LkvlleUNDFan

Mason is staying with my wife and I in the Twin Cities while he works out for 10 weeks preparing for his pro day. He's on a comprehensive program of strength, agility, stretching and nutrition and is at the training facility 6 days a week. He's been great - and ridiculously easy - to have around. Working hard, absolutely committed to his goal, and I've enjoyed bringing him to/from the facility when I can. He's been nothing but gracious and appreciative. We are glad he's here. If hard work and dedication are enough to get a guy to the NFL - he's in for sure!

It's a fair question (the numbers don't lie, but they also never tell the whole story), but the challenges on the DL certainly hurt from a run-stopping perspective. The schemes can only cover for so much. I'm not about to blame Schmidt for all of that.

From Katie Pinke, about an hour ago. This family amazes me. I'm sure they've had their awful moments, but they all seem to be handling Hunter's injury with such grace. I don't think I could do the same. They're inspiring, to say the least! Farewell, St. Anthony Hospital. Hunter says, “Thank you for the great care. Not only are you skilled doctors, nurses and medical staff, you made this stay as fun as it could be. I’ll come for a visit next year.”Hunter has been transported to Craig Hospital where the focused journey of rehabilitation begins! Admissions and getting settled takes some time but we hope to share more of an update later tonight. Thank you for praying and generously caring for all of us during this time! #pinkestrong

Support for Hunter and the Pinke family is coming from many, many places! #FootballFamily

He actually sounded pretty discouraged. Talked about needing to play better defense. I don't remember the rest. What was there to say besides, "We've got to be better."?

Brought to you by the same marketing/PR firm that came up with "Fighting Hawks," perhaps?

I was there, too. Wanted to throw up, it was that bad. For a team that had a potential playoff bid on the line it just didn't make any sense. I actually wondered out loud if they were going to leave a coach or two to find their own ways home. After the game the players were shell-shocked and very upset. It sucked.

Sorry in advance, this might be long... I've debated with myself long and hard about posting this, but decided to go ahead. I've always found that being open and transparent is a healthy place for me to be. First - I'm outing myself. Some of you have probably guessed already but I'm Carl Engwall's dad, Eric. I hope you'll understand that I just didn't think it was necessary, or even a good idea, to expose myself as the parent of a current player. Second - The last couple of weeks have been pretty rough at our house. Third - Our entire family, Carl included, has enjoyed being a part of UND football these last four years and we are sick that his time on the field as a Fighting Hawk is over. Fourth - We will continue to support UND football and the university as a whole. Despite Carl's dismissal from the team, none of us has an ax to grind and we wish nothing but the best for this team and this staff. Without going into detail, I want to express our appreciation for the experience Carl has had as a UND football player. The coaches he interacted with most directly, DL coach Gigli prior to his departure, and DC Eric Schmidt since he took on the DL - have always taken an interest in him as a person, as a student, and as a football player. Even since Carl's dismissal from the team, Coach Schmidt and Coach Schweigert have continued to check with Carl to make sure that he's okay and to encourage him to finish school and earn his degree. Both of them have called me, as well, and expressed their sadness that things didn't work out for Carl and their support for him moving forward. As a parent, we couldn't really ask for more. In any situation like this, there are too many "shoulda, coulda, woulda's" to count. More than enough to go around. My wife and I feel like there are a million things we could have done differently. Coaches Schweigert and Schmidt both expressed their own frustrations, too. At some point, though, the kid has to become a man and take the responsibility for himself. This is a rough and costly lesson for a young man to learn, and we all hope he does. Only time will tell, of course, but for now he's focused on getting his degree and graduating from UND in December, which is the point of all of this, right? Lastly, thanks to all of you that have supported UND football from near and far. Watching and occasionally participating in your discussions and debates about the Fighting Hawks has been great fun. You're a part of that community, and I know many of you have supported UND football with your time, your money, and your days in a green uniform. Your passion has made this more enjoyable for all of us. We'll be cheering from the cheap seats... Go Hawks!

Sorry to say that Raja Nelson - the do-everything athlete at Lakeville North in the Twin Cities announced his commitment to NDSU today. When I told him that he'd look really good in green, I should have been more specific. I didn't mean that ugly-ass Packer green. Fun fact: At one point, NDSU's Greg Menard ('19 grad, 3-time All American DE), UND's current DE Carl Engwall, and Nelson all lived within about 8 houses of each other in the same neighborhood. https://www.hudl.com/profile/7788274/RaJa-Nelson

Whatever's cold and on sale in GF. Preferably something local.

13 hour days, with breaks for meals. 7 AM treatments before 8:45 practices, followed by lunch, followed by more treatment and meetings, then a walk-through "practice", and maybe more meetings. Home at 8 PM. Oh, and dinner thrown in there somewhere, too. Lather, Rinse, Repeat.

Different coach, different approach. From what I've heard it was absolutely intentional. Road graders aren't very mobile, but I'm gonna play the 'wait and see' game on this one.

I'm getting more excited for the season as each day passes. What's odd is that I have no idea what to expect in terms of wins and losses. Between new OC, OLC, WRC, DLC (Schmidt) and LBC, the loss of key players, and the challenging schedule - I don't have a clue. Nerve-wracking and fun at the same time!

The freeways are completely clear....

Don’t hold your breath. Most programs have a Spring Game. We have had a Spring Scrimmage. This year it’s a Spring Wrap Up. Next year - Spring Get Together? Anyone up for a Spring Picnic? At least at a picnic there’d be games for the kids and maybe a three-legged race. The looks of pure boredom on the faces of the recruits after the first 20 minutes of the event are hard to watch. Worse - can anyone tell me why I’m about to take a day off of work and drive 5 hours to get to a Spring Wrap Up? Who’s the fool in this story?