Fire Muss

[choyt3]

He makes a valid point. I know if I saw the type of crap that's being spewed on the board I would have second thoughts about letting my children be involved in UND athletics.

If people based their decisions on what college to attend to participate in athletics on what was said on FAN forums and message boards, and other sites like Twitter, then all college athletics would cease to exist.

[gfhockey]

if I recall the hockey team had a really poor outing this past year and were booed off the ice...

ihave never heard Hak so pissed on the radio...

[BigGame]

What part? Getting a great education? Being on a great campus? Having top notch facilities? Playing in the best conference in FCS? I could go on. There is nothing wrong with having expectations. We expect to win, not just participate. I think recruits should be excited to be part of a program that cares and is not satisfied with being average.

Well... there is caring and being constructive and what we have going on here which seems to be a whole lot of flaming A-holes that just bash and tear down. I have expectations but I also tend to be more patient, Yes the Montana game was a huge disappointment but I don't think I will judge a season based upon one game. I see a lot of people thinking the team sucks and will continue to suck the rest of the season. I saw a lot of positives offensively and if they can get cleaned up UND will be able to score on anyone. The defense is much harder to be positive about.

[Oxbow6]

if I recall the hockey team had a really poor outing this past year and were booed off the ice...

ihave never heard Hak so pissed on the radio...

St Cloud. Friday night. Were a totally different squad Saturday even though they skated to a tie. Outplayed SCSU. Hak doesn't sugar coat things. His teams very rarely follow a poor game with another one.

[BigGame]

If people based their decisions on what college to attend to participate in athletics on what was said on FAN forums and message boards, and other sites like Twitter, then all college athletics would cease to exist.

So you would just be willing to send your child to a place in which one of your few snap shots of the environment was an abusive message board. Hey I really like that coach, he has been in my home and I what that kind of guy coaching my son/daughter. After seeing fans have been wanting him fired for years my child probably wouldn't get to play for him anyway if he is so close to being canned.

This would not happen with all or even most recruits, but your fooling yourself if you don't think it could be a factor.

[Irish]

One thing that needs to be noted about the fans. When the hockey team is down big (3-0 or so) do the fans up and leave? He'll no they stay and try and help get the team going. When the football team makes one bad play the grumbling starts. Then if they go down by two scores fans start bailing. The SDSU game was a great example as was the USD game from 2011. This needs to change. Fans have more influence on a football game than any other sport. It's time for the fans to do their part to help the team succeed.

Maybe you weren't here for the Bjorkman era or even the last couple of years under Gino - hockey fans do too not show up/leave early when we have a crappy product. Right now the hockey team can compete with anyone in the country (individual games nonwithstanding). Thats why fans stay and there is a buzz about hockey. Improve the football product on the field and people will stay there too.

[NewUNDAlum]

If you can't stick out the game your not a real fan. It's crazy to give up on a team so early like most UND fans seem to do. I haven't been able to attend a home game is person since I graduated because I have lived across the country. I was at the SDSU game and what I saw was a bunch of fair weather d-bag fans. UND scores in the second half and clearly has the momentum and people walk out. Even if you think the game is out of hand, why would you leave in the 3rd quarter when the team has started to pick it up?

There aren't a whole lot of sports teams that developed a hardcore fanbase that was predicated on losses. Lets not live in a world in which we wish something was and be in that moment of what it is. The only way you get those fans is by winning and winning big. An 8-3 record against half ass competition (outside of Cal Poly) is simply not going to get it done. What would have gotten it done? Performing well against the home schedule that we have this year. By the looks of it, that isn't going to happen so I don't blame those fans. Mussman has to go.

[UND-FB-FAN]

The 2011 team went 8-3 and won their conference. They just didn't play flashy football and won ugly. Winning isn't enough. Attendance was not good in 2011.

The 2011 team got blown out by Idaho, lost to Cal Poly in an ugly one, and barely beat Sioux Falls at home. Why would causal fans be attracted to that brand of football? Bottom line: the 2011 team was nothing special! They benefited from a weak schedule and a few lucky bounces. While in the Big Sky, we'll never have a schedule that weak again!

[BigGame]

There aren't a whole lot of sports teams that developed a hardcore fanbase that was predicated on losses. Lets not live in a world in which we wish something was and be in that moment of what it is. The only way you get those fans is by winning and winning big. An 8-3 record against half ass competition (outside of Cal Poly) is simply not going to get it done. What would have gotten it done? Performing well against the home schedule that we have this year. By the looks of it, that isn't going to happen so I don't blame those fans. Mussman has to go.

Staying and watching a team compete and make a comeback isn't a hardcore fan thing, that is something anyone who claims to be a fan should do.

[dmksioux]

Staying and watching a team compete and make a comeback isn't a hardcore fan thing, that is something anyone who claims to be a fan should do.

I stayed for the whole game against SDSU because we were competing and I felt like we were going to somehow win that game. Unfortunately the Montana game was just the opposite. The players played with no passion, made mistake after mistake, and seemed rather aloof on the sidelines. I walked out towards the end of the third quarter. If the team gives up and doesn't seem to care...then neither do I.

[darell1976]

UND football hasn't been eligible for the playoffs until last season, not really a fair or accurate way to compare.

Even if we were eligible our records sucked badly except for the 2011 5-3 team that there wouldn't be playoffs anyways.

[choyt3]

So you would just be willing to send your child to a place in which one of your few snap shots of the environment was an abusive message board. Hey I really like that coach, he has been in my home and I what that kind of guy coaching my son/daughter. After seeing fans have been wanting him fired for years my child probably wouldn't get to play for him anyway if he is so close to being canned.

This would not happen with all or even most recruits, but your fooling yourself if you don't think it could be a factor.

No, I'm saying that you could go on a message board of any team in the country at any random time and find disparaging comments. Look at Nebraska and Texas right now. USC? Same thing. It happened at NDSU four short years ago. It happens everywhere.

[Shawn-O]

So you would just be willing to send your child to a place in which one of your few snap shots of the environment was an abusive message board. Hey I really like that coach, he has been in my home and I what that kind of guy coaching my son/daughter. After seeing fans have been wanting him fired for years my child probably wouldn't get to play for him anyway if he is so close to being canned.

This would not happen with all or even most recruits, but your fooling yourself if you don't think it could be a factor.

I would love to hear about the blue chippers that UND has missed on due to the "meanies" on a fan forum. Please elaborate.

[UND-FB-FAN]

NDSU's 2009 does not compare to UND's record last year or this year's potential record. NDSU had established a #1 national rank, a couple one loss seasons, and a few FBS wins before they went 3-8. In Mussman's time, he has 3 losing seasons out of 6 (counting this concise season thus far), no FBS wins, and a losing record against FCS teams. Not to mention he's only beat one top 20 FCS team (No. 16 Cal Poly in 2009).

Last season's record and this year's Montana game are not the only indicators Mussman cannot lead UND to a Big Sky championship, but rather the past five years have all been concerning. If USC, Texas, or Oklahoma had a coach with a losing record after 5 seasons, they would be looking for a replacement. Same with EWU, MSU, and Montana; if they had a losing record to FCS teams after 5 seasons, they would be looking for a new coach. The only difference with UND is the transition period they had to go through, but I don't think that should've handicapped the program to the point it can't have a winning record against FCS teams. SDSU and NDSU certainly did well during the transition. I'm not going to settle and say UND can be the exception. No reason UND should be so poor now that the transition is over.

You can say its the Fr. QBs, but they don't tackle. You can say it's the poor tackling on defense, but they don't account for offensive turnovers and false starts. You can say it's the DBs, but they don't get blown off the ball every defensive snap. Point is, this team has many areas of concern. For a team that had semi-high expectations coming into 2013, I think they are way worse than anticipated.

[Oxbow6]

This just in...5dimes has UND as only a 2 point favorite vs. BYE this week.

How times have changed...

[bincitysioux]

Like I said earlier, I have been a Mussman apologist on this site. However I'd say my patience has run out after last week's debacle. Having said that, I think many fans on here place way too much emphasis on not beating an FBS team to this point.

[Oxbow6]

I think many fans on here place way too much emphasis on not beating an FBS team to this point.

Not disagreeing with you, but what is this program's signature win since going D1 under Muss? Beating #16 Cal Poly a few years back??? Not overly impressive to say the least.

[darell1976]

Like I said earlier, I have been a Mussman apologist on this site. However I'd say my patience has run out after last week's debacle. Having said that, I think many fans on here place way too much emphasis on not beating an FBS team to this point.

I don't care if we have zero FBS wins, SDSU have zero FBS wins and they are towards the top of their conference and had a couple playoff berths UND is far from the top of the conference and far from a playoff berth. Unless UND does a 180 and the defense can stop someone and the offense can run the ball.

[bincitysioux]

Not disagreeing with you, but what is this program's signature win since going D1 under Muss? Beating #16 Cal Poly a few years back??? Not overly impressive to say the least.

I agree there really is none. I've just seen the no-FBS win critisism thrown out A LOT for several years now, and in the last several days, and I think it is a weak argument. If Coach Mussman had gotten a couple FBS wins in the past 6 years, would he get a pass for the shellackings taken at the hands of Montana, Montana St., EWU, and Sioux Falls? SUU and Sac St. have recent FBS wins, whereas Montana or SDSU do not. Which of those programs would one rather emulate?

Anyways, carry on. That's just my opinion....................

[Matt]

Someone brought up the style of play earlier and I think it is worth more discussion.

I really thought the traditional UND style of "run the ball/stop the run/throw with efficiency" would set UND apart in the BSC. Clearly the program (I say program rather than team as it is more than just this team) has gone away from that. They've become so bad at those fundamentals I can't help but think it has become a reflection in recruiting philosophy? Did Muss panic after watching the offenses in the BSC and decide he needed to turn this into an old WAC program?

[choyt3]

Someone brought up the style of play earlier and I think it is worth more discussion.

I really thought the traditional UND style of "run the ball/stop the run/throw with efficiency" would set UND apart in the BSC. Clearly the program (I say program rather than team as it is more than just this team) has gone away from that. They've become so bad at those fundamentals I can't help but think it has become a reflection in recruiting philosophy? Did Muss panic after watching the offenses in the BSC and decide he needed to turn this into an old WAC program?

Someone posted on the live chat with GF Herald staff a week or so ago that UND had supposedly made upwards of 500 scholarship offers in recent years. If that is the truth, then where is the focus? That may answer your question regarding recruiting philosophy and would certainly indicate a level of panic.

[Oxbow6]

Someone posted on the live chat with GF Herald staff a week or so ago that UND had supposedly made upwards of 500 scholarship offers in recent years. If that is the truth, then where is the focus? That may answer your question regarding recruiting philosophy and would certainly indicate a level of panic.

If that is true, it's basically the "throw it on the wall and see what sticks" philosophy. Goodness...

[jdub27]

Someone posted on the live chat with GF Herald staff a week or so ago that UND had supposedly made upwards of 500 scholarship offers in recent years. If that is the truth, then where is the focus? That may answer your question regarding recruiting philosophy and would certainly indicate a level of panic.

An NDSU troll made that claim. Do you really think there is any way that is accurate? With only about 15 or so scholarships available per year, they offer 30x that amount? Claims like that are thrown against the wall, brought up once or twice more and they somehow stick and become fact to FU trolls.

[UND-1]

Someone posted on the live chat with GF Herald staff a week or so ago that UND had supposedly made upwards of 500 scholarship offers in recent years. If that is the truth, then where is the focus? That may answer your question regarding recruiting philosophy and would certainly indicate a level of panic.

No they didn't, how assinine is that. "Offers" these days are very subjective early on in the process. They tell kids in the spring that they are going to offer them come fall as long as tape checks out etc and kids take that as an offer. A dollar amount is rarely discussed, unless its a top player where a full ride is obvious.

They probably throw out 40-45 legitimate offers by the time January comes around. They sign 22-25 kids a year so that is not ridiculous and is extremely common among most FCS teams. Western Illinois offered half our recruiting class last year once Nielsen got the job - and got none of them.

[geaux_sioux]

Anyone who seriously believes that is an idiot. I understand that some of you are down of the program right now but really? 500 offers? No offense but how dumb are some of you? I also heard UND takes every recruit to McDonalds and shows them the Dave Berry lift station before they go over the list of the 75 other players at the recruits position that they've offered. They then tell the recruit that they'll take anything at this point and if he has any suggestions for who else they can offer. So really 500 is on the low end.