USTBench

That'd be nice, but it sounds like AD Phil Esten and the powers that be don't have much stomach for scholarship football, but if there is a path it will require some major facility upgrades. When UST's unsolicited offer to buy the Town & Country Club for an athletic village for $60 million was rejected they decided to buy the old Ford Motor plant site in Highland Park about 2 miles south of campus, where they'll move baseball and softball, but Minnesota and their endless bureaucratic nonsense will have that project stalled for awhile with environmental impact studies and whiney neighbors. Softball shares space with soccer and baseball takes up a ton of surface area on the NW side of campus just north of the football stadium. I don't know what, if anything, they have that space earmarked for, but if they could get a proper indoor facility for track/football/soccer and make some serious upgrades for spectators at the football stadium it might be MVFC worthy. Of course, having dumpy facilities never stopped Western Illinois, Indiana State, and Murray State from being part of the MVFC, so who knows. I just think if UST is going to make that type of move it will be to compete for a conference title, and there's challenges to being landlocked with unfriendly neighbors (sharing a stadium with track & field, no space to build out the stadium or revamp it, etc.). The other major issue is getting folks on board to fund scholarship football when they've clearly decided to flagship basketball and hockey, which is a little shortsighted as I think football is the hood ornament of just about every major school in the Midwest and it raises your profile in ways that hockey just can't. That said, drawing 7,000 to 8,000 fans a game would be optimistic, even with upgrades to the stadium, especially if game times overlap with the Gophers. What UST is missing is a rival like SJU to push them into an arms race, and you're just not going to get that in the Pioneer League, because Drake/Butler/Valpo just don't care enough about football.

Speaking of the NSIC and ND kids, what's everyone's take on Carson Yale from Minot State? He didn't look like a D1 kid his senior year at Des Lacs - Burlington, but it's clear that kid has been working his ass off in the weight room, and is averaging 9ppg/5rb as a redshirt freshman. 6'9", can stretch the floor and shoot the 3 a bit (36%), and isn't passive at the cup - dunks hard in traffic. If he hits the portal, do we think he can play in the Summit?

I don't suspect I'll be doing any such thing. Lol

I'll be there! 😆

Nothing really, but we were about as sportsmanlike with St. Olaf as NDSU was with us. 😆 That, and winning 2/3 of the team titles in an 11/12 team league, it was pretty clear it was time to go. I was upset at the time, but having a few years to reflect on it, I get why the MIAC did what they did. The mission of our athletic department was incompatible with the rest of the conference. That said, it's sad UST has left the football program out in the cold while they pour money into everything else.

UND has the infrastructure in place and there is no excuse to not compete for a national title this year. The Bison leaving for assumed "greener pastures" was inevitable, and the right move for them, but I have some ideas to keep UND relevant and expand their national brand as the landscape of college football continues to change, as I do believe another shake-up is coming where eventually the P4 contemplates splitting off with Notre Dame, and the remaining G6 is the de facto I-AA/FCS. 1) Dakota Cup: Similar to the Commander-in-Chief's Cup with USAFA, Army, and Navy, but with SDSU, UND, and USD. Alternatively, establish SDSU as your rival. USD does not have the resources, fan support, or community to back a play for FBS in the future like SDSU. 2) Die Hard Commitment to sell-outs. Whatever it takes. Semester of tuition for students given away in the 4th quarter (must be present to win); drop concession/beer prices to Tarleton State levels; open up the catwalks; start planning a proper entrance now (this cannot be an afterthought, think Montana State level cool); flagship these games like it's the only thing going on in the state. Explore what Midco can do but get your ass out of the valley and start contemplating what being on statewide TV might look like. Make the fan experience at the Alerus the best it can possibly be - take the bitching seriously, the fans know. Every single city with an alumni presence: Bismarck, Fargo, Minot, Minneapolis, Phoenix, Denver - needs to have a bar where watching the game is the thing. We're not just a hockey school, too much has been invested. 3) Associate yourself with Montana State, Montana, and SDSU every chance you get. Do what you can to schedule a major Big Sky opponent with open dates in 2027, 2028, or 2029. Alternatively, seek out Tarleton State. 4) Find a neutral site game for football in Vegas or Nashville. Promote the hell out of it and have fan flights. 5) Finally, I think the Top $ programs in the Big Sky and MVFC need to discuss a merger and trim the fat. Indiana State, Murray State, Portland State, Northern Colorado, etc., don't have the requisite commitment to football required to boost UND's brand. UND, SDSU, Montana, Montana State, Idaho, Illinois State, UC Davis, and then perhaps see what kind of stomach USD, UNI, Southern Illinois, Youngstown, EWU, Weber State, Northern Arizona has for really doubling down on football from a financial standpoint. Sac State can go to hell, they made their bed, they can lie in it. I'd like to for my alma mater, UST, to go all in on football, but I just don't think that's going to happen, if it did, UST would have the market and financial resources to compete right away, the issue now is facilities and being landlocked in a neighborhood that is anti-campus expansion. They've essentially flagshipped basketball and hockey, and I think they'll leave the Summit eventually.

I am pretty excited to watch these guys develop in a proper program designed to maximize their raw strength. As impressive as it is, and it IS impressive, I just don't know that raw benching north of 400lbs for reps is something that should be done often, if at all, if your goal is to be a great DL, as opposed to an elite power lifter. That being said, you can't argue that at least from a strength standpoint the Beavers won't be ready to contribute immediately. Might take some time to get technique and concept down, but good luck dealing with these boys late in the game.

PA on the home side seemed to be out for the 1st half, and very hard to hear in the second half. I do recall some indication of which player made the play a few years ago on the two big endzone jumbotrons, that seems to be gone. Alerus production is definitely lacking and in some respects getting worse. I like leaning into the State of ND, and the ND flags for every player. I think UND lost sight of the fact that they represent the entire state some years ago, you get outside of the RRV and it's all Bison, so, in that vein, I like the run-out. Other than that, if you can't get the place that dark, turning off the lights is pointless unless you're going to do some green smoke or change the lighting in the tunnel, reminds me of trying to sleep with the hallway light on. Lose the Hawk in the car. Cheesy. Step up the hype video. Just make it more...bad ass, I guess. Hawks...Free Bird solo like team USA when they score a goal, IDK? Something. I hate the Bison, but they kill their intro. Other suggestion, cover up the endzone bleachers that are pushed in with something UND related. Looks horrible.

I don't have it, which is why I included "If this is true..." as a qualifier. That said, after dealing with my fair share of Red River parents over the years, I wouldn't be shocked I kid, I kid.

If this is true, at all, consider me all in on Lauren Reardon becoming a UND legend.

At least he's not taking a nap.

Do you want me to name all of his assistants over the last 15 years? I'm confused. Also, if you get a B1G offer and you coach in the PFL, you take it. Lol. Caruso was not particularly well liked by other coaches in the MIAC or Kheres at Mt. Union, but he's got some loyal guys on his staff and he wins.

He'd jolt the program immediately. He's once opined that it's a lot easier to go from 100 to Top 5, than Top 5 to National Champ. Right mentality.

His DC, Wally Kuchinski, has been with him for 15 seasons. Holinka coached for him twice. I don't know that he cares if he's well liked, I think he cares about winning.

I think she's in remission, but there's always that risk I suppose. Caruso has great passion, great intensity, a little PJ Flecky for some people's taste, but the results speak for themselves. I just think Drake and Butler raised their level when Caruso came in and won the league with mostly D3 guys. Also, the issue with the PFL is your best players have one foot out the door. Their non-conference games against the Big Sky/MVFC are basically auditions for scholarships elsewhere. You're fighting over players with the NSIC.