UND-FB-FAN

In terms of total teams making playoffs, yes, but committee still put the top 2 MVFC teams ahead of the undefeated in conference BSC team. That says something in terms of MVFC vs BSC head to head.

Now that’s a conspiracy that could ruffle some feathers. I’m too ticked to get into the hockey issues, so I’m going to stay away from that … for now. Football just needs to take care of themselves and do better.

I agree to disagree, I just used different words and provided my justification.

No offense, but it’s your opinion versus the selection committee made up of actual athletic directors. I’ll take their opinion over yours. MVFC is better than BSC

Now this I agree on

This is blatantly wrong. Big Sky Conference winner Montana State, which went 8-0 in the BSC, got the #4 seed behind the top two teams in MVFC (SDSU-#1, NDSU - #3). can’t believe you would short change UND, which is in the actual best conference in the country: MVFC

3 PM

Unfortunately, despite the bid number, there’s plenty of issues that will make Chaves a target of criticism. Need more football support across the board. Pathetic budget right now.

First round matchup: @ Weber State nice to be in the playoffs awful to be on the road in the first round I am beyond disappointed that 2019 didn’t change Chaves’ ways of approaching football funding. We need more, and the current way of doing things isn’t apparently attracting more funding. UND football is very unlikely to play in the Alerus Center again in 2022. Very disappointing.

UND goes on the road to Weber State. Screw this low budget cheap a$$ way of doing things. No more football in Grand Forks for 2022

Big Sky with no respect. Was a good move to get out of that conference IMO

UND will be in, just a matter of where and against who.

Need to be in the Alerus. Game in the Alerus means a playoff victory is easily in reach. Game on the road and the season obviously isn’t over, but we’re on eggshells. Hoping Chaves did his job and secured homefield with competitive bid.

Agreed. Tommy is good (very good) at escaping, but on plays where end rusher gets good contain, Tommy trying to go outside all the time kills the play. Hence all the damn throw aways out of bounds (partially due to coverage as well).

Not tight enough. UND just wasn’t making plays. For a game in which they had little to lose and everything to gain, UND was the team playing with tight a$$holes. Defense absolutely got pushed around. It was no secret. Everyone knew going into the game you had to stop NDSU running game. Easier said than done. UND absolutely failed (F grade) on run defense the entire game. As such, you get the outcome we got; blowout loss.

Well this is obviously true. The defense has always been too unnecessarily complex, particularly for the safeties.

Yep, caught him from behind. NDSU scored a couple plays later. The huge pass play was a backbreaker from momentum standpoint. In the building, you could feel NDSU easily carrying the game the rest of the way.

That 9-2 team collapsed at home in playoffs despite a 24-7 lead. Also several close (unnecessarily close) tight victories. I obviously understand 9>7, but that doesn’t make me any more immune to getting slaughtered by top teams (and also unranked teams like SIU) year after year.

Very early in the game, down only 7 points, UND had NDSU backed up on their own 4 yard line. 96 yard field to go. UND could’ve grabbed back momentum with good field position. What do they do? Blow a coverage with an awful mental error and give up a 50+ yard catch and run. Culprit was a player who played all year despite being bad all season. Coaches didn’t adjust. They had field position. The defense just pissed it down their leg. God awful. Killed momentum and the game was an onslaught from there on. Unacceptable.

Yes, Bison are very, very good. We get it. But it’s the instate rival for UND and they aren’t going away. They are the gate keepers to UND being successful. They are the benchmark. In 2013, UND switched coaching staffs and it was cited that the inability to compete with the Big Sky Conference competition was a major reason. So, now UND can’t compete with NDSU. Now what? Keep praising NDSU, or do we control what we can control and better ourselves (UND)? I posed the question yesterday; what’s the goal? UND to ascend (basically become top 5 program because that’s what is takes to top NDSU) or NDSU to descend? We could be waiting a long time for NDSU to descend, and no competitor who’s successful in life should want to choose the latter option.

I completely agree with this. The status quo isn’t working.

UND made several mental mistakes. Missed run fits. Missed assignments in the secondary. It wasn’t that they were just physically overmatched. UND failed on aspects they can control themselves with preparation. The moment was too big for them, once again. Defense wasn’t mentally prepared. Wasn’t just that they were outmatched, which also was the case. NDSU is by far a more physically impressive unit. Kudos to their S/C staff, though I’m not convinced it’s being done all legally as per previous indictments. Nonetheless, unacceptable outcome. The game wasn’t even close from the get go. Not the effort that’s needed to even attempt to narrow the gap between the two football programs. Very disappointing.

That’s a good point, but doesn’t account for biggest flaw: the defense. D looked awful all year and they were both physically and mentally unprepared yesterday for the season’s biggest game to this point. Awful.

Also not sold on this coaching staff and S/C staff to develop the young players into anything exceptional. They do alright, just not at a championship level. Also, I’m now fully convinced UND with this staff will never have the team mentally prepared to consistently win big games. 7-4 is really the ceiling; can’t expect UND to win big road games, or even top 5 home games, which is necessary to be a top 5 team that’s gets home field advantage in playoffs. That needs to be goal; remember importance of being in Alerus all the way through in 2001? Being in the FD for nearly all the playoffs has been important to NDSU’s championship run. Disappointing. Culture change needs to happen, and after 8 years of this staff, it won’t happen without change to some degree.

UND and Chaves need to be aggressive with the bids. There was outcry in 2019, and we all know how important home field advantage is for UND (and really all teams).