iramurphy

Wow! You must be an important fan. Did you take a selfie? Maybe you could get an autographed print to put up in your man cave. Do you ever get to go on the field at the Fargodome? Have you ever talked to Carson Wentz? One of my friends saw him in a restaurant once and he said hi to them.

Most people may not be able to risk a months salary. On the other hand one person’s monthly salary may be significantly larger or smaller than yours. No one is going to crap their pants on either side of the line of scrimmage. Neither team is afraid of the other. Butler is no measuring stick to evaluate the Bison. Some may not think Drake was a good measuring stick for UND. UND is playing without their starting QB, starting center, starting CB and the mighty Bison have the next Carson Wentz at QB. You are only giving 31 points against a team the was only 6-5 last year and lost their super star RB’s from last year and want this guy to bet his $25,000 against your monthly salary? That doesn’t seem such a small wager with all advantages to the mighty Bison playing in the Fargodome. You must be making a lot more than $25,000 per month to think it would be a fair bet. I’ve made my bet with a co- worker. I offered to give her points and a framed photo of the Bison homecoming queen responding to the Go Bison chant last week in Minneapolis. I told her I don’t need points. Straight up bet. Have fun go Hawks!

I don’t think they see it as a rivalry. For the most part players are focused on game prep and preparing to win the next game. Any time you play a team the caliber of NDSU there is more excitement and intensity. The rivalry is mostly fan and media hype. In past years when so many players were from NDak, Mn, Wisc. We knew each other and played against each other or on same teams in high school. It was different then. The fans and media will revive the rivalry. It will pick up on your side the next time UND wins the game.

Because if UND upsets NDSU it changes the FB climate of the region. Recruits look at things differently and FB takes a big step forward for UND fans and will raise doubt in the mind of a number of Bison fans whose lives revolve around Bison FB. There are an awful lot of fair weather NDSU FB fans who have jumped on the bandwagon over the years. They have no affiliation with NDSU other than they want to associate with success. Same thing with UND hockey and previously with UND FB when we were winning. All coaches need to approach it as “just another game”. UND has very little to lose unless they are embarrassed. NDSU has little to gain. A win for NDSU isn’t a big deal. A close game or a loss means that bird in the rear view mirror is getting bigger and it’s a Fighting Hawk.

No coach, playoff or otherwise, is going to be furious for punts inside the 20. I’m not sure who isn’t serious about special teams and punting. We had decent coverage, no blocks and no long returns. Now we want to improve on that. If a coach is furious” with a young punter for punts inside the 20 instead of the 10 or 5, I would be more concerned with the coaches ability to teach rather than the punter. The kid did just fine.

2 of his punts were short field and he pinned them inside the 20.

Yes, but who cares? Doesn’t mean much this time of year.

One did. Wasn’t returned.

They should be. 3OT against what is supposed to be a good FBS team will do that for you.

The offense struggled. We were rotating RB’s and we dropped passes. We lost momentum but if anyone thinks the offense went stagnant because of the QB watch the game film. You don’t seem to notice what a difference it makes when a RB cuts and misses the seam or isn’t patient enough to allow his blockers to create that seam. We have had too many dropped passes that have killed drives over the past few years. He had the team moving on the last drive before he was hurt. He made good decisions and didn’t turn the ball over. I’m not sure how the loss of momentum in second quarter was the QB. He was part of it but so was Bubba, Freund, the RB’s, Oline and receivers. Zimmerman came in and also got the job done. All 3 QB’s played well. It would be fun to sit down in the film room with some of you folks to learn what I’m missing. We have a long ways to go, but yesterday was a positive step in the right direction for this team including all 3 QB’s.

Your entire post is one excuse after another. They are not a very good FB team right now. After previously losses to FCS teams they are going to hold back to keep from showing anything to another team. Every game played at the college level includes plays or wrinkles you haven’t seen or prepared for. If the other team has a new OC you prepare by looking at what he has done in past or who his mentors have been. One of my friends hit the nail on the head. Players were too tired to play cuz they spend too much energy rowing the boat. They need to sink the stupid boat and gimmicks and play better. They have a long ways to go if they are going to be better than average.

I stand corrected “Grandmom”. I’m glad he is ok. He was fun to watch. You have a lot to be proud of. Hopefully he will realize his dreams. PM me if he needs any help.

Point well taken. No excuse for not paying attention to detail. I down voted the post even though I agreed. I’m probably in a minority here, but there may have been a better way to express your opinion to a players Grandmother.

We are who we are. These are our players and coaches this year. Coaches and players have not done anything wrong nor have they accomplished anything yet this year. I’m not minimizing any of the previous seasons shortcomings. My point is there is really no reason for anyone to be “nervous “ yet. I’m not overly optimistic nor pessimistic about the upcoming season. It depends a lot on our QB play and our offensive line and defensive front 7 in my mind. Neither Bubba nor Kostich are immune from criticism, but we need to see how we compete before criticism or praise is warranted. This is probably a make or break year for Bubba. Our playoff flop followed by last years disappointing season aren’t what anyone wants on their resume. I’m certainly hopeful last year was an anomaly.

Special teams the last few years were terrible at best.

Bubba’s not going anywhere. The season hasn’t started. Kostich isn’t going anywhere either. You do realize this is a fan blog and we as fans have the luxury of second guessing whatever happens? None of us are capable of coaching college FB right now and that includes those of us who played or coached. We can discuss how well our coaches have done after they have done something. That is going to be in November or December.

Baloney. UND needs to win the game. They need to evaluate a number of players under game conditions. New coaches and Bubba need to perfect communication during game conditions and Freund needs to evaluate his offensive scheme with this years personnel. We need to get better as game goes on. We need to be able to get key back ups playing time. We need to develop our ability as players and coaches to adjust to game conditions and put away the opposition in the second half. None of us knows how good Drake will be so we need to assume we have to play our butts off and play mistake free FB to win the game. If we can accomplish all of that it will be a successful start to the season and I couldn’t give a rat’s behind for the margin of victory.

If he is still seeing the field, he has a shot. Right now, he just needs to keep getting better and avoid mistakes. The longer he lasts, other teams have film on him so even if Redskins don’t keep him, he increases the chance someone else will pick him up.

UND should win this game. Hopefully by a comfortable margin. First game of the year I wouldn’t get too carried away with margin of victory. Let’s not get too carried away with the “failure” comments. The coaches, players and fans from Drake should believe this is a winnable game. We aren’t coming off a great year and they can look at their Iowa State game. (On any given day.....). Forget about which conference they play in and forget about scholarships. Their players likely get academic scholarships grants/“work study jobs”. We have done nothing yet this year to indicate we should “dominate “ anyone or for that matter be dominated by anyone else. We need to win games. We can worry about “style points” after the season.

Kleinsasser ran a 4.5 and weighed 275lbs.

To become a winning program you need to recruit players who are good enough to get your program turned around. The formula I outlined is a way to get kids and their parents interested in your program and from their the relationships must develop and grow. It doesn’t just happen. Of course a winning program is at the top of the list for most kids. If you don’t believe in yourself and your program and the opportunity for success you shouldn’t be recruiting.

He played with second team. I didn’t see entire game but he was where he was supposed to be. Made a good break on int he dropped. He looked like he belonged. I think chances still decent but he has to keep learning and getting better each week. Decent shot at practice squad. I’d be surprised if they don’t want to see more of him before they make a decision.

Isn’t that kind of what I had said? The academic issue is indeed a factor but isn’t what will turn the program. When I was involved with recruiting, you pay attention to every detail. There are multiple factors, all important. Who the kids coaches are and where are their loyalties? Who the kids parents and relatives are and where are their loyalties if any? Do they have a girlfriend and where is she going to school? Did the kid have teammates or former teammates being recruited or playing somewhere? What is their GPA and ACT or SAT scores. What are their other sports/hobbies/interests. Did a friend or relative have a bad experience at your school or great experience elsewhere. What do parents do for a living? Are parents divorced and if so, where are they and what are their expectations for the kid? What position does the kid play and what position does he want to play? Which players on your team are best player hosts for the kid? Who is best for the faculty visits? Which coaches on your staff should be involved in the recruiting process? You leave no stone unturned. You can’t do anything about what other schools do or have done. You sell your program on the opportunities for the kids athletic future but also on the culture and philosophy of your team and staff. You sell them on the academic opportunities and social opportunities for growth and success. You also have to recruit the parents or key family members and know who the decision maker in the family is. You do this for every recruit every time. It’s hard work, but you leave “no stone unturned. (You do the same thing recruiting for your company or business to recruit key employees). We as alumni and fans have the responsibility to provide the coaches and athletes the resources necessary for success. If we do that I will take my chances on winning my share of recruiting. I don’t worry about what the Bison or anyone else is doing cuz there is nothing I can do about other programs.

Having attended both UND and Mayo Medical Schools I can tell you the University of North Dakota School of Medicine is every bit as good as your so called “prestigious” programs. “Even go to Minot State”??? You might be surprised to know that could be an advantage to a kid who wishes to attend a so called “prestigious “ medical school. Many of them try to build diversity into their medical school classes. I wouldn’t waste my money on a private college or university for a pre-med program. The key is good MCAT scores, good grades and a resume showing leadership, compassion for others, critical thinking skills and experiences showing you can work with others and handle pressure. The University of North Dakota has an excellent academic reputation among other medical schools around the country. An athlete can complete his pre-med requirements at any accredited college or university and get accepted to medical schools across the country, but all else being equal, there are advantages to a pre-med student from UND.

You are correct in stating the academic factors with respect to recruiting won’t turn the program around but you are wrong in stating it is only propaganda and not a factor. Over the years we have lost some kids to the Bison who were interested in Pharmacy or Agriculture. We have won recruiting battles because we have Physical Therapy and other health sciences as well as Aviation, the presence of our Law School and Medical School excellent offerings across the board in our college of business to name a few. The AC upgraded the business offerings and added nursing partly because they lost some key recruits to other schools. There are still outstanding athletes out there who along with their parents will weigh the academic opportunities heavily. Anyone who has been involved in recruiting athletes understands this. It’s crazy what kids and their families will factor into the equation.