UND-FB-FAN

Whatever makes you sleep at night. A 2015 7-4 and 2016 9-3 consecutive season record should be enough to at least bring in some quality recruits that can be competitive backups in the Big Sky Conference. Very few RS sophomores are playing that are making a impact. I guess my expectations are too great for this program according to some. It's not unrealistic because there's more than enough standards around the country to prove otherwise. Just look 80 miles south. I understand that comparison will provoke many on this board, but it is from a success standpoint, not a jealousy or rivalry standpoint. For that matter, look at what EWU and James Madison are doing. Someone brought up the theory that UND should be inferior to NDSU because of city size. Well then, Northwestern should be a better football program than Wisconsin. Or the University of Minnesota should have a better football program than Ohio State. City size absolutely doesn't correlate with college football program success; its based on alumni support and the subsequent appropriate allocation to the football program. HPC phase II is such a must in this regard.

This is the kind of attitude that will cost UND in the long run. Sure, it's difficult for UND to find very good recruits right out of high school, but it can be done. Look at the top FCS programs around the country. We need to strive for UND to do better, not justify a 2-6 record because we are loyal to a fault.

Of late, Montana and Montana State doing "fine" is questionable ... They've been a bit underwhelming the last couple seasons. Now, relative to the UND football team this season, Montana and Montana State are doing "fine". Yes, yes, I know, Montana and Montana State have been spared by the injury Gods ....

Attrition is an issue, but don't overlook the questionable potential of the recruits being recruited. Many are misses, unfortunately, by the staff; they aren't DI caliber. Yes, some may develop into good players after 2 to 3 years within the program, but UND certainly doesn't have the depth yet to be relying on that type of "project" recruit. Bubba needs to recruit more players that are ready to come in and compete. If such players were on the roster, the injury epidemic of this season wouldn't hurt as bad as it has.

Well, there's no question that after this horrid season changes need to be made. Bubba needs to replace his coordinators and some coaches; if not all three coordinators (Schmidt won't go anywhere), then at least two of them. A season of this ineptitude absolutely justifies that, particularly considering the preseason expectations and current time-point within the Bubba regime (this is year 4, not 1 or 2). Secondly, strength & conditioning and sports medicine needs to be reassessed. The techniques of the staff needs to be at least improved so players can be better prepared to make it through an entire football season. It can be done - look around the country. If Bubba is genuine and truthfully wants UND football to consistently be a top FCS program, then he will make some necessary changes after this disaster of a season.

Exactly

You can think what you want, but a top 10 FCS team should at least be in the conversation in my opinion. That much is not too much to ask for. This is apart of the lowly expectations that non-hockey sports get at UND. You can pull out excuses all you want, but it's been a problem for some time and it continues to be an issue. Until supporters think UND can do great things in football, it won't happen. Fundraising and attendance goes a long, long way. UND supporters need to head the charge. Unfortunately, UND people spend more time justifying poor play then advocating for better play, with the exception being the hockey crowd. That desperately needs improvement.

I completely agree with the defensive analysis. Yes, the injuries at LB, S, and Corner have thinned the defense out tremendously, and as much as we want to criticize Rudiolph and the offense, the defense is actually the most porous unit. With that said, the offense needs to be opened up this season considering the defensive issues. Unfortunately, the offense is still a replica of last year's conservative offense (2016 had a competent defense to go with it; although the pass defense was a work in progress even last year - their play cost UND the playoff game in the waning seconds). Rudolph has failed to implement more diverse personnel groupings with Santiago, Oliveira, and Johannesson, and include screens, back shoulder fades, and quick TE play passes. No attempt to implement some tempo either, which could help out the QB play. Nevertheless, there is plenty of blame to go around beyond just the injuries. The coaches can improvise and they obviously haven't given the pathetic 2-6 record. Yuck.

Preseason expectations and polls indicated Frisco was a possibility this season. It's easy to forget when you strive for lowly expectations on a regular basis.

For one, failure to improvise when the best aren't out there. It's easy to coach when you have no injuries and the starters are experienced, but thats not reality in football - players get hurt and miss games. The best coaches consitently win for such reasons, in addition to recruiting depth that allows a program to withstand such injuries. Unfortunately, some feel it takes 10 years to acquire 2 to 4 classes worth of depth ... doesn't make sense unless you're an apologist.

Coming off a 9-3 conference championship season with a playoff appearance will do that. The expectations were further raised when UND was picked to win the conference this season as well as being voted a top 10 team nationally. Fans picked up on this and UND had an all-time season ticket record prior to the season. So, of course people will be upset when the program has a train wreck season after all that. If changes aren't made because "this is all just bad luck", it won't take long for the aforementioned apathy to set in, trust me. Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is the definition of ... Bubba Ball?? I hope not.

I've questioned this before only to be attacked by the ignorant Gods of this board. The dogma of "results don't matter at UND" but rather "it's just bad luck" continues to reign supreme.

Yeah, well you have to adjust to what you have. That's the role of coaches, among other things, such as acquiring the offensive linemen you speak of. This isn't DII athletics anymore people; you succeed or you lose your job - it's the reality of being DI now. Sometimes poor coaches happen to be good people; difficult but reality.

Amen. You get it. The offense has been bad despite above average talent. That falls on the coaches. Rudolph is not impressive in my opinion and should be replaced. Unfortunately, the defense has also been poor and made minimal adjustments. The lack of nickel packages and secondary depth should be emphasized more than it has been. Schmidt should be criticized more often but, because he's a UND guy and great person, it's considered taboo. The other issue that nobody wants to mention is that Bubba has simply got to do better as a football team manager aka a head coach. Bubba is a class act guy and a great person for UND athletics, but his ability as a head coach to maintain his team under high expectations should be put into question. He's a great guy and I understand the taboo also associated with criticizing his coaching, but his inability to change things that aren't working (offensive passing game and personnel packages and evaluation, defensive coverage ineptitude, etc.) is concerning. The injuries this season are horribly unfortunate, but there are good coaching staffs around the country that would make the necessary adjustments to at least maintain competitiveness. One would have to be completely college football ignorant to not at least realize that. Right now, I hate to say it but Bubba and his staff have made minimal to no adjustments to make the best out of a bad situation. True grit is best observed when tough, unexpected situations arise. Bubba and his staff have handled this season's curveball horribly and embarrassingly. It's not always peachy and injury-free as we have now experienced; thus, you need to be able to improvise as a staff.

Excuses, excuses, excuses. Non-hockey sports at UND are surrounded by them. Pathetic. This needs to change. The injury situation is unfortunate, but it isn't the only factor. Amazing how ignorant UND supporters can be just so they can make it through the day.

UND defense gave up touchdown passes of 69 and 56 yards! Those big plays are killers. It was ugly to watch. Take away those two dagger plays and eliminate the 3 turnovers and UND wins. Big plays and turnovers are determinants of winners and losers. UND played like a backpedaling, youthful team today with those mistakes, and, as such, they lost.

Sacramento State averaged 3.3 yards per carry on the ground; they averaged 20 yards per catch!! The UND defense gave up big pass plays that were deflating and eliminated their chance to win, especially when you have a handicapped offense. The big pass plays allowed by the defense killed UND today. All those numbers aside, the most important stat tells the story: UND was -3 in turnovers.

The defense gave up huge plays through the air. The pass defense was more of a concern in terms of the overall defensive issues.

The offense started on Sac State's 19 yard line for that drive ... there shouldn't have been a field goal attempt. UND should've put that in the endzone for six. That blocked field goal was a consequence of poor offense.

I sure hope you're right. we'll see.

Yeah, that move itself should lead to the axe for a certain someone ... Unfortunatley, Bubba may end up choosing continuity and niceness over wins.

UND needs to have some pride and win this home game. These young guys have a few games under their belt now and it sounds like the ol' senior QB will be starting for UND. I strongly dislike hearing some sound like a parent to a 5 year old in a soccer game; there needs to be some damn expectations around here for football. Otherwise, UND will have one season like they did in 2016 every ten seasons if they're lucky. Crank up the expectations, work your ass off, and play to win every game. Those are the expectations set forth by Bubba last season; there's no reason to backpedal from that now. Win the Day - Restart the upward trend for next season's championship run Go UND Fighting Hawks

Well, I obviously agree with all these points, but like many things, it's easier said than done. I hope UND can find and hire a candidate who is capable of progressing UND athletics forward as a whole; however, all candidates will have strengths and weaknesses. My previous comments reflect the need for an individual with strengths in fundraising, proactive thinking, and optimistic planning, including getting phase 2 completed and marketing expanded. UND requires more growth in football and basketball at this point than men's hockey; that is my assessment and preference which lends to the type of athletic director I feel this university needs for significant growth. UND needs someone who is able to push the boundaries of division I UND athletics, and that starts by persuading the supporters and people of the region and state to do great things and be apart of it.

BINGO! I will be voicing this exact thing to President Kennedy.

Yeah, but for anything other than the already established mega-giant that is UND hockey? The University of North Dakota needs growth in the important national sports of football and basketball, not the program that is already maxed out. Division one experience at an institution that has successful football and basketball programs is a prerequisite in my opinion