UND92,96

Bo Pelini was reportedly just fired this morning.

Regarding asbestos and/or lead paint abatement as deterrents to a hypothetical renovation of Hyslop, does anybody know how big of an issue this has been in the renovation of the BSA in Fargo? Since it was constructed in the last 1960's/early 1970's, I'm assuming this was an issue there as well, but I've never specifically heard anything about it.

Bobby Hauck is apparently out at UNLV. Any chance he returns to Montana?

Upon closer examination, Forte was selected all-conference based upon just two games, plus reputation. He had two big rushing games, but missed five conference games, and had a combined 65 yards in two others.

It seems odd to me that of the four running backs who averaged 100-plus rushing yards per game in conference games, only one was selected as either first or second team all-conference. And considering Quincy Forte missed five games, I'm not sure he should have been selected at all.

At 6'5", 290, Steen might be worth a look.

According to a tweet, this kid will be visiting on the weekend of December 5: http://www.hudl.com/athlete/2269414/troy-hansen

Rodgers actually committed in late September. Based upon a Sioux Football Insider tweet from a couple of months ago, it sounded like he's projected as an OLB.

I question whether Studsrud has established himself as the leading contender to be the starting quarterback in 2015, as Hammer contends. While it's certainly possible that Studsrud earns the starting job, I think it's at least as possible he redshirts in 2015 if both Mollberg and Bartels come back relatively healthy.

Minnesota A.P. all state team was announced tonight: http://www.startribune.com/sports/preps/283902811.html?page=all&prepage=4&c=y#continue Engwall named to the first team. Santiago, Rooney and Momoh named to the second team.

We'll have to see if this news changes anything: http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/11930803/new-mexico-state-aggies-hire-mario-moccia-ad Edit: Just to clarify, while you were probably referring to Collins getting a vote of confidence by the UNC a.d., I believe Moccia had also indicated last week that Lennon would be back next year.

Terry Allen is out at Missouri St., and so is Eric Wolford at Youngstown St., despite going 31-27 in his five years there. It's interesting that Dale Lennon is 28-29 during the same time frame.

At the risk of stating the obvious regarding the OL, the difference between where this group was when Bubba and staff took over, and where it is heading into spring ball is huge. I think it's safe to say the days of having to convert multiple defensive linemen out of absolute necessity are over for the foreseeable future. I think things will continue on an upward trajectory in the coming years with the better recruiting that we've already seen that this staff is doing. Not to mention the better player development that was also evident this year.

Even without the kind of running game we saw late in the season, with Mollberg and Bartels UND was averaging about 235 passing yards per game though the first four Big Sky games. Obviously that all changed when the injuries hit, but with a reliable running game and more talented receivers, I think either quarterback would be fine. I think we'll very possibly see the two incoming freshmen play a lot at running back. If Simmons can play, all the better, but I didn't see enough of him to know whether or not he's the answer. I think the play of the OL opened some eyes, and I don't see this unit as a weakness at all coming into next year. I see Anderson, Meehan and Boas all retaining their starting positions, with Stockwell taking over for Barton, and Francis sliding into Henson's guard spot for a year, before taking over at center in 2016. Tight end should be a strength with all the returnees, plus the return of Ruhe and the addition of Fiedler. WR is a huge question mark. Seibel appears to be the best of the returnees, but I'd actually like to see him move back to safety. Walker needs to get faster, but I wonder whether he was injured for most of the season? He seemed to disappear after that game he was returning kicks. It would appear we'll see at least two or three receivers play a lot next year who are not on the current roster. Maybe more. Defense looks very solid--especially the front seven. Hinojosa, Woodsmall, Carrothers, Dranka, Greeley, etc. all return on the line, and Ratelle, Rich, Labat, Idowu and Disterhaupt will make up a very solid LB corps, along with a few current redshirts. With the late-season emergence of Blackmon, I feel a bit better about the secondary. I still would not be surprised if we see a couple of transfers, but between Brown, Harris, Carter, Reyes, Blackmon, Montague and Flowers, there should be enough talent so that it would not be a disaster even if there's not another FBS drop down a la Tillman.

UND only went winless on the road in one of Mussman's six seasons (2010). And although UND has really struggled away from the Alerus this year, I still feel reasonably confident that Bubba will find a way to get one road win in his first season.

I don't ever recall a high school recruit from Kansas at UND. But I like the idea of recruiting another midwestern state, particularly one without an FCS program.

Looks like Hammon was at Georgia St., but decided to transfer: http://georgiastatesignal.com/panthers-release-rb-krysten-hammon/

Press release announcing signings: http://www.undsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=13500&ATCLID=209764223

I'm pretty sure Collins signed today, based upon a picture I saw of all the De La Salle commits posted on twitter. For some reason, it has seemed in recent years that UND waits a few days after the first day of a signing period to announce its signees. At least for most sports other than football. EDIT: It looks like McDermott also signed today, based upon a few tweets. Still looking for confirmation of Seales.

It's actually pretty amazing that even with a DE playing NG for much of the time, the run defense against Weber was still really good. Who do you see starting in the secondary next year? I would guess that Reyes will be one of the starting safeties, but is the other safety likely going to be somebody not on the current roster?

Although the pass defense needs some work, it's hard to find fault with UND's run defense. Weber managed just 41 yards on 36 carries. And that's with UND's top two NG's out.

If anybody doubts that a team can completely turn things around in one year, look at what Idaho St. has done. UND actually won last year in Pocatello.

Depending on who is brought in before next season at receiver, is there any chance Seibel switches back to defense? He's a natural DB, and his athleticism is probably a bit better than expected, at least IMO. I almost wonder if he could potentially be the other safety opposite Reyes?

The thing about the offensive line is that we are pretty much going to have to rely on the current group of redshirts developing quickly. Jucos are probably not the answer, FBS drop downs are very hard to come by, and it's almost unheard-of for a true freshman to be good enough to play right away on the OL. But with running back and receiver, there's a chance for true freshmen to make an impact immediately.

Make no mistake, the offense needs a lot of help. But the lack of big-play ability at receiver sticks out to me. The current receivers struggle to catch the ball, and certainly can't stretch the field.