iramurphy

I'm not sure who thinks that. I do think he has the potential to be a staring QB in the NFL. I think he will be a first round pick but I don't know if he will make it or not. I have never stated he is the best QB in the draft. I don't think so. That opinion doesn't qualify me for the "love fest" some refer to. Some of the posts from our fans don't seem to recognize what he has done and what a number of NFL teams and coaches thinks he can do. I think it makes us look petty when we try to disregard his potential. I don't care if anyone agrees. This is a blog. I also recognize there are a people on this site who don't want anyone with a differing opinion to challenge anyone's thinking. I am not referring to you or anyone in particular, but I'm sure you see the same. I also don't agree with those who feel his success in any way helps us. It doesn't. It helps the AC folks. I

How the AC does and how their fans act doesn't affect me. It makes us look bad when we make critical remarks about a kid who has proven himself to be a legitimate 1st round draft pick. The discussion wasn't about their obnoxious fans and media it was thoughts on the Wentz kid and his potential as an NFL draft pick and player.

You are correct of course thanks for the correction.

To the AC fans who have nothing better to do than read our blogs, I will preface my remarks with the confession in that according to some of the experts on this blog, I couldn't objectively evaluate a QB, so take this with a grain of salt. On the other hand I have sat on the couch in Jerry Jones post game suite on numerous occasions while my son-in law was a two time pro-bowler with the Cowboys. They are very interested in Wentz. They took Romo out of Eastern Illinois and they look at the AC as being on the same level and they would be correct. They also have a long history of taking small school guys. Wentz has been successful against FBS competition when he faced them. He has size, athletic ability, speed and smarts. He also has "it". People gravitate to his leadership and personality. I don't know who will draft him nor when. Cowboys would be a great fit . Jason Garrett was a QB and had a chance to coach him all week at Senior Bowl. If he performs to his ability at the Combine and Pro Day he will likely be a top 10 pick. He would likely learn the system under Romo for the next 2-3 years. He was given the opportunity to develop like that at the AC under Brock Johnson and Vigen and if he can do that for 2-3 years in the NFL he could be very good. I am not an AC fan, but if you can't see the kids talent and potential, you don't know FB.

Saw this Friday night. This was response to the post that quoted WM fans chanting " whiny bi_tch". (whiney?). How does that compare with what we hear regularly at our games? "Who's he, he sucks sh.." And F... The Gophers"? What we do is just as bad if not worse isn't it?

Game on cable WDAY extra. Channel 602 in Detroit Lakes.

Yes, he could very well have. He had his doctorate. He was Dean of the College of Business. He had a successful military career and was a very popular Dean. He was popular among students and alumni. He had good connections at the legislature and he was intelligent, had great personal skills, a high EQ, and was a North Dakota native.

I think we need to remember that early commits are often done when kids don't know all of their options. We never used to know the recruiting class until signing date cuz schools and coaches aren't allowed to make that information available to the media. These kids need to do what is best for them. If our coaches offered the kid, they do a good job of trying to maintain communication and continue recruiting until they are signed. If the kid wants to play at a higher level, then more power to them. We wish them well and if it doesn't work out we hope to have them transfer here. We also want to wish them well in case they have siblings or friends/teammates who are potential recruits. It is difficult to go into a school where kids were at UND and don't have good things to say about the program or kids/parents/coaches who considered coming here read some of the criticism or insults on a fan blog. Coaches and fans need to make sure we don't get frustrated with this process. Until they are signed they aren't committed. The colleges also offer kids scholarships then retract the offer cuz someone better comes along or maybe they see things they didn't like or change their mind about the kids potential. I am more concerned about losing kids that are already signed or are already here. That is a more difficult pill to swallow, but we are just fans and it shouldn't cause us to lose sleep.

Did Grady come back after Christmas break? I understand someone else was criticized last month for raising the issue, but there was legitimate concern.

Former Sioux wide receiver Dr. Phil Johnson again serves as team physician for USA.

Only if you feel "giving your word" or making a commitment is conditional. I think both guys did what they felt was best for them and it doesn't indicate a character flaw in either kid. They are young impressionable athletes who feel a lot of pressure to make the decision they feel is best for them. Sometimes things change.

I agree that UND hasn't been a high pressure school. Would you still go after the SDSU commits? They also gave their word. It can't be a character flaw for those who change their mind and go elsewhere but not a character flaw for those who change their mind and come here. I also wonder who confirmed he committed to us? I believe he did but did the kid confirm it? I only read about it on a blog. The info is often assumed cuz of tweets or twitters. Others have made the point: They aren't committed til they are signed. Others bring up the valid point that if a kid commits then it changes who else we go after and with what kind of an offer. We can't forget nothing is binding til we have the signature.

"we only want guys that really want to be here"? Maybe the kid wanted a school that "really wanted him to play for them". You know nothing of the kids character or personality. I think he wanted to come here after his visit but he changed his mind with a better offer. Maybe he needed the extra money, who knows? We have one of the best freshman hockey players in the country who changed his mind. Do you question his character? These are high school kids. Maybe we should just wish them luck and hope we didn't offer more was because we have someone better. Some of you guys seem to take these things as a personal affront. That is a bit much.

I stand corrected

Yes. When none of the Big Sky teams can win in the first round it is concerning. When you hammer us with Studsrud and Reyes in the game, and then you hammer a Montana team that we couldn't compete with regardless of who are QB was, it does temper the enthusiasm. On the other hand, the program is headed in the right direction. We need to develop our ability to beat one on one coverage and improve our passing game to win consistently in the playoffs. We are still young. We need to upgrade a bit with off season strengthening and improve our depth but if we aren't in the playoffs next year it will be a big disappointment. We struggled against teams that could run and throw especially those that gave their QB time to pick apart our secondary. Our run game is solid and if given time Studsrud is good enough to make the throws to move the chains. Need big upgrade in passing game and our secondary and then we will be ready to play you guys or anyone else in the FCS.

I agree we can recruit athletes who haven't signed elsewhere but I don't believe we can recruit kids who have already signed the LOI. Reaching out with a text tweet or whatever letting the kid know if the coaching change would affect their decision we would like to talk to them is a good way to do it but there is no reason not to go after kids who haven't signed unless they tell us no way.

Gundy, I think it is a cultural difference. Do you want a culture of one where if you come into the program, bust your butt for us and if we don't have the ability to develop your talent or maybe you aren't good enough to crack the starting lineup we dump you? If a player is clearly not going to be able to play they need to sit down with the player and review how they see things and outline what the player needs to do to get on the field. If the player can't do that, then many of them will transfer out and hopefully appreciate the opportunity. This staff kept both of these QB's knowing they had made the decsion that Keaton was their guy last December. They did that cuz they didn't want to take a chance on Keaton not being able to handle the job, the fact they didnt' know if Joe would be healed and the fact that both Ryan and Joe had played well at times. Those 2 seniors were loyal to the program and deserve to be part of this. You can also have a culture where if we aren't going to need you we cut you. Those programs don't tend to have the same culture and loyalty to the program in the long run, but teams can win either way. If they cut either of these guys after they stayed loyal to the program, that would tell me something about the integrity and class or lack therof of our staff. If they cut either one of these guys, then Bubba needs to stop the family and love rhetoric and simply coach and keep building things as he sees fit. I dont't give a rats butt if they were Mussman recruits, they are UND recruits, not Mussman recruits. It is too bad that one of these guys never got a chance to play again yet has been blasted time and again on this blog. All he ever did was choose UND and do as he was asked in a time when we didn't have a running game, or oline. Got hurt for us , rehabbed then came back supportive of his teammates and coaches, and you are actually considering we would cut him? Sorry but until now that hasn't been UND FB.

no

I get your point but it shouldn't have come down to that int. As a team we just weren't playing very well especially defensively. Give their QB credit he made a difference. The coaches chose to use Bartels and they chose to stay with him no matter how he played. It wasn't just Bartels. It was our oline, receivers and RB's too. No matter how I may have felt, once the staff picked their ms tarting QB they needed to give him the support to know he wasn't having to " look over his shoulder". Once he was hurt I think the coaches made a mistake. Bubba can't complain about losing games when Keaton was hurt. He made the decision to go with Bartels. Even with Bartels, struggling, we should have one the Idaho State game and probably should have won the Weber game. Seasons over, I think QB situation is decided for next 2 years. We need another good recruiting year to improve depth and we should be better next year. No more blow outs. Hopefully conference championship.

You can't pin this on one guy. Coaches made decision to go with Bartels. Not necessarily wrong but when he didn't play well they stuck with him. Too many people, and it seems some of the coaches, forget Studsrud had not been playing that well when he got hurt. He was ok. I mentioned before, I think by the end of the year he was our most improved player from fall to now, but he wasn't winning or losing games for us. He was adequate. What was our secondary doing when we were up by 14 in those games? Why weren't we moving the ball on the ground? What were our special teams doing? This is a team game and the team and coaching staff lost those games, not one guy. That isn't fair to Bartels. I saw how he played and it wasn't just Bartels. We had the personnel to win those games without Keaton. If we struggle in the secondary, our dline and LB's need to step it up and pressure the QB. Didn't happen against Idaho State. If our receivers are struggling with routes our oline QB and RB's need to step up. The team struggled. Studsrud may have made a difference but no way to know. I think Reyes would have made a difference but no way to know. It's a team game and these were team losses just like the wins were team wins. Keaton played his best FB the last 3 games, almost flawless the last 2. The oline protected him and we ran the ball almost at will. Do that for Bartels and we win both of those games. Great steps this year, got screwed by playoff selection rubes, nothing we can do. Good lesson: control the things we can control and we are in. Then we don't have the same frustration on selection day. We need to be prepared to win no matter who we are playing regardless of injuries. Takes time and we are headed in the right direction.

I disagree. That loss was one factor that kept us out. I disagreed with playing them before we were ready. That was Bubba's decision. Faison discussed it with UND FB alumni before he agreed to schedule the game. A lot of the older guys wanted to resume the series. A lot of guys didn't want to under the terms offered by the AC. Bubba stood up and said he wanted to schedule them. My feeling was if the coaches want to play it, and can get our kids ready then we should support the coach. We obviously were not ready. The fact is if we play and beat any other FCS team we are in. You don't need to get your butt kicked to measure where we are. Most knowledgeable fans and certainly the coaches should have been able to make that clear. Losing a playoff selection isn't worth that measuring stick. To blame Bartles for 3 losses isn't fair to Bartels. He didn't lose those games, he was the QB in 2 games we lost and part of a third. Studsrud was QB against the AC but it wasn't his fault we got our but kicked. Why were either Weber or Idaho still in those games in the 4th quarter? We had 14 point leads. If we are a playoff team we need to put those games away. We do that in either game and we are in despite the loss to the AC. There were 10 other guys on offense and our defense and special teams who also should have played better. I think by the end of the year Studsrud was arguably the most improved player on the team. He wasn't much of a factor in the earlier games other than he was adequate and wasn't a negative factor. These last 3 games and especially the last 2, he was near perfect. He was a positive factor and potential difference maker. The oline gave him plenty of time to throw. Had they done that for him earlier in the year I think he could have done the same thing. Had they done that for Bartels we probably win those 2 games. It is a team game and I think the loss of Reyes was a bigger factor than the loss of Studsrud. Lastly, the win against Wyoming wasn't such a positive factor cuz they were terrible. The blow out losses to the AC and to Montana where we couldn't even compete were big negative factors. We controlled our own destiny and screwed the pooch. We need to focus on the things we can control. I think we deserved to get in but these things happen when you put yourselves on the "bubble". We made progress this year. The guys we have returning and coaches need to keep improving, we need to continue improving our recruiting and we need to get phase 2 of our new facility done. We made strides this year. On selection day next year, the talk shouldn't be about whether we get in but who we play and whether or not we have a first round bye.

Ok, that's valid. We lived in the dorms with other students and FB and Hockey players hung out with other students. If they are acting like jerks then Bubba needs to be made aware and have a quick come to Bubba meeting. I don't think he will tolerate that. We never posted pictures cuz there were no pictures to post and no way to post them. I was never ripped enough to even think of that ,but my wife thought I was cute and had a nice butt. Unfortunately she doesn't remember thinking that. Athletes and students hung out together and socialized together. We also supported each other at our respective sports. How the hell are they going to get through school if you smart normal guys don' t help them???

That is how the "snake pit" started many years ago. It was a combo of a handful of FB players and Sigma Chis who went to the JV games to watch friends play. No one else was there so whatever you yelled at the refs or opponents was pretty clear. It morphed into a regular group at the varsity games. Later included hockey and baseball. Eventually the SAE's took over. It lasted quite awhile. We could usually piss off the subs by asking if the coach promised them a good seat on the bench when they were recruited. Dana Powers and Paul Gravelle were NCC refs and easy targets. A few years later i had a couple of beers with them and they were laughing about all of the stories and crap they took from the Snake Pit over the years. When I was in Desert Storm 20 years later, Ryan Bakken wrote an article in the GFHerald someone sent to me. You guys can turn your section into a difference maker for Sioux athletics.

I don't sit in the suites and I don't believe most of those who do care what the students do as long as they don't impede their ability to see the game. For that much money you should be able to feel comfortable. There was a time when at MBB there was a "Snake Pit" behind the visitors bench that caught the attention of the visiting players and coaches. No F-bombs or racial slurs. The people there could usually get the bench players laughing or pissed off or both. Most coaches would talk to the fans before the game, the refs knew those fans. It was pretty funny and the oposition didn't like playing at UND. It could be ruthless for the oppostition but didn't have to be crude. Eventually the NCC officials enacted a rule that the first couple of rows behind the visitors bench had to be given to the visitors fans. Dumb rule but there was a time when most fans were simply UND fans who attended MBB then went to the hockey games and it wasn't common practice to use that langauge. FB fans especially, the WBB players used to be directly behind the visitors bench and the student fans were loud enough to be noticed. They pissed off the visitors and they made enough noise to disrupt the opposition play calling. After the MBB the same fans would head over to the hockey game and harass the refs and opposition there. That is the reason I guess I care if students go. Up to them, but they can be part of the success of our programs just like they have been in the past for all of our sports. I think FB attendence will improve when fans again become part of the game experience. The players notice and appreciate it in all sports. It also makes a difference in the game atmosphere for all sports. Intercollegiate athletics can make the college experience a lot more fun for most students but they need to get involved. The solution will come from students who want things to get better and an administration that realizes how important intercollegiate sports can be to the University with regards to recruiting of non-athletic students and donations from area businesses and alumni. Administration also needs to recognize the importance of student support and listen to the ideas and suggestions from students to help create an improved game atmosphere. We need more butts in the seats at MBB, WBB, VB and FB. We also need to avoid becoming complacent in hockey cuz we can lose our edge there very quickly and it can be very difficult to get it back. We can't demand students show up, we have to sell them on the idea that this can be a great time. I didn't mean to offend you but I do think the crude cheers show a lack of intelligence and thought. Anyone can come up with that crap after a few too many beers. It doesn't take much more energy to be clever and entertaining. We may disagree, I just think we can do better.

There was nothing in my post about when this started. The fact that we have fans acting like morons for that long doesn't make it correct. I don't bring my kids to games, but being that this is a college event, is it asking to much to expect that we show common courtesy to those who may bring their kids to games or to those who don't wish to hear crude language screamed by UND fans? If you are screaming F-bombs sitting next to me, you won't remain at the game whether there are kids there or not. Has nothing to do with family values, it has to do with common courtesy and have been raised by people who taught us how to act in public. The fact that vulgar cheers didn't corrupt you, has nothing to do with it. I wouldn't expect foul language to "corrupt" anyone. Most people find it offensive. I can act like a moron too, but I try and make sure it doesn't infringe on the rights of those around me to expect me to know how to act in public. I have been a student and around college students who were much better at harrassing opposing teams and officials without being crude. You happen to disagree and I guess if that is what the majority of people in society today are comfortable with, then I'm in the minority. As far as the patty cake comment, on this blog then I also guess I'm not as tough as some of you guys. I don't happen to like the "who's he chant" but I think the f-bombs cross the line. The "who's he" chant is there cuz we aren't smart enough to come up with anything clever.