Dustin

It would be nice to get into that #3 seed (or #2 seed, but let's assume #3 for this argument) and play #6, currently SDSU. At the moment, there appears to be a big drop-off from #5 (Denver) to #6, so getting your first game of the conference tourney out of the way with an easier match would be good for the team. And then, maybe we can catch the #2 seed a little cold in the semi-final and ride our momentum into the championship game.

Even as a person who's been trying to stay positive on all things football, this was an egregious error that sends a bad message short term. His former contract was not expiring at the end of the season, so that decision should have been held back at least one year. However, whether that was a poor decision can't be known yet, as much as some people wish that it would have manifested already.

So as it turns out the die-hard Bison fan was at this game with his brother (his brother went to undergrad at SDSU and grad school at UND), and he was definitely impressed with Schuster's first drive carving up the Jacks D. Made him nervous for the game in Fargo. But he's kind of a nervous Nelly and is always paranoid the Bison are going to lose but they never do, so that has to be taken with a grain of salt. Also, unbeknownst to me, my dad was at the game - his first in quite some time.

Ok. I understand that it's easier to plan when you know the venue and host a year in advance, but I feel like the reward is delayed and sort of cheats the best team of the current season.

I've been a little out of touch with the conference tournament since we've joined the Summit League, so hopefully someone can catch me up. It looks like the top 6 teams make the tournament. Seems a bit low for a conference tournament, but it probably helps avoid an unexpected upset and get the best team in the NCAA. Does that mean #1 and #2 seeds receive byes? I see the tournament is in Omaha this year. Does someone know how was that determined? I would love if the Betty could host the conference tourney again like they did in 2011 (Great West) and 2016 (Big Sky). Those tournaments are some of my best volleyball memories during the golden age.

Obviously getting the win is priority #1. But what will make me more confident in the team/season would be for UND to score a minimum of 28 and give up a maximum of 17.

Way to get a road win! 8-3 conference, and at .500 on the season.

Yep, that's the down I'm thinking of. Now that you reminded me of the distance to the line to gain, it seems more obvious why they didn't go through with it.

Is that you, Kelly?!

I don't remember when exactly it was (sometime in 3rd of 4th quarter) where I thought a fake punt was almost the obvious call (because we were trying to get back in the game) and we didn't do it, probably because SDSU was almost expecting it. That's my take. I didn't look at the line-up formations for that play (and even if I had, it wouldn't mean anything to me as non-player / fan only), so maybe there would be some tell-tale sign(s) either way if someone with a knowing mind did look at it.

I made a similar comment earlier about expectations. Think about how outraged (some more than others) we are about the sdsu game. That tells me the fan expectations are there. That’s a good thing. Now, I’ve been thinking about the second part, about players stepping up. Where does that initiative come from? Is that on the coaches to plant that seed? Or is that something that comes from within the players themselves? Probably some of both. Either way the coaches AND players need to get it soon, because they could let a very promising team/season go by the wayside without it. PS. For the record, I’ve been very supportive of the coaching staff, but if this is an issue, we may need some reassessment. Need to see how the next game plays out for starters, and go from there.

I don't want to bring up the SDSU game too much in the ACU thread, but the fact that we are this upset about losing to #1 and many thought going into the game (and indeed half of the game itself) that we were going to win, is a huge sign of elevated expectations from the fans.

Yes. I would like to roll them and not have any doubt of the outcome at anytime in the game. Playing them close, even with a win, could still look bad.

Not positive on the graduate transfers. My guess would be “no”, but I just don’t know. The seniors would have the opportunity to elect an additional year, yes. I only picked out (what I saw as) the 3 biggest contributing underclassmen earlier.

In that still, the punter’s foot looks like it’s in worse shape than Coley’s boys. At least they’re protected.

To add to that, I would think recruiting will make a HUGE stride with the Tupacs at the helm, so it wouldn’t surprise me to have multiple freshmen in regular roles next year as well.

Norris listed as a junior, Olson a sophomore, and Barber a freshman. I think you had to be participating during the 2020-21 academic year to get the free year, so Norris should for sure get one. Olson and Barber were not on the roster then, so I think their class year is unaffected. So, my guess is 2 more years of Norris (if she elects to) and Olson, and 3 more years of Barber.

It’s obvious that the fans aren’t excited for this game (yet…hopefully that changes)as we still deal with the hangover of the SDSU game, but I bet the players are super excited for this game to shake off the sting of last Saturday. What do we know about this team, other than they have a much better record than we would have expected during pre-season?

Technically, we already did, but I hear you. Everyone wants to to win now. I honestly feel we are building towards a MVFC championship. We are a bit young this year, but with so much returning, including a record holding / record breaking QB, next year might the best chance we’ve had in a long time.

Right. I don’t think many would call the season (to this point) a failure, and being 4-3 at this point tracks with just about everyone’s preseason expectations. As has been mentioned already, get the next 3, and we’re in business.

You’re the first person I’ve seen mention it. I’m assuming he did not play, though?

Can’t say I really do either. Only very rarely is it actually featured as a part of the game of hockey. Straight to 4x4 would be acceptable, but an idea that someone ( I think on here) proposed last year was giving each team a 2 minute power play until a team scores on theirs and the other team doesn’t score on theirs. Kind of like college football OT. Equal number of possessions.

The whole “moral victories” and “accepting mediocrity” has been beat to death in this forum. There are good moral victories, and finding them and pointing them out, though the game was lost, does not equal accepting mediocrity. Here are some of mine: UND played a clean (and classy) game. The same could not be said of SDSU. despite all its misgivings, the offense still put up 28 points. Special teams added 7. we did better in several Statical categories than other SDSU opponents. and ultimately, the team did not quit. these guys still have a big upside. Get the next 3 and we’re in business. Not getting the next 3 would be mediocre, and I will not accept it.

I’m still fairly high on this team, but the margin for error just got narrower. Need the next 3 no ifs, ands, or buts. Offense put up 28 on one of the best defenses, with all their misgivings aside.

And all I’m saying is we had 2 special teams plays that led to touchdowns, and 1 that had a chance to. But you wore me down, so this is my last post on the matter. You win.