UND-FB-FAN

I certainly do not think the season is wrecked; I apologize if it seemed that way. My point is that I think Wyoming is a poor squad and the jury is still out on the offense. I think the defense is a top 10 unit in the FCS; however, the offense still has work to do. I'm looking forward to traveling down to Fargo on Saturday and taking in the game. Hoping UND surprises and makes things interesting at the end.

Well, Wyoming ran for 430 yards, so their offense must not have been affected too drastically. Point is, Eastern Michigan went up and down the field against Wyoming's defense; EMU scored 48 points and amassed 506 yards. Wyoming is an absolutely horrible FBS squad this season, particularly on defense. I'm very happy that UND beat them, but it is what it is. Let's not make Wyoming out to be anything more than they are. This season, there are several Big Sky Conference teams that could play with Wyoming and probably defeat them.

Wyoming is horrible (see Eastern Michigan game in week 2) and Clive Georges does not block nor run the ball 10+ times per game. Also, was Georges the one fumbling? No, that was the hopeless play of Santiago and Studsrud contributing to that. I do not think UND's offensive line is as good as it needs to be, or at least it wasn't against Drake. If the offensive line cannot establish the run, then the offense will sputter. Wyoming game may mean nothing if they are as bad as they appear to be.

Cheap-shotted MT's QB? It's called physical defense. UND plays it. Does NDSU still play it? Sure didn't look like it when I watched NDSU choke against Montana.

Ankle is still bothering Wentz a bit, but it won't be an issue. The overall philosophy of UND's defense is really the reason why I see UND bringing plenty of pressure on Saturday. It will force Wentz to calmly sit in the pocket, deliver strikes, and take some hits - which he is more than capable of doing, - but he still has to actually execute that on Saturday.

From 740 The Fan twitter: Klieman said Wentz's ankle was sore on Sunday but he will be a full go this week leading up to UND.

Considering the kind of defense Bubba and Coach Schmidt have installed here, UND will be bringing plenty of pressure and testing Wentz's ankle.

Defensively, UND is right on track. They have a top 5 FCS rushing defense and are getting better with their pass defense, just need to capitalize and come up with interceptions when they present themselves. Offensively, UND looked horrible in the 2nd half vs. Drake. They need to be able to run the ball. I just watched the NDSU vs Weber State highlights, and NDSU does what UND wants to do on offense. They impose their will in the running game. UND needs to learn how to do that. Whether it's the personnel or the coaching scheme with Coach Rudolph, something needs to change. Drake should not be able to slow down the running game like they did on Saturday evening. If UND gets stuffed in the running game like that vs NDSU, it won't be a close contest.

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3 major, major issues that Rudolph and the offense need to work out or UND won't win another game: 1) Lack of rushing yards, especially on 1st down; offensive line needs to be way better. Passing the ball when backed up on the 1 yard line is telling of the offensive line. Apparently Rudolph didn't think they could get any push, and subsequently the pass play call ended in a safety. 2) Fumbles; QB and RBs need to be way better with ball security. Basics. Basics. Basics. 3) QB-Center Exchange. Fumbled exchanges cannot happen, especially during a 4-minute situation when you're trying to run the clock. Just hopeless. Failure to solve these issues will leave the offense nonfunctional.

After yesterday's performance, UND will certainly be a significant underdog vs NDSU. NDSU should win the game, but underdogs do occasionally win. I certainly hope UND and Bubba can right the ship and put the team in a position to be in the game at the end of the 4th quarter; unfortunately, the odds are heavily against UND in this game. Yesterday killed any confidence the team had from Laramie.

I wouldn't point fingers at the students. The blame first and foremost is on the team, particularly the offense, for their bull$%!# execution in the second half. Also, the Alerus Center experience is downright embarrassing. I would not feel comfortable hosting an NDSU rube at a UND game because I wouldn't hear the end of it in terms of general atmosphere difference between the FargoDome and Alerus Center. They need to cut the lights and actually amp up the place when the team is introduced. They need to have a better sound system and play more music throughout the game to get the crowd into it. But first and foremost, the team needs to play/execute at a half-way decent level. Yesterday, both the football team and the Alerus Center gave an expecting, curious crowd nothing but disappointment and reason not to come back. Really disappointing performance. The coaches, players, and UND athletic department/Alerus Center have to get their !@#$ in order.

I'll eat crow. The uniforms looked good. Too bad not much else looked good last night in the Alerus Center...

Offensive line looked poor, but how many offensive rushing opportunities were turned down in order to pass? Running game wasn't established this evening for more than one reason. All disappointing.

A win, but yet an awful game. UND can be a good team when they don't commit mistakes (see Wyoming game); however, tonight UND was full of mistakes. Way too many fumbles. Those are basic mistakes that killed the 2nd half. Also, the offensive line looked childish. What happened from Week 1 to Week 2? No way Wyoming and Drake are comparable. Also, the defense's dropped interceptions were missed opportunities that hurt. All in all, though, the offense was the major source of the issues. Despite last week's win vs Wyoming, Rudolph may be partly to blame. Some of the formations and plays he calls on certain situations (3rd and long, backed up on the 1 yard line, etc.) are questionable at best.

UND's offensive line leads to a very good YPC average and the defense - along with hopefully some enthused crowd noise - gets into it and makes life miserable for the Drake offense. UND in a rout. 42-7

Gut tells me it won't be a blowout. UND's defense and newfound running game, along with NDSU's suspect defense, should make for a very competitive game. However, if UND does get blown out, I will be disappointed yet still enthused for conference play. Success in Big Sky Conference play is ultimately where playoff positioning is secured.

I believe the matte grey uniforms will be available for the 2016 season, so next season. For this season, its green and white jerseys.

UND certainly should not take Drake lightly; however, I'm of the opinion that UND needs to win handily (at least three TDs). If UND wants to compete in Fargo against NDSU and make a run at the playoffs, they have to take care of business at home against a non-scholarship school.

Idaho State game is UND homecoming in the Alerus Center. With a decent crowd and some energy/noise, the UND defense could get after ISU's offense. Funny what hitting the QB a few times does to a passing game.... I expect UND to go undefeated at home. This pressure defense that Bubba has built this team around feeds off of crowd noise and enthusiasm.

Sounds like the Alerus Center has added fireworks (pyrotechnics) for football games. It should be a nice addition. Every time UND scores ....

Expecting to win goes a long way. Mussman's teams often played not to lose (or not to lose by too much). “Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right.” -Henry Ford

We may not expect UND to be great this season, but they could at least be good. If they want to be good and play into the playoffs, they need to physically come out and wear out Drake. By the 4th quarter, UND needs to exert its will by running the ball for big gains and defensively out-leveraging Drake's offense.

Not sure what article you read, but it definitely wasn't from Miller or the GFH. There are several teams from the MAC and MWC that are certainly no better than Montana, Montana State, Eastern Washington, etc. If UND builds off what they did on Saturday, no reason they can't be in that conversation either. Secondly, Miller picked UND to finish middle of the pack this year in the BSC, so very little optimism there.

Polls get way too much attention. If UND wins the games on their schedule, they will be appropriately ranked by the time playoffs roll around.