fightingsioux4life

Please don't go there. We need to keep working on the student section. They used to be a big factor (2000-05) and we will need them back if we want to turn the Alerus Center into what it used to be and can be again.....the best home field advantage in our conference.

Here is how the Vikings defense can contain the Packers: 1) Put Trae Waynes on Jordy Nelson and tell Waynes to stick to him like Velcro the entire game. Then put a safety over the top. That will force Rodgers to beat us with their other receivers, which are pedestrian at best. 2) Keep Rodgers in the pocket and smack him around a little. Get him out of his comfort zone. If you let him sit back there all game, he will pick you apart. 3) Don't let them get the running game going. That will make #1 and #2 possible.

I believe the crowd noise was partially responsible for our second pick 6. It was 3rd and 5, but an illegal procedure penalty made it 3rd and 10. So an obvious running situation became a bit more complicated as they didn't want to have to punt it back to us. So they put it in the air and it was picked off and run back for a TD.

I am pretty sure Bubba will drive that point home in practice next week.

I think they were because the host school (UND) is a Big Sky team. They certainly performed like Big Sky refs.

To be fair, they do seem to be making progress under Craig Bohl. They hung with with Nebraska until the 4th quarter. But I think a North Dakota FBS team would have some of the same problems Wyoming has (geography, climate) that make it hard to get kids to commit to going to school and play football there.

Back in 1998, there was a measure on the ballot to take colleges and universities out of the State Constitution. People read that as making it easier to shut down campuses. It was voted down by a huge margin. Any Legislator who even proposes that will be committing political suicide.

Ever since we joined the Big Sky Conference, the one negative I have seen is the horrible officiating week after week. They miss stuff that shouldn't be missed. Like the non-PI call late in the game when they mugged our receiver in the end zone and got away with it.

That is what I am thinking as well. USD was giving up an average of 35 points per game before today. We made their defensive line look like a bunch of All-Americans. Hopefully the line will get better as they work together in practice and in games. Otherwise, this season won't end up where we all want it to end up (a.k.a. the playoffs).

Oh, you are right, there isn't a snowball's chance in Hades of North Dakota closing all but one school. But if we wanted to have an FBS program in the state, that is the only way it would work. Of course, if we got one, Minnesota would want one too!

Let us remember that the current regime has two full recruiting classes under its belt (the first class was hastily put together in a couple of months and cannot be considered a full recruiting class). So depth is still somewhat of an issue. The lack of consistency on both sides of the ball is the difference between winning and losing games and that is something that will come with time. Today's comeback win should give the players some much-needed confidence after two tough losses. Time to focus on Montana State.

Unless of course we do what Wyoming does and have one school for the entire state. Of course, I wouldn't want to have a mediocre FBS program year after year like the Cowboys have.

KFGO has done a great job of covering and talking about UND athletics. Faison is on there on a regular basis. So are our coaches. NDSU playing Iowa deserves special coverage. When (not if) UND gets home playoff games, KFGO will likely drive up to Grand Forks to give that event the coverage it deserves.

I always want to go for two at the end of the game when down by one.

In your original comment, you said this: You didn't come out and explicitly call for a change, but you implicitly said Bubba isn't the right man for the job. And I contend it is way too early to make that judgment either way.

So, are you calling for a coaching change because we aren't unbeatable in his third year of rebuilding a program that was totally on the rocks when he got here? Cripes, our society has become so addicted to instant gratification. Good things come to those who wait. NDSU had their struggles a few years back as well.

Not an excuse, just a fact of life in sports. I suppose you were down on Roger Thomas in the late 1980's when they weren't unbeatable right away?

The only bad loss of the two was the Stoney Brook game. The Bowling Green game is an FBS money game, where winning is a bonus. The schedule is much easier from here on out. And I think Bubba, his staff and the players are well aware of the hole they have dug themselves. I think they will come out flying against USD next Saturday.

This doesn't surprise me that much. It is much harder to go from bad to good than it is to go from good to great. It took Roger Thomas six years to make the playoffs and seven to win a playoff game. And he started out with a similar mess to what Bubba started out with. Now, I don't think it is going to take Bubba six years to make the playoffs, as we have better facilities than we had in the late 1980's. But people should not be surprised that the team is still trying to learn how to win games, especially close games. That isn't going to happen as quickly as most of us would want. That next step is tricky and it might not happen until next season. But if Bubba continues to recruit well, we'll get there.

If the wind sticks around, I think any FGs are going to be difficult unless they are 20 yards or closer.

I didn't necessarily expect a win today......but I expected better than this. If this is what we will watch next week in the Potato Bowl, it's going to be a long season. Maybe Bubba needs to sit some guys and pull some redshirts to wake the team up.

Now it's time for our patented 3rd down pass.

So much for the pre-season buzz.

I don't care how good the defense is (and it is really good), but if they are on the field too much, they will wear down.