UND-FB-FAN

Can get away with it when no defender is anywhere close to the receiver.

He better know how to recruit and teach.

Oh, yes, for sure.

NSIC DII players all over the roster, average coaches. Consistently losing big games by double digits. But hey, can’t mention that or acknowledge that around here without never-ending backlash. Facts are only welcome if supportive. It’s how it goes, though. Toughest strength of schedule, but blow out loses against NDSU and SDSU?

Here at the end of the season, we witness a descending program, not an ascending one.

I agree with you. The other posters on here, who I won’t name, are the ones who post weights and guessed on 40 times somehow thinking that will get us to ignore UND’s average at best record over the last handful of seasons.

I agree. Reality of FCS football … you can’t hire a lifer. Bubba wants to be a lifer. In other words, perpetually average.

Won’t fix the game management issues. I’m afraid what needs to be done is what I can’t mention on here, or else fire with rain down.

^Fixed your post

Don’t worry, ya’ll. It’s only on the players, not the coaches, who recruit, plan, teach and instruct on the game. Thankfully there will be different players next season.

And don’t get me wrong, this lack of physicality extends to the defensive side of the ball, too.

Bubba joined in 2014 and vowed to make UND a physical team. Fast forward to 2022, playing a playoff game in the snow, and we’re throwing the ball with the back up QB on 3rd and 2? Im over this vision. It’s lost. Wanna championship? Make the hard decision and face reality.

But it’s not on the coaches, who apparently can’t instruct discipline or the fundamentals of football. It’s just the players, and only on the players, for consistently making mistakes. With all that said, UND was the least penalized team in the country. Bigger issue is how the team performs (or doesn’t) in the big games. Playoffs counts as a big game…

That stride you are talking about is what separation is. There are athletes that can read coverage and are quick/fast. Nice combination, exists more commonly than you would think, but it’s high in demand.

Which kickoff coverages will they play? When will they determine they should or shouldn’t kick it to the returner? What kind of punt protection will they call to prevent a block? What’s the distance for the field goal unit? Which variables affect that? Wind? Weather (snow)? A couple misses by Stevens indicating lack of confidence? Will there be fake punt or field goal plays available and what would it take to call it? What’s the depth chart for return men? Back up long snapper and kicker? Lots of game time decisions and in-game decisions for the special teams coordinator. Players need to do their job also. Theres work to be done, for everyone. Players and coaches alike.

Fair point. Weber State has notoriously been good on special teams for years. Jay Hill, their HC, was long time Special Teams coordinator at Utah. Shawn Kostich will have his work cut out for him.

No doubt.Catching has been good. Catching plus speed/separation is better. more work to do. Belquist is very good and has elevated that whole group’s production. Maag also can catch, despite being slow.

Bubba decides when to punt or go for it. He is the head coach and therefore the game manager. His messages all week form the mindset of the team. He is the leader, and his confidence or lack thereof affects the entire team. The team’s preparedness is on the head coach, who also helps to form the team’s schedule and overall logistics. Comes with the territory. If UND plays well in Utah, Bubba deserves credit, as do his staff and players. If UND plays poorly for the second consecutive week in a big game, and UND has to even entertain punting versus being aggressive in the 4th quarter while being down 3 scores, then Bubba rightfully deserves criticism. It’s a results driven business. Such is life. Talking that results will take care of themselves and we shouldn’t look at the scoreboard is nonsense and intended to just distract from incompetence.

To sum it up, everyone wants big, strong, fast players. NDSU and SDSU have bigger, stronger, faster players than most programs in the FCS, hence their success. Development is key still, no doubt, but recruiting big, strong, fast high school kids (or signing FBS drop downs or JuCo players) is still important. Although scheme (Xs and Os) matters, and NDSU and SDSU do well with it, there’s still no debate you have to have a team full of good football players with measurables, also. UND receiving corps has Belquist, but everyone else is below average. Can’t run, 4.6 is a stretch for most of the roster, and the ones that can run (Dennis) need to get into the weight room. Maag is slow on the football field. I like Red Wilson - he’s been good for UND this season.

The fight in the dog for UND has been disappointing in big games. Need to either train a meaner dog or get a new one. Perpetually defending the coaches is also an extreme end of the spectrum. Everyone needs to do their job. The current program is stale. Development is key, but eliminating termination as an option is narrow-minded and foolish, in my opinion. As for the reality of the situation, carry on. No major changes coming. It’s about everyone doing their job better.

Heavy favoritism by officials and even selection committees. Very curious decision making for Ag U… During the game, even the NDSU fans were joking how the game was only stopped for review if it was a play that went against NDSU, not UND. Perhaps just coincidence, but I prefer to promote conspiracy…

You can contemplate the reasoning all you want, but it’s obvious it’s there. By the way, the reasoning isn’t all that concealed either, it’s right in front of you …

Yep. Fargo is the evil empire, been saying it for years, and evidence keeps mounting.

I agree. Seed up to 16 teams.

I apologize to Bill Chaves. We were screwed by the NCAA and NDSU athletic director Matt Larsen. Go figure. well, control what we can control. go beat Weber State on Saturday … then beat the $hit out of NDSU whenever we play them again (this postseason or next year in Alerus)…