2023 Football Season

[UND-FB-FAN]

37 minutes ago, geaux_sioux said:

Watch us beat the breaks off ISUr and then lose the first round playoff game. 

Yep. Status quo. No more progression; is Chaves content? Probably. 

[AJS]

Let’s let the rest of this season play out. I will say, as someone who at the end of the year, has always been able to spin an optimistic future for this program, it’s hard to do right now. Seems to be too many holes from the coaching staff to positional groups. Starts next week. Need a true run like we have not seen yet at the D1 level. 

[UND-FB-FAN]

18 minutes ago, AJS said:

Starts next week. Need a true run like we have not seen yet at the D1 level. 

I agree. I’ll always support this program, staff and student-athletes. I hope this team still wins several more games this season, but we also have to be realistic with the big picture.
 

Hopefully Chaves is being realistic and considering the big picture,  too.

[Midwestern Hawk]

23 minutes ago, UND-FB-FAN said:

Yep. Status quo. No more progression; is Chaves content? Probably. 

I think Chaves and most of the boosters are content with 5-7 wins, especially after beating the Bison this fall.  

[UND-FB-FAN]

2 minutes ago, Midwestern Hawk said:

I think Chaves and most of the boosters are content with 5-7 wins, especially after beating the Bison this fall.  

You’re probably correct, but it’s unfortunate.

Again, big picture-wise, this program has regressed some since NDSU win. Chaves and boosters better realize that; unlikely UND even beats NDSU if they play again this season, or next season when UND plays in FargoDome. 

[Midwestern Hawk]

20 minutes ago, UND-FB-FAN said:

You’re probably correct, but it’s unfortunate.

Again, big picture-wise, this program has regressed some since NDSU win. Chaves and boosters better realize that; unlikely UND even beats NDSU if they play again this season, or next season when UND plays in FargoDome. 

We have regressed since the NDSU win or maybe it was just one of those days for NDSU.

The offense was pathetic yesterday.  Same old swing-passarama .  I don't understand our game plan.  How easy is it to cover receivers if the refs are letting them hold and we never throw deep?

[The Sicatoka]

We have big, mobile LT and LG.
We have a big, strong RB who is deceptively fast.

Sounds like the 1982 Washington NFL team. (Yes, that’s Stone Age history to some of you.)

Someone introduce the “counter trey” concept to Danny.
https://studentofthegame101football.wordpress.com/2013/11/24/play-design-the-famous-counter-trey/

[UND-FB-FAN]

 

Sure, but what does UND have to do to get to #1? How long must we wait? What concrete changes must be made so that UND can realistically reach #1 status? Trajectory over the past decade has not been getting to #1, but rather plateauing as top 25 program. 

[Sioux94]

So that post says we don't deserve to make the playoffs after our performance yesterday......as in losing by 4 points on the road to the #6 team in the country.....makes sense. 

[ND1]

2 hours ago, The Sicatoka said:

So UND gets an effective home playoff game. 

Win … and we’ll surely be sent on the road. 

UND has historically bid  the first game pretty high. What happened last year year won’t happen again.  Should we make the playoffs, chances are high we are hosting the first round.  

[Kab]

1 hour ago, Midwestern Hawk said:

I think Chaves and most of the boosters are content with 5-7 wins, especially after beating the Bison this fall.  

You are way off here

maybe Chaves is but any loyal booster isn’t 

[GoodGood]

Are we even a lock to get in at 7-4? If ndsu loses, resume is pretty underwhelming…

[iramurphy]

Just now, GoodGood said:

Are we even a lock to get in at 7-4? If ndsu loses, resume is pretty underwhelming…

No we aren’t. 

[AJS]

25 minutes ago, Sioux94 said:

So that post says we don't deserve to make the playoffs after our performance yesterday......as in losing by 4 points on the road to the #6 team in the country.....makes sense. 

Basing on just yesterday, agreed. If UND wins next Saturday and gets left out @ 7-4, you won’t hear me complain. Some of their losses have been bad. Some of their wins have been ugly. I’ll go as far as to say, they don’t only have to win against ISU-R, it has to be in convincing fashion. 

[UND08]

1 hour ago, AJS said:

Basing on just yesterday, agreed. If UND wins next Saturday and gets left out @ 7-4, you won’t hear me complain. Some of their losses have been bad. Some of their wins have been ugly. I’ll go as far as to say, they don’t only have to win against ISU-R, it has to be in convincing fashion. 

Agreed...you can't look borderline incompetent in three of your four losses, when 4 of your wins are against teams with 4 wins or less (and another against a non-scholarship team).  And I don't even want to get into yesterday (but I will).  It was USD's turn to play mind-bogglingly poorly (fumble going into the end zone, pick in the end zone, opening kickoff return)...and we just couldn't take advantage.  Our offense was held out of the end zone against both USD and UNI...that's unacceptable to me!  Danny's honeymoon is over in my book...

Last year we beat UNI at home, a 7-4 YSU on the road, and a 7-4 ACU team at home.  Our schedule strength was much better than this year's in my opinion.  And all that got us a road playoff game as a bubble team.  Every opportunity we've had to win a big game outside of NDSU this year we've squandered and squandered badly.

I really sincerely expected better from this program this year.  Either UNI or USD needed to be a win...and our offense completely soiled the bed in both.  To say I'm disappointed would be an understatement.  And oh by the way...Illinois State dominated Murray and comes in to the Alerus next week NEEDING a win.  I'd expect to get their best shot.  I don't even want to think about what this board will look like if we lay an egg next Saturday.  Hell I'll probably be contributing to the destruction...

It didn't need to be that way...we're better than this.  We had a program changing win...and we absolutely squandered it.  Ugh...hurts to think about.

[CMSioux]

So far I have made 8 of the 10 games (last year I made 7) The results have not always been to my liking but it's a game to me and I enjoy the tailgating, the road trip and meeting people at the event. I saw 7-4 in this season with a loss to Moo U, so there was a step up. Of course I would like better but I still enjoyed the season because every year the number of seasons I have left to enjoy goes down by one.  

[geaux_sioux]

3 hours ago, Midwestern Hawk said:

I think Chaves and most of the boosters are content with 5-7 wins, especially after beating the Bison this fall.  

 

3 hours ago, UND-FB-FAN said:

Yep. Status quo. No more progression; is Chaves content? Probably. 

Have either of you ever talked to him?

[UND-FB-FAN]

3 minutes ago, geaux_sioux said:

 

Have either of you ever talked to him?

Without disclosing too much, up to this point, he’s chosen to not address it (one way or the other). This dates back to 2018. That’s fine, probably not something to comment on. I’m certainly not single-handedly providing any buyout, so again, that is fair. 

[geaux_sioux]

I would love to switch to the defense that USD runs. I’m sick of watching our blitzing LBs get stonewalled by OL. I’d rather rush 4 and get pressure. More like those good New York Giants teams. 3-4 is a beautiful chaos when it works but I feel the highest level of consistent defense can come from a 4-3 with a good DL. 

[F'n Hawks]

1 minute ago, geaux_sioux said:

I would love to switch to the defense that USD runs. I’m sick of watching our blitzing LBs get stonewalled by OL. I’d rather rush 4 and get pressure. More like those good New York Giants teams. 3-4 is a beautiful chaos when it works but I feel the highest level of consistent defense can come from a 4-3 with a good DL. 

Frustrating to continuously bring 5 and not get any pressure.

[UND-FB-FAN]

3 minutes ago, geaux_sioux said:

I would love to switch to the defense that USD runs. I’m sick of watching our blitzing LBs get stonewalled by OL. I’d rather rush 4 and get pressure. More like those good New York Giants teams. 3-4 is a beautiful chaos when it works but I feel the highest level of consistent defense can come from a 4-3 with a good DL. 

I think 3-4 or 4-3 is fine. Defense did fine yesterday. Offense scored 0 points, and was the problem. But no question defense has been the issue several other times this season. It’s not base alignment (4-3 or 3-4) that’s the issue in my opinion, but more so coaching of fundamentalism. Missed tackles, too many yards on long-distance downs, which are typically favorable (2nd and long, 3rd and long, etc), mistimed penalties (PI, roughing the passer) on critical downs, etc.

[wheelsup]

2 hours ago, The Sicatoka said:

We have big, mobile LT and LG.
We have a big, strong RB who is deceptively fast.

Sounds like the 1982 Washington NFL team. (Yes, that’s Stone Age history to some of you.)

Someone introduce the “counter trey” concept to Danny.
https://studentofthegame101football.wordpress.com/2013/11/24/play-design-the-famous-counter-trey/

UND showed the template on how we can win this year against NDSU.  For some reason Danny has been unwilling to build on that gameplan.  If we went with that yesterday we would have won the game and the UNI game would have been substantially different as well.  The o-line is one of the strengths of this team particularly the run blocking.

[wheelsup]

2 minutes ago, UND-FB-FAN said:

I think 3-4 or 4-3 is fine. Defense did fine yesterday. Offense scored 0 points, and was the problem. But no question defense has been the issue several other times this season. It’s not base alignment (4-3 or 3-4) that’s the issue in my opinion, but more so coaching of fundamentalism. Missed tackles, too many yards on long-distance downs, which are typically favorable (2nd and long, 3rd and long, etc), mistimed penalties (PI, roughing the passer) on critical downs, etc.

Agree 100%.  Defense has done enough this year.. maybe a little surprising as bad as they have been in stretches, but neither of the two terrible defensive games have cost us as the offense bailed them out(by the way Tommy played great in both of those games).  Its been the failure of the offense in big games that has been the story to me.  They completely failed at UNI, USD, two quarters at Indiana State.

Before this year started, I was 100% on board and excited with Danny as our future head coach.  After this year I am not.  He hasnt been willing to adapt to the strengths of this team.  Tommy has looked great against mediocre/terrible teams and has looked terrible against good teams.  The outlier has been the NDSU game where all he had to do was turn around and hand the ball off.  AT times I wonder if our unwillingness to throw quick slants or quick passes over the middle has been Tommys inability to see over the linemen and so its why he hold the ball so long.  

Anyhow if those are his limitations.. and you arent willing to bench him.. play to his strengths and run the ball.

[UND08]

20 minutes ago, geaux_sioux said:

I would love to switch to the defense that USD runs. I’m sick of watching our blitzing LBs get stonewalled by OL. I’d rather rush 4 and get pressure. More like those good New York Giants teams. 3-4 is a beautiful chaos when it works but I feel the highest level of consistent defense can come from a 4-3 with a good DL. 

I'm not paid to coach football...so take this for what it's worth (and that's likely not much):

Our interpretation of the 3-4 when we are rushing only 4 or 5 is GARBAGE!!!  Wide receivers running wide open all damned day and QBs with time to set up, step up and throw to open receivers...it's trash frankly.  We seem to do a really poor job of disguising our blitz/coverage schemes...it's easy for opponents to pick up (see their passing yardage).  If it's not that...then it's the players we have not being able to make plays...which is also not good.

 

 

[fightingsioux4life]

31 minutes ago, CMSioux said:

So far I have made 8 of the 10 games (last year I made 7) The results have not always been to my liking but it's a game to me and I enjoy the tailgating, the road trip and meeting people at the event. I saw 7-4 in this season with a loss to Moo U, so there was a step up. Of course I would like better but I still enjoyed the season because every year the number of seasons I have left to enjoy goes down by one.  

I enjoy tailgating before games as much as anybody.

I enjoy meeting people at tailgating.

I am well aware that the world doesn't stop spinning on its axis if we don't win.

I am all for enjoying life while we are alive (the recent loss of Katie Richards hammers that home).

But that is not what this thread or forum is about.

This thread is about the 2023 FB season and where we stand as a team and a program.

And the biggest problem with our program is not people like @UND-FB-FAN or myself. It is posts and attitudes like this, where 7-4 is considered good enough and we shouldn't say one negative thing about it. It is attitudes like this that convince people like Chaves and Armacost that a change is not needed and everything is just fine as it is. It is this same philosophy that has held back all our non-hockey programs for the past 15 years (ever since we moved up from D-II to D-I). The attitude of "I don't like we lost, but these are just 'student-athletes', so it doesn't really matter if we win or lose" is simply not appropriate for a Division I collegiate athletics program like UND.

This is not high school, where if the team never wins anything, it doesn't matter. And as long as we keeping running this athletic department like that, we will continue experiencing more of the same around here.

If you want to focus on having a positive attitude about life in general, go read Zig Ziglar.

Because that is not what this forum is about. This is the toy department of life. And it is not asking too much to expect something decent under the tree once in awhile.