fightingsioux4life

I share your concerns, but I think in a couple of years we will have a solid FCS foundation built and things will get better. Having a conference home will help with attendance and recruiting and then we'll find out if Mussman is the man to turn this around. We cannot allow the football program to sag into perpetual 3-7, 4-6 mediocrity and I think that Faison understands that.

I think that is standard procedure for recruits of all of our sports.

We could start playing our games at Cushman Field with these attendance numbers!

But I think that is the exception rather than the rule. Sioux Falls is pretty close to Vermillion and the coach in question probably didn't have a problem accepting a lower salary at an FCS school if he didn't have to move in the process. In order to compete for the best FCS coach talent, we will have to raise salaries.

This topic is based more on the total body of work from Mussman, not on last night's game. I think Mussman deserves a couple of more years, but after that, "transition" can't be used as an all-purpose excuse for losing and having to settle for moral victories. I don't want to hear anyone in the media, on this forum and especially on the coaching staff use the word "transition" from August 2012 and thereafter. If I hear anyone in 2012 say "well, we are still kind of, sort of a transition team", I think I will be sick. If we don't have the athletes and talent to compete in FCS by that time, then we might need to make a change at the top. Right now, I would be satisfied with a shake-up in the coaching staff.

I think technology and medicine have advanced a great deal since that time, so that should give this kid a chance to have a normal life.

LaPoint had a horrible night last night; was responsible (IMO) for two of the goals. Maybe a night sitting and watching will do him some good.

Let's also remember that Southern Illinois was upgrading their facilities for football (new stadium, strength and conditioning facilities, everything). They were willing to make a serious investment in the football program while UND was still treating football like Little Orphan Annie. Lennon would have been stupid to turn all that down. I agree that Mussman has not earned a huge salary increase. However, if Faison decides to get rid of Mussman and go after a big-time FCS coach, that checkbook had better not have some outrageously low cap on it. I do not want to become a low-major FCS program who has coaches stolen by mid-major and big-time FCS programs. If we lose coaches in the future, it had better be because: 1) We fired them for bad performance or 2) An FBS school snatched them away because we were winning big year after year. Whether that happens or not remains to be seen.

Kelling is one of the worst football assistants we have ever had here. The worst decision Lennon ever made was to make Kelling and Mannasau co-defensive coordinators. This arrangement does not work and as long as it is in place, the defense will continue to suck.

Could someone look up the rules concerning PATs? Are PATs required after touchdowns in regulation? If they are, then I would have forced LSU to line up and kick the extra point. The score was 16-14. Under college rules, a blocked PAT is returnable the other way for 2 points. If that had happened, the game would have been tied 16-16 and we would have went to overtime. Someone correct me if I am wrong on this.

The Coyote defense has gotten lit up for most of the season up to this point and suddenly they are solid and stingy? I expected a shootout type game from both offenses, but only one showed up.

Jake Landry back to his old form.

They might have to go with an onside kick considering how little time is left (less than 5 minutes).

Does anyone else find it incredible that this same "vaunted" Coyote defense that was shredded by both the Bison AND the Gophers is virtually impenetrable by our offense?

This had better be something big and not naming a scholarship after someone that graduated in the 1960's. I hate it when there are teasers that end up being much to do about nothing. I really hope it's our long-awaited announcement that we have a conference home.

I think they'll have to wait until this NCAA moritorium on teams moving up to Division I is over, but I would love to have that happen. We owe them tons of payback!

Wacker was pretty inept, but I don't think he lost to teams like South Dakota and Northern Illinois. Mason had a lot of .500 teams that beat up on tomato can teams but could not beat the top teams in the Big 10. Brewster takes mediocrity and ineptitude to a whole different, sickening level. And it's a FINAL: Northern Illinois 34, Gopher Nation 23.

We are developing an offensive identity. That was something that was a problem last year.

He's Weston Dressler on Steroids!

Personal foul on NW State, Demon player ejected.

I am really glad Josh Murray decided to start going to class. Our RB situation would be critical without him.

I realize your post was tongue in cheek, but Canadian Major Junior hockey would never work in Grand Forks. I wouldn't give it the time of day and a lot of other fans wouldn't either. Major Junior is the enemy, the antithesis of what College Hockey is all about. I really don't care how talented the kids are in the CHL, the fact that Major Junior honchos would destroy the College game if they could and the arrogance of CHL fans make my decision to not set foot in one of their arenas easy. Unless REA got a bunch of Winnipeg residents to bus down for every home game, it would be a disaster for them financially and in every other way. UND and REA need each other; it's a symbiotic relationship that must be nurtured and strengthened as we move forward into the future.

Agree 110%. That's the same answer I would give NDSU if they offered that deal for football and the Gophers would deserve the same thing. But I think they would give us a fair 1 for 1 deal because we are a big draw for them and they need us as much as we need them.

This is what I was saying on another topic in the Football forum. The FBS wins are exciting and they garner a lot of positive media coverage. But the bottom line at both UND and NDSU is playoff success and championships (both conference and national). Without those, the FBS wins become nothing more than a curious diversion.