UND-FB-FAN

There are empty seats all over the Alerus Center. The highest attendance density is from the 40 to 40 yard line; therefore, the least number of empty seats exists in those sections. Not a difficult concept and everyone understands it; the difficulty is getting leadership to consider change and then ultimately moving forward with it.

Not sure how moving the student section would decrease student attendance. In fact, I think it won’t affect student attendance at all. I can almost guarantee you that whether the students sit at the 50 yard line or the 25 yard line, it isn’t a top 3 factor of whether they show up or stay the second half.

You are mistaken. Sure, the 40-40 yard line Champions Club sections occasionally have a few empty seats, but it is by far the most filled up section in the entire building. The student attendance is simply too poor, particularly in the second half, to even consider that Champions Club seating would be inferior in terms of attendance. At the worst, it would be a parallel move, but moving the students would most likely drastically improve the distribution of attendance to the midfield seats - and rightfully so. UND football is in no way, shape, or form in a position where maintaining the status quo should be viewed as insightful. Moving the students is only one of many changes that the football program needs to undergo.

6 turnovers! UND loses. Need WAY better quarterback play.

“You play to win the game [now]!”

Story of the game for UND is 6 turnovers. Awful. You won’t win doing that. Turnovers are partially because of coaching (scheme to protect the ball or lack thereof) but mostly due to poor execution. Ketteringham played a bad game. First game playing with the knee injury so I bet he improves, but it still just wasn’t good enough from the QB position yesterday for a win. If Ketteringham can’t protect the ball, then UND will have to try Schuster - he actually protected the ball against SHSU. Still, the QB situation is not ideal and UND desperately needs a couple new players at that position for next year. The next thing is run defense and run offense. 6 years into the Bubba era and the offensive and defensive lines are still not nearly good enough. It showed yesterday in the weather conditions. I’m most concerned about this. UND needs better players at QB. Offensive line and defensive line need to be better. The skill position players are a step too slow. Plenty of concerns remain from a talent/recruiting standpoint.

Nothing will change in the next 2 years, I’m afraid. I heavily caution against complacency, because UND athletics and specifically UND football has been all too conservative lately and look where it has got them ... Why does UND think they are too special (or simply the exception) when it comes to the seating orientation compared to nearly every other DI football venue? Students don’t get 50 yard line seating nearly anywhere else, ESPECIALLY when the student section is consistently empty in the second half of games year after year.

This game will come down to what most games comes down to: turnovers and clutch plays. UND has to protect the ball and force a few turnovers like they did against Sam Houston State. Also, when Eastern Washington faces a third or fourth down, UND needs to get off the field defensively. Against NDSU, und could not stop Trey Lance on 3rd down. Und needs to be able to stop the EWU quarterback in this game in those situations. Conversely, when UND faces third down offensively, they must convert. Too many three and outs will put too much pressure on the UND defense. It happened against NDSU, it cannot happen against EWU.

Ill contact him regarding seating. Obviously the students support UND football but not well enough to stick around the entire game. For the past decade plus, the student section is 75% empty come the 3rd quarter. It is an awful waste of great seating that season ticket holders would love to sit in from start to finish. Not to mention the minor detail that the broadcast cameras face those seats! You think prospective student athletes want to play in a place where it looks dead empty on tv...... Move the students down a few sections. This is the Orientation in nearly every division I football venue!

UND needs to prepare to win. I have confidence that Bubba and his team are doing that. Moral victories are for losers. External expectations for UND are horsesh*t but what else is new. Expectations - most importantly the internal expectations - are a major factor in success or lack thereof. This year's UND team needs to prove people wrong. I’m confident they can. The juggernaut in Fargo affects the external expectations, whether naive supporters want to admit it or not. Bickering about “the problem supporter” does not amuse me. You’ll have to find someone else if you want to carry on this petty argument.

What the hell?

Way better.

Students in mass numbers don’t want to go to the games. Its an issue all over the country, including big 10 schools. To expect the students to fill up the prime midfield seating is just wishful thinking without logic. Move the student section down, and reserve the midfield on BOTH sides for season tickets. It really is disappointing that it has taken this long for UND’s athletic department to figure this out; and really, they technically haven’t yet.

If Chaves is competent, he’ll change the seating arrangement. Move the students down and provide season tickets for midfield (40 to 40) on both sides of the field!

Apparently you endorse mediocrity. You are a part of the problem, not the solution.

“The next two weeks are not season-defining but are important, nonetheless. The Eagles are ranked #11 in the country and the following week UND gets #4 UC-Davis at home for Homecoming.“ -UNDFB360 This is a bull$%!# quote. I love the coverage from the guys and agree with them 99% of the time, but this is just failing to set expectations. Yes EWU and UC-Davis are tough, but that’s what you want. To play tough games and pull out the wins. UND needs to re-set the standard under Bubba. Whether realized or not, the expectations are consistently too low for UND football. Get to the point where knocking off EWU and beating UC-Davis at home is expected. If not expected in year 6 of the Bubba era, then when the hell will it be? Win the Damn Games

Maag may have the best speed of the 3 I mentioned, but that isn’t saying much. Need to keep finding ways to get the ball to guys with actual competitive speed; Boltmann, McKinney, Cochran, Griebel, and eventually Adeoti when healthy. Maag isn’t outrunning any DBs for 50 yards anytime soon. He is still a very good player, though. Great ball skills and jump ball ability.

UND did just beat the No.24 team in the country with said offensive line, so let’s step back from the ledge and the “going nowhere” talk. There is still much hope for a winning season if UND takes care of business at home in the Alerus Center and wins a couple road games. After that, though, I agree with you. UND needs to improve its offensive line. Running game has to be capable if UND wants to be a championship team and they certainly are not there yet. Emphasis needs to be on continuing to recruit and develop the offensive line.

It is just too amateur. The approach to UND football gameday operations is way too apathetic. No one cares enough. For starters, UND and/or the Alerus Center need to hire employees with an IQ at least over 50. At least have that as a prerequisite. Also, UND’s athletic department headed by Chaves needs to better emphasize Alerus Center gameday operations as an area of much needed improvement. Everyone who agrees with this needs to contact Chaves and voice your concern. In my limited experience speaking with Chaves thus far, count me unimpressed.

Need to move students over. There should be season ticket holder seating from 40 to 40, if not 30 to 30, on BOTH sides. Students get endzone sections. I honestly think the UND ticket office and the Alerus Center ticket office are ran by uninformed, apathetic rubes or young inexperienced kids, or both. Pure stupidity in how they run tickets and seating. Not to mention the logistics and delivery of tickets is poor as hell.

Yeah, Bubba’s decision making won the game for UND. He made a great decision in taking the safety. And you play the player who might be UND’s future QB. Not a hybrid QB-receiver. Tommy Schuster made plays. UND needs to keep all the speed on the perimeter it can; Boltmann is one of the few guys UND has with “speed”. As good as Wanzek, Toivonen, and Maag are in terms of competitiveness, it is painful to watch them try to make plays in space and outrun defenders.

If Zimmerman gets hurt, UND will be in a lot of trouble. Get ready to bring in a losing season for UND and the calls for Bubba's dismissal will really be loud. Be careful what you wish for. I'd suggest you hope Zimmerman stays healthy and his chemistry with the receivers continues to grow. It can't be overlooked just how important building chemistry with the receivers and getting comfortable with this new offense is for whoever is at QB. The idea that you can just plug and play someone off the bench, like Boltmann, and they will light it up is silly. Hope for Zimmerman to continue to get reps, get more comfortable, and continue to ascend his level of play.

UND will be forced to stop the deep ball (emphasis here) AND the QB run game. Sam Houston State will certainly do both as both worked for NDSU against UND. Sam Houston will see it on film and try to duplicate it against UND.

Upsetting that UND's defense is now being looked at as pedestrian. The UND defense had glimpses of success against NDSU, but ultimately their inability to stop NDSU's QB run game was their downfall in giving up 38 pts. Against Sam Houston State, it won't be the QB run game that will hurt UND's defense (but SHSU will try this too), but rather UND's ability (or lack thereof) to defend the passing game. UND needs to get pressure and make some plays on the ball and get interceptions. Blubaugh, Leonard Nelson, Canady, Siegel, and Holm (if he plays) all need to be ready to make plays on the deep ball; don't be scared and MAKE IT HAPPEN!

Sam Houston State versus New Mexico (2019 Week 1) highlights: