UND-FB-FAN

This would be the very optimistic way of looking at it. We'll see come August.

True statement

When reality sinks in ... ouch

Darrell, don't act so oblivious. How could UND be further along? Obviously recruit better players in years 1, 2, and 3 and not lose so many of them to attrition. Why don't you take a look at what Jay Hill has been doing down at Weber State (he took over a team that went 2-10 in the same conference as UND). Handicapping UND by continually proclaiming "Muss put them in a hole, blah, blah, blah" only feeds into the hysteria that NDSU will always be way ahead of UND. NDSU doesn't ask for excuses like that, so neither should UND and Bubba.

Well then I don't think UND is going to start winning quite yet.

Offering the right kids, just need to see some of them commit. Have to steal a couple from FBS programs like the top FCS programs usually do it.

I will say, is it Jones or is it Divison 1 (as far as why UND basketball has dropped so much in winning)? Probably a combination of both. UND football also hasn't been close to matching its division II winning percentage (0.625 in DII) since going division I (55-56; 0.495 in DI). Division I is just a different animal that requires more emphasis and support than what UND football and basketball is currently getting. During DII, UND was at the top of the funding scale; in DI, they've struggled to just be average.

Do you know how long Brian Jones has been the head men's basketball coach at UND (hint: it hasn't been only within the "immediate" past)? Do you know Brian Jones record as head men's basketball coach at UND? Do you know if UND won their conference this most recent season? Do you know how many conference titles UND has had with Brian Jones as UND's head mens's basketball coach? The answer to all of those questions are not up to my standards. I am not going to apologize just because some who support UND are subconsciously immune to mediocrity. Jones has a track record at UND that is not overly competitive save one season where UND made the NCAA tournament. I look at the big picture; it sounds like you do not follow UND basketball closely and are not familiar with the big picture.

Need a new coaching staff with a new leader (head coach) before UND can expect consistent top-end basketball within the Summit. Good news is new AD Chaves expects UND to compete for conference titles in every sport. When (not if, but when) UND fails to be competitive in the Summit, Chaves will be forced to get rid of the aloof Jones.

Possibly the worst game in UND DI history. Worse than even 2009 Sioux Falls game considering UND's top 10 expectations of 2017 (certainly not top 10 after that ass kicking in Vermillion). Damn it pisses me off just thinking about that embarrassment of a game for UND football.

I hope UND plays to win against Washington. If UND goes into that game tentative, it will linger on vs Sam Houston State the following week. UND will stand no chance in subsequent games; can't just turn it on. Have to promote an atmoshphere of confidence and expectations; or else, another losing season for Bubba and UND.

One can always use that excuse because UND has rarely ever won as a DI program. The one season of late they did win (2016), the highly hyped home playoff game wasn't even the best attended game of the season ... oh yeah, and there was a fricken neutral site away hockey game on that date also, God damn.

That damn Davison! How dare he? In all honesty though, Faison was bad. Chaves should be better with the future schedules because it won't take much.

Have to recruit players that are happy to be at UND and have pride in UND. Geno required a lot of guidance (above average) while at UND and now he leaves UND after the staff's investment. This makes it difficult to thank him for his time at UND. If only I had faith that Jones could replace him and build a better team ... (hint: I do not)

Calm down, man. Those recruits are good players and will likely contribute just fine for the fargo buffaloes. Be happy your favorite cow college got a couple highly sought after players and stop being so insecure. Now please let us continue with *UND's* 2019 recruiting class.

You aren't getting many good ones. Period. Rudolph and Knauf have shown enough to know what to expect.

All fair points.

UND did not adjust to maintain the lead and momentum. They didn't effectively run the ball on offense in the second half (and the passing game was mostly Studsrud throwing ugly, ugly passes that were incomplete and thus stopping the clock), they ran untimely plays like the infamous "triple reverse", and Bubba and Schmidt over-played their obsession with zero coverage blitzes leaving one-on-one coverage in the secondary (which Richmond burned UND on). The running into the punter situation was a single mistake of many in the second half. UND's coaching staff needs to be far better than they were that December day in 2016 if we want UND to be a national title contender under Bubba.

Well, let's start by looking at the biggest game in UND football DI history which was in 2016: 2016 FCS playoffs 2nd Round (12/3/16): Richmond @ North Dakota halftime: UND 17 Richmond 7 end of game: UND 24 Richmond 27

Gotta love those coaching adjustments, especially when they work. UND's ability to adjust on the fly is not a strong suit. Without getting into specific X's and O's, there definitely are some things UND should try this season that they didn't last season. If they don't experiment with that, it could be another long season. Have to adjust to what you have available (in terms of players). Big question: more about personal system or players' strengths when it comes to Bubba, Schmidt, and Rudolph?

Agreed. The difference is Montana actually won (head-to-head with UND) with their backups, while UND crumbled. There's no question that programs with very good coaching and subsequently good systems withstand injuries far better than programs that purely rely on the talent (players' abilities). I'm afraid UND's coaching staff may fall into the latter category. If one steps back and looks just at Bubba's system (not the players within it), there are several areas that could potentially be improved. Easy to talk though, eventually we have to see them walk the walk.

You can't talk down Montana until UND actually wins a game in Montana. UND continues to get embarrassed every time they play in Montana (even with UM playing a 3rd string QB). If 2016 UND played Montana in Missoula, the Griz likely come out on top. This year's premium game is a home game vs Montana in Grand Forks; if UND wants to make the playoffs in '18 they will have to win that game.

These are all fair points. I have concerns due to this also. Let's see what Bubba and UND can do in '18.

A lot of new faces in 2018. New quarterback, new offensive linemen, new defensive backs, new linebackers, new specialists ... This will be interesting to see. The coaching staff has a big task in front of them. They have to prove they are truly talented coaches and effectively teach a competent system in a short amount of time. In my opinion, it is a make it or break it year for Bubba and staff. Grand Forks can't withstand long stretches of losing football or it will push football back into the Stone Age in terms of following. If the team has another horrible season (losing record), I think it's important to get new football leadership prior to embarking on the big boy transition that is the MVFC. But, Bubba and Schmidt know what the MVFC is all about so let's see how it plays out (success in it at SIU was limited, unfortunately). An HPC phase II within the next 5 years for Bubba (if still at UND) and the program would do wonders for recruiting and player development.

Fair points.