Bison06

I think all of those are spot on observations. In regards to the NDSU run game, a part of me is concerned about the loss of Crockett and how it will affect NDSU's run game, and another part of me looks to our offensive line for the real reason NDSU's run game has been a strength. Given that I expect the offensive line to be better than last year, I worry less about it, but I'm still waiting to see something special out of the guys NDSU has at running back. Frazier, looked ok last year. I like Chase Morlock, but I'm not sure he is a star and then the coaching staff seems to be very high on the redshirt freshman Dunn and actually think he may push for starting time. I haven't seen him play so I can't comment, but with Morlock and Frazier at least we have some experience back at the position so I think with a couple games under their belt they should figure it out as a unit. From the UND folks I talk to about the defense in Grand Forks, it sounds like Coach Schmidt is bringing back a throwback style of the 3-4 defense that is much more of an attacking style of play. The style that UND built a national championship on. If they can get the right players(at it sounds like they are) that defense can be both very fun to watch and very difficult to move the ball against. Outside of the NDSU game, I will actually appreciate seeing that brand of defense in Grand Forks again. UND's offense, is the one I know the least about. I know the QB position is a question mark, but I've heard that if UND could get the OL shored up, these QB actually do have the skills to deliver strikes, they just need the time. With NDSU's best pass rushers graduated, NDSU's ability to get to the QB has yet to be seen. I think Menard at NDSU has potential to be the next great NDSU DE, but he's young. We'll see what another year in the weight room will do for him. I am very interested to see how the NDSU's LB and Safety positions come together. There are some names coming up through the ranks that have enormous potential form an athletic standpoint, but as we all know, the mental side of the game needs to be strong for a player to play fast. I think that is the problem NDSU coaches are running into with Board at safety and Gee-Tucker at LB(along with injuries). We'll see. This is going to be a much different NDSU team than fans are used to. Teams may be putting up points on us, especially early in the season. But I do believe that Carson has the ability to fill up the score board if needed. Should be an interesting match up. I still hold true to what I said a few years ago about this match up. It makes me nervous. Not because I'm afraid NDSU will lose, they could lose to anybody. What makes me nervous is UND has LITERALLY nothing to lose. The only fully positive outcome from this game is NDSU winning in a blowout, that's an uncomfortable position to be in.

I expect a closer game than many others. UND's defense seems to be on the rise and NDSU's offense will be their strength next year. So it's strength on strength there. Not to say that they are a wash, because I believe NDSU's offensive line will be able to win most of the battles, especially as the game gets into the 3rd and 4th. But UND's defense will definitely be formidable. The matchup that will decide how close this game will be is UND's offense against the NDSU defense. NDSU is young, but extremely talented and UND's hasn't proven it can consistently move the ball in quite a while. I think that the first two games for both teams might clear up a few question marks and clarify how this game might play out a bit. But as of now, I expect a 10-14 point margin of victory for NDSU. With that said, the intangibles of playing in an NDSU/UND game have played a role in the outcome of this game before. So we'll see.

Despite what many internet personalities might have you believe about how the average NDSU fan feels about UND, the rivalry is alive and well. Even if you believe that on a regular weekend 18,500 is maxing out the NDSU fanbase(which I would disagree with), this game is not a regular weekend. I don't think it is too far-fetched to say that if this game was being played in a 35,000 seat stadium, it would sell out. I think a lot of these younger fans who think they've seen what an intense rivalry looks like, will be in for a surprise as this game approaches.

What do you mean by 18,500 maxes out the NDSU fanbase?

Whose bragging? The win is what it is, I'm not making it a bigger deal than it was. It's ok to point out that a team is a good team even though they were thoroughly beaten. If you want my opinion on Ferris State from last year, I will say they impressed me more than Delaware State.

You don't think they were? Ferris was 8-3. Lost to NDSU, obviously not a bad loss. Lost to Saginaw Valley State, Division II playoff team. Lost to something called Hillsdale. Looks like the loss that kept them out of the playoffs, if I am reading their schedule correctly. Beat Grand Valley State who was a national semifinalist last year. Are NDSU fans wrong by saying they were one of the toughest Division II teams last year? And BTW, NDSU beat the absolute piss out of them last year, so it isn't as if NDSU fans are trying to justify a bad loss.

Wow, I thought I made it pretty clear why I brought it up. Thanks for the helpful comments though. So this thread is about UND vs. SJSU you say? In that case. UND 17-SJSU 34.

Hoping not to cause a thread drift here, but Darrell's incessant obsession with NDSU's downfall forces me to point out what NDSU's "dark decade" looks like. NDSU 1990-1999. Overall record 88-27 4 conference championships 1 National Championship 6 trips to the division 2 playoffs 5-5 record in games against UND UND 1990-1999 Overall record 81-27 0 National Championships 6 trips to division 2 playoffs 5-5 records against UND Couldn't quickly find how many conference championships. But given NDSU won 4 and I believe UNC won 1 or 2. I'll guess it's 4 or 5. I'll tell you Darrell, if this is what you call the dark years, NDSU is in for a pretty decent decade coming up.

Brock was experienced when he took the team to the playoffs his freshman year and sophomore year? People seem to forget that Brock was considered a liability by many his first 2.5 years as the starter. He was viewed by many as the biggest beneficiary of possibly the best FCS defense in history. Now, he turned out to be one hell of a QB, but IMO and in the opinion of many others in the know, NDSU won many games despite his performance in those early years, not because of it. Brock is an excellent QB, his accolades are undeniable. He is one of the all-time greats at NDSU and from the things I have heard from people that know him well he is also a good man off the field. But, he certainly wasn't flawless, especially those first 2.5 years. In a few games he gave up more points than NDSU's defense on pick 6's. Let's not act like his skills, strictly as a QB, aren't replaceable. His leadership skills on the other hand may be.

I am hearing some UND fans say, "Wentz is untested how can you say he'll be good?", while others are saying "he doesn't have what Brock Jensen has". You can't have it both ways fellas. He can't be both unproven and have us drawing conclusions about what "clutch" skills he may have. The fact is he has never had the opportunity to show any intangibles. This is why he is a question mark coming into this season. NDSU fans are hopeful he'll live up to the billing, while NDSU opponents are hoping he doesn't, no surprise on either side. Reality is, if Carson is 3/4 the QB Brock Jensen was, NDSU will be a difficult game for any team on their schedule this year. As others have said, NDSU didn't lose as much as their detractors would have you believe.

Correct, I agree with the poster who said it can be a good motivator. Not sure if NDSU still does it this way, but NDSU used to have everyone with just a plain helmet during spring ball and fall camp until the spring game and the opening game in the fall, respectively. Nothing wrong with letting players know that your position needs to be earned year in and year out. I like it.

By all hype I don't mean they weren't talented. All hype to say they were the best corp in the FCS. Hardin is/was legit. Jackson...meh, his size made people more excited about him than they should have been IMO. Golladay may develop more, but was never very impressive to me. We'll see how he does at NIU. Keep in mind, UND's run game was awful and they have been playing from behind in nearly every game for the last 2 years. Stats will look a lot better when you play in an offense like that.

It was just hype IMO. There was never any actual reasons to believe that they would perform like the best in the nation, regardless of who was throwing the ball.

So let's go with 40 times and vertical jumps then. Production is all that matters, the rest is just wasted potential. What argument can be made that they were the best?

What other measure could someone possibly use to say one WR corp is better than another? Saying UND had the best receivers in the nation seems like one of those things that someone said once and every UND fan jumped on board. If they were the best WR corp in the nation, then they were simultaneously the most under-achieving receiving corp in the nation. Making the argument that they didn't have a QB that could get them the ball is not valid if you ask me, because there is no way to know how they would have performed, we only know how they actually performed and it certainly wasn't as the best in the nation.

I am neither defending nor condemning the "millions" comments. But it seems to me, it wouldn't be ridiculous to think that a very large number of people were watching a first round NCAA tournament basketball game and watching NDSU play basketball for the very first time. Is a million too many? I don't know, how many people watch first round games?

I know I'll kick myself for chiming in on this mess, but here goes. Just this week on KFAN they brought up how NDSU gave KU all they could handle in that game. I personally know a dozen KU fans who bring this up every time I see them. I think it actually helps that NDSU beat them and KSU in Football so they have heard the school's name multiple times. I also have never met an NDSU fan who think NDSU beat KU in that game.

In many ways, I believe geaux_sioux has a point. The act of shoveling isn't a problem, it's who gives the order that matters. If the order comes from a person the players respect, then it is looked at as a team building, character building exercise. If the order comes from a person the players do not respect, then they rebel and call it bush league. However, given the climate of today's college football environment and how competitive it is to recruit these fickle 18 year olds, the sentiment of this board on this topic I believe is the correct one. Recruits may see that as a negative when going through the recruiting process.

The reason for NDSU's slump has been hashed out over and on a thousand threads both here and bisonville. No need to re-visit, regardless of where you believe it came from. I'll answer your question with a question. Is it UND hockey or a certain coach that brings success? They have own championships with multiple coaches. Is it Alabama football or a certain coach that brings success, they have championships with multiple coaches. Is it UCLA basketball or a certain coach? See where I'm going? Some schools have a tradition of winning and as others have said building from a position of success is much easier. NDSU football is one of those programs that will always be building from a position of success and even if they have down years, they will always be back.

You seem very young based on your comments, so here's a history lesson. \ NDSU had 8 national championships before Craig Bohl was head coach. Craig Bohl is only part of the reason NDSU now has 10 and is looking to make it 11 in 6 days. Craig Bohl didn't recruit Steve Walker, Joe Mays, Kyle Steffes, Craig Dahl or anyone else in the '02 or '03 recruiting classes that went 10-1 two straight season while ineligible for the playoffs. NDSU is going to be more than fine, don't you worry.

Are you of the opinion that the team with better players is the one who will win? Or do you believe that a coach can be good at recruiting the "right" players for his system? You guys like hockey so here's an example for you. Why didn't Herb Brooks take the highest rated, best players for his legendary Olympic hockey team? The answer is because they wouldn't have accomplished anything near what the team of "lesser" players accomplished. He found the right guys to play his style of hockey and the rest is history. Too many coaches recruit talent, but talent only takes you so far in team sports. NDSU isn't good at recruiting better "football players" or kids who know the game better. What NDSU became very skilled at was identifying the players who would come in and be part of a bigger vision. Players who buy into a system that is proven to win. And say what you may about Coach Bohl and his staff if you like, but there is no denying he is a master at motivating and organizing young mind. Why do you think Sam Ojuri and John Crockett are OK with splitting carries. Why do you think NDSU's receivers are ok with not being an 'air raid' offense. NDSU's defense has some amazing individual talent, but you'd be hard pressed to say one of them is the best. They bring in kids with the right attitude(with rare exception) and they teach them discipline and team. The end result of which is the product we are witnessing.

I thought I was a moron. Pull yourself together. You think NDSU wins because they have better players? Never have never will. Kansas State, U of M, countless teams NDSU has beaten over the years had better athletes. Back when I played, we had one of the best defenses in I-AA(when it was called that). Routinely, I lined up against players that athletically and physically could run circles around me and pick me up and throw me through a wall. I was able to compete and win in those one on one match-ups because I was better coached and a hell of a lot more disciplined than them. NDSU has been doing it for years and they are still doing it. Why do you think that when every opposing team looks at NDSU's film they "aren't impressed"? Because on film it doesn't look special, it looks boring in fact. NDSU beats you because they are a better team than you, not because they are better athletically.

And there are plenty of 'Great' NDSU football players that would have played special teams if they played for the Gophers. It's a different level of competition for a reason.

And? Have you ever met an athlete? They always think someone is "disrespecting their skills". Listen to NFL players in interviews sometime. Players just use it as motivation. Players thinking they have been overlooked certainly doesn't mean that NDSU is winning games because of one coach's recruiting ineptitude. Did the Gophers miss on Billy Turner? Who knows. Maybe he goes to U of M, get lost on the depth chart for his first two years and doesn't develop the confidence to be such a star. Maybe Marcus going up against better receivers in practice everyday and not getting all those picks because of better competition causes him to not garner any NFL attention, which remains to be seen in the upcoming draft. This is a phenomenon that has been termed by Malcolm Gladwell as a "desirable difficulty". Maybe the reason they became so good in the first place was because they felt "disrespected" and had they been recruited to U of M may have not stood out the way they did.