2024 UND Football

[F'n Hawks]

18 minutes ago, sioux24/7 said:

I’m not going to read everything here but my personal take on the QB situation is that none of the QBs on the roster would have really changed where we sit this year. Romfo is not the main reason we are 5-6. The defense is. 

If the defense is even average, we beat Youngstown and Indiana State easily and the atmosphere in the Alerus looks a lot different the last two weekends.

In 10 years at the helm, 2015 is the only year that I can think of where a Bubba led team was playing its best football at the end of the year. With that and all his road woes it’s crazy to me that he is still coaching here, although not surprising.

[HoopsFan03]

32 minutes ago, SiouxBoys said:

 

"Let's not start turning on each other"

You’re back!!! You and a few others have been pretty quiet lately. 
 

Any comments/excuses on the last few losses? 

[Sioux27]

49 minutes ago, SiouxBoys said:

 

"Let's not start turning on each other"

I thought the same thing.....let's not turn on each other as long as you agree with my posts.

[jdub27]

1 hour ago, fightingsioux4life said:

You will defend anything and everything this athletic department does, no matter how bad the results are. All you ever offer are the same tired old boilerplate talking points.

Again, talking about things you have no clue about. Just because some people don't constantly state the same thing over and over again, trying to be louder each time, does not mean they aren't critical. One doesn't need to publicly proclaim everything anonymously to disagree with where things are at. Some choose to actually give input to those who are decision makers and express their disappointment and concerns, but I guess that's not enough.

That being said, I've said plenty of times I didn't agree with the timing of extension. If they felt they needed to do it for the looks of continuity, there should have been a significant trade-off in the buyout language. 

 

1 hour ago, UND08 said:

1 - The athletic department had the ability to make the change at a much more affordable cost but instead chose to tack on $750k+ last spring.  Why is there no accountability for that decision?

2 - The reason for the change that you speak of is still employed by the University and has been for over a decade.  The thought of giving said person more time to "fix" things rings awfully hollow to me when I compare our program to our immediate peers at the FCS level.  I mean...Bob Nielson was on the hot seat two years ago...and since then has put his team into position to have back-to-back top 8 seeds into the FCS playoffs, while doing so with fewer resources than we have in Grand Forks.  That's the kind of "fix" we needed a couple of years ago.  Is the standard tough to live up to?  Yes...but that's life in NDSU/SDSU's back yard.

The Bubba defenders had to know this discussion was coming after last year.  I maintained a positive outlook throughout this season until the back-to-back losses at YSU/ISU(b).  Couple that with the UNI debacle last year and it's readily apparent to me that this program will never be ready for the next step as it is currently constituted.  If the Bubba defenders want to throw enough influence around to keep this going...that's their right (and apparently, they're quite good at it) ...but good luck filling the Alerus next year with Bo gone and a continuously porous defense (from a defensive head coach).  I listened to the SDSU game on the radio (vs watching on TV or attending) and Mike Berg was very frank in his assessment of this team lacking speed and talent (especially on defense).  That was honestly refreshing to me...since it's been readily apparent for awhile now.  Any AD worth his weight in salt would be concerned...but oh well we got a hockey game in Austin TX to get ready for!

A lot of things I agree with here. Feel pretty confident the extension decision goes all the way to the top, but not the first or last time any athletic department is going to give out an extension that doesn't work out. Also it is why the buyout language is so frustrating.

Agreed on Nielson. USD fans were shocked he wasn't let go a few years ago. Not a fan of him, but have to give him credit for turning things around there.

Not much on the rest outside of agreeing the road losses to YSU/ISUb were absolutely deflating for the program (internally and externally). Not sure how you go from feeling being top 10 at 5-2 with a decent showing against a top 25 FBS team to being completely derailed the second half of the year. But here we are. 

[UND-FB-FAN]

2 hours ago, jdub27 said:

We agree on more than we don't. How things change and what is realistic in what time frame as things sit today probably isn't one of them because I don't know where the athletic department is going to come up with the money to make an immediate change. Has to come from private donors, because as previously stated, the reaction from the academic side would (rightfully) be some significant backlash.

The issue with this is very few agreed with the extension (which creates this buy out issue).

The head coach extension was not warranted to begin with. I know for a fact these concerns were communicated with Chaves and others prior to the extension, so the fact an extension was still issued and now less than a year later the football program is predictably regressing is incredibly frustrating and at the same time infuriating. Don’t blame Danny for leaving.
 

I honestly am strongly convinced that either corruption or incompetence (or both) presently exist within the athletic department. 

[fightingsioux4life]

1 hour ago, SiouxBoys said:

"Let's not start turning on each other"

I am not turning on anyone. I am simply pointing out that all @jdub27 has to offer is boilerplate talking points that don't address the issues we are discussing and don't answer the questions some people here have. It was not a personal attack, which was happening earlier on this topic. That is what that comment was referring to.

[fightingsioux4life]

45 minutes ago, jdub27 said:

Again, talking about things you have no clue about. Just because some people don't constantly state the same thing over and over again, trying to be louder each time, does not mean they aren't critical. One doesn't need to publicly proclaim everything anonymously to disagree with where things are at. Some choose to actually give input to those who are decision makers and express their disappointment and concerns, but I guess that's not enough.

People have sent e-mails to decision makers and posted the responses on this forum. It was the same stuff you always post; boilerplate taking points that don't address the concerns people have.

How many more years should Bubba have to fix this mess? 5? 10? 15?

Please try to answer the question this time.

[jdub27]

2 hours ago, fightingsioux4life said:

People have sent e-mails to decision makers and posted the responses on this forum. It was the same stuff you always post; boilerplate taking points that don't address the concerns people have.

How many more years should Bubba have to fix this mess? 5? 10? 15?

Please try to answer the question this time.

Which part of I didn't agree with the timing of the extension and I definitely was against the buy-out language that was in it are you struggling to understand?
What time frame are you considering "a mess"? The program is clearly in a better spot than when he took it over. There have been ups and downs, but the baseline is a much better spot. Does that mean it is where I want it to be? No. The baseline and results should be more than they are.

I don't know how to help you understand that explaining that communicating with decision makers is more effective than anonymously posting the same things over and over (and over and over) again, even if you don't get the results you want every time. And frankly, that's a good thing. You want to see "a mess"? Listening to every person with an opinion and going with their whims would have any athletic department millions in the hole in buyouts and a minimal pool to replace the person everyone wants fired the second there is any adversity. There is a happy medium to that though.
Again, just so you understand, I'm not remotely OK with how this season has progressed, but it isn't a snap your fingers and everything is fine situation. And it was compounded with an extension with, at the moment, a prohibitive buyout. That's where we are right now. Can't undo it, so figuring out how to proceed from here, whether its raise funds or figure out a way to improve, is what needs to be solved.

[HoopsFan03]

18 minutes ago, jdub27 said:

Which part of I didn't agree with the timing of the extension and I definitely was against the buy-out language that was in it are you struggling to understand?
What time frame are you considering "a mess"? The program is clearly in a better spot than when he took it over. There have been ups and downs, but the baseline is a much better spot. Does that mean it is where I want it to be? No. The baseline and results should be more than they are.

I don't know how to help you understand that explaining that communicating with decision makers is more effective than anonymously posting the same things over and over (and over and over) again, even if you don't get the results you want every time. And frankly, that's a good thing. You want to see "a mess"? Listening to every person with an opinion and going with their whims would have any athletic department millions in the hole in buyouts and a minimal pool to replace the person everyone wants fired the second there is any adversity. There is a happy medium to that though.
Again, just so you understand, I'm not remotely OK with how this season has progressed, but it isn't a snap your fingers and everything is fine situation. And it was compounded with an extension with, at the moment, a prohibitive buyout. That's where we are right now. Can't undo it, so figuring out how to proceed from here, whether its raise funds or figure out a way to improve, is what needs to be solved.

Blah blah

I’m going to complain about people saying the same thing over and over again by saying the same thing over and over again

Blah Blah

I love Bill Chaves

[iluvdebbies]

20 minutes ago, jdub27 said:

 

I don't know how to help you understand .....

Puppets?

[UND08]

33 minutes ago, jdub27 said:

Again, just so you understand, I'm not remotely OK with how this season has progressed, but it isn't a snap your fingers and everything is fine situation. And it was compounded with an extension with, at the moment, a prohibitive buyout. That's where we are right now. Can't undo it, so figuring out how to proceed from here, whether its raise funds or figure out a way to improve, is what needs to be solved.

I agree that this isn't a "snap your fingers and everything is fine situation"...it's going to take awhile to get things going the right direction...likely multiple seasons.

That said...the question is WHO do we want to lead the charge of getting things going in the right direction.

Bubba's had eons of time...Chaves too...I'd prefer to roll the dice on someone else in both roles.

[Kab]

Would like to know the real locker room talk from players

i can’t believe they are happy with bubba and OTHER COACHES,

‘going to be a huge transfer portal and some de commits after the season either way if bubba stays or bubba is done . 

[Hawkster]

So, if Bubba is fired, do all the assistants get fired too and the new guy hires who he wants?   I would think so.

[Kab]

15 minutes ago, Hawkster said:

So, if Bubba is fired, do all the assistants get fired too and the new guy hires who he wants?   I would think so.

I would think so but someone has to be named interim coach until a hire is made 

[F'n Hawks]

33 minutes ago, Kab said:

Would like to know the real locker room talk from players

i can’t believe they are happy with bubba and OTHER COACHES,

‘going to be a huge transfer portal and some de commits after the season either way if bubba stays or bubba is done . 

Bubba is a great guy and loves UND, but I can’t imagine there is much respect for him anymore.

[nodakvindy]

40 minutes ago, UND08 said:

I agree that this isn't a "snap your fingers and everything is fine situation"...it's going to take awhile to get things going the right direction...likely multiple seasons.

That said...the question is WHO do we want to lead the charge of getting things going in the right direction.

Bubba's had eons of time...Chaves too...I'd prefer to roll the dice on someone else in both roles.

It doesn't have to.  See Indiana, and to a lesser extent Colorado.  UND isn't nearly as bottomed out as those programs were.

[UND08]

25 minutes ago, nodakvindy said:

It doesn't have to.  See Indiana, and to a lesser extent Colorado.  UND isn't nearly as bottomed out as those programs were.

You're right...it absolutely doesn't have to!

But we are not FBS...transfer portal can make a huge difference...I'm not sure we can do it that quickly here.

One thing I do know...is if Bubba is the one leading the correction...it absolutely WON'T be overnight (and likely very little will change)!

[NDRA]

I'm sure the ability, of the 2 schools you mentioned, to pay for quicker results through paying coaches and players, is much greater than UND can afford.

[HoopsFan03]

3 minutes ago, NDRA said:

I'm sure the ability, of the 2 schools you mentioned, to pay for quicker results through paying coaches and players, is much greater than UND can afford.

Really?? I would have never guessed that Colorado & Indiana have bigger budgets and deeper pockets than us!

I am shocked!!

[nodakvindy]

21 hours ago, NDRA said:

I'm sure the ability, of the 2 schools you mentioned, to pay for quicker results through paying coaches and players, is much greater than UND can afford.

It's not about money, it's about finding someone hungry and innovative.  It's been beaten to death, but Kalen DeBoer applied for this job.  Break out of the conservative shell that UND seems to be cocooned in, and find the next Kalen DeBoer.  That coach is out there.  We need to be willing to go for the high ceiling and not accept the high floor.

[iramurphy]

1 hour ago, Hawkster said:

So, if Bubba is fired, do all the assistants get fired too and the new guy hires who he wants?   I would think so.

New coaches typically hire their own staff. They tend to bring the key guys on their present staff. Some clean house, others keep one or two to try to hold team together until new guys are situated. 

[fightingsioux4life]

2 hours ago, jdub27 said:

Which part of I didn't agree with the timing of the extension and I definitely was against the buy-out language that was in it are you struggling to understand?
What time frame are you considering "a mess"? The program is clearly in a better spot than when he took it over. There have been ups and downs, but the baseline is a much better spot. Does that mean it is where I want it to be? No. The baseline and results should be more than they are.

I don't know how to help you understand that explaining that communicating with decision makers is more effective than anonymously posting the same things over and over (and over and over) again, even if you don't get the results you want every time. And frankly, that's a good thing. You want to see "a mess"? Listening to every person with an opinion and going with their whims would have any athletic department millions in the hole in buyouts and a minimal pool to replace the person everyone wants fired the second there is any adversity. There is a happy medium to that though.
Again, just so you understand, I'm not remotely OK with how this season has progressed, but it isn't a snap your fingers and everything is fine situation. And it was compounded with an extension with, at the moment, a prohibitive buyout. That's where we are right now. Can't undo it, so figuring out how to proceed from here, whether its raise funds or figure out a way to improve, is what needs to be solved.

You are right, you did disagree with the latest extension.

The concern people have is that Chaves will simply continue extending Bubba just because it's the most convenient and cheapest thing to do. He has a record of doing that.

[homer]

39 minutes ago, NDRA said:

I'm sure the ability, of the 2 schools you mentioned, to pay for quicker results through paying coaches and players, is much greater than UND can afford.

But the talent levels of schools they are competing against isn’t as high as FBS either.  
 

I don’t see the mass exodus in the transfer portal others do just because where are they going to transfer?? D2

[SiouxFan100]

I always really look forward to UND football every year. This year has been challenging. Hopefully there will a decent team to look forward to next year.

[Longtime fan]

The best outcome would be if Und wouldn’t have to fire bubba …just transfer him over to the alumni center.  They have the money to his salary. There is nobody on planet earth that loves und more.  Perfect salesman for und. Create a new position and roll his pay,or portion of what he currently makes to that position. ????  He just can’t remain head coach.  
 

Bubba has und fb so far from removed from football relevancy. When looking at a map it’s very noticeable where the fcs power teams are….SD, ND and Montana.  Und is in that circle of power.  So then why is und never in the talk for a championship when every other single team that surrounds GF absolutely owns the fcs.  Why?  Constantly watching these “regional “ teams winning it all is beyond frustrating.  If they can we can too.   
 

How that last extension was approved is mind boggling. The one before that was very questionable as well.  Yet, here we are stuck with ….”well we can’t change it now …it is what it is ….only way to make change is pony up”.    Most every person on this site, at work, family and neighbors were adamant of their displeasure for bubba ball.  Been that way for years. So what is it that we saw for years that Chavez couldn’t see?  Now we as fans have to pony up because of a decision made internally that has und fb falling way behind all the other surrounding fcs schools??  Please make it make sense 

 

A move needs to happen immediately. Losing the fans and players interest is not the best way to a winning ingredient.  Winning cures a lot of problems. Namely recruiting and monetary issues.  Recruiting is obvious. Players want to win and winning gets the attention of better recruits.  Winning gives you national exposure….TV exposure….etc.   For UND and GF ….winning brings in more fans and more fans means more ticket sales, merch, hotels , food...etc.   Und CANNOT afford to keep falling behind. We are by far the little brother in the Dakotas and Montana.  Und is on the bottom rung locally when it comes to recruiting prospects.