2018 Season

[forksandspoons]

The UCD WR lit up the secondary 

[Sioux94]

51 minutes ago, jdub27 said:

In the first half against UC Davic, the offense put up 312 yards of offense, averaged 9.75 yards/play and scored 17 points with TOP being 16-14 in favor of UND with one 3 and out (two for the whole game). How in the hell is it the offense's fault the defense gave up 38 points and 421 yards in one half??

I'm not blaming the offense at all on that one, our defense got shredded.  But it makes the point that we were in massive shootout type of games throughout the year because our defense was so poor.  When we are in shootout type of games and we average 23 points a game....yeah to me that is not impressive.    I actually remember our offense scoring some points and somewhat keeping us in it for a little while.  But as soon as we'd score, they'd make a big offensive play and score on us.  That was so ugly defensively for us, perhaps one of the worst in UND's history given that they weren't even a playoff team.   

[AJS]

1 hour ago, geaux_sioux said:

How many they scored vs how many they should have with any semblance of high level play calling are different. 

This is my thought as well. UND has some serious offensive weapons on the offensive side of the ball, with just a tiny amount of creativity, UND's offensive would be a lot better. If a team is stacking the box, you can't fun it up the middle twice. My optimism on the offensive side comes from the fact like others have said, that coaching is a results driven profession. They will want to get this figured out. 

I've said it before and will continue to say it, but I'm very excited for the defense to return to form this year. It's going to be night and day difference.

 

[geaux_sioux]

1 hour ago, gundy1124 said:

That was a piss pour defensive game.  1st play of the game I think, we call a 3 deep coverage and our players can't cover a deep post....total horsecrap.  And all season, we never seem to double the stud on the other team that we all know is getting the ball when it counts.  

But more often, with the ebb and flow of games, I recall our offense being pretty poor until it didn't really matter in the game, then stats were padded later in the game.

Exactly. Is it too much to ask to adjust our defensive game plan more than we do to actually try and make a team play left handed?

[nodak651]

3 hours ago, jdub27 said:

2016: 9-3
The offense averaged 26.9 ppg (removing the 5 D/ST TD's), 386 yards/game and 5.5 yards/play.
The defense gave up 22.0 ppg, 355 yards/game and 5.2 yards/play.

2017: 3-8
The offense averaged 23.0 ppg (removing the 4 D/ST TD's), 386 yards/game and 6.0 yards/play.
The defense gave up 34.6 ppg, 453 yards/game and 6.1 yards/play.

The offense scored 4 less points/game, had a better yards/play and averaged the same amount of yards/game yet the team won 6 fewer games. I know why the defensive numbers are what they are but to continue to blame the offense for the issues isn't the answer. With the style of football UND is built to play, anytime UND puts up 21 points or more, they should win and they lost 4 games hitting that benchmark last season. I'm not saying the offense can't be better but I don't think it is as far off from what it's supposed to be as some think nor is it even close to what the biggest issue has been.

There were also tons of people who wanted Rudolph fired after the 2016 season, when UND went 9-3 and made the playoffs.  People don't want him gone simply because UND lost a lot of games last year.  So he isn't a scapegoat.  That 2016 team was 105 out of 122 teams in FCS in 3rd down conversion %.  Looks to me like Rudolph got LUCKY to have a guy like Santiago that can break a huge run every once in a while, and in turn boost the yards/play stats.  The offense has ZERO consistency.   

[UNDBIZ]

Studsrud was by all accounts a great locker room guy, but I have to believe the on-field results will improve with either Zimmerman or Ketteringham out there. Zim looked great in limited action last year (and was willing to look downfield despite Rudy).

[ND1]

19 minutes ago, UNDBIZ said:

Studsrud was by all accounts a great locker room guy, but I have to believe the on-field results will improve with either Zimmerman or Ketteringham out there. Zim looked great in limited action last year (and was willing to look downfield despite Rudy).

Ketteringham is the man and will be the starter with Zimmerman a fine #2.  Studsrud was fine but to scripted in his play.  Ketteringham can flat out play with a great arm and the ablility to run...so says a couple of coaches.  

[SiouxDini]

I've heard the same thing. 

[Irish]

In my opinion, the very first time we pound Santiago up the middle for the famous 2nd and 9, 3rd and 7 sequence someone should immediately go up to the coaches box and tell Rudolph to take a permanent hike.  I could not be more disappointed in Bubba for putting Sioux football second to his buddy system.  

[UND-FB-FAN]

16 hours ago, Sioux94 said:

Facts don't count things like going 3 and out 3-4 series in a row to start a few games, then when we are down by 20 points we get a 100 junk yards in the second half because teams are playing prevent with their cushy lead. Hell didn't UC Davis have almost like 40 points on us by halftime?  Nor does it account for having our 3rd string QB being way better than the 2nd string and the 2nd string being so inept in the first half against MT that he has now changed positions.  I remember seeing our yards per carry once last year, and it was a good average.  Well I'd like to see our average YPC in the 1st half compared to the 2nd half of games.  I haven't been as hard as some others on Rudy over the past couple of years, but we need to see something more this year.  Scoring 21 points a game will likely lose you a lot of games in the Big Sky, sorry.  Rudy has had his moments, we just need to see more.  And more of finding ways to get the best out of the players we have, not base plays on the players we wish we had (OL). 

Did you even watch that game against UC Davis??

That embarrassment of a game was clearly on the defense, particularly the horrible UND defensive backfield. UND needs to do way better than that (oh, and by the way, our head coach is supposed to be a defensive backs guy ...).

[UND1983]

Just now, UND-FB-FAN said:

Did you even watch that game against UC Davis??

That embarrassment of a game was clearly on the defense, particularly the horrible UND defensive backfield. UND needs to do way better than that (oh, and by the way, our head coach is supposed to be a defensive backs guy ...).

Did you see who was playing DB?  If Harris, Hunt, Reyes and Holm are playing, like planned, those things don't happen.

[UND-FB-FAN]

7 minutes ago, UND1983 said:

Did you see who was playing DB?  If Harris, Hunt, Reyes and Holm are playing, like planned, those things don't happen.

Can't continue to always rely on that excuse. Yes, the injuries hurt, but it shouldnt be excusable for the defense to then give up 35 points per game. 

Like @gundy1124 mentioned, the gameplan didn't help the young guys. The opponent's best offensive players weren't appropriately emphasized and the scheme was not changed either. UND continued to max pressure leaving their young, vulnerable secondary even more vulnerable. 

Lastly, you need to recruit players with ability. Those back-up players that UND had to play last year were horrible. Why is UND only getting DII caliber players? It's happening again this year; many players' other offers are from UMD, Mankato, etc. with no mention of MVFC or Big Sky offers. That's concerning. Last year's young guys were just not good enough; poor recruiting.

[AJS]

1 hour ago, UND-FB-FAN said:

Can't continue to always rely on that excuse. Yes, the injuries hurt, but it shouldnt be excusable for the defense to then give up 35 points per game. 

Like @gundy1124 mentioned, the gameplan didn't help the young guys. The opponent's best offensive players weren't appropriately emphasized and the scheme was not changed either. UND continued to max pressure leaving their young, vulnerable secondary even more vulnerable. 

Lastly, you need to recruit players with ability. Those back-up players that UND had to play last year were horrible. Why is UND only getting DII caliber players? It's happening again this year; many players' other offers are from UMD, Mankato, etc. with no mention of MVFC or Big Sky offers. That's concerning. Last year's young guys were just not good enough; poor recruiting.

It is an excuse, but it's also a fact. The way this team was trending in previous years and the roster they had in fall ball was considered better than the previous year. They way they started the year against Utah and Missouri State, they were a legitimate Top 10 team and then we all know what happened from there. The injuries were catastrophic to certain positional groups and it snowballed from there.

I will agree with you partially on the overall depth of the team with certain positional groups. Let's look at the ILB position, where were the juniors and seniors last year? Losing O'Brien early was huge, but they went into fall camp with Rodgers (SO), Larson (true Freshman), Hunt (RS Freshman) and Rastas (RS Freshman). As great of a player as Larson will be, should you rely on a True Freshman as your #2 option? Everyone knew that was one of the positions of concern and after two games we instantly don't have the 3 best players, leaving Rastas as a starter much too early. On the other hand, at the FCS level (Non-NDSU), what is the expectation for depth? I know we all want every position to be 6 deep, but is that realistic? Even for great FCS programs, would many positional groups excel with both "starters" gone for the year and your down to that teams #4 / #5 option to start (when Hunt was injured as well)? 

Same can be said for the secondary last year, you have two All-Americans that played a total of 3 games. Would you consider Blubaugh (great recruit, offers from Wyo and UNC) or Canady (PWO Wisconsin) as bad players? Blubaugh had a tough time yes (understatement), but he was a true freshman. They are both going to be great players, they were forced into action much too early. 

As bad as last year was, what gives me a lot of optimism going forward is you had a lot of young guys get very valuable minutes. That will help this team this year and moving forward. It can be tough to remember how this team was trending before game 3 last year, but overall there has been a lot more good than bad over the past 3 years. This year is very important for the program and the coaching staff though. They need to bounce back and I truly believe they will. I have no doubt that defensively, they will bounce back and pick up where they left off in '15 and '16. It's hard to emphasis enough how much that will change the overall trajectory of the team. The ILB goes from what was possibly one of the worst in the FCS to a strong unit again. The CB will have talent and depth, the safety position will be better. Offensively, they have weapons, still concerned about play calling, but they will be adequate (will more upside than downside).

I'm very excited for the 2018 football campaign. 

[UND-FB-FAN]

38 minutes ago, AJS said:

It is an excuse, but it's also a fact. The way this team was trending in previous years and the roster they had in fall ball was considered better than the previous year. They way they started the year against Utah and Missouri State, they were a legitimate Top 10 team and then we all know what happened from there. The injuries were catastrophic to certain positional groups and it snowballed from there.

I will agree with you partially on the overall depth of the team with certain positional groups. Let's look at the ILB position, where were the juniors and seniors last year? Losing O'Brien early was huge, but they went into fall camp with Rodgers (SO), Larson (true Freshman), Hunt (RS Freshman) and Rastas (RS Freshman). As great of a player as Larson will be, should you rely on a True Freshman as your #2 option? Everyone knew that was one of the positions of concern and after two games we instantly don't have the 3 best players, leaving Rastas as a starter much too early. On the other hand, at the FCS level (Non-NDSU), what is the expectation for depth? I know we all want every position to be 6 deep, but is that realistic? Even for great FCS programs, would many positional groups excel with both "starters" gone for the year and your down to that teams #4 / #5 option to start (when Hunt was injured as well)? 

Same can be said for the secondary last year, you have two All-Americans that played a total of 3 games. Would you consider Blubaugh (great recruit, offers from Wyo and UNC) or Canady (PWO Wisconsin) as bad players? Blubaugh had a tough time yes (understatement), but he was a true freshman. They are both going to be great players, they were forced into action much too early. 

As bad as last year was, what gives me a lot of optimism going forward is you had a lot of young guys get very valuable minutes. That will help this team this year and moving forward. It can be tough to remember how this team was trending before game 3 last year, but overall there has been a lot more good than bad over the past 3 years. This year is very important for the program and the coaching staff though. They need to bounce back and I truly believe they will. I have no doubt that defensively, they will bounce back and pick up where they left off in '15 and '16. It's hard to emphasis enough how much that will change the overall trajectory of the team. The ILB goes from what was possibly one of the worst in the FCS to a strong unit again. The CB will have talent and depth, the safety position will be better. Offensively, they have weapons, still concerned about play calling, but they will be adequate (will more upside than downside).

I'm very excited for the 2018 football campaign. 

The '17 UND team that played Utah to start the season didn't look like a top 10 FCS team to me. They had moments, but that's about it. 37-16 is not a good score considering Utah went 7-6. Defense gave up big passing plays then too and the offense left way too many points out on the field: had to settle for three too many field goals.

[geaux_sioux]

59 minutes ago, AJS said:

It is an excuse, but it's also a fact. The way this team was trending in previous years and the roster they had in fall ball was considered better than the previous year. They way they started the year against Utah and Missouri State, they were a legitimate Top 10 team and then we all know what happened from there. The injuries were catastrophic to certain positional groups and it snowballed from there.

I will agree with you partially on the overall depth of the team with certain positional groups. Let's look at the ILB position, where were the juniors and seniors last year? Losing O'Brien early was huge, but they went into fall camp with Rodgers (SO), Larson (true Freshman), Hunt (RS Freshman) and Rastas (RS Freshman). As great of a player as Larson will be, should you rely on a True Freshman as your #2 option? Everyone knew that was one of the positions of concern and after two games we instantly don't have the 3 best players, leaving Rastas as a starter much too early. On the other hand, at the FCS level (Non-NDSU), what is the expectation for depth? I know we all want every position to be 6 deep, but is that realistic? Even for great FCS programs, would many positional groups excel with both "starters" gone for the year and your down to that teams #4 / #5 option to start (when Hunt was injured as well)? 

Same can be said for the secondary last year, you have two All-Americans that played a total of 3 games. Would you consider Blubaugh (great recruit, offers from Wyo and UNC) or Canady (PWO Wisconsin) as bad players? Blubaugh had a tough time yes (understatement), but he was a true freshman. They are both going to be great players, they were forced into action much too early. 

As bad as last year was, what gives me a lot of optimism going forward is you had a lot of young guys get very valuable minutes. That will help this team this year and moving forward. It can be tough to remember how this team was trending before game 3 last year, but overall there has been a lot more good than bad over the past 3 years. This year is very important for the program and the coaching staff though. They need to bounce back and I truly believe they will. I have no doubt that defensively, they will bounce back and pick up where they left off in '15 and '16. It's hard to emphasis enough how much that will change the overall trajectory of the team. The ILB goes from what was possibly one of the worst in the FCS to a strong unit again. The CB will have talent and depth, the safety position will be better. Offensively, they have weapons, still concerned about play calling, but they will be adequate (will more upside than downside).

I'm very excited for the 2018 football campaign. 

As to Blubaugh, he has A LOT to prove this year. He was brutal last year, no other way to put it.

[shep]

On ‎7‎/‎13‎/‎2018 at 3:40 PM, jdub27 said:

In the first half against UC Davic, the offense put up 312 yards of offense, averaged 9.75 yards/play and scored 17 points with TOP being 16-14 in favor of UND with one 3 and out (two for the whole game). How in the hell is it the offense's fault the defense gave up 38 points and 421 yards in one half??

Offense scored too fast thereby not allowing the D time to rest????

[UND1983]

Which SEC school did Torrey Hunt end up with anyway?  

[Sioux>Bison]

Who all is traveling to some road games? Moved out west to WY but this years schedule is not as favorable as I wished. Will definitely be going to Greeley maybe we will see some of you there.

[MoSiouxFan]

2 hours ago, Sioux>Bison said:

Who all is traveling to some road games? Moved out west to WY but this years schedule is not as favorable as I wished. Will definitely be going to Greeley maybe we will see some of you there.

Thinking about driving to the Sam Houston St. game, as it’s only 2-3 hours from my daughter in Cypress (Houston suburb).  Otherwise, plan on hitting the Mississippi Valley and Montana home games.

[UNDColorado]

10 hours ago, Sioux>Bison said:

Who all is traveling to some road games? Moved out west to WY but this years schedule is not as favorable as I wished. Will definitely be going to Greeley maybe we will see some of you there.

Greeley for sure on 9/29. Set up a big tailgate and do it right. Possibly Sam Houston but that is a big maybe at this point. 

[Sioux94]

I'm going to the NAU game for sure.  Been waiting for 4 years for this game, with the odd scheduling this is the first game with Bubba as the coach with us playing at NAU.  That is the bad part for me about us leaving to Big Sky, would have had an easy road trip almost every other year to go to.  Still think moving to the MVFC will be better for the program overall though. 

[Sioux94]

On 7/14/2018 at 7:48 AM, UND-FB-FAN said:

Did you even watch that game against UC Davis??

That embarrassment of a game was clearly on the defense, particularly the horrible UND defensive backfield. UND needs to do way better than that (oh, and by the way, our head coach is supposed to be a defensive backs guy ...).

You completely missed my point. I agree the defense was the problem that game and all year. My point is that our offensive averages look better than they probably really were because we always seem to be in shootout type of games because our defense was horrible.  

[Nodak78]

https://herosports.com/fcs/football-2018-preseason-preview-mississippi-valley-state-ajaj

 

[sioux24/7]

Was just taking a stroll through the roster and didn’t see Zach Zimmerman anywhere on there? 

[siouxfan512]

9 hours ago, UND-FB-FAN said:

Well, umm, maybe my previous post or two? It doesn't take long to find my posts that contain fair optimism and praise; don't be so damn narrow-minded. I just don't state my opinions for the sake of pure optimism. UND went 3-8 last season; there shouldn't be a bunch of roses and rainbows after that !@#$. 

"Recruiting should be all positive (???) because these players could all potentially be great at UND but you even make recruiting negative" ...recruiting is dependent on the coaching. Sorry if you can't somehow understand that. If a player can't be developed and put in position to succeed, then that is lost potential, not gain. 

Your rhetoric that we should all "shut up" and "blindly trust the coaches" (same ones who just led a 3-8 season) is quite ignorant. Ever heard of constructive criticism? I deathly fear the future prospects of any program that goes without it. Just because you have limited insight and understanding doesn't mean others should settle for that level also. I will support UND like I always have, but I don't have to be happy with every decision nor that UND went 3-8 last season. I am utterly disappointed by that and I hope the coaching staff and players are using the poor showing of 2017 as motivation. If they think like some on here ("it was just the injuries; 2018 could never possibly be as bad"), then 2018 will again be riddled with loses and excuses. 

I understand your skepticism, I just think it needs some perspective at times. I don't think anyone can be too low, or too high on this team right now. There are some exciting pieces coming into the mix, but those pieces are still unproven and have yet to yield effective results.

Exciting but Unproven

-Cam Mckinney

-Nate Ketteringham

-Brock Boltman

-Mikey Griebel

-CJ Siegel

-Mike Bruner

- Noah Larson

UND was decimated with injuries, last season, worse than any team I have every seen. Might be an excuse (as Bubba should have built better depth by now), but it is also a fact and can't be overlooked as a huge impact to the team's performance (especially defensively). I'm all for "Next Man Up" but eventually your run out of guys; and with our depth last year, you can run out fast.

I think the coaches have made a few moves to improve the depth this season, and it is hard to see the team getting as banged up as last season; that would be tough to do (knock on wood)

Then there is Rudolph. The most questionable piece to this puzzle. I would be interested to know why Bubba brought him back; what is his reasoning? They are buds? He is a competent OC? They have discussed how they will make changes and adjustments this season (should have been a discussion 2 years ago)? The only thing that will convince me that Rudy staying is a good idea, is to see a completely different approach when they open the season, and see them stick with a new approach as the season progresses. If Rudy fails, then so does Bubba; that is the position he has put himself in.

2018 is truly a year of unknowns. Will this team return to 2016 form and make the playoffs? Will they flounder like last season (unacceptable)? Will they end somewhere in between (still unacceptable)? Only time will tell, but I'm definitely excited to see football return, and watch the potential of some of these guys.