UND92,96

NAU is hosting SDSU in the first round of the playoffs. That should be quite a matchup of running backs.

I think it helps having another shooter. Whether he can be more than just a zone buster remains to be seen. With regard to the minutes of the seniors, if anything I think that class has been asked to play too many minutes their first three years due to the lack of depth the program had. That was one of the reasons I felt so strongly that Hooker should not red shirt. If Anderson and Webb had needed to play 34 minutes a game, I don't think that would have been a positive.

Speaking of Kill, it's actually kind of surprising he ever got the SIU job in the first place, given his 49-25 record at Saginaw Valley St. and Emporia St. By comparison, Lennon was 90-24 as a dII coach. Now Kill is making seven figures, and Lennon is fighting just to keep his job. It's hard to explain.

Per Wayne Nelson, NCAA has ruled that Stefan is eligible immediately.

Seems like he would be a pretty controversial hire given how his tenure at Montana ended. I can't really see it happening, but who knows?

Zenner had 39 touches as it was, which I think Stiegelmeier would acknowledge is way too many. After his long touchdown run early in the fourth, he carried the ball six more times, for 1, 1, 6, 1, 3 and 2 yards. He was probably worn down from overuse, so giving it to him even more was not the answer.

Actually, Brooks now has two years experience as quarterbacks coach. Kingsbury was promoted to co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Houston in his third year of coaching, so at the same point in their respective careers there are some similarities. That's certainly not to suggest that by his sixth year of coaching, BB will be a head coach of a BCS conference school like Kingsbury managed to do. But I would certainly not be surprised if he's an offensive coordinator or co-offensive coordinator at Pitt within the next couple of years if he isn't hired at UND.

Based upon this year's game, I think the home game with Portland St. is quite winnable, as well. Anything above and beyond those four games is gravy IMO.

I just want improvement, and that may not even be reflected in the overall record. Fewer penalties. Fewer turnovers. Be able to run the ball a little bit. And be competitive. Just give us a reason to think better things are on the horizon.

I would like to see one or both of those guys retained in some capacity. I realize many feel there needs to be a complete reboot, but as you mention, Kotelnicki has been a very good special teams coordinator in the past, and you really saw that area struggle this year once he was no longer in charge. Freund is a really personable guy, and had the unenviable task of working with all freshmen quarterbacks this year. While obviously there were a lot of struggles there, I have a hard time holding him responsible for the fact that there were no upperclassmen at that position, and no running game to take the pressure off the qb's. I suppose his retention may depend in part on whether the new coach has a lot of contacts himself in Wisconsin.

It's certainly a concern. I suspect such a coach would stay with his current team through the playoffs or bowl. Which would presumably mean his newly-hired staff would have to be doing all the recruiting until the post-season was over. I recall both Muss and Bubba being interviewed for the UMD job during UND's 2003 post season run. But the final decision wasn't made until after the national championship game. Of course, that was early December rather than early January.

Ah, my mistake. The rest of the post stands though.

Not sure what you're talking about here. There is a very good chance Bohl will be leaving Fargo for a job paying him millions at an FBS school, which would open up the NDSU job and potentially impact who might be a candidate at UND. And nobody has mentioned Glenn for the UND job. His name has only come up in terms of how long it took USD to hire him after Meierkort was fired, and how many of Meierkort's assistants he retained. As for Brooks, obviously people have very different opinions, but it's hardly a ridiculous notion that he could be either an FBS offensive coordinator or an FCS head coach in the very near future.

It would be kind of a weird coincidence if both the UND football and men's basketball coaches were UNI grads.

I'm certainly no great NDSU football mind, but if having gone to NDSU was a huge deal for Taylor, wouldn't Bradley have gotten the job the last time around?

It makes sense. I think most have assumed that the reason he wouldn't be a candidate is the expected departure of Bohl, and that he would be a logical successor in Fargo. But if Bohl isn't leaving, or is very unsure whether he's leaving, or if he's been informed that Vigen would get the nod anyway, that could change everything.

To me, the EWU number is the most telling, as it was homecoming. In the not-too-distant past, that crowd would generally always have been one of the two biggest of the season. As recently as 2009, homecoming was over 12,000. When you start crunching the numbers of how much more money could have been brought in this season with even modest success, you see how easily it could be to recoup the increased salary of the next coach and staff from additional ticket sales.

First week of December of 2011.

Beschorner, Breske and Triplett (I think).

Pretty much none of the expected starters are starting. Weird.

Kotelnicki just tweeted "is it really possible to give yourself a recruiting chest bump the day after you get fired? Apparently so. So I will." Can you really accept a scholarship offer from a departed staff?

This brings up an interesting question. A lot of people are harping on the experience issue with Bollinger. Given a choice between a younger FBS coach who appears to be on the upswing, but who is relatively inexperienced, or somebody with significant FBS experience, but no demonstrated ability to get an FBS coordinator or lower-level head coaching job, which would you choose? I'd go with the younger guy from FBS, OR somebody with a proven head coaching track record from a lower division such as Caruso. I'm leery of a career FBS position coach. And I strongly suspect there will be a lot of them who apply.

Here's the UND Sports Zone show with Miller, Nelson and Schloss talking UND football and the coaching situation/search: http://undhockey.areavoices.com/?p=95541

I believe 2013 is his second year as QB coach.

My wish list is for somebody who: -is a proven leader; -can assemble a quality staff; -can not only recruit, but has the ability to recruit in the traditional recruiting areas. This last factor can be big, and I suspect may be a large part of what has tripped up Lennon and company at SIU. There's no question he can recruit. But recruiting and having contacts in this area is not necessarily the same as in Illinois, Missouri, etc. The Lennon situation is a good example of how a guy can appear to have everything you'd want in a head coach, but not be able to replicate his past success at a different school. Some may claim it's due to going from dII to FCS, but I think the success of Stiegelmeier, who rarely ever beat Lennon in the NCC, somewhat dispels that notion.