Gameday: UND @ MSU 3PM

[siouxfan512]

3 minutes ago, SiouxVolley said:

Memphis 63  Bowling Green 3 , early in the 3rd

Boom! Quality Loss!

[iramurphy]

1 hour ago, SiouxVolley said:

Stony Brook took a big step back today, losing to Sacred Heart, 38-10

SUU is not looking so much as a quality loss now.

So much for best defense in FCS.  

[Oxbow6]

9 minutes ago, UND-1 said:

You're really smart about football. 

Coming from an expert FB mind like yours I'd almost take that as a compliment.

[UND-FB-FAN]

Hell, UND is undefeated in the conference at this point so I'll take it in the end. I don't want to start an uproar, so I'll compliment the defense on how well they have been playing while I also mention how poor the offense has been. 

I think everyone just wants UND to succeed and I don't see an issue with high expectations. It's hard to accomplish great things without at least expecting them. It's easy to say UND should recruit better offensive players (which I'm sure they will when this season is over) and that Rudolph needs to draw up better plays and call them, but without all that I can offer constructive criticism still in terms of the penalties and missed opportunities. The personal foul penalty on Stockwell was a killer; that drive went from 7 points to no points. On top of that, we left 6 points on the field in terms of field goals. Add in the bad throws, missed blocks, dropped passes, and missed holes by the backs and I am yet optimistic that the offense can improve THIS SEASON.

A lot of mental mistakes that can turn around in a hurry if the coaches press on it, and for that, I'm still excited for this season! Go Fighting Hawks!

[Longtime fan]

1 hour ago, geaux_sioux said:

Guys are in a position to succeed though. They need to make a play mano e mano. Rudolph can't do it for them. We left a lot of points on the table today and it wasn't play calling. It was execution by the players.

I have full confidence in this offense if every play wasn't the exact same play every down.  I can only say this so many weeks and it sounds like whining. Play calling is horrendous.  Run, run, shotgun, punt . O line needs to fix a few things and Keaton needs be better but Rudolph needs more then a one page playbook.    Predictably is becoming very predictable.  DCs job = easy. 

[Longtime fan]

10 minutes ago, UND-FB-FAN said:

Hell, UND is undefeated in the conference at this point so I'll take it in the end. I don't want to start an uproar, so I'll compliment the defense on how well they have been playing while I also mention how poor the offense has been. 

I think everyone just wants UND to succeed and I don't see an issue with high expectations. It's hard to accomplish great things without at least expecting them. It's easy to say UND should recruit better offensive players (which I'm sure they will when this season is over) and that Rudolph needs to draw up better plays and call them, but without all that I can offer constructive criticism still in terms of the penalties and missed opportunities. The personal foul penalty on Stockwell was a killer; that drive went from 7 points to no points. On top of that, we left 6 points on the field in terms of field goals. Add in the bad throws, missed blocks, dropped passes, and missed holes by the backs and I am yet optimistic that the offense can improve THIS SEASON.

A lot of mental mistakes that can turn around in a hurry if the coaches press on it, and for that, I'm still excited for this season! Go Fighting Hawks!

The penalties were disastrous.  Need to clean those up  

[iramurphy]

16 minutes ago, UND-1 said:

Is this kind of like your "NAIA corners" comment from last year?  

When two of your top 4 WRs are out you end up with true freshman.  

When you lose three all conference O lineman you end up with youth across the board. 

They don't have time to throw long.  And they don't have anybody who can go long.  

Was Rudolph in over his head last year when John ran for 1,459 yards?  

I thought everything was Mussman's fault.  Not defending Mussman but someone complained the oline was his fault cuz he couldn't recruit linemen.  (The all conf guys you mentioned from last year must have all transferred in when the new staff got here). I would disagree we don't have time to throw.  Most of the time we have.  That wasn't the case a couple of years ago. We have made some progress there.  We have a better and deeper corps at running back. Our receivers are fine. They aren't 4.3 guys but get them the ball, they are athletic enough to be effective receivers.  Last week they made a number of great catches on balls thrown that were a little off.  The offensive schemes are game planned by the staff.  The personnel sometimes limits what we do and sometimes the opponents personnel allow us opportunities.  Look what Belicheck did with an inexperienced third team rookie QB. We could be 0-4 and should 4-0.  I agree we need to utilize all personnel including the tight ends and at least utilize Studsrud's athletic abilities to roll out and to have some run pass option opportunities.  He has done better if we can create some plays to allow him success early and get on a roll.  Otherwise he has been too inconsistent.  Doubt he feels any pressure cuz  they aren't going to use Bartles and the freshman isn't ready. Biggest disappointment thus far has been the lack of discipline, inconsistency at QB, and our inability to dominate the line of scrimmage offensively.  I don't think we have a leader on the offensive side of the ball right now.  We have opportunities with 2 very good RB's and a QB that is athletic enough to run and run pass option.  It will be interesting to see if that might be the answer.  

[UND-FB-FAN]

25 minutes ago, iramurphy said:

I thought everything was Mussman's fault.  Not defending Mussman but someone complained the oline was his fault cuz he couldn't recruit linemen.  (The all conf guys you mentioned from last year must have all transferred in when the new staff got here). I would disagree we don't have time to throw.  Most of the time we have.  That wasn't the case a couple of years ago. We have made some progress there.  We have a better and deeper corps at running back. Our receivers are fine. They aren't 4.3 guys but get them the ball, they are athletic enough to be effective receivers.  Last week they made a number of great catches on balls thrown that were a little off.  The offensive schemes are game planned by the staff.  The personnel sometimes limits what we do and sometimes the opponents personnel allow us opportunities.  Look what Belicheck did with an inexperienced third team rookie QB. We could be 0-4 and should 4-0.  I agree we need to utilize all personnel including the tight ends and at least utilize Studsrud's athletic abilities to roll out and to have some run pass option opportunities.  He has done better if we can create some plays to allow him success early and get on a roll.  Otherwise he has been too inconsistent.  Doubt he feels any pressure cuz  they aren't going to use Bartles and the freshman isn't ready. Biggest disappointment thus far has been the lack of discipline, inconsistency at QB, and our inability to dominate the line of scrimmage offensively.  I don't think we have a leader on the offensive side of the ball right now.  We have opportunities with 2 very good RB's and a QB that is athletic enough to run and run pass option.  It will be interesting to see if that might be the answer.  

I agree with all of this, Ira. Will be interesting to see if the offensive staff can gameplan with some new wrinkles in order to give the offense a shot in the arm.   There are ways to get the available playmakers (Santiago, Oliveira, Stanley, Toivonen, Cloyd) in space via scheme. Kids also have to play more disciplined and cut down on the penalties. At least UND didn't turn it over today after the one early fumble, which in itself is inexcusable. 

[gundy1124]

All things considered today, UND looked like a better team than MSU.  We had issues all over the place but MSU is going nowhere this year with their QB situation and lack of speed on offense.  I feel UND has a shot at being a playoff team although we didn't play like one today.  Without Georges the challenge for the O definitely got harder.  I will of course take the win and look forward to Cal Poly.  A big shout out to the MSU RB Newell......that's one tough customer to play after his leg injury.

[jdub27]

Are people really surprised the o-line struggles at times when they are replacing 4 starters and an above average blocker at tight end/fullback? Possibly the reason the tight ends aren't as involved because they are needed to help block. 

Are people really surprised that the passing game is simplified and struggles a bit when there is no one to take the top off, the teams two best receivers have played a combined two quarters and they are relying heavily on two true freshman (who are doing great given the circumstances but need to improve on downfield blocking and continue to learn the position at the college level, which they will)?  

I agree that it is frustrating at times, has drove me nuts multiple times and there is tons of room for improvement but a little perspective explains some of the issues. Bubba's system is for UND's offense to compliment the defense. That doesn't mean they shouldn't carry their own weight, which they have failed to do plenty this year, but it is set up to be a low risk system and shorten the game. I'm more disappointed about some of the penalties than anything (regardless of questionable reffing). Margin for error isn't big enough for this team to be continously shooting themselves in the foot. 

[geaux_sioux]

Seriously though, the one thing we can all agree on is that the penalties need to stop. False starts? That's like missing free throws. Personal fouls? Keep your dick in your pants. On the other side of the coin we need to keep in mind that we are in the Big Sky and the refs are awful every week for both teams. Those PI calls that were missed that cost us multiple first downs when the DB gave our WRs a half nelson? Yea, that is terrible. But in the end we won a sloppy ass game where both teams contributed to the slop. On to Poly who will kick our ass if we play like that again.

[gundy1124]

13 minutes ago, geaux_sioux said:

Seriously though, the one thing we can all agree on is that the penalties need to stop. False starts? That's like missing free throws. Personal fouls? Keep your dick in your pants. On the other side of the coin we need to keep in mind that we are in the Big Sky and the refs are awful every week for both teams. Those PI calls that were missed that cost us multiple first downs when the DB gave our WRs a half nelson? Yea, that is terrible. But in the end we won a sloppy ass game where both teams contributed to the slop. On to Poly who will kick our ass if we play like that again.

Half Nelson on Tiovenen on 3rd down......pretty sure that is called in Junior High-

[geaux_sioux]

4 minutes ago, gundy1124 said:

Half Nelson on Tiovenen on 3rd down......pretty sure that is called in Junior High-

There was another one late that was pretty clear. MSU gave us the half Nelson and the refs tried to give us the Father Nelson....

[UNDBIZ]

http://skylinesportsmt.com/montana-state-press-conference-post-north-dakota-head-coach-jeff-choate/

Choate post-game interview. 3:15 mark is pretty funny.

[geaux_sioux]

 

[ClassB]

Last year MSU was a big time opponent and two years ago we were extremely impressed that we could play with them. Here's the thing - we just beat them. Again. And we're bitching about it.  

 

Almost everyone called a close game - and that's what we got. No I wasn't happy and yes those penalties sucked but let's stop and take in the view for a moment.

 

and then move on to Cal Poly. #BeatTheStangs

[geaux_sioux]

Statistical Comparison	UND	MSU
First Downs	17	17
Total Offensive Yards	348	375
Rushing Attempts-Yards	46-227	31-116
Passing	12-22-0	15-37-3
Passing Yards	121	259
Penalties-Yards	11-102	9-56
Turnovers	1	5
Punts-Avg.	7-44.9	4-45.5
Punt Returns-Avg.	0-0.0	2-2.0
Kick Returns-Avg.	3-17.0	2-16.5
3rd-Down Conversions	4-16	6-14
4th-Down Conversions	1-1	0-0
Time of Possession	33:50	26:10

 

11 penalties for 102 yards...... and we still win. Other way to look at it is 5 forced TOs and we still barely win.... we must improve. 

[Irish]

It's hard to know how to feel after this game - it is nice to see we have some real gamers who are learning how to win.  However, we have some things that I feel should be further along in this third year of Bubba Ball - first is self discipline - we play with the same crap behavior we saw with Mussman and penalties cost us dearly.  Second - do we have to be so predictable on offense that I want to poke my eyes out? - We can still be a run-first team and vary the plays and keep the other team off balance.  Rudolf is a liability.  We really need some more talent in the offensive line - many people act like if you recruit good defensive players that automatically means you neglect the offense - bull. Last, we need a QB with some skills.  Studsrud in the pocket locks on and never looks to his other options.  He has regressed.  Time to put things together.  

[petey23]

3 hours ago, iramurphy said:

So much for best defense in FCS.  

To be fair. Sacred Heart had a defensive td and 2 td drives of 29 yards.

[UNDMOORHEAD]

At the end of the day a win's a win. This team could very easily be 4-0 or 0-4. As it stands they're still in a position early in the year to make a push for the playoffs. I hope they continue to get better on the offensive side of the ball, clean up some of the mistakes, and continue to win games however they have to win them. 

[homer]

5 hours ago, iramurphy said:

I thought everything was Mussman's fault.  Not defending Mussman but someone complained the oline was his fault cuz he couldn't recruit linemen.  (The all conf guys you mentioned from last year must have all transferred in when the new staff got here). I would disagree we don't have time to throw.  Most of the time we have.  That wasn't the case a couple of years ago. We have made some progress there.  We have a better and deeper corps at running back. Our receivers are fine. They aren't 4.3 guys but get them the ball, they are athletic enough to be effective receivers.  Last week they made a number of great catches on balls thrown that were a little off.  The offensive schemes are game planned by the staff.  The personnel sometimes limits what we do and sometimes the opponents personnel allow us opportunities.  Look what Belicheck did with an inexperienced third team rookie QB. We could be 0-4 and should 4-0.  I agree we need to utilize all personnel including the tight ends and at least utilize Studsrud's athletic abilities to roll out and to have some run pass option opportunities.  He has done better if we can create some plays to allow him success early and get on a roll.  Otherwise he has been too inconsistent.  Doubt he feels any pressure cuz  they aren't going to use Bartles and the freshman isn't ready. Biggest disappointment thus far has been the lack of discipline, inconsistency at QB, and our inability to dominate the line of scrimmage offensively.  I don't think we have a leader on the offensive side of the ball right now.  We have opportunities with 2 very good RB's and a QB that is athletic enough to run and run pass option.  It will be interesting to see if that might be the answer.  

One of the all conference guys did transfer in when the staff got here and the other two were the two best olinemen that staff recruited while they were here.  Really broke out their senior years.  

You make a backhanded statement about the oline depth not being the old staffs fault right away and than state how terrible the pass protection was a few years ago.  It's not a stretch to state that Muss' staff did either not recruit or develop quality olinemen. 

Our QB didn't play bad yesterday.  Some untimely drops (I believe it was Toinivan early) and missed PI calls (Stanley, Toinivan and #34 I believe on 2nd last drive) hurt some drives he was leading.  

[UNDColorado]

It was ugly but I will take it. 

Penalties did kill a couple promising drives so if we can clean that up we score more points yesterday.

I enjoy watching the defense play. It was not long ago I was nervous every time the defense took the field but that feeling has gone away. 

[BigGame]

10 hours ago, Oxbow6 said:

At least we agree on the obvious.

1459 was all Rudolph.........got it.

I get ya big guy, the coach gets all the blame and zero credit.

[Oxbow6]

26 minutes ago, BigGame said:

I get ya big guy, the coach gets all the blame and zero credit.

 

Rudolph has game planned and play called the same almost every game he has been OC. I'll give him credit for sticking with a good thing last year due to the talent up front and having top end RB talent. Off tackle the first couple plays almost every set of new downs only works consistently if you win the line of scrimmage. UND hasn't consistently won the line of scrimmage this year on the offensive side of the ball. Lots of factors go into that but play calling is a big part of it IMO.

[shep]

Watching the replay made me realize how stud Reyes was on the 2 point play. He slammed the RB AT THE GOAL LINE!