UND-FB-FAN

It's a tough position to move anyone from since UND is so thin on quarterbacks to begin with. Only 4 guys on roster, with only 1 having started a game, and only 3 starting as scholarship players ... tough situation.

I wouldn't be too worried about this; UND has been quite good against the run ever since Schmidtty got his hands on the defense in '14. The defensive line is very good and deep and having Cole Reyes as an 8th defender in the box never hurts. One-on-one corner play is still the major area of concern despite the linebacker turnover, in my opinion. Plenty of young athletes to choose from for LB spots.

The two favorites to win the starting inside backer spots appear to be Jake Disterhaupt and Donnell Rodgers. The reserves will see the field plenty with the rotation so that is where the real battle is, in my opinion; look for guys like Jake Geier, Oscar Nevermann, and even upcoming true freshman Noah Larson to battle it out for those #2 reps. Rodgers and Disterhaupt both played plenty last season, although Disterhaupt was on the outside in 2016. If both guys stay healthy in 2017, #44 and #48 will both have big seasons for UND.

What about donations and gifts from alumni and fans? I would imagine that skyrockets following successful seasons like 2015-2016 UND men's hockey and 2016 UND football. UND football season ticket status is at an all-time high at this point, as I understand it. How has Grand Forks progressed economically and business-wise to accommodate the interested crowds for hockey and football?

Yes, and this is partly why I believe more consistent quarterback play will help out UND as much as anything else.

Offensive line will be better; how much better remains to be seen. Nevertheless, as Coach Knauf has said, when you have 4 out of 5 starters returning, the line will undoubtedly be in a better spot than it was beginning 2016. In the BSC, an average UND offensive line will do just fine due to the status of defensive lines in the league. Against FCS playoff teams and FBS Utah, though, it goes beyond just superb line play - it will take some big-time throws from Studsrud to beat Utah and/or advance deep in FCS playoffs. No matter how good the offensive line, there will be good teams that will stack the box and take the run away. With all that said, top-notch offensive line play would've gave UND a playoff win against Richmond given the position UND was in during the 2nd half of that game. The playcalling questions remain, though, for that game; UND definitely needed to pound the rock with that 24-7 lead in the 3rd. Ouch. Sorry for bringing that up. Still stings to think about.

The ironic thing in all this is that, despite the new, very talented three-headed monster in the UND backfield, UND's offense will only take the next step if Studsrud and the passing game progresses. There will be games, potentially playoff games, this season (2017) that will require clutch passing plays from Studsrud and the offense in order to get a positive result.

Kennedy "gets it". Thank God

Couldn't agree more. Cutting the blackhole that was women's hockey and re-focusing on more geographically-suitable conferences will only help out UND in the long-run, particularly football, basketball, and volleyball (the non-men's hockey sports that need to be expanded big time for UND to make that next step as a DI athletic department).

Divide football's net loss by the number of student-athletes to figure per student loss. You could also take a look at the number of alumni and the donations as such belonging to football, which is not particularly reported here for UND football. As Kolpack includes via NDSU AD, the NCAA reportings aren't all that black and white in terms of net gain/loss.

The arrogance of the "twins" and this entire WIH sh*tshow shouldn't delay funding for the HPC. I agree that a public announcement of any kind should be delayed for a few months, though. All in all, if this ridiculous, illogical situation regarding WIH affects HPC phase II funding, then UND will need to go on the offensive (release the numbers and stand by them) in order to protect their core DI sports, in this case football.

Biased news reporting. What else is new these days?

Won't happen unless MAJOR renovations are made. Budget aside, Memorial is not even close to capable in terms of hosting a DI football game right now. The soonest I could see UND back at a renovated, upgraded Memorial Stadium would be 10 years from now (but most likely longer than that). HPC Phase II is unquestionably the priority right now in terms of funding/upgrades for football; UND needs new coaching offices, locker rooms, and meeting rooms to take the next level as a DI football program. Until then, UND and the Alerus Center need to work together to make that arrangement an even better homefield advantage for UND football. It got better the last year or so but there is still work to be done to enhance the fan experience and atmosphere.

It's not just potential. Its the number of student-athletes, donating alumni, and butts in the seats. It all far exceeds that of women's hockey. No comparison. Its amazing to me how football can even be brought up still in this context.

REA could easily become a tremendous basketball arena, but it just needs to be filled like the REA is on hockey nights (men's, obviously not women's). So, you're right that the atmosphere could take some time to build in the REA, but I'm nearly certain that MBB attendance would be considerably higher if UND was in the REA consistently or at least a few games per season. Each one of the REA games would draw over the max Betty capacity crowd. So, my thoughts are more towards absolute attendance and the beauty of the building than the upper bowl empty seats and initial atmosphere. Depending on the cost to set up the REA for basketball and the degree of attendance increase, the improved attendance numbers could help UND MBB's bottomline.

I disagree. NDSU vs UND in REA (first time NDSU was in GF during DI era) was quite good. NDSU had students there and they bickered across the court with the UND students. The kids then stormed the court after UND won. Quite the game to be at.

Larger alumni base? Greater attendance? More popular nationally? You're right - it's not just about the reported finances. Let start by considering the numbers that are not conveniently located at the bottom of a spreadsheet, such as alumni donations via football's large alumni base.

The women's games weren't typically Friday and Saturday evening (as far as I know - never went just as everyone else), plus we all know the appeal and following of men's hockey and men's basketball is far greater than that of women's hockey. UND men's basketball, even when DII, has never drew a crowd under 3300 while playing at the REA. We'll just agree to disagree. I know countless folks, and I see countless folks, who are at the game with no clue what hockey or UND's current team entails nor do they care, because they are at the REA having a good time. That building itself, along with the atmoshphere the staff promotes, is unquestionably a huge factor on attendance.

My point all along has been that attendance will be instantly higher than it is now in the Betty (greater than 3,300). That's the effect of the REA. The real question is the potential degree of attendance increase. The attendance numbers you cite are partially due to the Betty itself - not the most revolutionary basketball arena by any means. The Ralph, on the other hand, draws a large crowd not only due to the product on the ice or court, BUT ALSO DUE TO the building itself (two bars with seating, 360 degree lower and upper bowl seating, atmosphere, etc.).

Pop Warner football is even more popular than college slappy puck; there is even an entire television program on it (http://ftw.usatoday.com/2016/12/friday-night-tykes-season-four; don't get me started on the actual absurdity of this, but it is reality). Who would've guessed reality could be entertained here in the Great White North, independent of all "outsiders" due to its superiority? Reality: relatively speaking, no one cares about college hockey. FCS football is no better or worse than NCAA hockey.

A money pit that actually atttacts over 1000 people per contest ... Oh, and it happens to be the most popular sport in the country. And it has 4x the student-athletes and coaches. And it has a significantly larger alumni base. I do agree that basketball has the most pure potential at UND, particularly if the REA could be used somewhat regularly - could be a beautiful basketball facility that would skyrocket UND in terms of facilities.

I think the $100 M REA is the answer. Just have to work out the rather complicated logistics.

I'm on board. Think about it, UND.

But the $3 million saved by cutting women's hockey will be enough ... EDIT: What do those Champion Club members give in addition? Key question.

The aesthetics of the arena should take a backseat to the absolute increase in attendance that would result. That is, for example, 3500 people in the Ralph is still better than 2100 in the Betty. EDIT: Obviously one would like the attendance to be greater than 3500, and given the right opponent, it would be.