UND-FB-FAN

Fair and I too agree with this. I do not agree that Jones *SHOULD* be retained, but he will have done enough by beating SUU in the first round to keep his job. And, with that, UND MBB's ceiling remains below a conference championship. If UND goes to Reno and loses to SUU, Faison has no excuse to retain Jones. Time to be serious and try produce a MBB program at UND capable of playing with Weber State and Montana; that's what UND fans want - a winner.

Concise list and I like it.

You can't force people to show up. Winning is the number one priority, and most recognize that, but the job that the productions crew has should not be overlooked. It is very important to come up with in-game features that promote an "exciting atmosphere", including team introduction, TD celebrations, 3rd down defense music cues, timely music and good selections, etc. I've been to enough division I college football games around the country to know UND and the Alerus Center can do a better job. Heck, just go to a NDSU football game or a UND hockey game at the Ralph and see what they do; it can be done and it just requires some commitment and effort.

http://www.bigskyconf.com/tournaments/?id=374

What's wrong with UND trying to win the Big Sky Conference in all sports? If there's nothing wrong with that, then Jones needs to go and a quality leader needs to be hired to replace him. This broken record has been on for too long.

I would love to see competent leadership coupled with the talents of Hooker, Crandall, etc. Right now, they're out there trying to do it on their own.

I would imagine Norberg could be a nice FB or H-back type (see Adler in '15). Has the ability to both block with that build of his and also carry the ball some or catch it out of the backfield. Rudolph loves sneaking the blocking back out of the backfield on play-action, and Norberg could fit that role well.

Then make up for that with defense and good team offense (ball movement/assists). Put the kids in a position to play well on the road and not over-rely on outside shooting. Frustrating that Jones' teams are rarely, if ever, prepared to play well on the road. It's time to shine the light on this horrible trend and change the culture of UND MBB. A lot of talent on this team but no direction for these student-athletes; it's unfortunate.

If UND loses to Montana State - making it two consecutive winless road trips - and then performs poorly in Reno, Faison better see through this smokescreen sh*t show and give Jones the axe. Unbelievable. Figures Jones would do just enough to keep his job and keep UND MBB in the gutter....

In terms of basketball, absolutely; however, Montana is the school that has dominance in both football and basketball. Not to mention, they feel the conference revolves around them; they are an entitled bunch. Certainly, they have great programs, but if UND wants to be a top tier football and basketball school in the Big Sky Conference, they need to shoot for what Montana is doing. Going on the road and getting handled by the Griz does not reflect that. There needs to be some changes for that to happen. Even football got exposed at Montana last season, but Bubba admitted to it and has been working hard to address the depth and technique within the secondary (not to mention there were injuries). If you can't go blow for blow with the major player in the conference - Montana - then its not going to end superbly for UND. So, what is UND MBB going to do about the current discrepancy? Just wait for the players to grow through a directionless Brian Jones' system (like Huff, Webb, and Anderson did)? Or will a change be made so that the culture and system can be improved? I vote the latter.

how inspirational... unfortunately for you and fortunately for us, no one here cares

Or intro even. Definitely needs to be incorporated somehow

Well, NDSU went on the road and beat UND due to horrible end-of-game execution and planning, so there's that road win for them. Why should UND be content with how poor the league is at going on the road and winning? Are you okay finishing 3rd every season? I'm not. That won't ever result in an NCAA tournament appearance. It's fun to win games at home, but rarely winning on the road is not okay. Yes, Montana and Weber State are the outliers in that they consistently win on the road, but they also consistently win the conference. No coincidence there. Would UND men's hockey be okay finishing 3rd in the NCHC every season? Give them a pat on the back and say, "good work, you met expectations and finished 3rd"? Would we be okay with Bubba saying, "our goal is to move UND to the 3rd best position in the Big Sky Conference." Hell no. Lets wake up and try to be competitive. The Big Sky Conference is ran by a couple bullies in Montana and Montana State and UND needs to wake up and punch them in the mouth. Stop being so damn conservative and go for the win. UND football got into position by hiring Bubba (thank God), now it's UND MBB's turn.

Well perhaps UND should stop being average, then.

It's not that simple, though. You have to support the winning with event-type features. Music and video-board features are effectively utilized by college and pro teams that have a good to great atmosphere; it's no coincidence. Get the music and intro video (with lights off!) established and have some music playing loudly after each score. The band is traditional and a nice touch, but let's admit, they don't do enough to the atmoshphere to where the focus should be solely on them. People are out the door by the 3rd quarter with too much band and not enough music/excitement.

Student turnout has always been good for the home opener, including last year's Potato Bowl home opener; however, the atmosphere (or lack thereof) drives students away in terms of the rest of the season. Although I may sound like a broken record here, more music, some consistent, exciting TD celebrations (pyrotechnics and chelsea dagger), and a better intro (lights off, music and suspense-building video) are needed to start things off. Make UND football games at the Alerus something for everyone to enjoy.

Bad situation. Even though we are again being reminded how horrible Jones' squads are in big situations, Jones has likely done enough to keep his job after the season. That's just too bad. UND needs to improve MBB leadership at the top.

Team looks unfocused and slow. Doesn't surprise me given this is a big road game; Jones doesn't know how to motivate & lead his team in such situations. Home atmosphere does the trick for him when in Grand Forks, but on the road Jones' aloof demeanor doesn't help UND.

Yeah, they need to try again. Main focus areas though, in my opinion, are pregame team introduction (lights, music, and suspense-building video), music lineup (needs to be well-timed too; keep crowd enthused during second half), and consistent cheers/songs (post-TD celebration song; same every time).

Iwarri Smith All-American WR in 2016................................................

Statement win on the road and Brian Jones don't go together very well. Let's hope that changes tonight.

http://www.undsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=210111402&DB_OEM_ID=13500 Austin Gordon, who redshirted during the 2015 season. He won the 2015 offensive scout of the year award. He has potential to contribute to an already deep RB corps (Santiago, Olivera, Norberg, Nevermann). Amazing what a year can do in terms of depth at tailback; last year this time, tailback was a concern. Now, it appears to be a strength. Need to get the new-look offensive line rolling now, though.

This may be the idea that catches the most momentum. Time to seriously consider it. Chelsea Dagger and pyrotechnics after every UND TD? Sounds good to me. Let's get some excitement in the Alerus, even if it has to be initiated with some music first. The Ralph has no problem including some audio to kickstart the place. I've notced many times that the atmosphere starts off well in the Alerus, only to simmer down by the 3rd quarter. Using music that already has a place within UND athletics could maintain some excitement throughout the game, among the other ideas.

Spring Football 2-Deep is interesting; may reflect the early favorites to start in 2016: http://www.undsports.com/pdf9/4572417.pdf QB Keaton Studsrud TB John Santiago FB Jacob Francis (spot to watch) TE Luke Mathewson (spot to watch) Z Clive Georges X Luke Stanley LT AJ Stockwell LG Dan Bell (spot to watch) C Grant Aplin (spot to watch) RG Demon Taylor (spot to watch) RT Matt Cox (spot to watch) LE Noah Johnson RE Brandon Dranka NG Tank Harris WOLB Brian Labat WILB Connor O'Brien SILB Taj Rich SOLB Jake Disterhaupt LCB Deion Harris RCB Tyus Carter Rover Cole Reyes SS Zach Arnell K Reid Taubenehim P Jacob Meeks (spot to watch) LS Jacob Holmen INJURED FOR SPRING BALL: 3 Tyus Carter (So., 5-11, 180) 5 Brady Oliveira (So., 5-10, 220) 8 Cole Reyes (Jr., 6-2, 220) 20 Zach Arnell (Jr., 6-2, 195) 32 Taj Rich (Sr., 6-1, 230) 61 Brandon Miller (Jr., 6-5, 315

More music in general. Kids and adults both appreciate music at sporting events because they're general atmosphere setters (see NDSU football, UM football, Vikings football, etc.). UND and the Alerus Center need to be aware of the need to "ripen up" the mood a bit, so they need to play more music pregame and during the game. I love the idea of ESTABLISHING a single TD song that can be used over and over again. It just has to be a good song. Just like how the "atmosphere setting" songs need to be workable and the intro needs to be correctly orchestrated (light off, buildup music on). UND and Alerus Center need to turn UND football into an enticing event for all ages. College football is the most popular college sport in America for a reason; unleash the potential!