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?

That's rough news. I hate to see that, and I feel really bad for Luke. That just sucks.

Count me in. Seeing customers in PHX on Thursday, Sedona on Friday, and NAU Saturday. That's called good planning right there, folks!

I skipped a few pages, so apologies in advance if this has all been said before: I don't know that UND football has risen to the place where you can fire a head coach and most/all assistants when a team is poised to go 7-4 and MAY make the playoffs The AD is in his first year. This would be the offseason for him to lean on Bubba to make changes or make them himself if Bubba can't or won't I personally admire that Bubba has created a culture where assistants want to stay. Stability is good - to a point - and making changes for the sake of change can just as easily backfire. Bubba and staff have moved a miserable program back to respectability and beyond. That should count for something. Now it's time for the university's board, president, and AD to decide: How good do we want the football program to be? What investments are we willing to make toward that goal, and what level of performance do we demand? Kennedy seems quite willing to make hard choices and Chaves doesn't strike me as a man that's satisfied with mediocrity. Time will tell. Some asked this - but I didn't see an answer: Bubba's contract was extended after the 2016 season, so he's under contract through the 2021 season. As for me, I want to see a win vs. NAU on Saturday. I want to see UND football continue to progress. Playoffs or not, marquee wins or not, a 7-4 season is good for everyone but the Bubba-haters that already exist. Go Hawks!

I think you find them at kicking camps. There are a lot of specialty camps for K's and longsnappers these days.

Losing both NG's to graduation is an issue. Greer plugs holes and Tank made plays with his quickness, and Cieslak at nearly 300 lbs has been making more plays from the end spot, too. Of the returning guys, Bennett won't be an issue, we know that. Engwall is up to about 270. I'm sure Seguin and Ott will come back heavier next year, too. Morrison, Johnson and Honerlaw will have to work hard in the offseason. But yeah - we don't really have your traditional fireplug NG body on the squad that I know of.

I heard that Maag could have been used in red zone, jump ball situations vs. PSU - so hopefully he'll be able to suit up and contribute by Saturday. I don't know anything about Toivenen or Izzy.

This! I know I'm a broken record on this but seriously - is not throwing to the TE one of the most fundamental ways to give a sputtering offense a boost? Fiedler had one ball - it went for about 15 and a 1st down. Cloyd got zero targets. Can someone smarter than me (shouldn't be hard to find) explain this to me?

If the Hawks pull it off, we'll all look forward to your comments praising them for the win...

Maybe I should go see him tonight, huh? MG plays Lakeville North to go to state.

It was said in a prior season - so I don’t know if it’s still an issue.