Irish

I would be glad to talk about the defense - they had it a little worse for injuries though, but have a stubborn love of the 3-4 which was put in to stop the option. Defense giving up 40+ points a game and Rudolph calling the plays = train wreck. It is beyond mystifying why we have seen no changes. Bubba needs to wake up and smell the toast.

I don't think anyone was praising Rudolph. His total lack of creativity and feel for the game is unbelievable. He keeps no defense off balance ever. Many here are totally frustrated that Bubba won't make any changes in this area. I've said this before, but it is a joke in my section that everyone can call his next play with about 80% accuracy (sometimes more) - people even had bets on it. Bubba has shown that he stubbornly refuses to change anything. That's the frustration.

I'm not sure what time to review our game and in season strategies and philosophy will accomplish as Bubba and company have shown an ultra stubborn resistance to any changes as evidenced by the total lack of adjustments and game management during the season. Does anyone think an off season of thinking will help Rudolph improve? I sure don't.

Based on what - what has Bubba and staff shown us this year about flexibility, adjustments, and game management? One of the worst coaching years I have seen (injuries aside)

Not right now, but I am more than disgusted about the lack of changes. When our play calling becomes a joke and our entire section can predict the next play with about 80% accuracy then it is time to make a move. I am beyond frustrated with Bubba that he doesn't have the stones to get rid of Rudolph. If he was fired I wouldn't lose any sleep.

I'm not quite sure what to make out of your word soup, but it sounds like your definition of "integrity" is allowing under-performing people who report to you keep their jobs because you are a "friend". Under your definition, an employer who lets an employee go because he/she is not getting the job done lacks "integrity". Bubba also has a duty to his employer to do what is best to become a winning football program. That includes making hard decisions. Bubba's family probably has a lot of integrity, but his brother lobbied long and hard with the good old boys and former players to get Bubba this job. Time to get things right in this program starting with the Head Coach.

Bubba has neither the insight nor the stones to lead this program. It is clear that he is the big problem. Sounds like another year of 1 yard plunges on first down.

RE: Rudolf-

We have absolutely no evidence to show that Bubba is one bit introspective as shown by the total lack of adjustments this season. How would you feel about him if he changes absolutely nothing (which in my opinion is a possibility).

I'm not sure Bubba's seat is as hot as I hope it is. I didn't see many of the needed changes in any facet of the game during the season. My over/under on him making the necessary moves in the off season is 75/25 against.

Bubba best get this house in order right fast.

Eagles TD - hot knife meets butter on that drive.

We had a horrible time getting out of our zone in the first. Jones's goal really lit the fire in my opinion. When we spent time in their zone in the second, especially around the net, good things happened. Jones had a great move on his first score. Nice to see some guys with a scoring touch.

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."