Irish

Agree with all of this - UND football is also a victim of poor decisions by the Athletic Department - beginning with Roger Thomas, but compounded by several others who didn't value producing winners and a series of weak Presidents. Time to get this train on track. I don't think that people in Grand Forks notice that much, but it is disheartening for small town residents to see almost the entire town suit up in yellow and following the Bison.

I really hope so - but in my opinion we need to make some changes to have this happen.

That's your take-away? My last line was "time to put on our big-boy pants and get a winner here. No excuses" - If that suggests to you that we should fold up our program then we live in different worlds. The line you highlight was in reference to the Fargodome compared to the Alerus and nothing else.

Agreed that success brings in dollars which spurs success. However, we have a new indoor practice facility and while the Alerus isn't quite the Fargodome, it is more a difference in cities and population than football support. It's hard to blame our facilities for our current collapse. And while funding could improve it is a bit of a chicken/egg conundrum. Few new people wanted to increase their financial support while Muss was digging us a 6 year hole. And while it used to be about 50-50 in support around the state, my experiences now place this as about 80-20 Bison. Go out into the smaller towns and it is about enough to make you choke. Time to put on our big-boy pants and get a winner here. No more excuses.

Well played.

Too true - there is a difference in wishing your team is on top like Gopher football fans and demanding it like Alabama fans. We were content to suffer through 6 years of Mussman and when Bubba came in a frequent comment was "well, it took Roger Thomas 5 years to rebuild". There is another school in the state that won't put up with this kind of floundering. Guess which one has Championship trophies.

I really hope you are right. To be honest, I have lost quite of bit of faith in Bubba's ability to get things done. Rudolph operates directly under Bubba's control and I have seen no indication this year that things will change. The same goes for lack of execution across the board. Other issues include looking at our strength training, recruiting, quarterback development, and team leadership and culture. All things a Head Coach should directly influence. Bubba has some serious work to do. I hope he just doesn't chalk all of this up to injuries and continue as before.

Really? from us? If that is the case, we must have been waiting all season for this game to use them.

I can see why he wasn't happy - everybody knows that against 9 in the box our preferred method of attack is to pound our 185 pound running back.

If this happened it should be the final nail in the coffin. I'm really worried Bubba won't cowboy up and do what is necessary.

What ever happened to recruiting the best players available and adjusting your schemes a bit to accommodate them? We could still have an overall philosophy, but be much stronger as a team. The current running back situation shows this - even with the O line injuries, we have three of the biggest stud running backs we have ever had and are using none of them effectively. If anyone thinks that splitting out Santiago and getting him the ball in space is "putting our defense in a bad spot" they are delusional. We could split him out and still have two absolute horses lining up in the backfield. Instead, we have a scheme that consistently lets teams play 8-9 in the box with impunity and try pound pound our 185 pound back up the middle. The entire staff has shown Zero coaching chops this year. What would our recruiting pitch be to a star passer coming out of high school? Come to our school and we can sure use your talent on those 3rd and 8 downs? How about a star running back - "We are a run first team, even if it means plunging into the middle of a 9 man front - I hope you can move the pile a yard or so. We won't try get you the ball in space because everyone knows that the offense is just a mechanism to allow the defense to rest up."

Many assume here that Bubba has the introspection, insight, and stones to make some very needed changes. I'm not so sure about any of those 3. He sure hasn't been a font of flexibility and adaptation this year.

Repeating the same mistake - that's what we do.

Better question - can he get some scorers here?

I've been working out at the training table. I've been specializing my training for the 1 yard run though.

If you tape me up I am still good to run the the one-yard dive, the jet sweep, and the double reverse.

I am less confident, but still hopeful, that changes will occur, mainly because we have not seen one ounce of adjustment so far this season. I'm not sure what bolt of clarity will hit the coaches when the season is over.

The big question is how much of this Bubba will actively try to fix. He seems to be complicit in our having little flexibility and in supporting our pathetic offensive strategies. Will he have the insight to make the needed changes?

If you were a young stud running back would you want to come here? We have 3 and are using none correctly and have shown signs that we will never change.

We do not have the will to demand a consistently winning football team. By we I mean the University, the fans, and the community. At different times, we have spent up to 10 years streaks wandering in the wilderness before things are righted. The fact that Rudolph is still OC convinces me of this along with our long past history. Fargo has the Teammakers and we seem to have the Good Old Boys Club. This season, in my opinion, has exposed serious weaknesses in recruiting, team culture, and mostly in coaching adjustments. I am so tired of being a distant second in North Dakota, and I hope others are getting there also.

Get over it - It was an electric crowd that many schools would kill to have. College kids are, well, college kids. As for Sioux forever - suck it up, buttercup.

Agreed, but only if you include the horrendous play calling.

I'm sure his protocol works great for some - sounds like he is a one size fits all guy though. My other point is about Bubba - I am not sure if I trust his ability to honestly evaluate things and make appropriate changes. We have seen a strange stubbornness shown in our game planning this year. Rudolph has been with us since the beginning, for example.

It is sad to say, but with all of the injuries and now legitimate anecdotal comments from people who have been there about need for changes in the strength and conditioning program, I can almost picture Bubba with his fingers in his ears shouting LA LA LA.

For those who have coaching/college football experience (and armchair coaches also) - What in the hell kind of conversation and planning has to happen between coaches after watching game film for 7 weeks for us to come up with this offensive philosophy and play selection week after week? Can they not see what is right in front of their faces? I am baffled at the lack of adjustments and overall game plan week after week coming from a group whose job is to study game film and come up with a plan. How can this group not see what is so obvious to all, especially given the results. I am truly baffled. Any insight other than a serious stubborn issue that blinds the coaches to reality?