UND-FB-FAN

I don't think I need to read the rest of my post being I composed it; I know what it says. You stated Hanson could just as well start; thus, you must be implying Hanson is similar in ability to Mollberg.

Read my first sentence; I question that he's faster.

I question that. I watched both play high school ball, and trust me, Detroit Lakes faces 100x better competition than Grafton does in North Dakota Class AA football. If you support Hanson as a DI starter, then you obviously don't realize the talent differential between Mollberg/Bartels and Hanson. There's been numerous times where Mussman has even hinted at this (e.g. spring ball).

Great point made with Maine and New Hampshire. They are FCS schools with a hockey focus and they regularly are competitive in football. However, with that said, they don't compete at a high level like the Montanas and Eastern Washington, which is what UND needs to find a way to do in order to win the Big Sky.

If you think Mollberg's play has been poor, you don't want to see our walk-on quarterback play. He doesn't have DI talent. I think he is merely on the roster for North Dakota representation - which is respectable. Nevertheless, his measurables aren't even close to those of Mollberg and Bartels; too short, too slow, and not a strong enough arm.

I was planning on flying out to this game a couple months ago. This team ain't worth the travel costs now though. Will be nice to see the team in HD on the road though. Just too bad it likely won't be a win; hope the team/Mussman doesn't embarrass the football program too bad.

I'm just going to answer my own proposed question. Everyone offers valid points about patience, limiting or eliminating negative comments, the transition and nickname issues, this year'a young team, etc. However, I feel the bottom line is the W-L record Mussman has. Having a losing record after 6 years is concerning, no matter how you spin it. I've had serious question marks since 2011, and since then they haven't been answered. Whether you preach patience or not, the athletic department can only survive so many 6,000-person attended games. That is the outlook of UND football if winning doesn't become the norm. The Northern Colorado be will around that 6,000 (maybe lower), so it comes down to whether or not Faison believes the threshold has been crossed after this season and if the athletic department can afford more potential 6000 attendance games next season. A coaching change could be the stimulus this program needs to get butts back in the seat and hopefully produce a winning culture. For the last 6 years, since Lennon left, and yes, we entered the transition, UND football has possessed a mediocre culture in terms of winning. And, the two Big Sky years have been more of a losing culture than anything else.

Games will go from ugly to ugliest.

This is a complex situation, but it's not like college football coaches are never fired if their teams don't perform after a period of time. Actually, it happens all the time. South Dakota fired their coach after their final transition year, and although they suffered through the first year of the new staff, they now appear to be steadily improving and putting together a nice 2nd season with that staff. My point is that bringing in a new staff is not unique, it's actually very common in college football if the team doesn't perform, and it can lead to fairly immediate success down the road. Also, I don't feel Lennon leaving is the definition of a "blowup". Lennon left and the majority of his former staff took over. In fact, his offensive coordinator (who had never been a college head coach) simply replaced him. Because I used precedence in the previous example, I will also state here that it is not overly uncommon for coordinators to be promoted in college football when the former head coach moves on. With that being said, UND football has not had a "staff blowup" in quite some time, because Lennon leaving was not that.

I respectfully disagree about the attendance issue via scheduling. Although scheduling was a problem during the transition, attendance was somewhat revived at the beginning of this season. The SDSU and Montana games were well attended (over 10,000 and almost 10,000, respectively) and I truthfully believe the attendance would've remained in that area, if not increased, had the team competed and/or won. Losing, especially through home blowouts, is hard to watch and it causes an attendance hit. If UND wins and competes for/in the playoffs, UND football attendance will be around 11,000. This year's early attendance numbers indicate that.

Comes down to whether or not you think 6 years is a large enough sample size. If you do, then your view is likely that Mussman has to go. He has a losing record, no signature wins against top 10 programs, and several bad loses (Sioux Falls, Idaho, Montana schools, etc.). If you honestly expected UND to struggle through the transition and the first couple years of conference play, regardless of the head coach, then I commend you on your accurate predications and I believe you likely want to wait and see how Mussman does next season. Regardless of your views, the attendance and season record indicate this is a low point for UND football. What needs to be done will obviously be decided Faison and not us. With that said, we can voice our opinions. Recruits do look at this site, but ultimately winning is more of a priority to any recruit than fan forum content. As far as attendance goes, consistently having 11,000 should be the goal. It is practical and still provides a quality atmosphere. To achieve this, however, UND at the very least needs to be competitive against conference opponents at home. Losing by over 30 points to the same opponents you're going to see year after year is unacceptable and will always deter attendance.

An 160 spot differential? That's not right. Thankfully this will be settled on the court.

Have you ever heard of commercial aviation, agricultural aviation, or air traffic control? The Air Force and Naval Academies train pilots for the military, not civilian-based aviation positions. The fact that you just stated UND gets military "left-overs" is absolutely appalling, largely due to the incompetence of it.

UND attempting to make Mussman work may actually be one of the top reasons NDSU is doing as good as they are. NDSU simply took over control of the state once Mussman got control of UND's once competitive football program.

I think we need new leadership, but I don't think this program should be set back at all if the right guy is hired. If a good coach is acquired, then it better not take him 3 years to get a winning record, or else Faison hired the wrong guy.

Spot-on, honest post that I agree 100% with. Everything I've heard perfectly lines up with what you said.

I fully expect Kuksa and Reyes to be our starting safeties next season. Unless we end up with new leadership and they fall in love with Javen Butler and get him in the lineup. I mean, it's tough not to because he just looks like a DI football player.

Well, quite fittingly, from a couple players.

I do respect that you have a different opinion on this situation than other supporters that post on this board. Diversity eventually promotes productivity. Serious Question: I believe you would agree that this year's team is not very good and hasn't lived up to the expectations of the conference (picked 7th by coaching poll) and the University support system. So, with that said, what is the source of the current problem? I'm just curious and also interested in hearing your response.

Mussman is notorious for his arrogance, particularly towards the players.

I will be honestly surprised if the team plays with passion today; expect another lethargic attitude by the team. As far as I can tell, the players have given up on this season and the coaches. Portland State 38 UND 14

Good luck with that Johnny boy

Mussman has lost his team. Once that happens, nothing good can come from a season. There's still 4 games left on the season, but I'd be really surprised if the team went 2-2 or better. It's on Faison to make a move at the end of the season. The players aren't stupid; they've read this forum and seen how the supporters are reacting by not showing for games and saying negative remarks. Ultimately, the players realize the current negativity surrounding the coaching staff so I really doubt we see 100% effort and enthusiasm from all the players for the rest of the season.

UND's team this year will be a lot better than the team last year, especially the team we put on the floor against NDSU last year. Huff will be playing but we also have way more front court depth. Not to mention it's at the Betty this year and not the Fdome. I'm very excited for the NDSU game - it's great that it's early in the season too! Definitely going with a UND victory. This is our dancing year!!

That's true, but wins are all that matter. If we pay a coach $50,000 but consistently win 7 to 8 games a year with a Big Sky schedule, then pay is irrelevant. Hire a good FCS coordinator/FBS position coach at around $200,000 and there should be no issue.