Irish

Wally World's closed that day.

A bold move - going "Full Rudy".

An if that weak pass interference call went the other way Illinois State would have gotten the ball back with time on the clock and better field position - knowing that they were in 4 down territory all the way. It would have been interesting.

Trey Lance threw a swing pass that was clearly backwards behind the line of scrimmage - the receiver dropped the ball and the defender picked up what clearly should have been a fumble and had a clear path to the end zone. Ref's called it an incomplete pass.

When did the Bison hire Rudy?

Like the sign at the NCAA basketball tournament a few years ago said - "The fly is open ... so let's go Peay"

Well, if we can just get the OL to lose another 10 pounds each it should be problem solved.

I don't doubt that at all. But the mystery remains about where the great "we need a lighter line" experiment originated. In my mind this was a fiasco.

Actually these things don't just "happen" to us - they are self inflicted. And the short answer as to why is because Bubba.

In another thread a poster complained that Football is hurt by the nickname controversy. Here's what I think - there are not many Sioux Forever fans left - even though that's what you hear at hockey games. Almost all realize the Sioux is not coming back. However, there is a strong contingent that feels that the Fighting Hawk name and logo is so pathetic they will never get behind it. I am one. I just can't bring myself to buy anything that features that idiotic name and postal logo. We were promised a strong nickname that represented us in a unique way. Adjective Bird just doesn't cut it - nor does the Hawk name represent North Dakota in any way. Just look at the brief excitement when a moose wandered on to campus. Time for a do-over to give us a nickname we can all be proud of - Fighting Moose would be a winner.

A great start and I for one am amazed at the increase in puck skills this year. However, it's not how you drive, it's how you arrive - see St. Clown last year. We need to continue and finish strong.

You 're an idiot

You are correct about the facilities - we need Phase II soon. However, as nice as it to think that us average fans can up our contributions and take care of it, the amount necessary is far out of reach for that type of funding. The administration needs to stop alienating big pockets donors from Sanford to the Engelstads. That's the only way it will get built. This isn't to say there shouldn't be a drive to raise money from fans - it would help and give everyone some skin in the game and unite the fan base. This lack of progress doesn't mean Bubba should get a pass. Much of our misery has been self-inflicted and has nothing to do with Phase II - from 5 years of Rudy to our annual trip to Idaho State to our "light line" experiment to his game and clock management - these are all things under Bubba's control. Just watch the second half of the Richmond game to see the staff in action. Better facilities would certainly help with recruiting, but that shouldn't be an excuse for Bubba's coaching decisions.

No - I was replying to the specific question from Rebel Sioux "Are there any specific examples of military leaders not working out at UND? " Buning was military and did not work out. Not comparing anything.

Tom Buning, former assistant AD at Army, was in way over his head as UND athletic director and did not endear himself to the fans or alumni.

Looking at our lines on both sides of the ball this year and I would have to say no. That's not to say we don't have some nice players - we do. But overall we are ripe to be bullied by teams who are strong up front. Not what I expected 6 years into Bubba Ball.

With our D line this year I'm not sure how we recruited for it.

There is much venting on here - as it is a fan board. However, the collective "hive mind" has correctly identified areas that need improvement. The big question is whether Bubba is self-aware enough to make some. All we get from him (and to be fair, many other coaches) is coach speak and day by day. We have hope that Chaves will make a difference, but the average Joe hears almost nothing from him. Almost every year we see things that make us optimistic for next year. We also see stunning failures as illustrated by Idaho State. And the most frustrating thing is that we almost always are left with horrible optics - the old triple reverse, last year's total collapse, this year's light linemen experiment, and this year Bubba looking constipated while deciding not to go for it on 4th down with 6 minutes left. This has been going on long enough. I understand we are stuck with Bubba but things need to get sorted out and right soon. Chaves needs to intervene.

It's almost like this is in the job description for UND - especially in the football program "Are you hardworking?" - "yes" - "good" "Are you loyal?" - "yes" - "good" "Are you extremely set in your ways?" - "yes" - "You're hired".

Totally agree - please don't feed the trolls - they are coming out of the woodwork just to argue endlessly.

Not adjusting to the modern game is what we do here.

I hope there is a chapter in one of the books about being open to change and one concerning game management.

They had a better game coach calling the shots - "Fourth Down" Bubba just doesn't have it on the sidelines.

I agree that it was not the time or place to publicly bash Bubba or the program from the AD's office - especially after a play-off appearance. I think the bigger issue for fans is that Bubba is almost pathologically afraid of change and we look to Chaves for that and are not sure if his post means he is happy with the program as is. This fan board is often used to vent and put forth personal viewpoints, but overall I there is a collective wisdom in the "hive think". Just like almost every fan could see the weakness in Rudy (but not Bubba) this board collectively has correctly identified many weaknesses that need to be fixed if we want to be relevant again. Geau Sioux had a great post on these weaknesses. If Chaves is not the driving factor for change I don't see much being done. Many of these issues are long standing and seemed to be ingrained in "Bubba Ball". We desperately need Chaves to right the ship even if Bubba is locked in for a couple more years. We are in danger of becoming the permanent weak sister to the knuckleheads down south and are about to enter a very physical conference. Recognizing our weaknesses and working to correct them would be a big step in the right direction (and for crap's sake let's end this light linemen experiment).

Always nice to hang 9 on the Goofs - wish I was there.