UNDvince97-01

UND 92, 96 Do not even pay attention to that rambling idiot, bison1234. He obviously just registered on this message board to talk smack for this week, as evidenced by his only posting 4 times. he is just trying to piss everyone off. Hey bison1234, why dont you take notes on how to talk football in a humane way, like bisonguy, tony, and some other bison fans on here. At least they have some interesting insight and intelligent comments. I think it should be a very good game. NDSU has to be the favorite because of their victories over Montana and UNO. They have played a tougher schedule, as opposed to UND's. However, as much of a cliche as it may sound, you CAN throw out all the stats and books for this game every year. I can't wait for the game to be a much better game than the "yawner" that took place last year in the Fargodome.

Just listened to the game. Oh my god is all I have to say. What a game!!!! Eddie Schultz just makes situations like that even better. Bring on the bison and the battle for the Nickel Trophy.

LOL, funny stuff sicatoka

UND 92,96 you have made very good points also, and i can't really argue with them. realize that i am a big joe wilson supporter, and i hope the best for him. he deserves his shot. also realize that bowenkamp had some success last year on the road in the NCC. a good example would be when he threw for 515 against augie last year at howard wood field. i am just saying that i dont think it's a no-brainer to start wilson. if they did start him, i would definitely think it was warranted. i think it's a tough call for the coaching staff.

Bisonguy, yes Klosterman was the holder when he played, as was Tony Stein before him. I think it's a good thing just in case something happens on the snap or hold. If something does happen, then you have your QB able to make the throw on a botched attempt. Who does NDSU have as their holder?

I was at the game this weekend, and it was a great comeback led by Joe Wilson. He has been there for 6 years, and it has finally paid off. He deserves all the credit in the world, and I couldn't be more proud of him. It looked as though he had been a 3 year starter leading his team down the field. All that being said, I wouldn't be so fast in naming him the starter next week. You have to realize that the situation he came into last week, was a "no lose" situation. If he led them back, he was going to look like the savior, and if he didnt, then he wasn't supposed to. Also realize that this was a home game, that helps ease the nerves alot more too. This week they are travelling to Brookings to play in one of the most intimidating venues in the NCC. SDSU also has a very good football team. This situation reminds me alot of the 1999 team that went in to SDSU at 7-0 and a #4 ranking in Coach Lennon's first season. They had just come off beating UNC at home and feeling very good about themselves, but then they went to SDSU and got beat by an obviously inferior team and Josh Ranek on Hobo Days. This will be a hostile environment to have a QB start his first game. John Bowenkamp has been struggling, but he has experience on the road in the NCC games. It is a whole different ballgame on the road in the NCC. It would be a shame to ruin Wilson's confidence by starting him in that kind of situation. You could argue that both QB's should start, I think. I just don't see it as being a no-brainer. Let's just hope that whoever starts does a good job leading thier team in a very tough NCC road game.

Everyone in disagreement of my earlier post is missing the point. Yes, the loss to Mesa St. was very disappointing. I am disappointed myself. Yes, the non-conference scheduling of late has been subpar. This is not because of a lack of effort however. UND has tried numerous times to get good teams for non-conference games. It has failed for a number of reasons including money issues, travel issues, and just because teams fear going to UND and NCC schools in general because of the quality of football. Another ridiculous reason includes one team requesting UND to buy turf shoes for them because their team didnt have any because they always play on grass. There are a lot of variables that go into scheduling non-conference games that are very difficult to negotiate. As a UND alum, I too want to see the best results possible in all sports. Competeing for conference and national championships are the reasons you play the games. I grew up in Grand Forks watching UND football stink in the late 80's, but I still was a faithful fan. Fans of college athletics should be proud of their teams in the good and bad, wins and losses. If you have any loyalty towards your team, you will always do this. It seems as though sometimes people try to compare college athletics to pro sports. College athletes are at school to gain an education, first and foremost. Anyone who says otherwise is ignorant. They are not professional athletes. Yes, they are getting paid to attend school on scholarship. But it is not all they do, and they are not doing it in a "professional" sense of the word. I also pay money to attend UND athletic events. I do it because I love to follow my former university, not because I DEMAND wins for my money. That should be left for the ranks of professional sports. In the small state of ND, and the smaller city of Grand Forks, UND is all we have to support. We dont have any professional teams, and I think this is why people sometimes get caught up in things like this. I hope the UND football team comes back strong to win the NCC and ultimately, the national championship. That is their goal every year, as it should be. Just always try to remember what Division 2 college athletics is all about, and support your team the way you are suppose to. Please do not take this personal, as it is not an attack on any one person. I am just trying to tell everybody how it is. I could argue this forever, but I will leave it at that.

OK, everybody needs to settle down a little. Yes, it was a bad loss for the team, and if they were to play them again tomorrow, they would probably win. Turnovers proved to be the end of them. To those people that are already writing off UND for the season and the playoffs: have some faith and pride in your UND football program. Some people are on here remind me of vikings fans. If you are already jumping off the wagon after 2 games, good riddance, and stay off. I cant stand people that dont know how to endure one tough loss. You know what, they may lose every game the rest of the season, who knows? Even if that happens, I will still support them. I guarantee if they were to win out for the rest of the regular season, the same people that are jumping off the wagon will jump right back on. That is complete BS!! One loss is not the end of the season, especially this early. I feel that the loss in 2001 to UNO proved to be the spark that UND needed to win the title. The team felt defeat once, and didnt want to feel it again. This ended up being a motivator in the long run. Sometimes you learn the most while enduring losses. I know UND will come back strong in the upcoming weeks. A proud UND Alum

UND 92,96 you are right about there being 6 teams from the midwest in the top 25 poll, none of them being UND, while UND is #4 in the midwest power rankings. The other people that vote on that poll dont see the midwest region teams or pay attention to the midwest games like Harlin does. Jeff Harlin is "The" midwest bastion of football knowledge, and he takes alot of pride in his job. I totally respect his opinions of d2 football, especially in the midwest. Frankly, I am not surprised that UND wasnt in the top 25, especially after coming off a 5-6 season. However, I knew Jeff would still take them seriously, and that one bad year would not affect how he sees the UND program and their coaching staff. To be honest, I really dont care about the national polls when compared to the regional polls. All that matters at the end of the season is how you fare in the region polls. Jeff does a very good job with his columns, and I think that a 4th rank in the region is not a farce. He is the most credible source of information in the midwest, in my opinion. I know that YOU arent saying that is a farce, but that's just my take.

Jeff Harlin of D2football.com has picked UND to finish second in the NCC behind conference favorite SCSU. He also has them in the 4th spot for the playoffs in the Midwest in November. I think I agree with his picks for the conference and for the playoffs. I think that if they get on a roll, they could end up finishing 8-2, which would be good enough for the playoffs I hope. We'll have to wait and see, of course, but I just think anytime you a defense with our scheme and coaches, you are going to have a chance at winning. Hopefully they come through. I can't wait till football season and the first UND game.

All indications from the coaching staff are that Desautel has alot of potential. Physically, he could definitely be a great player at safety. The toughest part though will be mentally for him, especially in the sioux "D". He has come along a little slowly with the mental part of the game (making checks, making correct reads, etc) but that is expected for every safety in the system. As far as comparing him with Kelly Howe, it's way too early to tell. Physically, yes you could compare him with Howe because of their frames, but mentally, it's not even close to comparable. Kelly was a field general on the field, knew the defense in and out, and had alot of other intangibles he brought to the table, not to mention his natural ability to just flat out make plays. Give Desautel some time- which he will get this year - to develop, and we will see a much improved player by next fall. Most of the learning happens in the first year of eligibility. Playing behind Stratton, Bransted, and Gagner will be a blessing in disguise for him this year. He has great potential.

I'm sorry but, if UND finishes with 1 loss, and NDSU finishes with 3, UND should go. However, if NDSU beats UND, and NDSU has 2 losses, and UND has 1, then maybe you have a case that NDSU should go. You know what, though? All of this is just pure speculation, and i am sick of talking about it. Everything will be settled on the field soon. God, i can't wait until football season!!

Bison Kent, you are right, sometimes UND does schedule pansies for non-conference games. One reason is that teams just dont want to come to UND unless the money is PERFECT. another reason is to stay healthy in non-conference so that they can whoop NDSU's butt during conference play. which, they have been doing since the early 90's consistently. if your starters are out in the second quarter, then there is less likeliness for injury. but it is a double-edged sword because you arent getting "quality" games and opponents early, which effects how you play down the road, and can effect your ranking in the region at the end of the year.