bincitysioux

This is going to be a very tough game. Cal Poly is a very good program, they are year in and year out. We are 1-3 against them in the DI era and have lost the last 3 against them, twice at home including the one year when we had a semi decent team in 2011. They have played a much more difficult schedule than we have. We may have a great run defense, but I am sure that CP is going to get their yards. We need to limit the big run plays, just like we need to limit big pass plays against pass happy teams. Having said all that, outside of beating Montana in a non conference game, their other wins aren't real impressive. They've beaten Sac, ISU, and Davis. Not to be repetitive, but this game is the now the most important one of the DI era, just like last week, and the week before. Rise to the occasion...........

I say only 6,000 at most would show up to the Alerus Center for a football game on November 28. I say about 3,000 at most would show up to Memorial for a football game on November 28. It's a terrible facility and everyone who has been there knows it, some just aren't willing to admit it. And I'm talking about before it sat vacant for 15 years.

Yeah I was just saying in general. I know the hockey czars would never allow a home game to be held outside of prime-time anyways, just thinking outside the box. I'd like 4:00 as the regular start time. Doesn't blow the whole day. People who travel would get there and get home in plenty of time. Late season tailgating would be during the warmest part of the day. I'm sure there are TV implications when setting the start times.

My guess on attendance for a playoff game that day would be less than 6,000. As far as start times, I think 4:00 pm would be perfect, as long as there isn't a hockey game. Here is a crazy thought for double header Saturdays: a 3:30 pm hockey game and a 7:00 pm football game.

Regardless of what the "experts" say, I don't think it is a guarantee that if we win we are in. However I do know that it is a guarantee that if we lose we are out, so lets take care of business against Cal Poly. I am heading out for SLO on Tuesday and am jacked that this game has so much meaning. Can't ask for a better end to the regular season in just year 2 of Bubba's regime.

Just updated the attendance wiki. Overall average for this year was 8,318 which is about an 11% increase over last season, so that is a great sign. Best attended game was the opener against Drake. There was a glaring dropoff in attendance from the first 3 games to the last two. Averaged around 9,200 for the first three, and just about 7,000 for the last two. I suppose the 3 game losing streak heading into the game against the Bobcats played a big role in the poor attendence for that game, which was against what should be the most appealing opponent on our schedule. As a "die-hard", I continue to be frustrated by the lack of support that this program gets, but am pleased with the healthy increase in average over last season. I'll remain cautiously optimistic that a strong finish winning this last game and a potential playoff berth will spur even more ticket sales in the off season.

Thst is really lame.......

Attendance today was 6,996. Biggest home game of the DI era, and nobody saw it. Students were weak as usual. So was the rest of the building.

Just looking through the conference stats, these two teams are very evenly matched. Pretty much middle of the pack for both squads up and down the stat book. One advantage for us that I see is our running game against their rush defense. If we can establish the run again this week, it should provide a few opportunities for Studsrud to make a few big completions in play action. Where I see a big advantage for UNC over us, aside from special teams, is in turnover margin. They are +2 on the season while UND is -7. We lead the league in fumbles, and they are 2nd in the league at forcing them. Not a good recipe. I expect another nail-biter. Same as every game in the Alerus lately. Are they going to have some sort of priority seating for the hockey game for students that go to the football game? I know they have done that in the past on double-header days and it has helped with student turnout.

Keeping with the theme that "the playoffs start today", this game against Northern Colorado is probably the most meaningful game to be played in the Alerus Center since the 1st round playoff game in 2005 when we sort of limped into the playoffs on a two game losing streak after breezing through most of the season. Ironically, Bubba was the opposition head coach for UM Duluth that day.

I think that at minimum, this team needs to finish in the top half of the league for Jones to keep his job. It is pretty sad that the bar has been set so low, but after last year's disaster of a season, a top half finish would be a big improvement. IMO, that's a pretty low standard but my opinion doesn't count for much. Faison has terminated 5 coaches during his tenure before their contracts were up, so I am confident that he will be watching this season especially close.

Very impressive building. Should be a great asset for many sports.

I will be there

It's going to be real interesting to see how this shakes out, and how the unbalanced schedule and the tie breakers come into play. Just looking at the loss column of the standings, I see 5 teams still in the running for the Big Sky's autobid: SUU, EWU, PSU, NAU, and UM. It is difficult to make heads or tails of it, especially when those 5 are basically going to all be playing each other over the next two weeks. Northern Arizona should beat Sac St. this weekend and will likely enter the final week at 5-2 in conference play. Northern Colorado probably helped our cause by beating PSU. Our best chance for getting in right now is obviously for us to win the next two, but also for PSU to lose their next two. Here's who the 5 Big Sky title contenders have left: -Southern Utah (6-0): @‌ Portland St., vs. NAU -Eastern Washington (5-1) @‌ Montana, vs. Portland St. -Portland St. (4-2): vs. Southern Utah, @‌ Eastern Washington -Northern Arizona (4-2): vs. Sacramento St., @‌ Southern Utah -Montana (4-2): vs Eastern Washington, @‌ Montana St. I will be cheering hard this Saturday for North Dakota, Southern Utah, Sacramento, and Eastern Washington. It would definately be in our best interests for the two conference front-runners, SUU & EWU, to do well the next two weeks. I don't think UNC has playoff hopes IMO. Even if they win out, they'd only have 6 DI wins.

They could just go back to throwing the same switch in the Alerus that they have been for the last 5 years. That would be affordable.

So as I sat at the hockey game tonight while they did their pregame hype show and intro video, which is always first class at the REA, I couldn't help but think to myself, "man, this would be so much better if they took a page from the Alerus and left all of the lights on while this builds up, that would really amp this place up!"

There is UND branding on the outside of the stadium. There is an enourmous mural of UND football just as you walk in the main entrance. The sidelines below the stands are covered with UND stuff for 100 yards on both sides of the field. There are championship banners galore hanging from the rafters. The concourses are very bland and sterile though, absent of anything UND or otherwise for that matter. Basically after you enter the building until you get to your seats it is pretty bland.

I'd say the people are what make most any venue great. No rush to have endzone seating IMO because we can't fill the seats on the sidelines. I agree that more UND signage throughout the concourse would be nice. The Alerus is "state-of-the-art". I doubt that any on-campus replacement would be much more superior. I doubt that any on-campus replacement would have a roof, so that would be a huge step backward.

I hate to get ahead of ourselves here, but that article also said: SDSU is averaging over 13,000 for attendance this year. That would play a major factor.

I believe they seed only the top 8 teams who get byes past the first round. The first round games are paired on a regional basis to reduce travel costs and that is where the bidding comes in. I could be wrong, but I think they used to do this in DII as well, which is why UND almost always hosted a first round game because nobody could compete with our bids. IF we do make the playoffs, and IF we do win the bid, I'd expect a poor crowd on Thanksgiving weekend. That may influence the dollar figure that Faison throws out to the NCAA if it comes to that. 1st round FCS playoff games are generally attended poorly. In fact, most FCS playoff games are attended poorly. IF we were to make it and host a first round game, I wouldn't be surprised if it were the lowest attended game of the year.

I'm on record as saying ad nauseum that I love the Alerus. I have been present since it opened, and through its first 8 years, the atmosphere at that place was pretty tough to beat. Raucous and deafening. I remain optimistic that UND is going to string together several winning seasons and playoff berths in the very near future and that will bring back the fans and students. Maybe I am off base, but it seems like a lot of the people that complain about the Alerus, probably never experienced a game there in the 2000's. The atmosphere then was off the hook. The 2001 playoff game against UC Davis was legendary. 2003 against NDSU was great. All of the playoff games in 2003, the building was rocking. The last great atmosphere that I can remember was 2009 against USD. The place was filled to the rafters and extremely loud that day. I went to the game against NDSU at the Fargodome this year. At the start it was so loud, my ears were ringing. Very impressive atmosphere and very jealous of it. But in all honesty, it was no better than the Alerus was for a big game circa 2001-2007.

We are 3-1 against Northern Colorado in the DI era. All have been VERY close games except last year when we ran all over them. Let's get healthy, stay focused, and do our thing.

Pretty exciting to be playing meaningful football in November for the first time since 2007.

They don't actually carry the network itself but any live game that FCS broadcasts is aired if you have the sports pack. FCS, the channel itself, is just a mish-mash of programming from all of the regional Fox Sports networks.

I agree that Midco's production quality is top notch, but like UND-FB-Fan said, it takes an act of congress to access it if you live out in the boonies like I do. I'd really like to see WDAZ and their sub-channels utilized for the coaches shows at minimum.