The Sicatoka

There is no scandal. What there is here is an instructive moment about how Fargo media seems to operate with regard to NDSU Football. Fargo media or at least some portion of it (as shown by Hoole's own tweets) knew there was an issue on at least Wednesday before the national championship game. They did not report on the issue until it was all but forced on them, meaning the visible non-presence of Robbins in a televised game. Their job is not to 'protect' NDSU Football. Their job is to report news. A suspended starting fullback is news. NCAA sanctions (no senior season) is news. What this does is open Fargo media to the uglier question: What else do they know but are choosing to not report?

You can donate, you can make your wishes known, ... But what if in 1890 someone donated a bunch of horse-buggies for campus shuttles for "perpetual" use by the University as the shuttle system? Would UND still have to be using them, even if the cost of ownership (horses!) becomes more than the value? Times change; needs change.

So Klieman first speaks of it post game. It remains, by her own tweet, that Hoole of KVLY knew of the issue on the Wednesday before the game, but I'm yet to find her report of that significant news before the game. Surely strictly by coincidence KVLY has NDSU television rights.

She had NDSU and was giving points. Knowledge of no starting FB could've changed the spread and changed her outlay.

I get that a lot.

Admittedly I had it on 2x speed and kept pushing the slider bar forward, but I heard a question about their "first game this year on grass" didn't hear a Robbins question. Did I miss it? PS - Last question at the presser? Beth Hoole, KVLY; but it wasn't about Robbins. Can't make that up.

Here's interesting: Beth 'KVLY' Hoole knew on "Wednesday" about the suspension. Given her tweet was January 7, the 'Wednesday' in question must be January 2, three days before the championship. It should be pretty easy to find her KVLY story about it somewhere from January 2 to January 4.

To my knowledge the first source reporting that was a media tweet just prior to kickoff. A Google search only shows stories newer than that tweet. Can you show me a media report dated January 4, 2019 reporting what was said at Klieman's presser? I'm willing to be wrong if you can provide a link.

How does the suspension, the missing from the team because he didn't travel to the game site, as in hasn't been there for media day and other activities for three days, so there has to be a 'where is he?' factor, of the starting fullback of a power run offense in a national title game not get reported until minutes before kickoff? And when it does first get into the media it's a tweet by someone not normally on the NDSU football news beat.

Well, um, there is something for that.

Honestly, the WAC could be looking to stockpile western (Dixie of Utah, MSU Denver) newbie DIs because of the volatility of their membership roster (think geographic outliers Chicago State and UMKC). Dixie may be serious in trying to make a go as an FCS indy. They'd need to find a way onto Pioneer and BSC schedules for a while. Not impossible. I wouldn't be surprised if their end goal wasn't the BSC for football but that could also cause fracture (aka realignments).

May I respectfully disagree? 1983 Washington Redskins: The Hogs and Riggo. You knew counter-gap was coming; they still ran over everyone.

Allow me a minor rant ... Fundamentals. What a crazy concept. You mean like being able to lay down a bunt, or shooting 90+% free throws, or wrapping up on a tackle, or being able to go top corner backhand from ten feet out. Such crazy talk. Or, in the case of offense linemen, form, stance, and technique, ... and raw strength. Best scheme in the world is worthless if you can't execute it and execution is a fundamental skill.

Um, we don't know that. Rob Port loves to stick a thumb into the eye of the universities. I wonder where he is on all of this.

" ... schemes are important but fundamentals are more important." What a concept.

She's not wrong.

If this is accurate (if) that is concerning to me. Not about the winning, but about the future State liability if such substances were provided by a State employee and later found to have long-term detrimental health effects.

I don't say simple as any disrespect to the scheme. I'd take simple with exceptional execution (as NDSU does time and again) over complex and missed assignments every day of the week. And yes, it is a wonder that teams think they have to do more. NDSU shows that doing less but always doing it right is better.

The method is the simplicity. Keep it simple and be perfect at it. Put it this way: If your offensive line never misses a block and can fall forward for 4 yards every play, what else do you need to do? If your receiver always runs a perfect 7 yard sideline out that the DB can't react fast enough to and your QB can put that ball in that spot every time, what else do you need to do? There's elegance in simplicity. Or as a wise mentor told me long ago: Anyone can put together an overthought overly complex system; what is difficult is designing out the complexity and creating a simple effective design.

And NDSU didn't beat an FBS team this season. Yes, they did beat an FBS in their other 15-0 season: Kansas State and K-State that year went on to play for the Nat..., er, won the Big ..., uh, has a fine program.

On 01/08/19: 42 GP, 15-21-6, 36 pts, 116 GF, 151 GA Let's see here ... ought and ought is ought, carry the one, yadda-yadda, ... Philly is 3-6-2 since releasing Hakstol.

Senior Rhett Gardner has 68 career points. Junior Colton Poolman has 49 career points. Those two combined careers (117 points) just exceed Tony Hrkac's 1986-87 season (46/70/116). Senior Joel Janituinen is the only other player on the roster with 40+ career points (44). Jones is at 39 points.

http://www.collegehockeystats.net/1819/teamstats/ndkm Plus/minus stats are in there.