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UND-FB-FAN

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Posts posted by UND-FB-FAN

  1. Offense is sputtering. Need more traditional football. Scrap jet sweep. Line up in 21 and 22 personnel and run power and sweeps. Then PA off that. Hopefully a run busts open soon. 

  2. Need to play physical and hold onto the ball. Almost a fumble that went the wrong way and then almost threw a pick six. Need to do better. 

    Now horrific kickoff coverage. 

  3. Like turning out the lights, maybe the Alerus just didn't feel like doing it anymore.

    Then the Alerus Center needs to realistically adjust their expectations and actually support their tenant. Remember when Alerus Center denied the UND logo at mid-field of the field turf because they desired advertising rights? In my opinion, the Alerus Center has hurt their reputation rather then enhance it with their treatment of UND football.

    Its this kind of thing that perhaps justifies a move back to campus for UND football. I hope the Alerus Center eventually comes to their senses and better supports UND football.  

    • Upvote 3
  4. Hey guys, 

    You may know me as Alec J., UND Intern on different forms of UND Media, but I wanted to just share some thoughts quick with this post.

    Jayson would not be the person to report to for multiple reasons. First, he is the sports information director/media relations person for men's hockey, not football. That would be Ryan Powell. However, neither of them would be the person to contact regarding tailgating questions. If you would like to contact someone from UND Athletics, I would recommend talking to someone from our marketing department, such as Jason Namanny. However, this may be a situation where it is out of our control and it is up to the Alerus, I honestly do not know. 

    As for the in-game features...we are working really hard to try and make the Alerus Center the most intimidating place to play in the FCS and eventually, all of college football so we appreciate your comments on how we can improve. However regarding the lights off request, the Alerus Center has decided to no longer continue with that due to the length of time it takes to turn the lights back on to full brightness. At the REA, we are not actually shutting the lights off, but covering them with individual blinds that fit over each light. Therefore, we aren't actually turning the lights on and off, just covering them. The Alerus, does not yet have this function available, so we must work with what we have. The intro video was an idea of mine and our wonderful video production coordinator, David Folske. I chose the song with the thoughts of the words "Ready or not, here I come" being a good representation of the steps UND Football is hoping to take in the next coming seasons. Basically saying that the Big Sky better be ready because here comes UND. I also got the idea from the St. Louis Blues and their playoff video they used this past season. The location of the fireworks are just for a safety precaution as well as the easiness for our worker to light them off. 

    I hope this at least can answer some of your questions for right now. As a UND student, intern, and fan, it's great to see the passion of UND sports come out on this forum. I also appreciate all of you that are supporting all of our athletic teams from attending the games, following on social media, watching or listening on UND Insider, and posting on here. The fans are part of what makes this internship (and hopefully this job) so rewarding. 

    Hope to see you all at the games, 

    Alec J., UND Intern

    GO UND!  

    Although it is hard for me to say this, I must admit that I am very impressed by the football in-game features presented 70 miles south; it just shows that it is possible to put on a great show for FCS football within an indoor facility. Winning is the ultimate atmosphere builder (as I can imagine it also positively affects the imagination of athletic production staff); however, it certainly is not the only thing that contributes to the gameday experience. 

    The lights need to go off for the introduction video and there needs to be suspense/"build-up" for the team's entrance. Using the lights (that is, the lights turned off) along with an introduction video and a long-term entrance song is the perfect way to build that suspense and excitement for kickoff. Music needs to be played before kickoff to get the whole crowd into the game, so that by the time the game is ready to begin, the whole crowd is standing and ready to go just as both teams are. There is a trick to building college football atmosphere, and once perfected, it will bring the Alerus Center crowd to their feet and improve the gameday atmosphere tremendously. Furthermore, there are dull moments throughout the game that need to be addressed in order to maintain a positive atmosphere. In particular, during delays or timeouts, music needs to be played and the video boards need to be utilized for more than a single "dance cam", perhaps by doing several "dance cams" or some regular showings of highlight reels of past UND football action (not just reserved for pregame). Lastly, I believe the PA announcer needs to do their part in exciting the crowd; for example, get the fans up for kickoffs and third downs. Also, following wins, the PA announcer could perhaps say a cue that gives attention to a highlight reel of UND's recent win to be played on the video boards. 

    I certainly appreciate your desire to turn the Alerus Center into the ultimate home-field advantage for UND football, because that is what the UND coaches, players, and fans ultimately want. However, for that to happen, I feel there needs to be a commitment to excellence and a willingness to try new things by both UND and the Alerus Center. NDSU and the Fargodome work together and produce a great atmosphere. UND and the REA work together and do it. Of course, both of those circumstances involve significant emphasis, and I think its time to also place an emphasis on UND football. Turn UND football games into an event that will be looked forward to by both the hardcore fans and neutral spectators alike. Football is the most popular sport in America, and as a result, I believe the potential is here in Grand Forks and the surrounding area, it just needs to be embraced and tapped into. 

    • Upvote 3
  5. Offense needs more talent and that talent will come with time. The fastest players on the offense are Santiago, Smith, and Georges. Two of those three are true freshmen and the other is injured. Santiago has improved already with his vision, and both Santiago and Smith will improve leaps and bounds over the next year. Also, the hope is Georges can make some plays downfield when he returns. 

    With that said, the system (a.k.a. Coach Rudolph) needs to better utilize the offensive players' skills. Just last week I finally saw that with Smith taking jet sweep hand-offs and also faking that action, which allowed for both Santiago and Studsrud to find open gaps inside. Would also like to see some bubble screens, hot smoke routes, etc. to these players out in space. This is necessary to open up the middle of the defense for the power running game.

  6. For some, step away from the ledge (in regards to UND being overrated and going nowhere). I understand where your concerns come from, but NDSU has badly beat many FCS teams in the Fargodome over the past few years that have gone on to winning seasons (2012 Youngstown State, 2012 Illinois State, 2014 South Dakota State, 2014 Youngstown State, etc.). NDSU has a very good home-field advantage and they have a very good football team. UND can still do very well this season despite their lone loss to NDSU.

    Against Portland State, I'm hoping the offense can continue their success running the football with Santiago and Smith (maybe even Olivera), and Studsrud can improve in the passing game. For a win, UND's defense needs to shut down the option run attack of Portland State and force a turnover or two. 

     

    • Upvote 2
  7. Is Kieran McDonagh hurt or what's the deal he isn't starting? I guess the starter they have now could have won out the job just kind of sucks for McDonagh losing the job his senior year after starting the previous three years.

    McDonagh lost the starting QB job but is seeing the field plenty at WR now. 

  8. UND's offense wakes up from its coma and crushes the Viking's D

    UND 35

    PSU 7

    To a degree, the offense already did that last week with over 200 yards rushing; I hope they can keep that going with the offensive line changes. The passing game does need to improve, though. With that said, the receivers need to step up every bit as much as the QB. 

  9. Buy- hoping for the best with recent changes to the depth chart.  I'm also hoping their rush yardage given up defensively is based on the competition they have played and either the score or their opponents offensive philosophy to not try and run the football (Wash. St).

    Absolutely. Since we've only had one game with changes to the offensive line - and UND rushed for 240 yards in that game - I'd say its okay to assume UND can continue to successfully run the ball. If UND continues to rush over 200 yards, they should win most of the games on their schedule. This will be Portland State's biggest challenge in terms of defending the run. 

  10. The team needs to win in order to draw sellout numbers (10,000+), and that is the largest factor; however, the Alerus Center needs to do their part as well. The Alerus Center and UND need to do their best to turn football games into an "event"; that seems kind of intuitive to me, but it may not for most. Its been said before, but there is some truth to it: what does the REA do that could be transferred over to the Alerus? 

    Here's a list that comes to mind:

    1) Bar on concourse (maybe even on endzones platforms) for pregame and halftime. Playmakers and Tavern United are nice, but they are not for "in-game" action. 

    2) More pictures, memorabilia, etc.around the concourse. Need to make the Alerus Center look more like the home of UND football. 

    3) More in-game interactive features and music. During the game, when "dead moments" hit, there needs to be more music and features on the video boards (I like the inclusion of the 'dance cam' or whatever its called). Also, pump up the crowd a bit more with a half-way decent team entrance presentation (lights off, pump up music, video board/pyrotechnic usage, etc.). These things may seem minor, but they keep the neutral crowd involved, and most importantly, from leaving prematurely.

    Lastly, and again, just win. 

    • Upvote 2
  11. Agreed, and hopefully with see more QB play like the second half and improvement from that point.  If it doesn't happen UND really needs to start looking at other QB options.

    Name one WR on UND's roster that is all-conference type? 

    What was the score in the third quarter of yesterday's game at one point? 28-10

    Point is, UND does not have the playmakers out wide to consistently throw the football downfield; therefore, when the score of the game allows for it, the running game will be the offensive focus this season. Yes, the passing game needs to improve, but simply playing musical chairs with the QBs is not the answer. Give it a year or two to get better talent upfront on the offensive line and at receiver. For now, it's all about running the ball and play-action to simply keep defenses honest. When Georges comes back, you may see more deep shots downfield. 

  12. Studsrud's starting spot is very safe, at least as of now.

    Rudolph's offense uses plenty of QB runs and Bartles and Mollberg do not have that ability. Everybody mentions Mollberg without knowing how is mobility his after last season's Achilles injury, and Bartles has no mobility at all. Studsrud is a 4.60 40 QB who will get better at the passing game as the year goes on. Also will help when Georges gets back. 

    Yesterday's game didn't need much of a passing game considering how UND was running the ball, so let's keep things in perspective. Biggest concern out of yesterday's game is UND's pass defense and tackling ability in open space.

    Yes, the passing game needs to improve, but Studsrud is still young and will get better. Not to mention UND's receiving corps doesn't have any studs in it either. Mollberg and Bartles don't have the mobility for how Rudolph wants to play offense. 

    • Upvote 1
  13. A year later and the perception of UND football hasn't changed one bit: confidence in the defense and complete doubtfulness and nervousness regarding the offense. I love the way UND wants to play offense with a power running attack and play-action off of that, but they still have to open it up a bit more in order to get the running game going. Too much of a "banging heads against a brick wall" approach.  

    • Upvote 1
  14. I think Cox starts and they rotate Grady and Miller. 

    Offensive line play relies on chemistry and familiarity. There won't be any rotations.

    If the changes are made, they will be permanent as far as this season goes. I hope Cox starts at center and Grady starts at RG. 

  15. I don't live in Grand Forks, so it's hard for me to judge, but I'm not sensing a huge hype for hockey yet.  I think the main problem in terms of hype for UND football is with the results on the field.  After the FBS win, they had a chance to make some real progress in developing hype and fan base, and, let's face it, they blew it.  I terrible performance against Drake and not even being competitive against the Bison made a lot of people yawn and think "same old same old" UND football team.  

    I couldn't agree more. UND had an excited fan base at the Potato Bowl against Drake and many who weren't in attendance were curious and paying close attention. Unfortunately, those excited, curious fans got nothing but disappointment after the Drake game and blowout against NDSU. All in all, the past two games have killed the buzz generated from the Wyoming game.

    Now, if UND can get a nice win streak going to start conference play, excitement could start building again. 

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