UND-FB-FAN

Noah Johnson played very well last year; he received all-conference Big Sky honors. The D-line looks very good in terms of the depth chart; the 2-deep and beyond can play some quality ball. Really excited to see Bubba Ball with the very high quality D-line play that is possible in 2016.

Don't know exact size, just will comment they are a very nice upgrade over the old ones. I like them a lot. Now the goal for UND and the Alerus Center should be to find more creative ways to use them.

Yes. It has been implied several times, if not addressed directly.

McFeeley is a major piece of work; completely biased and overprotective of ag school interests. He could at least try to appear a little more neutral. All in all, they're Fargo guys so I understand they're going to be a bit biased towards NDSU; nevertheless, I just don't care to listen to them spew their garbage.

Far too much speculation on this board about potential character. Lets give the student-athlete(s) a chance. Bubba and his staff will get the job done with them. If they don't fit in, they'll be dismissed and team will move forward.

UND confirms addition of punter Austin Dussold (Division II Missouri S&T) and wide receiver Demun Mercer (FBS DI Texas State) for 2016 season: http://www.undsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=13500&ATCLID=211069047

Yes, he was a walk-on. I personally think Palmborg is the favorite to start alongside Reyes in the opener; however, plenty of time for Arnell or one of the younger players to prove me wrong.

Sounds like the staff is working on bringing in another FBS corner after the Walker situation. Will have to wait and see. Would help quite a bit, obviously depending directly on the player's experience and ability.

Have to think both Rich and Arnell are "wait and see situations" with fall camp. Good news is the inside linebacker spot has some quality guys that can pick up the slack (Connor O'Brien, Dylan Bakker, Dijon Murray, and Donnell Rodgers) if Rich still needs some time to rehab. Safety is a little bit more iffy, as we saw last season against Idaho State, Weber State, and Montana with Reyes out. If Arnell can't go, you'd be looking at Palmborg, Flowers, and Tucker along with the three true freshmen coming in. Lastly, you are right on Jawon Johnson. It sounds like he is going to be a terror rushing the passer from that outside backer spot, which is great with Disterhaupt and Labat also returning on the outside.

Incredibly deep group is the entire defensive line with both returning starters (Drew Greely, Tank Harris, Brandon Dranka, Alec Carrothers) and contributors (Noah Johnson, Steve Greer, Nick Schmitz, Austin Cieslak, DaQuan Baker) . Also, as you mentioned, the young players (Mason Bennett, Carl Engwall, Carter Wilson, Logan Alm) are incredibly talented and have a bunch of potential. Although the offensive line is still a work in progress, the defensive line is looking good right now on paper. Games are won in the trenches, and it appears UND has at least 50% of that equation figured out for 2016.

Although there is some trick photography there - I'm sure, let's not forget that John Santiago was only a true freshman last season and he hadn't even participated in a single season of college weights yet. I wouldn't doubt Santiago has put on some decent muscle for 2016 while yet maintaining his speed and quickness. Watch out Big Sky Conference.... The running back corps is going to be deep and talented, barring injuries, with Santiago, Brady Oliveira, Oscar Nevermann, and even Austin Gordon. Major offensive question mark still lies with the offensive line, in my opinion.

So your moving target transitions from "tickets are hard to get" at all times to now "they are difficult to purchase" after a particular date. NDSU tickets are not difficult to come by. I've been offered tickets on several occasions over the past few years only to turn them down for more important football games to me, personally. The premise of this thread is UND football and UND athletics, as it is for this entire site. Please spew your biased opinion of ag school football elsewhere. Thanks.

In terms of in-game features and atmosphere, NDSU does a tremendous job. For that reason, I have no problem wishing for UND to emulate that.

Not to mention, attending the game and making timely noise is a great way to truthfully help the UND football team. There's no doubt filling the building is great in terms of the players "seeing" the support and playing well as a result. Also, getting loud when UND is on defense is a huge advantage for UND that many overlook. Make the Alerus Center a great homefield advantage!

No, I was not suggesting that. I was focusing on UND football and the positive attributes that Bubba has embraced. My comments about NDSU were geared towards the specific individuals who go out of their way to criticize the University of North Dakota and its football program.

Here's another reason to go to UND football games: To stick it to NDSU instigators like this. There's currently a lack of reality and humility among some NDSU supporters and supporting a UND football program that does things the right way is a way to neutralize that. Primarily, though, UND football represents the University of North Dakota; so, from a pride standpoint, it is a great way to show support. Also, it's DI football so the product is quite fast and entertaining to watch at a cheap price. Tailgating and socializing before the game is always fun too. Give it a try! Bubba and the football program would genuinely appreciate it.

Last three years? CB Alex Tillman (Houston) was great and WR Clive Georges (Arizona), if he stays healthy, could have a huge season in 2016. Even Jordan Hinojosa (Minnesota) was solid before he left. The lack of overall commitment to the UND program is the major downside with some FBS transfers, so I'll agree with you on that. However, Bubba is entirely dedicated to developing local (North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin), high school talent through the program. That IS the way he is building the program; however, when certain spots are thin, are you supposed to just let those spots fail and negatively affect your team? Of course not. JUCOs and FBS transfers can play right away and that's their major draw. WR, CB, and even OL are thin positions on the squad so they are being addressed anyway possible, including JUCOs and FBS transfers. It's only year 3 of Bubba's program; still going to take another year or two to have the roster completely saturated with the players that Bubba's staff recruited. NDSU and Bohl used plenty of JUCOs when getting their program first rolling, and currently, NDSU will expect a couple transfers to contribute. To imply UND is building their program with transfers is just silly because that's entirely inaccurate.

In my opinion, Montana State, and especially Northern Colorado and Cal Poly, didn't really "re-test" the secondary. We'll find out on September 10th versus Bowling Green how good the secondary really is. If the FBS transfer comes through, it'll help.

I'll play devil's advocate - because I don't want to get too content - and say the next game the defense allowed 38 points at home. Still work to be done. Montana's receivers were a tough group; better than what subsequently Montana State, Northern Colorado, and Cal Poly had to offer. Still, if you want to be the best you need to beat the best, even at their place (Washington Griz is a challenging place to play; just ask NDSU). Pass defense is still an area that requires improvement, although all areas need to be worked on and improved to some extent for 2016.

CB play was a weak spot last year and, as a result, it was a point of emphasis in spring ball and will continue to be in fall camp. I would imagine the numbers will be iffy but the top 3 or 4 will yet have to be prepared to do big things. Important position group that has a lot of room to grow; looking at Deion Harris, Tyus Carter, Torrey Hunt, Jahmere Irvin-Sills, and Chris Carter to all have an opportunity, along with maybe an incoming freshman or transfer. In the Montana game, Harris, Carter, and Irvin-Sills were all exposed as being deficient in one-on-one deep ball coverage - that needs to improve. Hopefully Hunt and possibly another addition can help that aspect of the defense.

The more I think about it, the more I think UND needs to have very good athletes play QB in Rudolph's system. For example, consider last season's drop in production from Studsrud to Bartels. Rudolph's system has several QB run options, so with that, I hope Randolph gets at least a look at QB. This may be more likely if UND secures a pending FBS cornerback transfer to add to the CB position and take the sting out of losing the Colorado transfer to Montana State.

Bowling Green game will be on ESPN3. Midcontinent subscribers have access to ESPN3. As for the Stony Brook game, I'm not sure yet.

legal issues

Offensive line - full of ?????? (who will start at center, will Grady be back for the first game, how long will it take for the three or four new starters to mesh, etc.) Defensive front seven - could easily be the best in the conference...this team will hang its hat on defense, as a Bubba-led team should In other words, in my opinion, 2016 football team has a 50/50 shot at being very good. Need some luck with injuries and some bounces to go their way.

Maybe UND will have the best secondary in the BSC.... Reyes is the most talented player on the team and Deion Harris is turning into a nice cover corner with height. Also, having depth at safety and, hopefully, avoiding the injury bug will help a lot.