mtjack

Good luck, UND fans. One more year with a Big Sky schedule but officially "independent" football, right?

For as bad as NAU played (yet somehow still won) yesterday, the Jacks had played worse in the previous three games. NAU's seniors were up for this game. NAU's 4th string QB, Porter, and 3rd string QB, Campiotti, who came in for relief made fewer mistakes than previous weeks. UND looked lethargic but I don't think it was just the elevation. If it makes you feel any better, this exact conversation about Bubba's mediocre coaching career in what NAU fans have had for years over Jerome's (Souers) coaching career in Flagstaff. An occasional 8-3 season but 5-6 or 6-5 more common.

To be fair, that part of the United States isn't aware that the Civil War ended either.

Sioux94 - NAU's tailgate scene has improved from its days of non-existence but it isn't on par what you'd see in the Midwest or @ U Montana or Montana State games in the Big Sky. The parking lot on the south of the Skydome gets partially closed off for the events. The Greeks occupy the west end of the parking lot. They show up in force....drink profusely....and then never go inside to watch the game. The general student body does the best job at supporting university athletics. The community.....well....other than running and mountain biking, Flagstaff isn't a sports town. No liquor sold inside the Skydome so drink accordingly outside. I live in Casa Grande and see quite a few UND and NDSU shirts/car stickers/license plates around town and its not only the snowbirds. Lots of locals have North Dakota roots. Safe travels.

By the way, thanks for beating the Griz this year. That always makes every single other fan base in the Big Sky happy.

NAU is horrible right now. Multiple injuries across the board. On their 4th string quarterback (wide receiver running the wildcat) at the moment with top two qb's injured and third string freshman simply not ready. A once promising season lay in waste. Section 208 and 210 are usually where opposing teams are given seats. Most seats in the dome are decent. UND's dome seats 2,000+ more people. This game won't sell out. Even when NAU is competitive, student/community support dips once the holidays/finals start creeping up. I drove up for two games earlier in the season but I'm sitting this last train wreck of the season out. The brewery scene in Flagstaff is solid, UND'ers. My favorite are: Dark Sky Brewing, Mother Road Brewing, Historic Brewing. Flagstaff Brewing Co, Beaver Street Brewing and Lumberyard are the originals and all have their merits. I haven't tried Wanderlust Brewing Co. or Trail Crest Brewing Co. yet. My mom went to UND for one year. My uncle graduated from there. I lived in Fargo for about a year and spent my summers there all through grade school up to high school. Mom's grew up in Oakes and I have relatives there, Valley City, Jamestown, Ellendale, Wahpeton and Williston. I miss my North Dakota friends and relatives. Sad UND is leaving the Big Sky but it makes more sense for you guys to play NDSU, USD, SDSU, etc. -- Cheers.

WeAreNorthDakota - Any questions about Flagstaff/NAU/Northern Arizona...ask away. Looks like I'll be in Fargo that weekend. Are there any Fargo sports bars that'll show the UND-NAU football game on Nov 2nd?

The biggest homers in the Big Sky, in my opinion, are Weber State (Dutch) and U Northern Colorado's play by play guy. They have nothing on ol' Hawk Harrelson for the White Sox, though. I watched the Midco announcers Saturday and they seemed to be just enough of a homer and critical enough to call the game in a tolerable manner. No complaints from this outsider.

Your mens program is scuffling a bit, yet they still are in fourth place in the league and have a chance to get the third seed in the tourney. Welcome to the Big Sky. Other than Weber State and U of Montana, the cupboards are kind of bare around the league right now. NAU had a very competitive stretch in the early-mid 2000s but have fallen off the last two seasons. Good luck the rest of the way, UND fans.

Impressed with how UND responded to a big deficit while being equally disgusted with now NAU responded to a big lead. Fun game to watch, though. If UND can keep the previous road losing streak monkey off their backs, I can see em making some noise in the Big Sky tourney. NAU's announcer is a joy to listen to. His taking emails/texts from the fan base during the game makes for occasional comedic gold. He's a native midwesterner....St Cloud if my memory serves me.... and often speaks about growing up in MN. A bit of a homer in the fact that he gets excited and wants NAU to win but he's willing and capable of seeing the game both ways. NAU's web/tv-cast is high definition and a good portion of the staff working games are students majoring in electronic film/media. From watching Big Sky tv over the last few years, it seems NAU consistently has one of the better quality viewing experiences in the Big Sky. I'll return to talk hoops before NAU's game in Grand Forks. I should've been on here earlier but it was a long week. Good luck, UND fans.

Thanks, geaux-sioux. I'll check out the UND sports site for that interview. A few other NAU fans have been bringing the Deonte/Zach debate up on cs.com and other locales. I've stayed out of this discussion except for here. Rankings and respect from other fanbases are fun discussions but the best way to silence doubters is for NAU to keep winning. I'm really hoping that NAU and Cal Poly go into the final game of the season undefeated in conference. Regardless of the final outcome, that would make for a great environment. I was sad when Deonte left NAU but am happy he's landed on his feet in San Luis Obispo.

I can tell things have "calmed down" in Missoula as there are no Griz fans here telling everyone they think North Dakota (as a state) sucks. I have relatives in North Dakota and Montana both. I love both states for completely different reasons. But my Montana relatives and a lot of people I've met there can't seem to go more than a day without a derogatory comment about ND. I've never understood the reasoning behind it? Quite a few Griz posters are top notch folks. Give em a beer in Grand Forks and you will get paid back in Missoula. They aren't joking about that. Their tailgate is a great spectacle.

A whole bunch of Big Sky fans (across the board) seem to think Deonte Williams is a better back than Bauman. That would be one former Lumberjack (Williams played freshman year @ NAU) and one current Lumberjack discussed as being the best back in the league. I need to take the time to watch a Cal Poly game on bigskytv before passing judgement. I remember him being pretty damned good his freshman year in Flagstaff. Bauman's cut back/change of direction ability is fun to watch. I don't think he's the best running back between the tackles (he fights hard for his yardage there) but his lateral movement on the field reminds me of a young Barry Sanders.

Will do. NAU won't be quite as good in mens or womens hoops this year but I do my best to follow both teams.

UND fans - Don't give up on your team. For years, it was the same in Flagstaff. A good offense or a good defense but rarely both. Close games but somehow finding a way to grasp defeat from the jaws of victory. Pissed off fans left and right calling for Coach Souers head on a platter. Hanson was calm and collected and that run-and-gun passing offense of yours is a thing of beauty. Your o-line was good also. Your defense needs some work. That's putting it nicely. But either quitting on this team (no longer supporting em) or booing them certainly won't help motivate a bunch of 18-23 year old kids. The number of injuries faced by your defense can't be easy to overcome. NAU's announcer commented on how loud it was in the Alerus. That is a beneficial factor. Don't forget that or discount it. Bring the noise. The U of M are young, inexperienced and a bit down this year. MSU is talented but has shown flaws. Neither are quite as dominant as a few of their internet fans think. UND offense plays like they did Saturday and they have a shot at a few wins here on out. Good luck. I'd enjoy chatting if any of you head down south to the Flagstaff game next year. I plan on driving up the mountain for that one.