UND08

How many times were we actually in a base 3-4 defense with most teams in the spread before the coaching change? Whether we were in a nickel 3-3-5 or 3-4, or some other exotic alignment...we failed to get enough size, speed and technique on the field, and it's been woefully apparent for awhile now! IMO changing to a 4-2-5 alone will not fix that issue...but it will buy Coach Schmidt some time in the court of public opinion based on fan reaction I see... Alabama ran a 3-4 defense under Nick Saban...technically Georgia is too...but what a 3-4 was 20 years ago isn't the same as it is now. Any scheme can be successful if you have the right players to run it.

And that right there is why our defense has performed like it has... "It's not the X's and O's...it's the Jimmy's and the Joe's..."

We’ll find out soon enough… San Diego St. gave up just under 30 points per game this year…

2019 - 28.50 points allowed per game 2018 - 23.50 points per game 2017 - 34.64 points per game Color me skeptical…but I have to admire our ability to “keep it all in the family!”

At the risk of sounding heartless...if the players had played better we wouldn't be in this position...so while it's cool that they are behind the guy, I'm not sure their voice matters much. As I've said before it was apparent to me and others on the defensive side of the ball (and at key positions on offense) that we didn't have enough talent. It's not a democracy and I'm sure plenty of them will portal out anyway so not sure their opinions mean as much as they think anymore. NDSU didn't listen to their players...and the wheels didn't exactly fall off the wagon down there... Add him to the list...similar track to Bolte...more national championships but at a lower level. And no NCAA coaching experience is a detractor...

Yes...and it's why MSU is where it's at...winning football from the trenches out.

Man…we’ve agreed on so much on this board over the last couple years…but I have to respectfully disagree on Baldwin here…

My favorite thing I saw all weekend was the twitter post by GVSU of their linemen walking into the stadium shirtless in the snow...and then Harding shoving their "crap" in with 475 rushing yards and winning by 22 with a passing stat line of 0-1.

They won't do that...but Paul Simmons at Harding is a complete bad @$$!!! Probably not a good cultural fit in the upper midwest at a public school but the guy gets it done!

I mean...that's too low for expectations going forward...but what if you had a guy apply with the following 5 year records: 1-10 3-8 7-4 11-2 15-0 That's a 60.66% win percentage... Just sayin...

I'm a huge Bolte fan...If you can win in Bemidji you can win anywhere! Also...if we value big game performance on the road his Beavers team has won 2 straight playoff games on the road, and 4 since 2021. That said...his loyalty to Bemidji will likely hurt him...which sucks but that's how the world spins these days. His OC Karson Pike is a dude too...there's a lot of talent on that staff!

All Bemidji does is quietly win games and factor into the D2 playoffs. Bemidji does not spend the money or have the resources relative to the rest of the conference that UND has in the MVFC. Their budget is about 75% (or less) of the top NSIC programs (according to a quick google search). The coaches don't seem to care...they just do their jobs and win football games consistently. If I lived in Grand Forks next fall I'd probably make a few trips east. It's a cool experience watching games on the shore of the lake (even if the stadium isn't very nice).

You know what's tough about this...UND falling behind our peers in football has disinterested me as a fan. Because of that...I've learned that there's a world outside of UND football in the fall (not just on Saturdays as I'm not in Grand Forks). Turns out...I much enjoy that world! It's easy to watch the games that are interesting on ESPN+...I'm not sure if I'll ever come back...and I'm definitely sure of it if we don't change course! And before any of the old timers come at me as not being loyal...save it! I've invested thousands into this program through either donations or traveling to games/having season tickets and what not. Someday it could have been millions...thankfully my views on college sports have evolved! My UND degree taught me not to throw money at a bad investment...

I think surrounding himself with guys like Lance Leipold during his run in Omaha helped with this greatly...