UND-FB-FAN

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

Correct

well ...

One would have to be a complete imbecile with an adverse agenda to drive UND hockey downward. A $100 million dollar college hockey arena will win over just about any recruit or fan, irregardless of AD competency. Football and basketball aren't that fortunate; their facilities are a work in progress and fundraising for those programs requires work. It requires an AD who is passionate, proactive, and optimistic with big plans. Not to mention social skills is also a must; donations can come from all corners, you just have to be willing to look.

Don't agree at all; that would reinforce the status quo and reject much needed growth.

There's a lot of work to do with the offense from an ingenuity standpoint. That was the case last year too despite the 9-3 season; the defense held their own. This season without good defensive play, the offense's ineptitudes really standout.

Agree completely. We need to schedule games with the mindset that we will go there and win. Enough of this "let's play there because it's scenic" crap. That was the argument for folks who think the Big Sky Conference is better than the MVFC and Summit for UND - despicable if you ask me. UND football - including the followers - needs to adopt the mindset of winners. Want a blueprint? Look 70 miles south; hate to say it but it's the damn truth. Right now very few expect UND football to consistently win. This season hasn't help that.

I can't say I disagree with any of this. UND athletics (namely football and basketball) can potentially get way better pending the new hire.

Your statement "Faison was not charismatic and certainly people who felt they were important to UND athletics never seemed to get the schmoozing they wanted from him. I was disappointed in his lack of interaction with fans and boosters." is exactly in-line with my thoughts as well as others I have spoke to. This lack of interaction is exactly why I stated earlier there's untapped potential. The Grand Forks region and UND alumni base has not been entirely tapped into, and given UND's financial demands due to modern DI standards, this is important for UND athletics.

That occurred in spite of Faison, not because of him. So much untapped potential out there, you have no idea.

This will be a significant move that will do nothing but help UND football and basketball. Enjoy everyone. Kennedy is far more committed to the right things than Kelley ever was.