iramurphy

You are correct. Biggest reason I would like Rudolph replaced. I also think the QB situation and how it was handled is Bubba's biggest mistake as a head coach. There was absolutely no reason for them to pull Studsrud's redshirt at the end of a year we weren't going to make the playoffs. Hanson could have finished the season handing the ball off and Studsrud would be a senior next year. We all gave Keaton a pass for 3 years and much of this year because of the O line and receivers dropping passes. We never gave either Mollberg or Bartles a pass for the same problems. Their 1st 2 yrs our o line was as bad or worse and we had no running game. Their 1st yr they had talent at WR but those guys including Hardin had too many drops and the Fr Golladay and Jackson weren't always running the correct nor disciplined routes. Look at some of the old film and see what kind of protection those guys had. Mollberg was developing his Soph year before he got hurt and both years you should have been able to see the potential. Our staff did nothing to develop any of these three QB's. What progress Studsrud made was more the result of his own initiative and hard work than coaching. I know Mollberg and Bartles turned the ball over too much their Fr year but they also had no pass protection. Keaton had more Int than TD's his senior year. He also turned it over on a couple of fumbles. Whose is to say how Mollberg would have played but he should have been given a chance. They didn't let him play even when Keaton was injured. He got hurt when he was starting to play better and was told at the end of the season he was no longer in their plans. Rudolph treated him like crap and he didn't deserve that. You don't do that to a kid who gets hurt playing for you. The following August he was healthy and could have played. For those who think it was because he wasn't healthy you don't know what you are talking about. At the end of his Junior season one of the RB's told Mollberg Rudolph had commented he would never see the field Again as long as he was coaching here. Mollberg said he would play any position they thought would help the team so he was moved to TE. They also hinted they would cut his scholarship. I know some think my opinion is only because he was from DL. Maybe you are right. I also told UND Adam Thielen had the best hands of any HS receiver I had seen and I guess that must have been my DL bias too because UND didn't recruit him. Incidentally, Mollberg set a DL BBB career scoring record his senior year breaking Adam Thielen's record. He was Bohl and Vigen's top QB recruit his Sr year and they seem to know something about QB's. (Brock Johnson, Wentz and now Josh Allen). How the hell Rudolph and Bubba didn't want to at least give him a fair shot at coming back from his injury will never make sense to me. He was an excellent student, great athlete and great kid. He had as good of an arm as I have seen at UND in the almost 50 yrs I have been involved with UND FB. Had Mollberg been QB his last 2 years, he would have pissed off Rudolph because he would have changed some of the dumb ass play calling but I think we would have been better both years and made the playoffs 2 yrs ago and gone further in the playoff last year. No way to know what would but if anyone doesn't think we need a QB coach I disagree and I would bet all three of those QB's would agree. I think Bubba did what he thought would be best for the team and what he was trying to establish offensively. I disagreed with his decision but he is at practice and he is coaching. He is the one held responsible for the decisions. In that I supported him. They way Rudolph treated Mollberg was not acceptable and I will support his dismissal.

You do realize coaches aren't going to be getting their advice from fans. Even those of us who have played and coached can give them our opinion but they aren't going to waste a lot of their time considering anything we suggest unless we alert them to a potential recruit or donor. That is the way it has to be. What they need from us is money and support. There are a number of fans who base their decision to do so for the wrong reasons. These blogs range from former players some with high school or college coaching experience to elementary or middle school kids and it seems quite a number of sports fanatics who likely are living in their parents basement or extra room. On a blog each opinion is as valuable as another. Doesn't take any brains or knowledge of the game to figure out this season was a huge disappointment. People are venting. There are valid points and some not so much. People need to vent. They want to identify with a winner and for some this is maybe there only opportunity. Coaches shouldn't read these blogs. Players and parents shouldn't read these blogs. The problem is that pretty soon some of us might think we know what we are talking about!!! Having said that I would like you or someone else to explain the reason to keep Knauf or Rudolph.

Your Grandma was pretty quick. Not sure you could have covered her without holding half of the time.

Huge mistake

That's where our QB needs to change the play. Give it to the 235 lb RB who just picked up 2 yds with no running room on his 2 previous carries. I think he would have scored.

There certainly are limitations based on the personnel "package" on the field and the spread has options built into the package based on the defense but I strongly disagree that "no spread QB has options to call plays". If that is the case I would want a new QB and also want to evaluate why we aren't developing our QB's to do so. That to me is Rudolph's weakness.

Every good college QB across the country. That is why they watch and study film. I was told that Studsrud has not be given a lot of options and there seems to be a weird control issue. . Coaches can't handcuff a QB by making them afraid to audible to whatever the QB thinks will work based on his feel for the game and also what he reads looking at the defense. Putting backs/receivers in motion often gives the QB an idea of what the defense will do and that is why QB's at the college and pro level are expected to make the correct audible. If our QB's aren't comfortable doing that then we having a coaching communication problem. If Studsrud is as good as you seem to think he is then the coaches should have been able to develop his skills to the point he is like a coach on the field and should veto any stupid call from the OC. I think Studsrud would call a much different offensive game had he been allowed. He has his limitations but I don't believe being stupid is one of them.

I believe he will be gone shortly. He should be first to go. Rudolph should be next. We need a QB coach. That has got to be a top priority. We haven't been able to develop our QB's. Rudolph's assessment of who has the most potential has never been good from day one. Not just recently overlooking Zimmerman but Studsrud hasn't developed under Rudolph. What he has accomplished hasn't been because of the coaching. I would be willing to give Freund a shot at QB coach but not OC. Kostich shows promise and I would retain him. Kids like him. Special teams need to improve but before I would dump Kostich I would need to know more about how much time they spend on special teams each week. He is a good recruiter and I have heard good things about him.

People on fan boards aren't always very good evaluators of talent and no one can evaluate an athlete from the little they see on one of these social media clips. All college athletic teams have these blogs where fans can talk smart and pretend we have all of the answers. CJ will have the opportunity to get a great education and Bubba and his staff will give him every opportunity to succeed. Hopefully he will have a great career and have great time in college. There are a number of very good young athletes on this team that are going to get things turned around again .Thanks for your post.

The QB always has the last word. Doesn't matter what the coach calls if the QB reads a different defense or disagrees with the call he should change the call. If he isn't a wwell establisehed QB and doesn't have a good relationship with the OC and head coach he may end up on the bench.

I believe you will definitely see a new O-line coach. I know Bubba has been hearing comments similar to those on this blog about a change in OC. I don't believe in changing anything until season is over and then changes should be made right away to get new people in and part of the recruiting process.

Of course it is easier said than done. Success isn't always easy and I think sometimes the easy way gets us only part way to where we want to go. We too often piece-meal what we need to get done. Engelstad didn't do that with the arena. It is time we realize that there is a whole different level to which we should aspire to. In our athletic world, I believe this is what it is going to take. There are people like that out there, but will one of them apply?

Whomever we decide on they can't be a FB guy, MBB guy, hockey guy etc. they need to be a University of North Dakota guy. They need a vision and strategy that includes FB, VB, Hockey, Soccer, MBB, WBB, Track, the students, the GF community, the UND Alumni family, the State of North Dakota and the region. We need to upgrade our facilities and then evaluate and maintain or upgrade regularly. We need to engage the students and keep that relationship high on our priority list. We need to reach out to our faculty and staff whenever and where ever we can. We need to work hand in hand with our Champions Club and the Alumni office. We need a strong relationship with the city, county and Chamber officials. The job will require a dynamic leader will the organization skills to lead a team in order to accomplish these goals and help grow fan support and donations. This team will need to run a balanced budget with the ability to adjust to the changing political and economic climate and changes. We can no longer stall or delay our decisions or progress because of poor planning. We can't delay improving coaches salaries and we need to get phase 2 going on the practice facility. Our women's programs must be properly funded and supported. Those athletes should feel as they are an important part of the UND athletic department and experience. Their facilities should be second to none. We need to upgrade the marketing for the athletic teams and for the University. Anyone who interviews for this job and doesn't have these basic ideas in mind isn't ready for the job.

What goes on at the AC doesn't threaten what's in the best interest of the University but we must not ignore the success and failures of our friends to the south. Your one school comment is something only an ignorant moron would say. UND isn't going to waste anymore time on the old name and logo. Who cares if some take more time to move on. We cheer for success of the team and athletes not a nickname or logo. Nothing UND can do about it and there are a whole host of people who can be the scapegoats but it no longer matters. I believe the contract for the Engelstad arena gives ownership and control to UND with all profits going to support UND athletics . For some reason I thought it was 20 yrs after it opened but I would have to look it up. Doesn't involve Fargo. UND is a state institution and I understand the role of the legislature and SBOHE. Unfortunately the state could mess with UND funding by redirecting other funds if the arena is providing a large financial bonus to UND but the arena wouldn't be directly run by the legislature, Fargo folks nor UND haters.

The MVFC issue is settled so there is no reason to kick that dead horse. I agree we need to have the mindset that we win. I believe most of our fans understand that. I wouldn't look 70 miles south. They have a very different community and support system. They are a community of almost 200,000 people. They receive tremendous financial support from local and regional businesses who often times are not Alumni. Three of their most generous contributors are UND grads. (Mercil, Barry, Ingstad). UND's support strength is our alumni. We have a number of area businesses who are also very generous supporters but their aren't enough of them. We need to be evaluating every possibility for our programs including level of play and conference affiliation on a regular basis. Hopefully Kennedy has that in mind. He does have an affinity for what the AC is doing. I believe we need to pay attention but that wouldn't be my blueprint. We need to do it better. We need to consider the cost and options of moving up in FB. That wouldn't be possible right now and maybe not in the future but if we aren't positioning ourselves for that possibility we will be left flogging the dolphin like we were when UNI, Montana, Montana State moved up , then later the Su's. We need a vision and long term strategy that includes better support and sustainable support from out Alumni association. There is no reason we don't have the Phase 2 part of the Sports facility going. It will also take a commitment from our present donors to maintain and hopefully increase our present support. We need to put the name and logo crap to rest. That ship has not only sailed it has sunk. One of the reasons it won't ever come back is that no one in their right mind wants to deal with tribal governments. They can completely change over night. Happens with our own government elections. We also need to stop the crap about hockey vs other sports. There are many fans of neighboring schools in other sports who are loyal UND hockey fans and we need them. We also need to make sure the transition of the Engelstad arena to UND goes smoothly and we remain sensitive to the Engelstad family and are respectful of their opinions and input. Lots of work to do but lots of opportunities for success.

Are you drunk again? He didn't burn any bridges. He is a viable candidate. Josh Morton is another viable candidate. Purpur would be, but I don't think he is interested. Rob Bollinger would be another.

I would respectfully disagree. Maybe a handful of people claimed they wouldn't support UND because of these guys. Blaming stuff on Mussman has gotten a bit old. I'm not defending him as a coach, but he wasn't given the resources to transition to the FCS level. He has been the whipping boy on this board for way too long. The guy is long gone. Faison's job wasn't to raise funds. He had a number of issues to deal with including a financial mess. The athletic department was also in a transition to FCS and was not given the resources to make that happen as quickly as we might have. Faison was not charismatic and certainly people who felt they were important to UND athletics never seemed to get the schmoozing they wanted from him. I was disappointed in his lack of interaction with fans and boosters. He did some good things in difficult times. I liked him better than Bunning. He had nothing to do with the Fighting Sioux issue. None whatsoever. It was a done deal before Faison got here and it was a done deal before Kelly got here. We wasted a lot of Kelly's time kicking the proverbial dead horse.

I do not believe the money was in place. When the University was asking some of us for money, they weren't even close. When Sanford offered the $10,000,000 and Altru then came up with their $10,000,000 the money was there for phase one. Not sure where you get the info about all of the people pulling out when Mussman was hired but I was told we had a long way to go to get the necessary funds. As it has turned out the $10,000,000 Sanford gave to the AC has turned out to have been only the first part of Sanford's support. I believe phase 2 would have been started had we sold our soul to Sanford instead of Altru. UND-FB-Fan is correct. Faison was not the fundraiser. The Champions club staff was and is.

For someone calling for others to lose their job aren't you a little thin skinned? Personal criticism? What "personal criticism"? I asked you a bunch of questions. You let me know when you are going to teach me about sports medicine and I will buy the beer and be an attentive pupil. Then I will sit you down with Dr. Mann or Dr. Greek and buy the Scotch and we will all be attentive pupils. Let me know when your class starts. With a season like this you are correct in stating the entire program needs evaluation. The program needs to be evaluated all of the time regardless of wins and losses.

So do you know anything about sports medicine? What are the responsibilities of the sports medicine staff? How do they interact with the coaching staff, the athletes and strength and conditioning coach? Medical staff planning? What the hell are you talking about? Isn't this the same medical staff that takes care of the other UND athletes? Which type of injuries are you referring to when you refer to "this type of injury situation", Doctor? Who should lose their job and why? Be specific please. I think the injuries are certainly a factor and I think the coaching staff will review the season and where mistakes were made and how to improve, just like they do after every game. Bubba will need to decide if anyone needs to go at the end of the season. Typically, the strength and conditioning and medical support has a year end review as well. I'm sure they all would appreciate your expertise. Are you willing to donate hundreds of hours as a team physician to upgrade what our staff does or is that something you really know nothing about???? I don't know anything about the players conditioning how do I find out, or do you have inside information not available to others? Maybe you know what you are talking about but I would need to be convinced.

This kid is a future Hall of Famer. Has all of the tools and a great work ethic. Fun to see him make all of the ESPN types uncomfortable with his Christian beliefs.

I didn't actually accuse you of being a stoner but because I responded to your post I guess it was implied. I am sorry for that. When people are posting as if marijuana use is benign and the post about it being no big deal for HS and MS students then there is a definite disconnect with reality. I doubt you can teach me anything about the present drug and prescription drug epidemic this country faces. I see it every week and it includes people of all races, professions and backgrounds. I also disagree that people are "helpless victims of addiction" but that isn't to minimize the problems of addiction and withdrawal. In my experience as a military commander and physician there were very few soldiers that I dealt with who were using steroids. Very few of the law enforcement personnel that I have worked with use steroids. People pay the price for drug use daily through lost jobs, family breakups, crime, and the health problems they suffer. The legal issue are often the least of how they suffer. Alcohol isn't benign either and has killed more people than marijuana but people driving stoned have also been in fatal accidents. The medical literature is only recently starting to report the results of legalization of recreational marijuana. I have seen anything good yet. Back to the subject, if what I heard last weekend is accurate, it isn't believed this is a widespread problem on this team.

There is a difference between treating and healing. There is no evidence that I am aware of that necessarily heals TBI but there are some studies that showed decreased mortality in controlled studies with marijuana therapy. There is a difference between mood altering drugs such as alcohol or marijuana and other life stresses. There are certainly a significant number of marijuana users in sports. If you stoners think it is a benign drug you are mistaken. Alcohol isn't a benign drug either. Medical studies marijuana is the most commonly used illegal drug in the US. You can become addicted to it and you may have withdrawal if you stop. Obviously that is associated almost exclusively with heavy users. It is associated with other drug use. Long term heavy use can cause insomnia, anxiety, paranoia, and altered time perception. A Duke University study showed people who started using as teens and continued to use as adults "lost an average of 8 IQ points between ages 13-38. Those who quit pot as adults didn't regain what was lost. It can cause respiratory problems, increased heart rate. It can cause adverse effects to brain development in the fetus when pregnant women use. Heavy use can lead to hallucinations, paranoia and worsen schizophrenia. There is supportive evidence that support the idea that marijuana is a "gateway drug" but the majority of users do not progress the harder drugs. You and a couple other posters are either misinformed or have already lost you 8 IQ points if you think this is a benign drug. To even insinuate that it is no big deal for HS or MS kids to use is stupid and wrong. I will say that spouse and child abusers are seldom stoned on pot, they are usually alcohol abusers. Other than that if you are using this crap you aren't very smart. I have seen it become a cancer on athletic teams. When something goes wrong the teammates tend to blame the drug users and the stoners get defensive and it causes a divided locker room. To many kids lose focus and forget why they are here. Back to the subject at hand, I believe Bubba and his staff will do their best to identify the problem and deal with it. I hope we help these kids get good legal advice and try to get them back on track for their degree.

If you aren't embarrassed about this then I am curious what it would take. Like it or not, this is a team and the team represents the University in maybe the most visible venue, intercollegiate athletics. What we do as a FB player is a reflection on our teammates, our coaches, the University and our families. I have no idea what the outcome is going. The Poole kid and now these guys arrested based on evidence they were selling dope is a major problem. These guys are a bad influence on teammates and if others on the team know this is going on, it creates a divisive atmosphere and can become a cancer. I'm not "putting this on the Captains" but there is a breakdown in communication somewhere if this is going on. The Captains are supposed to be the communication link between the players and coaches. That isn't easy and requires leadership. For those of you who claim this is no big deal you haven't a clue. A felony conviction for this or any other offense is a serious blemish on these guys records and can adversely affect them the rest of their lives. Some felt Taylor had a shot at the NFL. They will overlook a kid smoking pot but most won't want anything to do with guys with felony convictions for drug dealing if that is the outcome. One of the dumbest posts I have ever seen on these blogs was the person who thinks it is no big deal that HS and or MS kids are using even if "only" marijuana. Those kids have more problems with truancy, lower grad rates and more emotional problems. They are also more likely to graduate to other mood altering drugs than the kids who abstain. This isn't jumping ship nor lack of support for Bubba and it's not fickle. It's being embarrassed about the shi@&show this season is turning into.

FB has become an embarrassment to the University. No excuses. Why the hell do we need to provide athletes with expense money if they are going to break the law to earn extra dollars? Where the hell are the team Captains and team leaders? If they didn't know this was going on they shouldn't be team leaders. What a mess.