Longtime fan
-
Posts
2,065 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
15
Posts posted by Longtime fan
-
-
Mont st 52 - injury riddled team 30. Hoping for no more injuries. Also will be watching very close at the predicted pathetic play calling, hope I'm wrong. I do think Santiago will rush for his first of many 200 yd games.
-
We as fans do not accept mediocrity. Proof is here at sioux sports, a fan website!! When und was 4-1 not to many of us were satisfied. Plenty of whining, complaining ,concerns and questions!! By reading some of the posts, you would make an assumption we were 1-4. If most teams were posting a 4-1 record they would be happy. Port st comes to mind. They're not used to winning but even after the und lose they really liked what was happening.
Football tradition is strong here, maybe not the upper echelon but not bottom either. When you consider the fact there has only been 8 losing seasons in the last 50 yrs and half of those have been the last 5 yrs, it proves that und is currently in a rebuilding stage.
I look at a couple of components that have factored into this
1). The most significant was the move to D1 with mussman! Mussman was a nice enough guy but a horrible head coach. This is where the blame falls squarely on faison and his complacency. Muss set this program back many yrs and now bubba has the task of cleaning up the mess and I have 100% confidence he will.
2). I'll keep it short, faison should follow Kelly.
Football is every bit as important to us as fans but unfortunately we currently ride in the caboose of the mussman train wreck. It's been very frustrating the last 7 yrs but I have full confidence that bubba has this team heading in the right direction.
-
FWIW, according to the 2015 media guide, Bubba is still responsible for coaching the CBs, while Rodgers handles the Safeties. I know this was the arrangement last year too. Maybe someone that has attended practices this year can confirm, but if there are problems with the CB fundamentals then that should fall on Bubba, if that is still his position group...
From the 2015 media guide, as well as Bubba's & Rodger's bios on UNDsports.com ...
If true then bubba needs to promote or hire a db coach. Full attention to head coaching !!
-
Scary matchup! Mont st is all but guaranteed to score 35-40 pts. They've done it all yr. Hate to be a broken record, but the injuries have completely decimated the team. Two ways und can pull it out: 1) Rudolph grows up and actually calls a good game all the while adjusting to whatever mont st d gives us: and 2) turnovers , both ways! Hold onto the ball, no int and how about the d create some turnovers!
What would we as fans and mont st d do if Rudolph opened the 2nd half with 10-15 straight passes?? all dump downs, nothing deep, keep it simple. Abuse the te usage
-
In the four seasons before Bubba got to UMD they were 7-1 against NCC schools. The conference change did have something to do with it, but not to the extent you are portraying. And you made my point for me: it took someone else to win with Bubba’s players. Again, Bubba won four games in 2007 and in 2008 with Nielson they won 15 and a national championship. They beat Grand Valley on the road in the playoffs (something UND never came close to doing) and trailed on the scoreboard for a minute and a half the entire season. A coaching change brought them from not even .500 to one of the best teams in D2 history.
Trying to rebuild a football program is like playing a game of whack a mole: Fix one thing and another problem pops up. So yes, I get what you are saying about injuries eroding depth, but a lack of depth is exactly the problem with bad football teams. This is why it’s so hard to do. It takes some luck (UND has none, see the injury problems the past few years) and the right coaching staff in place to find all the right players and turn things around.
Some of UND’s current issues are on the administration for taking forever to find a coach which led to several players leaving the program in the interim. However, injuries or not there is no excuse for a D-I team having a secondary this bad. If they attempted to bring in guys to shore up the problem they brought in the wrong players.
I’m curious to see what happens next year. Certainly the secondary can’t get much worse but losing Ratelle is going to be a major blow. He is probably responsible for two wins this year on his own by stopping the interior running game. Without him it will be easier for opponents to run the ball which will offset any secondary improvement. The great programs have another guy waiting in the wings to take his spot and I’m not so sure UND does. The game of whack a mole continues.
The "lack of depth is a bad team" reference is nullified when the coach is in yr 1.5. To think bubba could make und playoff bound by yr two and with what he had to work with would of been incredible . I'm not even sure about next yr. Btw, bubba isn't at Duluth or s illinois anymore. Mute point. Just look at what belicheck did before hitting gold with New England. Nothing!! He sucked. So let's just drop what he did or didn't do before his arrival. The depth is something they're obviously working on, but with only two recruiting classes that's a bit difficult. This is a message board and you have the right to being completely pessimistic , but I believe majority of us realize the tough circumstances bubba has been thrown. The secondary issue is very frustrating but not for a lack of talent. One corner is top 5 in fcs in pass breakups, another one is miss st transfer that has played in a bowl game and safety that was well regarded. Numerous times the defenders are covering the wr lack the fundamental to watch the eyes of the receiver. They must counter act a reaction. Db coach needs to step it up. Will ratelle surely be missed but taj is more then ready to be the undisputed leader of the d next yr. his injury affected the way the d is playing. Huge loss!!! He's an X factor and a do it all type of player Happy to have back next yr . One last thing....in bubba we trust
-
1
-
-
Quite the experience, huh? St. Cloud State and Minot State? That's a lack of DI experience. Rudolph is a problem in my opinion. If UND finds a way to consistently win with Rudolph calling plays and coaching the QBs, it will certainly be in spite of him. Need to recruit some really good offensive players in order to overcome the coaching ineptitude on offense.
Exactly. 20 games in a row of his ineptness and lack of adjusting should be more then enough to signal an issue. Rudolph simply can't adjust to the game. 35 offensive tds in 20 games, not quite 2 tds per game. Rudolphs offense has averaged less then 14 pts a game and a good fg kicker that will add 3 pts when he runs out of plays. Try page 2 of the playbook! We'll see how many 3 and outs happen against mont st, as they have shown very little resistance to any d1 team they have played. 2 offensive tds and a couple fgs????
-
Cant say for sure about the move to safety, but the one thing thats for certain is his talent! Talent is needed at wr, so if I had a vote, keep him there. I agree with his run style as a rb, much to upright and the punishment he could sustain. Santiago and brady make a great combo for 4 yrs and I like the idea of Clive, iwarri, and dulin at wr next yr. still very young next yr but a boatload of talent and potential.
Anybody think they should try and move Smith to safety? I'm not sure he has the creativity to play RB, or the ability to protect himself. He's too linear with his runs. Maybe he could be a really good safety. He looked damn good on defense in HS. He's got the size and the speed and the hands.
-
It doesn't take an all American qb to dump down to the tight ends. Und needs to use the tight ends, preferrably Adler, the guy is a stud. Rudolph refuses! 3.5 yds is all you need a play. It would fit Unds grind it out offense and loosen the oppositions d , so every once in a while you can take a shot. Right now, opposing defenses are not even looking at Unds qb , zeroed in on Santiago. Santiago is to good to be completely shutdown. The 3 and outs in the 2nd half of games have put to much pressure on the injured d. Explains a lot of the injuries in the defensive side, they are on the field much more then they need to be
-
2
-
-
Taj is a huge loss! Personally, he was my favorite defensive player. He will be more than capable of being nexts yr defensive leader. Let's not forget Clive still has a cast on and I am not sure cole should be playing yet. Woodsmall is 50%. Non injury losses are Chris brown and dusty iverson plus early defections on hinojosa and starting punter bolduc. With meindel that's not a big loss. As unfortunate as all the injuries have been, the "next man up" will give und a lot of experience and depth in the coming yrs
-
Und is very unfortunate with the injury bug. Doesn't bode well for the remaining games
-
If Rudolph gets the blame for the lack of a passing game, why wouldn't he get credit for the success of the running game?
Santiago makes him look good! Santiago is an all American, let's enjoy his time at und
-
For everyone who is questioning our run oriented philosophy on offense and defense you need to realize that it's about more than the big sky. It's about playoffs and being able to win anywhere at any time. When the weather is bad you need to be able to run and stop the run. Against pro style teams from other conferences we will be built to handle it unlike other Big Sky teams who fizzle in the playoffs. Even in the Big Sky teams run the ball plenty and you need to be able to stop it. It's easier for passing plays to get screwed up so forcing teams to throw is the right plan. We're just not quite there yet. Just think about how much higher the expectations have been this year. We've gotten a lot better and have just come across some tough luck at some thin positions.
Love Bubbas philosophy, but the ineptness of the passing game is troubling. I throw the majority of the blame on Rudolph as he will not or can not adjust to the game. Inexperience and injuries are another factor but I'm afraid Keaton just can't throw accurate enough and Bartles completely unravels with the slightest of pressure. I've been a fan of mollberg since he arrived in gf, but I don't make those decisions. You have to blend in the pass game occasionally to keep the opposing teams honest. No need to pass for 400 yrds but sprinkle in some new looks. They need to use their tight ends and iwarri needs to be more involved. He can be explosive and they did pull his shirt for a reason. Adler has hands of glue, use them.
-
As my name suggests, I've been a long time fan of und football and have kept interest in this forum. I'm as frustrated as most eveybody right now , but Bubba is the right hire for und. He wil right the ship as will Schmitt, but Rudolph?? I have complete faith in Bubba and Schmitt but zero in Rudolph. Most of us fans lived painfully through the mussman era and wanted immediate change. He left this program in a complete mess. As the saying goes, "Rome was not built in a day". Bubba will have und formidable in a year or two. I am excited for the future of this program. Having met and talked with Bubba numerous times, he is a class act and his love for und is unparalleled. Personally, I never thought they would be playoff material this year , as they are much to young and inexperienced and with the addition of all the unfortunate injuries, it's been tough. One thing to remember is that the majority of the players und is working with are mussmans recruits ! Also, I don't think the corners are as bad as everyone thinks. I believe the position coaching (db) needs to do better job of doing his job. Never played that position but how is it that they never adjust to the wr eyes or actions!?!!? Arms up, look back!? Many times the corners are on tight with wr but fail the fundamentals. If I'm not mistaken, Deion Harris is one of the tops in the fcs in breakups. As I recall on many of those breakups, they have been on slant patterns where the wr wasn't going straight up the field. The issue seems to be when the wr are on go patterns. Seems like he has the talent to be locked in on the wr but lacks the fundamentals. And they are very very young. True fresh, true soph at corners and a banged up safety position. Pretty sure Cole shouldn't be playing right now, but und lacks the depth at that position. The depth will come with each recruiting class. Now to the offense, Bubba needs to take a real hard look at Rudolph! His play book is one page, the same 3 or 4 plays every damn time! You would think after 20 games with him at the helm, there would be improvement. Or something that indicates that he is capable of adjusting. The predictability is astonishing and very maddening. He play calling looks "ok" when leading but looks plain silly when they have fallen behind. Santiago has single handily made up for his short beings. Santiago is an all American candidate but cannot do it alone. Teams adjust, we don't! When they adjust and stack 9 in the box, Rudolph keeps with same damn plays!! Very frustrating !! I think we all know what play will happen when iwarri is in. Way to predicatable ! How about using the te ? How about using iwarri as a catching wr? You could argue the fact the offensive line is average ,qb is ave to below average, and receiving talent is ave but the play calling is just beyond predictable ! When we as fans can start calling most of the plays, pretty sure the opposing coach is catching on as well. The offensive line is getting better, love the rb situation, and am excited to get Dulin out there next yr at wr. Gut feeling, but thinking he could be very special. Actually was hoping the coaches would have pulled his shirt this yr. The kicking and punting are above ave but need to shore up the coverage teams! That's all I have
-
1
-
MSU Game Day Thread
in Football
Posted
Yes!!!! Good win guys!!! Finally! Nice to see 3 forced turnovers, but not happy with the play calling , especially the 2nd half again!! Nice to a win vs a top 25 team at home, very refreshing