UND-FB-FAN

That 2011 squad was not good. Played a couple DII teams and barely beat Sioux Falls (almost heart breaker No.2 against them). That team got beat down in the second half against a horrible Idaho squad (yes, FBS, but probably every bit as bad as this year's Wyoming team). Also, let's not forget the type of leadership that team had. Very little discipline on that squad too. Crushed at home against the only decent team on the schedule; Cal Poly. Team's take on the personality of their coach, and man, for that reason I sure am happy Bubba is now that figure of character and leadership for UND football. I won't mention the name we're all thinking of, but from 2008 to 2013, UND football lacked direction and confidence.

Need more wrinkles in this offense. Can't argue against Santiago at RB considering what he's done, but I still think splitting Santiago out wide and having him take some jet sweeps and bubble screens is not a bad idea. Same for Iwarri Smith; jet sweeps are great but give him a chance running some routes and in the screen game. Need a package to get Olivera on the field at the same time as Smith and Santiago. Gives you a power back for the inside game and two speedsters to put out wide for jet sweeps, bubble screens, and maybe just plain go routes. I will say, I like the combination of Santiago, Smith, and Olivera moving forward. They will only get better as they are true freshmen; let's not forget that.

Daquan Baker http://www.undsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=210165290&DB_OEM_ID=13500

Not the way it works though. You can't change the psychological make-up of 18 to 22 year old college students; it is what it is. College students expect an exciting atmosphere or a winning product apparently; otherwise, they wont participate. NDSU is the football king in the region right now, and until UND starts making a name for itself, it will remain that way. Fortunately, UND football is finally starting to deliver, so I expect student attendance to rise.

I believe "Siouxperfan7" was going for a bit of verbal irony there. We all know how wonderful the students have been with their allotted sections.... Hopefully the student attendance is great on Saturday. They make a huge difference with the atmosphere and this up-and-coming football program deserves full attention from the student body.

Very possible. Either Baker or Dylan Bakker.

Turnovers. Mollberg had too many last season. Studsrud is protecting the ball better than Mollberg did in 2013 and 2014. There are a few lapses in judgment here and there, but overall Studsrud is better in that department. The numbers/facts/stats support this.

The team with the most points at the end of the game wins the game. If UND throws for 0 yards but runs for enough scores to have more points than the other team, then that's all that matters. Lets not overthink this. If UND can run the football when the other team knows they are gonna run it, that just plays right into the physical mindset that Bubba has instilled in this program. The passing game needs to improve, but scoring and protecting the ball are the two most important offensive qualities - let's not forget that.

UND ranked at #25 in the coaches poll. Portland State ranked #23. I don't understand how you can keep Portland State ranked ahead of UND. Yes, it was a close game in terms of the score, but UND was the better team and should've won by more than they did. UND absolutely controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball against PSU.

Appears to be a "GREEN-OUT" game. From an obvious perspective: wear kelly green to this game. From a less obvious, and perhaps speculative, perspective: the team may be wearing all green as well (green helmets, green jerseys, green pants).

Next man up mentality. Most, if not all, of the kids who got banged up against Portland State will not be playing on Saturday vs. Idaho State. Depth and tough, gritty play will be key on Saturday. UND's running game needs to perform big against the porous run defense of Idaho State.

2014 was Mollberg's 3rd season in the program. 2014 was Studsrud's 1st season and this season (2015) is Studsrud's 2nd season. In my opinion, take the 4-1 start and stick with the solid potential of Studsrud.

Essentially, UND is butting heads with the Alerus Center staff, and I think most long-term UND football fans have noticed that. Thank you for your insight on this matter. The most important thing is to win, but you have to wonder what it would be like if UND didn't have to rely on a secondary staff to promote a game day atmosphere. That is, what would it be like if UND had full control at an on-campus facility? The Alerus Center - like the Fargodome for NDSU - should embrace the atmosphere potential; instead, they undermine it. For this reason, renovating Memorial Stadium should still be on the table for the distant future.

Rushing for over 200 yards is not necessarily mediocre. It limits turnovers, increases time of possession, and only makes the defense play better. And yes, I think UND can rely on their running game. Will it take a passing game to complement the running game? Absolutely, but no one should expect UND to start focusing on the passing game anytime soon. Lastly, the wins against Drake, UC Davis, and Portland State were not luck. UND was the better team on offense, defense, and special teams. I would actually argue UND should have won those three games by an even larger margin than they did. I don't understand how you aren't impressed with a 4-1 start considering last year's squad had no depth and won only 5 games. That train of thought is completely irrational in my opinion.

You do not fix what is not broken (4-1 [2-0]). Over the last couple games, UND's running game has been superb; Keaton Studsrud has been a big part of that running game. Focus on improvement, not change. Passing game needs to get better. That consists of not only the quarterback, but also the offensive line and the receivers.

Montana State's defense is horrendous. If UND's defense can play against MSU like they did last season in Bozeman, UND will be fine. In fact, because UND is hosting this season's game in the Alerus Center, I would say UND could perhaps play even better defensively against the kitties of Bozeman.

Studsrud has the most to offer given the current state of the roster. Studsrud is slowly but surely getting better throwing the ball, and his athleticism is a huge plus for the offense and the way Bubba wants to run the football. Bartels has no running ability and the WR corps isn't deep enough with Georges out to rely on the WRs consistently getting separation. Same with Mollberg - the injury last season has likely cost Mollberg a lot of his mobility. Its time to support Studsrud a bit more; the team is 4-1 (2-0) so apparently he is doing somethings right.

Cal Poly gashed Idaho State on the ground last night. Keys to the game are UND's running game/time of possession to keep Idaho State's offense off the field, and when they are on the field, the crowd needs to get into it and assist the defense as they get pressure on Idaho State's QB. Sack City needs to be present on Saturday!

Heck, this team could use a bye week now. Yesterday really beat up this team. Looks like RB Iwarri Smith, LG Brandon Anderson, LB Taj Rich, LB Dayo Idowu, and S Cole Reyes all got banged up. With Idaho State and their pass happy offense coming to town, the availability of Reyes is likely the most critical. Unfortunately, though, all five of those players are key contributors. Let's hope for a positive week of healing!

This is something that I have missed as well. I was hoping for more of this after the NDSU game, but it appears Rudolph hasn't installed it or at least hasn't called it. Hopefully that changes. I think bubble screens and quick slants, among other quick outside routes, would help stretch a defense out in order to open up the running game.

That is fine. I just think the reason UND is 4-1 is because they are successfully running the football and that complements the defense. UND's running game would not be as effective as it is if they were playing an immobile QB. UND needs to work with what they got, and because they have a solid defense, running the football, controlling time of possession, and preventing turnovers is the best way to go about it right now. When UND gets some better skill-position players, then a more traditional pro-style QB may make more sense. For now though, having a QB that potentially can run for over 100 yards in a game is something that the opposing defenses have to prepare for, and that's a good thing for UND football. When the passing game starts to click, then really watch out. As I said last week, lets focus on improvement rather than change. UND football was irrelevant for too long for there to be over-focusing on points of criticism. Rather, lets focus on the success and potential that Bubba has developed.

Studsrud has broke long runs for scores or significant first downs during critical points in games. Could Studsrud play better? Absolutely. Could he play worse? Absolutely. Remember, Bubba's philosophy - considering the defensive focus - is that the only bad offensive play is a turnover. Studsrud has protected the ball relatively well by not throwing many interceptions. Relatively speaking, the other QBs on the roster were turnover machines compared to Studsrud. Studsrud needs to improve his accuracy, timing, and general decision-making, but I believe he will. He looks night and day compared to where he was as true freshman, so why can't he improve from his true sophomore season to his junior season? The other issue I have with your assessment of the QB play is it assumes everything else on the offense is set. That is, the offensive line, wide receivers, and running backs are all doing their job at a high level; however, that simply isn't true. Offensive linemen are occasionally holding or missing blocks, wide receivers aren't consistently getting separation, and the RB's run blind or timid at times. All in all, the offense needs to improve beyond just the QB position. Nevertheless, UND has ran the football extremely well in 3 of their 5 games, and they have won 4 of their 5 games. The improvement that the offense has shown from 2014 to 2015 is considerable, and as a result, I think the offense is on the right path. Still need to clean up mistakes though, particularly penalties and turnovers from bad decisions. Rudolph may need to make some better play-calling choices as well.

Just because they pass heavy doesn't mean they will be effective at doing it. Idaho State has already lost handily a few times this season, including to Portland State (they went to Idaho and beat up on ISU 34-14). Whether or not Reyes is available for the homecoming game is of importance, though. Without Reyes, UND's secondary is far more vulnerable to big plays. Either way, I see UND running the ball successfully and UND's front 7 getting plenty of pressure on Idaho State's QB.

Montana State on October 31st will be a big game for UND. The injury situation from today's game will make a difference, but I think UND can get their running game going against MSU's porous defense. Also, UND defended Prukop and that offense quite well last season in Bozeman. A realistic and important goal for the football team should be to go undefeated in the Alerus Center.

I agree completely. Team played sloppy and the injuries only compounded everything. The injury situation will get more attention than the 4-1 start I'm afraid. I do expect UND to crack the top 25, but the injury situation may dictate whether or not they can maintain that ranking.