Fire Muss

[Cratter]

Shut up. "Well we only lost to good teams."

That's a major losers perspective.

[zonadub]

Knowing this is a little, but only a little, off topic ... Why didn't Hendrickson get more starts when UND stalled in the last half of the season? Seems to me his numbers were better than Hanson. At least the won-lost record was, but not going to go back and analyze the passing stats or yards per game totals for the team. Hendrickson added that extra dimension to the game that kept the defenses off balance. Seems like another 'mid game' correction that Mussman is unwilling or unable to make when his game plan wasn't working.

[gfhockey]

Orgram has hit rock bottom

[darell1976]

Simply put...Muss is no Bohl. Not even close so don't compare the 2 programs.

That's why I listed the other two Dakota teams and what they have done post transition. Did everyone expect UND to walk into the BSC and take the title? I expected UND to go close to 7-4 or 6-4 in DI games they came up a little short. They didn't tank the season like the Yotes.

[WeAreNorthDakota]

Orgram has hit rock bottom

Back away from the ledge. Rock bottom was a 3-8 season with a loss to an NAIA school.

[geaux_sioux]

Back away from the ledge. Rock bottom was a 3-8 season with a loss to an NAIA school.

Those may have been different seasons, maybe.

[UNDColorado]

This whole season is an epic failure.

-The team finishes below .500 and of course no conference title or playoffs.

-Two embarrassing major blowouts

-Still no FBS win despite several years of trying

-Lose to the conference doormat

-A defense that is among the worst in FCS

-Out coached at every level

It may be unrealistic to think things will get drastically better next year. Muss will almost certainly be back, and we start out with a totally inexperienced quarterback. I don't think this is doing wonders for recruiting either.

I agree with most of what you are saying but they are not the doormat this year; that belongs to Idaho State. They are well coached and the players are finally buying what Collins is selling; it just took a couple years and that is normal. Originally I was very happy with our rival situation, but I started watching them a bit and it turns out I am second guessing my original feelings. Fortunately we get them at home next year.

Yes we should have won that game and I am still scratching my head about the playcalling...essentially we beat ourselves yesterday. Some sort of change needs to happen because we are a better program than our record indicates.

#frustrated

[UND-FB-FAN]

Epic!!! Wow. Epic to you must be needing a laxative. Going 2-9 or 1-10 is an epic failure.

Honestly, expecting an FBS win over SDSU. If that defines epic failure, quess you are an epic loser. BTW, the conference doormaat is ISU, followed by Weber.

This teams defense suck and lacks a running game. Those are the issues. Whether Mussman can solve those issues is a whole other story. Certainly, some of the staff needs to go.

This team has an incredible receiving corps that fans have never seen before. The right additions to the OL and D and coaching upgrades - as well as a QB that steps in - would make a huge difference.

Anyone expecting the first go around in the Big Sky to be a playoff level performance was simply delusional to begin with.

Those arent the only issues. Not having a running game or defense shouldn't affect your game management skills or leadership as a head coach. This team has no leadership and teams with no leadership go no where. No good place for this football team to go with Mussman at the helm - its that simple.

[Meat man 01]

Every UND Fan should start emailing the A D Requesting that they fire the coaching staff of the football team It's time to start over And be somebody in the big sky

[gfhockey]

imstill going to have season tickets next year just wont be donating the usual amount

i thinkfaison is cocky and could give 2 sheets about what we as donors think

fire faison

[geaux_sioux]

I'm not sure we should fire him yet. I know people don't like his decision because it didn't work and all but if it had people would be praising him for coaching for the win and having confidence in his players to seal the game. Some heads probably do need to role in account for the defense..... it pains me to say it because I think Mannausau is a great guy and a good coach but it just isn't working out.

[gfhockey]

ok geax sioux... lets play devils advocate here

lets say we do get the first

30 some seconds left with the clock running and instead of a 51 yarder it is now a 50 yard field goal.... and no time outs

[geaux_sioux]

ok geax sioux... lets play devils advocate here

lets say we do get the first

30 some seconds left with the clock running and instead of a 51 yarder it is now a 50 yard field goal.... and no time outs

Obviously spike the ball. 2nd and 10 with 30 seconds left. That gives you the opportunity to either run one more time to get a couple yards and the ball in the middle then spike, or some quick passes to get closer. More importantly it takes more time off the clock and gives UNC 0 chance of doing anything.

[spookie]

Hello,

My take on the lack of a running game is predicated by O line blocking, which wasn't there. I think with Miller, Garman, Sparks, and who ever

else, can do the job with decent blocking up front. I think that is evident by the loss of the Ducks last night to Stanford. Another year with those

three or Shugabay, however his name is spelled, hopefully will reap benefits next year. A sad way to end the season, but there is next year.

[UND-FB-FAN]

Obviously spike the ball. 2nd and 10 with 30 seconds left. That gives you the opportunity to either run one more time to get a couple yards and the ball in the middle then spike, or some quick passes to get closer. More importantly it takes more time off the clock and gives UNC 0 chance of doing anything.

So we would improve the opportunity by 5 yards, maybe 10 at best. If you're comfortable at 45 yards, you should be content at 51 yards given the situation, but I digress.

geaux sioux, what are your expectations for the program on an annual basis?

National Title Contender

Big Sky Championship Contender

At-Large Playoff Participant

Middle-of-the-Pack in the Big Sky

Based on your posting history, I would imagine you expect this team to compete for Big Sky titles each and every season. Well, with Mussman that will never happen; he won't ever assemble and lead UND to a Big Sky championship. So just remember me telling you this when your patience finally does run out.

The only way to beat out football first schools like Montana, Montana State, and Eastern Washington is to have a great coach that turns lesser talent into great teams - Mussman will never do that.

[gfhockey]

+1 to the above post!

[FSSD]

My expectations are that UND contend for Championships. I think Mussman is doing a good job of building the program. Yesterday's loss was tough but you move on and continue to build. I think it will take another 2 or 3 years to see the full results. But, the program is building. I think this team is better than last year’s team and much better than the team they had two years ago. They played a tough schedule this year: SDSU, Sac St, Poly, EWU, N Arz, Mont, Mont St, SUU - that is a stretch of good football teams with two of the teams they played coming off of the bye (FCS record for that stretch 3-4). More than anything, I think what you saw with the up and down play was the lack of depth. UND did not the depth required to play that type of schedule.

I know that several of you are in favor of bringing Dale L, Bubba, or Kalen DeBoer. But, let’s look at what they have done this year after 4 years of recruiting in the MVFC, with a new stadium and a program that was established at the FCS level. Record against teams with winning records 2-4 and two of those loses are blowouts E. Ill beat them 49 to 28 and ISU-b beat them 24 to 3. The two wins were against YSU and ISU-R.

In addition, I like how the staff is building the program with quality kids. For the most part, nothing major as far as off the field stuff. Look at USD and NDSU. NDSU - Best Buy and voter fraud ring.. now USD with the tax returns problems with several current and ex football players. To build a program the right way it takes time. You cut corners you pay the price. I say that the staff gets 2 or 3 more years to produce the results the right way.

[Oxbow6]

My expectations are that UND contend for Championships. I think Mussman is doing a good job of building the program.

I think it will take another 2 or 3 years to see the full results. But, the program is building.

My expectations are as yours but it won't happen with Muss. Not next year. Not in 3 years. Not in 10 years.

He has been at the helm for 5 years and has built what???

He can't coach...5 years macro or last 2 plays yesterday micro. You pick.

This fan base is being told mediocrity and inept coaching is now the new normal if he is retained.

I'm a hockey guy 1st but have had season tickets to FB as well for many years. Would be giddy to see the FB program compete on a national level like it did in the early 2000's...but Muss can't/won't get us there.

[zonadub]

I know that several of you are in favor of bringing Dale L, Bubba, or Kalen DeBoer. But, let’s look at what they have done this year after 4 years of recruiting in the MVFC, with a new stadium and a program that was established at the FCS level. Record against teams with winning records 2-4 and two of those loses are blowouts E. Ill beat them 49 to 28 and ISU-b beat them 24 to 3. The two wins were against YSU and ISU-R.

Agreed. Still on the Bob Nielson bandwagon - 2 National Championships at Minnesota Duluth. For you Bubba fans -he did not close the deal. Had good teams, but no national championships.

While the NCAA allows Division II football programs to have 36 scholarships, UMD is allowed just 24 as a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. It's the first time in quite a while that a program that wasn't fully-funded won the national title in football.

[FSSD]

My expectations are as yours but it won't happen with Muss. Not next year. Not in 3 years. Not in 10 years.

He has been at the helm for 5 years and has built what???

He can't coach...5 years macro or last 2 plays yesterday micro. You pick.

OK, I will go with two plays from yesterday..

3rd and 1 - I don't know all of the routes or play call. But as I remember it, shot gun - 1 short side - two or three lined up wide right. Hanson make a read at the line and sees single high with man coverage short side against Jackson. I am sure going into the play he likes that match-up. As the play develops, he steps up and rolls to his left sightly. He has a LB shadowing him because of the 8 yard run earlier in the drive. He chooses to throw the ball deep and over throws Jackson.

I am fine with the play because, he put the ball the in the hands of his QB and WR to make a play. Personally, I thought that Hanson could have got the first down by pulling it down and running for the first. But, he threw it deep to a play maker. You win sometimes and lose sometimes.

4th down - it is a tough call - what make it more interesting is the amount of time left. If it is less than 10/15 seconds, you kick it. With 47 seconds left you are tempted to get the first because you have plenty of time to get another 10 to 20 yards to make it a sure thing. Plus you are looking at all the other aspects: wind, left hash, I think the kicker has a natural draw...

I am fine with him going for it. I am not sure I agree with the play call itself. I would have went with more of a spread offense to prevent them from putting 10 in the box. But, they went with a short yardage power play. They didn't get it. The one thing that switching the play after the timeout did was confuse the UNC defense into too many players. Unfortunately for UND fans the call was not made. Again, its all part of the game. It sucks sometimes, but it is life.

[Northcountry]

I see parallels in this situation and the state of the program when Roger Thomas took over. It was a long, miserable process for Thomas to get the program back on track, with lots of gaps to fill and if not for Kurt Otto there would have been nothing to be excited about. We have just recently completed 5 years of recruiting pergutory and it will be 3 years before the "Big Sky" recruits are upper classmen and the leaders of this team. I think it is a promising picture when players recruited under a DII umbrella (half of the O line, almost all of the D line, running backs, and linebackers) were able to find their way to the middle of the Big Sky pack while playing perhaps the most difficult schedule in the conference. Dale Lennon decided that this transition was something he would rather not endure and left the program leaderless - in the interim, I think Chris has started the program on the right course (just as Roger Thomas did) and when he gets the pieces in place, people may have to find something else to bitch about (maybe the slow starts and disappointing finishes of the hockey program - I say that tongue-in-cheek).

[homer]

So we would improve the opportunity by 5 yards, maybe 10 at best. If you're comfortable at 45 yards, you should be content at 51 yards given the situation, but I digress.

Are you serious? While I would have had no problem trying to kick a 51 yarder, there is a huge difference between a 45 yard kick and a 51 yard kick. With 50 seconds left and the clock stopping on 1st downs it would not have been hard to get to a 30 yard attempt for the win. Looking back on it now I think we would have had a better chance throwing for the 1st down against 12 guys than trying to run against 12. How does no body notice that? Not an official or a coach or a player? Somebody has to see that.

[Cratter]

Berg on the radio kept saying get it to the forty to try a field goal. Which was weird cause I probably would have went for it in fourth and one there instead of a 57 yard field goal.

[UND-FB-FAN]

Are you serious? While I would have had no problem trying to kick a 51 yarder, there is a huge difference between a 45 yard kick and a 51 yard kick. With 50 seconds left and the clock stopping on 1st downs it would not have been hard to get to a 30 yard attempt for the win. Looking back on it now I think we would have had a better chance throwing for the 1st down against 12 guys than trying to run against 12. How does no body notice that? Not an official or a coach or a player? Somebody has to see that.

GIVEN THE SITUATION you kick, but you are right that 45 yds < 51 yds ( 6 yds to be exact)....

It's 4th down so if you dont convert, which is what happened, you lose the game! Also, how would we have managed 20 additional yards (from 51 yd attempt to 30 yd attempt) in less than a minute with no timeouts when we had only scored 3 points in the entire 2nd half?!

Look at it this way:

If you kick a field goal, you win if you make it or lose if you dont

If you go for it, you lose if you dont get it but yet dont win if you make it - you still have to score points and converting a 4th an 1 will not get you points.

By simply analyzing what was on the line, its pretty obvious which is the correct decision. Dont make more work for your team.

[Cratter]

Anyone that doesn't attempt that kick has a very low football IQ.