UND-FB-FAN

If we can win one of the games, if not both, it would be a huge win - would get UND football major hype in the region for recruiting and general reputation. Wanna be the best you gotta beat the best they say... Well, Faison has gave Bubba that chance (looking at this from a positive perspective)

Well, now that it's scheduled (supposidely), treat it like everyother game and expect to win. ...who am I kidding? It's the Ag school; should be a couple fun games to go and win in the Fargo brick shack again!

Defense wins championships Running game is a defense's best friend in terms of offense End of story and that's the best philosophy for UND Play defense and run the ball, sprinkle in PA to keep defenses honest and produce big plays...

. Absolutely, I agree. The team should expect to win every game they play in, and Mussman was no good at promoting that notion, so the team should be happy they now have a leader like Bubba.

NDSU - Iowa State will be a single digit margin of victory, just don't know who will win. Lets hope Iowa State... I won't speculate a score for UND - San Jose State because I always hope and cheer for a UND win; however, I will state it's obvious SJSU should be the favorite and if UND won it would be an upset.

Per SFI and the depth chart, two true freshman will be handling the kicking and punting duties; Reid Taubenheim at kicker and Connor Bolduc at punter. That could end up being disastrous or it could be a good learning experience. Depends on how you look at it...

Very good point - the depth chart may have some surprises, but that's because the players that will play are the BEST for the TEAM. They may not be the most talented, but they have work ethic and a desire to win. In the long run, that's more necessary for winning football than just pure talent.

All conference games are streamed on http://www.americaonesports.com/bigsky.asp For nonconference home games, I suggest checking with http://undsports.com/ - they have subscription packages for live home game streaming.

Well, 2 of the 3 FBS transfers are starting, and the other one will be starting eventually or at the very least have considerable playing time. As for the JUCOs, they are transferring because they have to if they want to continue playing football - JUCO schools are often only 2 year programs.

Yeah, what about Marcus Cheatom and Shea Walker? Who knows how that position will work out... Also surprised with Henson being the starting RG...it will be interesting to see how he does there. On defense, I think the lineup has potential, although no JUCO CBs in the 2-deep and the NG situation is a bit startling. I want to be surprised this season with a solid 5 or 6 win campaign, but unfortunately I'm thinking another 3 win may be on the horizon. I have faith in the years to come, though, due to Bubba's first recruiting class.

It is a bit surprising, but there's no question last year's coaches had issues either evaluating talent or simply playing the most talented players. For example, Shaugabay and Garman should've played more on offense and Javen Butler and Taj Rich never saw time on the defense like they possibly should've. So who knows, maybe Chris Brown is better at the CB spot than we think. Nevertheless, it's also surprising that Maverick Edmunds beat out the JUCO transfer CBs.

Kudos. You were correct

Best be Brian Jones...

That's the point...both are over 200 lbs. that's the kind of RB UND needs in order to establish a physical ground attack...

2 QB thing wont happen if Mollberg is productive and efficient; that is, this is Mollberg's job to lose. If he protects the ball (which he didn't do last year - had more interceptions than touchdowns) and is efficient passing, then he will be doing his job and he will keep his job. Offense can't afford to put the defense in bad situations.

That would be surprising...and possibly not a good move. I say Simmons at #1 and Shaugabay at #2

As expected... Good chance there will be designed QB runs in Rudolph's offense; that fits Mollberg better than Bartels. Hope we can establish the run this season - that will make Mollberg's job easier and the offense's production satisfactory.

Someone needs to provide some sort of insight on the Adidas deal or whatever UND is planning in terms of uniforms/apparel moving forward... Need new green home jerseys.

Per SFI, it sounds like Simmons will start, with Shaugabay backing him up.

The JUCOs will play some, but Tillman and Carter have looked the best, and Harris offers height at the CB position. After reading the update, and thinking about what I've seen at practice, I'm thinking the offense is going to be below average this season. No QB wants to step up (I find it hard to believe Studsrud will play this year, but it may happen I suppose), the receiver position is youthful and inexperienced, and the O-line has little to no depth and has new players in new positions. All in all, I don't think the offense will be very smooth, especially in the beginning of the season. With that said, I think the defense will be much improved over last year's defense. Both technique and talent of the defensive players has improved and the coaching emphasis is on that side of ball now. So, even if the offense isn't prolific, it is possible the defense could play solid and create turnovers. If that happens, and only if that happens, then this year's team could win 5 or 6 games. The defense needs to be good though. However, no need to panic; this team is on the right track. If Bubba and staff can continue to put together recruiting classes like the one they put together this year in very little time, UND will be a top Big Sky team in a year or two.

$$$ & didn't want to go through with the transition Never did really get a straightforward answer from anyone.

UND the final D2 years before transitioning were solid and NDSU was having success at that time in their transition; making an outside hire would've been the best move because someone worthy would've stepped up. However, with the athletic department in disarray with no AD and Lennon leaving, UND made the lazy move and just promoted.

In 2011, the team excelled despite Mussman. Remember the QB situation, Idaho, and SIOUX FALLS. In 2008, when Mussman was promoted, I was cautiously optimistic. Many buddies of mine were scared of the hire because of his personality and demeanor. In the end, they were right. His stature isn't that of a head coach/leader/disciplinarian.

Absolutely; from 2006/2007 to 2009, UND football nosedived in terms of the product on the field. Lennon could lead and recruit, Mussman could not. Now, lets hope Bubba gets UND back to the type of football they are more than capable of. At this point, it appears Bubba has UND back on the right track.

I would sure hope Bubba instills confidence, workman-like effort, and discipline, because Mussman sure didn't. In a game like San Jose State coming off a 3-8 season, Mussman would have the team "hoping" they don't get blown out. Well, I'm afraid that doesn't work in football. Look at NDSU and Eastern Washington's blue-print vs. FBS teams. Also, too many of Mussman's players quit on plays, committed stupid penalties, and goofed off on the sidelines. Those kind of things are unacceptable and characteristic of bad teams. Bubba will likely straighten those things out, giving UND a chance in most, if not all, games. UND may not win many this year, but they will likely be competitive in most/all. In a year or two, wins will replace those close games.