UND-FB-FAN

Danny Freund got a real QB commit for UND! Awesome.

UND consistently plays down to their competition. After 6 seasons, I am almost certain it is due to the coaching style, specifically Bubba. It will continue to cost UND games until Bubba looks himself in the mirror and changes or else UND moves on. You can’t get a 14 point lead and then just go into your shell. It is quite embarrassing and really it has been going on for all 6 years. Too many close games based on this. There have been games where UND could blow it open but they get complacent and ask for the other team to get back into it. They need to develop “killer instinct” and it starts with the head coach committing to this. No more nice guy Bubba and toe to toe. This quote after the UC Davis game makes me cringe. Crazy? Like going up 3 possessions before half? C’mon man, try elevelate UND football a bit more. We tried to pop one more run to get better field position, but we felt like, 'let's not get crazy here and give them some momentum late in the half,'" Schweigert said. "We popped one good run and tried another. If we got to midfield, you would have seen us get into a different mode."

@UNDBIZ you like empty seats on the west side, eh? I know it certainly doesn’t look impressive to prospective student-athletes watching a game in the Alerus Center for the first time.

2 back to back road wins would be huge for this team. UND has 0 road wins thus far. If they protect the ball and play disciplined, they definitely have the talent/ability to do it.

Bubba needs to learn from it, also. UND had full control of the game in the first half with an agressive offensive mindset, up 28-14. Right before halftime, though, for some unknown reason other than it’s the staff’s style, the switch was flipped. UND went ultra conservative on offense and UC Davis got right back in the game. I don’t care if UND is up 14, up 30, tied, or down 14, Bubba and Freund need to adjust and realize this version of UND football (that is, the 2019 team) is at its best when they are being aggressive and creative on offense. Please, for the love of God, stay away from offensive Bubba ball. It is football poison, as evidenced over the past 6 years. That is the adjustment and lesson needed to be learned from the UC Davis game. Now, let’s see if Freund and Bubba adjust.

And the west side was nice and sparse as usual. I still call for re-distribution of seats; that is, if someone in UND’s athletic department will stop being lazy and do their damn job.

Especially since UND won with true freshman QB Tommy Schuster ... kudos to Danny Freund for having him ready to do that. Still quite unbelievable to me.

Can UND get their first road win of the season? Storylines aplenty given Bubba’s woes against Idaho State. UND needs to win the turnover battle and play a disciplined game (less penalties). UND will win if they do those two things. So everyone knows, Idaho State is 2-3 on the season and recently lost @ Montana 59-20. Idaho State’s two wins are against West Colorado and Portland State.

UND won, but again made many mistakes that could foreshadow what is to come in the future. A lot of season left - things could go very well or could still go very bad. Call me a debbie downer, negative Nancy, or excessive critic (or whatever), but I’ve seen this movie before. Been around football long enough from both the fan and coaching perspective to know there is a lot UND needs to improve on to become a playoff team this season. I’m not convinced UND can win over 6 games *yet*.They have to prove they can win on the road. They have to play a full 4 quarter game and demonstrate “killer instinct” and not play cautiously the entire game. In this case, the “cautious” play by the team is certainly a reflection of the head coach’s personality and coaching philosophy.

Agreed, agreed, agreed. These are definitely the top concerns coming out of the victory vs UC Davis.

It’s not as bad as it seems, it’s not as good as it seems. UND could definitely falter on the road against Idaho State (who Bubba consistently chokes against) and miss the playoffs but UND also could win out and end up a good playoff team. A lot of season and possibilities yet. Let’s see if UND can win on the road now ..... UND has to protect the ball (only 1 turnover today) and limit penalities to win on road.

It’s Bubba. It’s the pattern we’ve witnessed for the past 6 years; obviously Bubba. Day by Day Toe to Toe

Correct. But they got 0 points after second CJ Seigel interception with big return. They couldn’t even get 3 points. UND ran it three times and kicked the miss. Disappointing and it maintained a one score game giving UC Davis hope.

Ouch. This is not the approach I want UND football to take, but I think you say what Bubba thinks ....... UND played far from a perfect game. They need to do much better. Not throw awful passes for interceptions. Not miss field goals. Not give up fake punts for 1st downs. Not get 0 points after turnovers. There are plenty of concerns that UND has to address and even then would certainly not be perfect.

UND played a very good 1st half. UND played a very poor 2nd half. UND made just enough plays to win. It was awful close. I would prefer UND not get 0 points after big time turnovers. That stands out.

I agree completely. Bubba holds back his players and teams. The defense forced big time turnovers and yet the offense didn’t capitalize due to lack of aggressive play in second half. And actually, UND started to pull back on the reins at the end of the 1st half. Just disappointing overall coaching philosophy by Bubba ...

UND needs to play way better in 2nd half. I am disappointed in how conservative Bubba Schweigert is. His coaching style is holding back this team. EXAMPLE: UND has offensive momentum in first half with timeouts but goes into half without even trying for points. Then, sure enough, offense struggles to score the entire second half and it’s obvious Ketteringham lost all momentum and feel good. Special teams did enough to win with big kick, but also screwed up with poor fake punt coverage and missed field goal. Defense was a mixed bag. Played well on some plays and made turnovers, also gave up a bunch of 3rd and 4th down conversations. Not a perfect game by any stretch. UND should’ve won by more, but at least they won. There is a lot of work to do. And I am skeptical of UND’s leadership aka head man....

UND needs to play better in the second half, no question. They did enough in the first half to hold on for a way too close win.

Big time QB recruiting prospect for UND. He has a ton of potential. Hope he enjoys the ball game today and commits to UND.

Passing game would suffer with Boltmann at QB full time. Ketteringham is doing very well today thus far. I prefer the role Boltmann has currently as he touches the ball many different ways. Hard to complain with how the offense has looked so far. But I don’t agree with the decision to not be aggressive before halftime. That was disappointing management by the head coach Bubba.

Tom Miller and Brad Schlossman are unknowingly desensitized to the mediocrity that is UND football. They implicitly expect 6-5 every single season - like so many other supporters - and are completely fine with it. Bubba has been coach for 6 seasons and the expectation is still 6 wins; maybe expectations elevate to 7 wins by 2025? How many seasons does it take? It’s comical, though, how the expectations are set. In 2016, UND wasn’t supposed to do anything per the “experts” but they won 9 games. Then, in 2017, UND was suddenly supposed to be a top 10 FCS team, but they won only 3 games. Then the realization hit UND is still a mediocre program. It goes back and forth. Everyone in the UND media and local media - as well as with many fans - is very reactive rather than proactive with their expectations. It’s all just very ... interesting ...

I think it’s hilarious how so many think yanking Ketteringham from the game will instantly better UND’s team. You know, everyone’s favorite player is the backup quarterback. Classic thinking. UND needs to just execute much better, whether that be Ketteringham, Schuster, Boltmann or anyone else. You can’t win if you have 6 turnovers. The offense - particularly Ketteringham - should be embarrassed by that and should look to come out and play well vs UC Davis. Long-term, I believe UND needs better talent. That doesn’t help in the interim. UND needs to play better and execute as a team.

I think UND can win this game. UND simply does not have an ideal quarterback situation. Ketteringham makes many mistakes. Schuster is young and inexperienced. Brock Boltmann also has not been asked to throw the ball very much in games. If UND wins this game, it will be just like the Sam Houston State win. To win, UND absolutely needs to win the turnover battle and make some game changing plays on defense. The obvious prediction is UC Davis. UND has a good shot though. My prediction is UND 28, UC Davis 24. UND keeps their playoff hopes alive.

There are many factors. Obviously, UND needs to develop and coach up their players a bit better. More importantly, though, is the foundation which is the talent. UND does not have a top 10 foundation of talent and the players are the ones who win the games. Recruiting better talent is a huge need. You are right in that UND matched up well against EWU last weekend in terms of talent, but keep in mind EWU is down this year. I agree that the intricacies of each position, including the quarterback position, need to be better emphasized and coached up. Having 6 turnovers is just not acceptable.

UND needs to go 7-4 or better this season. That is certainly still a possibility. Important home game this weekend against UC Davis, especially given how awful UND has looked on the road. UND went 6-5 last season and returned nearly all players at every position group other than RB and DL. UND cannot afford to go 6-5 or 5-6 and simply cite the "most difficult schedule of all time" as the reason why - doing so would continue to forward the mediocrity of UND football.