UND-FB-FAN

I'm not sure why you wouldn’t want UND to lead the Big Sky in offense. Anytime you lead a conference in offense, you probably are winning a lot of those conference games. Of course, if I had a choice between defense and offense, I'd much rather lead the conference in defense than offense. I will sell for both questions. UND will not lead the conference in offense with their mediocre RBs (Unless Sparks breaks out!) and freshmen quarterbacks. I also don’t see 2 1000 yd receivers, but a few over 700 is possible ( G.Hardin, J. Jackson & K. Golladay).

ND logo should be at midfield - it’s that simple. I understand Alerus wants to be promoted and so forth, but the Alerus Center logos should be offset at either the 40 or 20, not in the middle of the field!

I, like any other UND supporter, would absolutely love it if UND won all of their home games this season because playoffs would be a reality then. However, there are too many questions to be answered at this point to definitively know how this team will produce in 2013. Just looking at last year, the running game and defense needs to improve in order to make the playoffs in 2013. Furthermore, last season’s two starting quarterbacks have graduated, which makes for a third question. In order to win all home games, UND must: 1. Have a significantly improved defense (or more right place at the right time = more turnovers!) 2.Have either Mollberg or Bartels surprise the entire conference as a freshman starting quarterback 3.Have an improved ground game

I believe the only reason this became an issue is due to how Jones reacted. If he had remained calm and simply made no issue with the "choke job" phrase, then there would not have been any disciplinary action. However, since Jones reacted the way he did and radio listeners heard it, the athletic department decided it was in their best interest to issue a politically correct 2-game suspension. It's that simple in my opinion. Ralston couldn't come up with a better phrase or word at the time of the interview and Jones lost his cool when he probably should not have.

UND Spring Football Report by MidCo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=KewQJ1nlVAo

Marcus Williams has been recognized the last two years and if he has a good season this fall, he'll definitely get drafted. Unfortunately, I don't think Hardin will get drafted. He drops too many passes and he is just too small. There is a premium put on CBs in the NFL; as a result, M. Williams will be drafted in 2014. Golladay has big time potential, but it really is all speculation. M. Williams is more of a sure thing than Golladay presently.

As we saw in Eastern Washington last season, a quarterback rotation will not work; pick the best player and stick with him, so that the player continues to develop into the best QB he can possibly be. Remember the old football saying, “If you have two starting quarterbacks, you don’t have any.”

Per Mussman's commentating during the spring game, new white jerseys have been ordered and will be used this fall for away games. I'm not sure on the pants situation - new white pants may have been ordered but it is also possible black pants will be worn with the white jerseys.

I can't stand the ag school of the south as much as the next UND fan, but I don't understand how you can downplay and poke fun at the idea of staying and working with your teammates during the summer. Whatever program the ag school runs, it works with back-to-back national championships as proof. If UND wants to compete for national titles, they should have the majority of their team working out together during the summer months also. Having the whole team disperse and "have fun" during the summer months will only lead to the mediocrity we've seen from UND football teams the last few seasons.

Mollberg

Kenny Golladay is THE REAL DEAL. Mussman says he is the most talented receiver UND has ever had, and I can't argue against that. Also, Javen Butler looks like a physical presence in the secondary who could make a difference next season. Now, throw Mike Edwards and a few others into the rotation next season, and the defense should hopefully be improved. Mollberg looked the most composed I thought. Whoever the quarterback is next season, the receiver corps will be unreal. Hardin, Golladay, and Jackson on the field together will be very impressive.

We lost two conference games by over 38 points, we couldnt run the ball or stop the run, and we had a losing record against DI competition. Last season was a failure if you expect UND to be a playoff team. Hopefully next season is different.

A major reason fans have such high expectations for UND football is because of what NDSU has been doing. UND and NDSU football will always be connected in some way, shape, or form, no matter what anybody says. There is just too much history and tradition between the two programs. I don't expect Faison to understand that completely, since he is an athletic executive from out-of-state trying to produce revenue. And, revenue is produced when there is large support from fans; that is, the Alerus is sold-out each and every week. I've stated it before and I'll state it again, there are enough fans that are neither loyal to UND or NDSU that if UND competes at the same level as NDSU, more fans will show up at the Alerus. I was born and raised in North Dakota and I know for a fact that is the way it is along the Red River Valley. If UND puts a good product on the field, interested SPORT/FOOTBALL fans, not UND or NDSU fans, will attend. Since NDSU has been putting on the better show for quite some time now, attendance has dropped for UND while the expectations have risen.

Well, if you consider 2012 being our first and only DI season by not considering the transition, then we failed. We were under .500, couldn't run the ball, and couldn’t stop the run. As far as the transition, UND did not do anything. They looked average at best. Although we can make excuses and state UND had an unusually difficult transition, which I’m not necessarily arguing, the bottom line is that UND did not produce during the transition years. They lost to Sioux Falls and almost lost another one to them, and they didn’t put together a single 9+ win season with schedules littered with DII teams. Anyone who says UND accomplished something during the DI era is delusional - the teams were all average at best. There is nothing wrong with being honest when assessing teams - even if it happens to be the team and school you support. Hopefully the 2013 season is the season UND can get back to what they did towards the end of their DII era, because if they can not, patience will be running thin for the Mussman regime.

Since the game is being advertised as Green vs. White, does that mean we will be seeing those hideous green jerseys again? I hope it turns out to be Black vs. White, cause no one wants to see those ridiculous faded green, baggy jerseys. As far as what I'll be looking at, its the new players and how much the upper classman have improved. At quarterback, the Mollberg/Bartels battle should be real fun to watch. At RB, it appears Adam Shaugabay has been running well this year, so he will be someone to watch. Dewayne Pecosky at FB will be interesting to see. JJ Robertson will be a young, new talent that will only make the receiving corps stronger; it will be fun to watch how well the receivers match up with the DBs. One would imagine that the receivers would have the upper hand, but I think Daryl Brown, Rumeal Harris, and Dan Konawalski will step up and make some plays. One final area will of course be at the line of scrimmage. Since the Dline will largely feature inexperienced players, the Oline should be able to open up some holes for the RBs. This should be a fun spring game to watch.

UND went 12-8 in conference play, so they certainly did not have a sub .500 season within the Big Sky Conference. Also, UND's 1st-Team All-Big Sky and Mid-Major All-American player was injured during the non-conference schedule and yet UND almost beat Hawaii and South Dakota State. Anyway, your post is not relevant due to factual insignificance.

A lot better. I've said it before and I'll say it again, "UND really only cares about hockey." (of course, that's really no secret to anyone) If UND cared about overall revenue and game day experiences, they would pay the head football coach as the 2nd highest paid coach, and men's basketball as the 3rd (or perhaps 2nd). People would much rather watch a competitive, talented football team than a women's hockey team - that's just the way it is.

The thought definitely crossed my mind. It's quite evident, especially after last season, that many fans and alumni are skeptical of Mussman's head coaching ability, so it certainly is possible Breitbach had some similar thoughts and/or concerns. Of course, Breitbach may have just wanted to be a head coach. In regards to UND's continual in-house promotions, I'm fine with it if it works. From the outside looking in, it always seemed strange to me that they would only hire in-house guys and then assign them to positions they aren't familiar with. Like Joel Schwenzfeir, who played safety, is now the running backs coach. And last year, a former QB was coaching the RBs so no wonder the team couldn’t run the ball last year! And, of course, both of the current coordinators were position coaches last years (Kotelnicki was STs I guess) and now they have been IN-HOUSE PROMOTED to crucial coordinator spots. However, if the team improves then I have no issue with it.

Ultimately, in the future and in recruiting, this team should focus on being a run balanced team. Offensive football teams that can run the football can control the clock, lessen turnovers, and dictate their will; however, you can't try to be something you're not. The coaches will do what best allows them to move the ball as last year indicated, and, quite frankly, I agree with that. If the offensive line has improved in terms of run blocking and/or a bigger RB like Sparks gets more playing time, then maybe this team will be able to consistently run the ball more successfully than last season. That remains to be seen.

I'm not sure this team has the personnel to be a 50/50 or 60/40 running team. The running backs are too small, with the exception of PJ Sparks and Shaugabay. But if the coaches are going to play Jake Miller and Jer Garmin the most, then this offense would be the most successful passing the football more often than not. The talent difference between the receivers and the running backs is substantial, and you have to fit your offense to your personnel; if you don't, you're misusing and ultimately wasting talent. We also don't know how successful this team is going to be run blocking vs. pass blocking.

The field is officially cleared of snow.

I feel Freund would be a better fit at QB coach, being he played that position. Luke S. will have his hands full with Special Teams, WRs, and recruiting coordinator position, so a new offensive coordinator should be brought in. It's too bad that it has to be during spring ball, when alot of concepts for the upcoming season are installed. I guess they could promote an in house guy to OC and then pick up two coaches to coach the RBs and TEs.

Montana, Appalachain State, Georgia Southern, and Delaware are some FCS schools which commit to football and the results indicate it. Well, what's your definition of "successful"? I believe UND can consistently achieve winning records and be in the playoffs, but I'm not quite sure they will be competing for national championships every season. Unless UND decides to even the funding between hockey and football, NDSU will always have the football financial advantage. Fortunately, financial support is not everything so UND certainly could still beat NDSU head-to-head, go farther in the post-season, etc., but the overall success of NDSU's football program will be hard for UND to surpass. I mean, all this talk about potential is great but let's look at the results and actions - NDSU has won more national championships in the last two years than UND's program has in their entire history. Furthermore, UND has done nothing during their DI era to even suggest they are going to be national title contenders anytime soon. I will support the coaching staff and the current direction more once I see results; that is, a winning season while we are members of the Big Sky.

The players should not have to participate in the snow removal - that is ridiculous. As far as recruiting goes, NDSU's commitment to football is far greater than that of UND; thus, it doesn't take much for NDSU to produce more positive presentation points. I've said this before and I'll say it again, at the DI level it is difficult to consistently win in more than one sport because financial commitment to a particular sport is quite important. UND has committed to hockey and NDSU to football; it's that simple. Due to natural roster turnover, there will be some years UND's football team is better than NDSU's football team, but most years NDSU will have the football advantage due to increased funding. A more fair and justified comparison between the two schools would be the basketball programs - both are not the #1 sport at their respective school. I will mention, in order to include some optimism, that the IPF will provide UND a particular advantage over NDSU which will help decrease the gap between the two programs. This whole snow removal issue would not even be present if the IPF was built and available for use. That day can't come soon enough for the UND football program.

Very interesting video through the Grand Forks Herald UND Sports Zone with HC Brian Jones: http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/259995 Jones mentions that in addition to PG Quinton Hooker, the team would like to recruit one more big bodied front-line player. Also, he mentioned the athleticism Jaron Nash possesses (similar to Troy Huff he said) and how next year's team will be gaining Nash, Alonzo Traylor, and Ryan Salmonson as front-line players to join up with Brekke. *If this team stays healthy*, they will be D*MN good and have a great opportunity to go dancing next season! Very Exciting!