season.

Robbie's 2004-05 season (injury at end) counts as a year of eligibility. He was medically unable to play last year (and the five year clock was ticking). However, didn't use a "freshman redshirt" year (played as a true freshman) and, more importantly, he didn't play at all in 2005-2006 so he spent zero eligibility (no need to apply for anything). He still has two years to use his two remaining years of eligibility. He's a "junior" this year and a (colloquialism again) "fifth-year senior" next year.

One more notion folks: When Roger Thomas resigned and the search for a new AD began, one candidate for the job was chatting openly (to the media) about how UND would be a good DI school and how he'd love to lead a DI Athletic Department at UND. Charles Kupchella got the list of finalists. Charles Kupchella had the final say. Charles Kupchella hired Tom Buning. Tom Buning is the man first mentioned. Tell me again: Why would Kupchella hire an openly pro-DI Tom Buning as his AD if he had no intentions of moving?

Couldn't the same be put out there under same hypothesis for NDSU's Chapman (his application at Wyoming) and SDSU's Miller (her resignation/retirement)? And as far as pressure affecting Charles Kupchella, he could have easily buckled, blamed the NCAA, and pulled the "Fighting Sioux" moniker on August 6, 2005. That he was going to pull the moniker is the urban legend out there since 2000. He got an easy chance, with big (NCAA) pressure: Nope. And we got the opposite response from Kupchella no less! None of us really know Charles Kupchella; however, the man surprises me (more positively) every day.

Not a bad assessment at all. Actually quite good. To apply for a "medical redshirt" (again a colloquial term, I believe the term is really "medical waiver") you can not have played in more than 20% of your team's scheduled games and none of the games you played in can be in the second half of your season. If you meet those, and have suffered a season-ending injury, you can apply to the NCAA for another year of eligibility (to replace the one lost to injury). Examples: Ryan Hale got hurt in Game 8 of the 2001-2002 hockey season. He just made it under the 20% of games. Brandon Strouth* got hurt in Game 2 of the 2005 football season. Again Game 2 of 11 (less than 20%). Neither played in the second half of their seasons. Each got an extra year of play*. * Strouth is a "junior" by playing eligibility right now which is the same status he started last season at. ** Hale was a freshman with Spiewak and Notermann, but was on the team the year after those two were done because of his "extra" year.

It's hard to disagree. He's taken the number of lawsuits against SCSU for anti-Semetic behaviors and hiring practices from three down to one.

You have five years to complete four seasons of college playing eligibility. Most players (in football at least) practice with the team during the first year but do not play (and thus do not use up a year of playing eligibility). Thus, the year after that is their second year as a college student, but their first year on the active roster. Those folks are normally called "redshirt freshmen". The NCAA doesn't officially recognize the term "redshirt". It's a colloquial phrase to describe someone "on the five year clock but not using eligibilty". Shall I confuse you further and talk about "medical redshirts"?

So, where are they*? Much of your treatise is written with an underlying assumption: That NDSU's book are at worst balanced, if not better. Until we have public disclosure of said records to date, the reasonable assumption must remain that said books are at best in their pre-DI status (slightly red). This assumption would be validated in that the last media report on the subject said that NDSU had not reached its fundraising goal*. *"I have no problem opening our books and showing that we're doing what we promised we'd do two years ago," Taylor said last week. -- 'Division I dollars: Raising funds has its good days, bad days', by Jeff Kolpack, The Forum, published Sunday, April 17, 2005. ** "His goal is $1 million a year for the next two years. He says this year's target is 40 percent complete with a June 31 [sic] deadline." -- stet

I think you just contradicted yourself: 3 or 4 years is nothing in a long-term planning and decision process of this nature. If you are looking short-run only, 3 or 4 years is a big deal.

Someone else has pounded on that theme; who was that ....

Augie going DI in a Drake, Creighton, or Valparaiso -model just might make sense. I do find great humor in notions of NDSU and/or SDSU abandoning the Great West for the Gateway before (a) the Gateway even has a slot, or (b) either has played Mid-Con conference game. Speculation is great fun.

I'm still here asking cost and conference. And I've asked the right people in the UND adminstrative structure. The financial plan committee is working on the details. I'll let them work. They're due with data in December. The political wing of UND administration is working on the conference issues. I'll let them work too until at least December. Folks, you need to re-read what PCM posted here: Kupchella saw DI done wrong in Missouri. That won't happen under his watch.

I have a suggestion for them ....

The only 'poll' that matters is the 'pole' you raise a championship banner on.

Phil jumped from 34 (in honor of Beezer) to 1 (assumably because of his mentor Karl Goehring)? Interesting.

Isn't Reggie "54 yarder in high school" Stecher a redshirt on the roster? Pulling that redshirt would be last ditch. But folks, we're far from there. Hellevang's been given some not-so-nice kicks to try to make so far. He'll come around. Watch him kick in warm-ups. You'll see why I'm confident in him.

Hellevang's leg seems almost too strong right now and it's affecting his accuracy. (Glas had the same 'curse'.) Watch Hellevang warm up and you know that he's one (minor) adjustment away from being Peterka III: The Saga Continues. (Glas was Peterka II: The Sequel.) Am I concerned? Yes. Do I trust the coaches to help him find that adjustment? Yes.

How can (NCAA "model institution") Wisconsin even play FSU when they have the "Seminoles" moniker? Their very own (NCAA model "model institution") policy says they won't play such schools unless they are traditional rivals or conference foes. Sorry, FSU is neither traditional rival nor conference foe with Badger hoop. Hypocrits. H-Y, P-O, C-R-I-T-S. Hypocrits.

Given this box score, and the fact that Omaha only passed 8 times against WWU, and amassed 400+ rushing yards, and 38 points, I'm not worried about the QB position this week. I'm worried that the offensive line and at least two backs show up serious (unlike that fiasco in the third v. Winona). PS - Dear Defense: Fresh meat served in the arena at The Al, Saturday at 1:00 pm. Please attend.

Those risers are for the BB configuration of the arena. I doubt there's room to set them up and still have the minimum standoff space from the field (endzone) to them.

Oh yeah, big stretch.