Irish

When is the last time we saw a UND defense get used like this?

Other than Duncan, is anyone better than they were last year? Did anyone progress? What a lack of development from a group that we expected big things from.

Hey - I just got back from the game and need to vent - This is not Fighting Sioux hockey as I have known it. The defense has some glaring lapses and turnovers We got out hustled and out hit except for a few spurts We have some players who are non-participants on offense We take untimely penalties - no discipline =Lamoreaux or Greico needs to step up and play We seem to be having trouble handling the puck Did we get any breakaways or odd man rushes? I got criticized on an earlier thread for suggesting that the Gophers out recruited us this year - Which one of our freshmen is having a breakout year? How long are we going to blame it on "bad breaks" or "poor officiating" Let's face it - this team needs to get going soon Don't rip everyone who posts who is frustrated. We are NOT playing anything close to good hockey now.

The key to winning this game - simple - leave the agressive offense uncorked and stop playing conservative like we seem to do every time we play Omaha. This is not the time to tighten up. A look at the film the last two weeks should show how effective we can be when we play loose. I know that not going for it on 4th and 1 has been discussed at length, but look what a big difference one loss has had on our rankings. We need to play to win plain and simple.

When they let them play like they did Saturday, this is one of the best I have seen in the past 15 years. When the play calling gets conservative, they are only slightly above average. Strangely, the more we think our defense can hold the opposition, the more restricted we become on offense. When we know we have to score points like vs Northern Iowa or South Dakota we can light it up. We are definately mulit-dimensional when we want to be. I hope we pull out all of the stops for the playoffs.

Any theories on why our pass defense is getting lit up at inopportune times? When you look at the experience returning this year in the secondary this is surprising. I know that our pass rush is eratic - we seem to be blitzing and stunting less - It looks like we are sometimes hanging our secondary out there. Anyway - I'm surprised that this is a weakness this year.

I would like to find a way to get the "old people" (like me) more involved in organized chants like "sieve" etc that seem to originate from the student section. I sit with the general public and see spontaneous cheering, but very little participation in chants etc. When some of us do participate, we feel out of place, because no-one else is doing it. Maybe we could flash the chants on the screens or use flyers to help organize. If we could make this work, it would ratchet up the noise and possibly help keep the chants clever but clean. We need a coordinated effort. Everyone needs to be encouraged to be involved. We are stuck with the seating arrangement that gave the best seats to the richest (or corporate) group - not the most fanatic fans. We need to get these people involved in the cheering.

Don't forget Ayr, ND - former home of my favorite sports team the Ayr Rifles.

No need to get insulting I'm with Sioux 27 (by the way I played football also) There are many factors that go into a successful program including recruiting, motivation, conditioning, game preparation, offensive and defensive philosophy - and many more. The Sioux have done extremely well at many of these over the past few years. This is a credit to the coaching staff. If we have one weakness, it is with the overly cautious and conservative (at times) offensive philosophy and poor play selection. In just about every loss recently, this has been glaring. It can be very frustrating to watch the Sioux go into conservative mode on offense and stop trying to make things happen. They play not to lose instead of playing to win. Many fans who are loyal to the Sioux feel the same and should be allowed to express this on this forum. Figuring out where we could pin them back to if we punted is not an offensive philosophy that will consintantly win against good teams. We could do better.

Ah, but what do they know and when did they know it?

I agree that Belmore had a good day - it's a relief to see him perform well. For the life of me, though, I just don't get the handling of the quarterback situation. We have had many opportunities to play Freund and don't seem to be interested at all in giving next year's quarterback any snaps this year. It seems to be all about Belmore - how to build his confidence - how to get him into the game - never replacing him with Freund when he played poorly. It took an extremely long time for us to give Manke his shot. We seem to be focused on Belmore to the exclusion of everything else. Why Freund has never been given any snaps seems to defy logic. I hope we are not sorry later. What could the coaches possibly know that we average fans do not? Any guesses as to their thinking?

Alrignt - I don't have the exact statistics and agree that the Sioux have won some close ones. It's just that the cpnservative philosophy and play selection drive me nuts some times. We don't have a lot of close games (or games that should be close based on talent) - but look at last year's Omaha game. In my opinion, we lost that one because of our conservative play selection and attitude towards trying to run the clock out. This year's game was very winnable. I feel that our offensive philosphy changes when things get tight and that it doesn't always work out to our advantage. We start playing not to lose instead of playing to win. In my opinion, going for it on fourth and one was a no brainer.

I too think that our D** conservative streak killed us. When they had fourth and goal, they went for it, when we had it we wimped out. Game over. Lennon and Mussman need to seriously re-evaluate their philosophy. It's killing us in tight games.

What worries me the most about the UNO game isn't the uninspired play by the Sioux lately. It's the offensive play calling. The second half of the Mankato game reminded me of last year's Omaha game - a first down run for 3 yards or less followed by a very predictable series. We seem to think that if we let the clock run for three plays and then punt we can rely on our defense to hold. We were 3 goal line stands from getting knocked off. I thought we learned our lesson last year, but apparently not. Contrast our second half selection on Saturday with the Northern Iowa game. I know that Bellmore doesn't move the offense, but come on - open it up a little. In my opinion, this conservative streak is the only chink in Lennon's coaching armour. It seems to come out at the worst times. I don't think that Mussman could call a turkey like this without Lennon's support. I hope we come ready to win next week. We're at our worst in the second half with a lead.

What a lackluster performance. This is no where close to the team we had at Northern Iowa. The second half was tough to watch. When we have the ball on offense with a lead, we get extremely conservative, especially if we are struggling. The play calling reminded me of the Omaha game of last year. how many times in the second half did we open a series with a run of less than 4 yards? If not for a couple of great goal line stands, this would have been a totally different game - one we might have lost. I hope we can pull it together soon. It's tough to watch a talented team play this way week after week. And what is this fascination with Bellmore that the coaching staff seems to have?

In my opinion, this is the crappiest decision ever by the athletic department. I wouldn't mind paying for parking at the site but to pay $5 to take a GD shuttle bus because there is not adaquate parking at the arena is pathetic. We need to find out who is responsible for this decision and let him know directly what we think. I hope that loyal Sioux fans don't just roll over and take this. This nickle and dime crap needs to stop. Once again the average fan gets stuck.

What a great coaching job by coach Manassau. It seems that in every successful season, there is one game that is tougher than it should be that you need to pull out. Hopefully this is the only one for this season. My main concern is the pattern of the past few years where we play like gangbusters the first few games - hitting on all cylinders - Great offensive balance, opportunistic defense - the whole package. Then, about midway through the season we start to bog down. We usually win most of these games on talent (a credit to our recruiting program). During this streak the offense becomes conservative and predictable and the defense tends to give up long passing plays at key times (looking at our talent both in the secondary and on the line I'm always shocked when this happens). When we hit the tough games at the end of the schedule we aren't playing nearly as well as early in the season. Not since our championship season have I felt that we were a better team at the end of the season than the beginning. Anyone else see this pattern? If we can play like we did at Northern Iowa, we could very well go all the way. If we play like we have the past few weeks, we could have several losses comming into the post season. How do we recapture the magic?

The tight Sioux play calling is driving me nuts - we get the ball with about 3 minutes to go and start running the ball until we have to pass - then we are intercepted - they get the ball and go for it - they move it down for a FG. What's wrong with this picture?

Why are we running the ball?

Home town speculation aside - it does look like we were outrecruited this year - especially by the Gophers. I hope our freshman class works out, but I am worried going into the season. I had hoped we would do better.

It's now Wednesday - does anyone have a clue as to the parking arrangements for the Potato Bowl? How much parking is available on the south side? Is there going to be a tailgating area as before? Where is the reserved section this year? Are there going to be shuttle busses? If so where do they leave from? What times do they run? Will there be an altered traffic flow? Come on Athletic Department - we need to know in order to make plans. I can't believe that no one from UND seems to be concerned about this.

However they do it, parking promises to be a fiasco. If they make room for tailgating (which they really need to do), there will be almost no parking around the Alerus. I've yet to hear the plan. However, I'm not very excited about taking a shuttle bus to the football game, and less excited to pay for parking. If parking is too much of a problem, this will affect the crowds all year. Come on athletic department, get your act together.

It is somewhat of a non-issue right now - except for a few excited supporters of Division I. Most people I know are against the move - many things need to be better explained including finances, conference affiliation, title 9 implications etc. There is not a groundswell of support that will include increased financial support. Most people can't understand why we are in the red now - with increased football attendance from the move indoors, increased hockey attendance, the increase in ticket prices etc. No one I knows understands the relationship between the Englestead and the athletic budget. The general feeling is that we should have a comfortable financial cushion. Most people I know including myself see football as the only sport that would benefit from a move up. That is because there is a IAA level for football only. We would sacrifice all other sports. I would much rather have the Sioux Women's basketball team in contention for a national title that go the way of the Bison Women's program for example. Many people see this recommendation as something that was done in the backroom behind closed doors and that the wishes of the general public will be disregarded. Remember, polls show that there is a majority against the move. I wonder if this is a done deal and if the committee is there only to give the appearance of outside input. I feel that a move to Division I is a huge mistake, and one that probably will be made regardless of public opinion.

Speaking of renewing hockey tickets - has anyone heard any more about any reseating plans? Before I shell out the kind of cash it takes for decent season tickets, I'd like to know where I'm sitting. What's going on with the plans to move the students?