Oxbow6

I'm with you on this...last to Sat. nights we have had roughly 80 SOG and put 2 in the net?!?! This is one of the most talented offensive teams, top to bottom, that I've seen in along time yet burying grade A chance is difficult for this squad. No way seeing the game live Sat. and rewatching it, we shouldn't have won that game...period. Wouldn't be suprised if UND makes Lee look like an All-American one of the 2 nights.

So it not a "lower body" injury then?

Addendum made...

Western Illinois @ (1) Appalachian State Villanova @ Stephen F Austin SE Missouri @ (5) Eastern Washington NDSU @ (4) Montana State Lehigh @ (3) Delaware Bethune-Cookman @ New Hampshire Wofford @ Jacksonville State Georgia Southern @ (2) William & Mary I like all the home teams except SFA...I'll take 'Nova in that one. And I'll say the 'Cats by 10 over NDSU.

Ahhhh...the "Rick" is back. We missed your wit...or attempt at it.

Hendrickson was, I believe at one point during the Griz game, 2 for 15 for 18 yards! Those are ND 9-man FB stats! After watching that game, for Muss to continue to play him was jaw-dropping!

Ummmmmmmm...Chuck, you know who just took out behind the woodshed in the above post? "BLASHEMY!!! Stone him, stone him!" Note to self...Chuck makes some very valid points.

Absolutely it is...and for the record, no one will be able to state "don't worry, it only November." 4 very winnable games before the Christmas holiday...let's start with a "W" this Friday.

Just over 12K for your 1st ever playoff game in the Dome and 1st playoff game in almost 20 yrs?!?!? "Bison Strong" I don't want to hear ever again from any SU hack on this site about FB attendance, Bison FB being the biggest followed sport's team in ND, ect... Especially after, on the same night, UND hockey draw 11K for a non-conference game. Good win for SU FB though...should be a deent game heading out to play the 'Cats. Insider info and opinions from Missoula and Griz country say that this 'Cats team is their best since the '84 NC team...for whatever that's worth. If it's on TV, I'll take the time to watch it.

We will be heading up both nights...should be a good series of hockey. I like UND tonight after the end of the game collapse last Sat. at UNOand after being on the road for a couple of weeks. SIOUX 5-3 Kristo, Frattin, Hextall, Nelson and Marto.

You Bison guys sure do like to beat the dead horse 7 D1 win scenerio...but then you all are from an Ag school. I get it! Semantics...bottom line is the KU win got you in and it's a game none of you penciled in before the year started. You SU fans, on Thanksgiving, should be vey thankful for that "W".

Thank you...I really didn't think, based on the schedules that were played this season, that the who's in and who's out would be so difficult to comprehend given certain scenerios. NDSU was the last team in...KU got them in and that's good for them. They won enough games with strenghth of schedule to gain that last spot. Montana didn't but beating a D2 team wasn't the reason they didn't get in.

My source, from Missoula, said he heard that even a 7 win Griz team with all wins vs. D1 FCS teams still would of been out vs. this year's 7 win Bison with their win at KU. Just saying what I heard...and I don't have a dog in this fight.

"Am I speaking Chinese?" I get the 7 D1 win scenerio. IF IF IF IF the Griz would have beaten MSU, they would have received an at-large bid...PERIOD!!! That's what I'm trying to say. I get they played a D2 team. But...(exasperated)...I need to leave now and take some more blood pressure meds.

Excellent post...but of all the things you mentioned...coaching still is what drives the bus day in and day out in a big time program. From X's and O's, to play calling and in game adjustments, commuication with media, to leadership of the whole program. You can have all the other things in place that you described, but if you can't coach 'em up, if you can't create an envirioment of we will "battle" and still give us the opportunity to WIN mentality, all the other stuff is for not. Great things can be accomplished with less talent if you have a group of men that are willing to "battle" and overcome because the man leading the program is someone they'll stand in front of a moving bus for because they know he is providing them with all avenues to be successful and win games. Mussman has a long way to go IMO to accomplish that...and frankly, it doesn't take someone who has played college FB to see that.

True to an extent...he still is the main rutter on this sinking ship though. You don't think he made the call at Poly to punt it away on 4th and 1? You don't think he has input during a game to say let's diversify our play calling so we aren't constantly 3rd and 8 with a 3rd string QB because we ran it off tackle on 1st and 2nd down? Not disagreeing with your point when he was OC from '01-'07, but don't enable him for what happend this year offensively. He is ultimately in charge.

IMO if this game doesn't get renewed, it's on Faison. Why not take every other year to start with? Both sides need to put some ego aside and get this thing rolling again. Fasion needs to be the bigger man and go with the every other year deal for starters!

We'll agree to disagree...NDSU is in the playoffs mainly due to a game they shouldn't have won: The KU game. Your same record argument takes into accout that it was a given that NDSU would beat KU. It happened but wasn't a 7th win factored into the minds of Bohl and Taylor prior to the start of the season. You can point to the Griz scheduling a D2 game, which is what it is, but if the Griz beat a cupcake FCS team over a D2 team, like this year and still lose to MSU and NDSU still beats KU...the Griz are still out. Pretty obvious! Montana in the final poll was still ranked higher than NDSU so a non-conference win over a patsy FCS team instead of a D2 team doesn't get you past the fact they needed to beat MSU under any scheduling scenerio you want to propose...again pretty obvious.

The Griz beat MSU on the last game of the season and they are in and you are out...period. Scheduling arguments are hindsight for a season that is just over. Do you think the KU game was penciled in as a win before the year started? Not even 99% of Phil Hanson wannabe's from Bisonville would of predicted that. So the schedule is what it is this year for both schools. You won a game that 9 of out 10 times you lose and the Griz piss one down their legs vs. MSU. This year the Griz screwed themselves by not beating MSU in a game they should of probably won. This year NDSU gets a win vs. KU that very few thought would happen. NDSU's win vs. KU got them into the playoffs coupled with the fact that MSU beat the Griz. The two games I'm referencing are not independent in this whole playoff scenerio. Frankly, your scheduling argument doesn't hold water IMO.

Not that former Griz coach, Bobby Hauck's gig at UNLV is on solid footings...but least he has strippers, hookers and gambling! Oh wait...my Griz season ticket holder buddy said he has those things in Missoula too!

I heard from one of my good NDSU friends in Fargo, ticket sales are more than solid. He thinks 16K is a given,

Stronger schedule...no. Self inflicted...yes. If they don't give the game to MSU w one turnover after another, they go and you sit.

I can't get past the your 1st point...if you honestly believe that...wow! Great offensive minds don't punt on 4th and 1 at your opponents 40 with the game on the line. Great offensive minds, with a 2nd or 3rd string QB, don't contiually run on 1st and 2nd down so that your inexperienced QBs have to throw the ball on 3rd and long. I could go on just on this 1st point alone...

Let's cut to the chase...having seen Mussman as a head coach now for a couple years, what has anyone seen from a leadership standpoint, X's and O's coaching standpoint, communication standpoint, or overall gut feeling standpoint that this is OUR guy to lead us into the Big Sky?? UND's transitional situation is what it is, but we need a leader and coach that can help the program overcome whatever disadvantages some of you perceive and get this FB program going in the right direction.

This program, like most other FCS programs, comes down to 1 position...QB. You have to find a QB that can make plays when needed and not be a turnover machine. Defensive and special teams will keep you in games, i.e. at Montana, but you have to have someone leading the offensive that will rise to the occasion when called to do so.