UND-FB-FAN

Santiago banged up ... damn shoulder

Bubba Ball is running on all cylinders

Horrible camera work ... great pick by Deion Harris. Go Hawks!

Defense continues to work. They need to finish UNC off now. Beautiful throw and catch for Bartels and Mathewson. Nice call on 3rd down by Rudolph too. See everyone, the tight ends can have a special role in this offense if they just get their number called.

I agree his running ability is better, but his passing ability and confidence is not so much where it needs to be ... Bubba and his staff really need to address this QB position in the offseason. The kid from Edina is not enough ... add another one please !!!

Well, as promised, the UND offense is ugly. Fortunately the UND defense is doing what is necessary for UND to win the game. UND needs to get back to the basics (Blocking and taking care of the ball) on offense and keep it up on defense. 1 half away from win #8 ... Go UND Fighting Hawks!

Sure, this team needs more speed at all spots. That is an obvious need in recruiting moving forward. With that said, I am very impressed with the quick maturation and abilities of Travis Toivonen and Noah Wanzek (hint: next man up). UND will have 3 more years with these local kids after this season; that is tremendous for the receiver position moving forward. Both of those freshmen took full opportunity of the situation.

I appologize if the reality of the situation upsets you.

No excuses. Leave no doubt.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Gonna be a tough game today. UND defense needs to be on point for UND to win this game. Northern Colorado scored a bunch of points last week, and UND's offense without Studsrud will not be able to score a bunch today. All eyes, or at least my eyes, are on UND's defense today. 24 - 23 UND wins a nail-bitter

Clive isn't the be all, end all. Get over it. Was Clive supposed to block on the punt team vs SB? Was Clive supposed to play deep thirds in cover 3 versus Bowling Green? The last time I checked football is the ultimate team game. You're a bit too obsessive with individual parts. Then again, your lack of constructive criticism extends back to the Mussman days so I'm not too surprised. Next man up. The team is on a 7-game winning streak and doing well. I'm beyond happy for that. As Bubba says, though, there is always room for improvement. The team absolutely cannot be satisfied with the status quo.

Let's not forget, UND lost two games this season that they should've won. Stony Brook - although winning games this season - is a middle of the road FCS team that UND had cornered until UND shot themselves in the foot with the blocked punt. Also, Bowling Green is a horrible FBS team this season; UND needed to win that game. This 7-game winning streak is impressive, but UND would be top 10 if they had been better prepared to play good ball to start the season. Whether we like to admit it or not, Bubba failed to have his team ready to play to start the season and it will likely cost UND a seed even if they win out in conference.

To say "nothing" is a stretch, but I see where you're coming from.

That's a fair point. UND doesn't have that quarterback depth yet. Unfortunate since quarterback depth was already a concern last season.

Those obviously weren't real passionate UND football fans. If they were UND football fans, they would've been in attendance during the biggest home game of Bubba's head coaching tenure vs. Weber State. Trend appears to be that people show up early in the year when the weather is nice and hockey isn't being played yet... then boredom, hockey, and deer hunting take over.

Mollberg is a tight end, Bartels and Heidelbaugh are both backups and Bartels can't run effectively at all. Studsrud is by no means a big guy out there when you compare him to linebackers; he takes a pounding. Lastly, for those who fail to look at the big picture, both 2016's and 2017's recruiting class has a quarterback barely pushing 6 foot and well under 200 lbs. I just am concerned about their longevity if they are ran at the same rate as Studsrud, which is a beyond reasonable question in my opinion.

If you want to run the quarterback, then you better have a guy who can take the pounding. Yet UND continues to recruit quarterbacks that are 5'11" and 165 lbs. Not a fan of this at all. Disappointed in this, actually. Oh well, injuries happen. Next man up. Defense, special teams, and running game needs to be clean the next week or two ... or else Coaches need to get them ready to battle.

Agree. Numbers favor MVFC. I like numbers and facts.

NDSU wasn't nearly as popular then as they are now. They just weren't; they weren't coming off five consecutive FCS national titles and countless wins vs Big 10 and Big 12 teams. The scenario you offered does offer a glimmer of hope, but it still isn't the same situation as what we have now. No need to shut the thread down. UND has plenty of things they can improve on their own end. For starters, keep winning and get a big-name win in the playoffs (e.g., South Dakota State, Montana, or even, dare I say it, NDSU). Remember, UND doesn't have an annual opportunity to gauge themselves vs NDSU like they did during the NCC days - which hurts perception. The one chance they did get recently was a flop and didn't help shift any NDSU bandwagoners over to UND.

Yes.

Well, if seeded, great - no worries. If UND isn't seeded, then UND needs to LEAVE NO DOUBT and make sure to outbid teams like Western Illinois and potentially SDSU, whose pockets are being just speculated on at this point.

I think we have to understand the population of this area - there aren't enough football fans to go around between both UND and NDSU. 15 years ago, when UND was dominanting in D2, NDSU football was not a hot ticket, especially compared to today. That left a large number of football fans open to coming to UND football games. Now, the vast majority of people are on the NDSU bandwagon. It will take time for UND to build up its fan base, but it is also unprecedented in terms of NDSU having this type of success during the Alerus Center era. NDSU needs to become less popular for UND to build attendance. I mean, let's be honest, there's not 2000 to 3000 UND football fans in hiding someplace Grand Forks. Now, UND can create that number out of casual fans with continual winning. Also, it's worth noting UND still doesn't have any big name wins this season. I heard several people on Saturday asking "where is Weber State?" or "how good are they?" Name recognition of opponents is still lacking in the Big Sky. UND needs to beat teams like NDSU and Montana - which all have local recognition - in order to spike in popularity. This is one key reason why a move to the MVFC should be largely considered; it would benefit locals and ultimately attendance. What better way to boost attendance than to host NDSU???

IF UND WINS THEIR NEXT TWO GAMES, Faison needs to bid appropriately, which means UND should be hosting a home playoff game (vs WIU or whoever). No excuse Faison if you understand the importance of football to a college athletic program. IAC said to increase funding to all programs so why not start here?

It is really convenient to blame the poor attendance on the football product on the field, but I'm afraid it isn't that simple. The exodus to Fargo for NDSU gameday is one important issue right now. Oh, and by the way, NDSU plays "boring" ground and pound football with solid defense but does fine with attendance. There's a perception issue. The diehard football fans with no specific allegiance go to NDSU football games. Many "UND fans" yet stick to only hockey and then, dare I say it, cheer for NDSU football. UND needs to create more UND-specific diehard football fans, which will take time and wins. NDSU has a bunch of butts in the seats AND people who stand all game and make noise. I guess you can have it both ways. Who would've known?