Showing posts with label UND football. Show all posts
Showing posts with label UND football. Show all posts

Sunday, November 26, 2023

UND Football: Should We Be Satisfied Just Making the Playoffs?


Yesterday, like many UND football fans, I watched UND play in the first round of the NCAA FCS Football Playoffs. It wasn't a positive experience. I watched the Sacramento State Hornets rack up 216 yards of offense and score 14 points in the first quarter. The Hornets ran through UND's defense like they were standing still. They marched 75 yards in the opening drive and never looked back. The Hornets were 8-10 (.800) on third down. When the final horn sounded, the Hornets finished the game with 244 yards rushing and 212 yards passing for a total offensive yardage of 456. Even if you're not a great football mind, you know that could be better. 

We didn't see the Sac State punter till the second half of the game. I am not sure that he even needed to shower after the game. He only punted twice. Just for the record, his name is Carl McGough, and he's number 91. 

Final Score: 42-35 Hornets. Ugh! But hey, the Hawks beat the Bison. 

My thoughts post-debacle: fans have the right to be angry and hot. This football team is going to have excellent locker room facilities. They already have an indoor training facility and a decent stadium. Is there any reason we can't expect something resembling a winning program? Right now, we have a mediocre program. I know, I know, I know, we made the FCS Playoffs. 

Fast forward to this morning: I still have that foul taste in my mouth. You can't put sprinkles on this. There needs to be some accountability. 

Reading my favorite hometown newspaper this morning, I found this gem from Brad E. Schlossman. I liked what Brad had to say, "But if UND wants to make a deep run, it has to make significant improvements on defense. 



The question we need to ask is: Is UND football going to be satisfied with just making the playoffs and ending most seasons going 7-5, or does the university want to go bigger? Many fans that I have talked to want the bar to be moved higher. If that's the case, changes are needed. First, you have to change the mindset and culture. UND was 1-4 on the road this season; that has to change. Good enough isn't good enough anymore. 

Traditionally, the Hawks have been hard to beat at the Alerus until yesterday. Against the Hornets, the Alerus Center looked like a house of horrors. It was painful to watch. 

Second, UND football has hit its ceiling. Where do we go from here? Our friends to the south are laughing at us. Yes, the Hawks clobbered the Bison 49-24 on October 14, 2023. That was the season's high point; they went out the next week and laid an egg against an OK UNI team 27-0. The reality is UND's season is over, and the Bison are moving on to the second round of the FCS Playoffs. Wins in October don't mean anything if you can't win in November. 

Since moving to FCS Division I football, the Hawks own an awful 1-5 record in the FCS playoffs. In 10 seasons, Bubba Schweigert is 61-50 (.549). His team won nine games once, in 2016. At home, they were quickly dispatched in the FCS Playoffs by the Richmond Spiders 27-24. In addition, his teams have won seven games four times. Is that good enough? It wouldn't be in hockey. Some in the fanbase wanted the UND AD to fire head coach Brad Berry after last season. Look at the remarkable recovery his team made in 2023. 

I don't want to hear that UND football doesn't have enough shiny objects for recruits; they have a shiny new indoor training facility known as the  Frederick "Fritz" D. Pollard Jr. Athletic Center. Phase two is going to be completed soon

The UND 360 blog said it best. You have to go three and out if you want to win football games. 

Finally, now that the season is over, there must be a discussion. Someone needs to feel the heat. Someone's seat needs to be getting hotter. There needs to be some accountability cause many in Hawks Nation aren't happy. Where do we go from here? That could be a discussion for the big-money donors. 

Tuesday, September 03, 2019

UPDATED: Uninvited Moose Visits Memorial Stadium

Today, an uninvited cow moose visited UND's Memorial Stadium. Stick tap to the Herald's Danielle Podlaski for the great camera work.

University spokesman David Dodds says the moose wandered into Grand Forks overnight and found its way onto old Memorial Stadium on campus Tuesday morning.
Thank God no one got hurt and hopefully, the animal will be able to safely return to the Wild. It sounds ND Game and Fish officials are trying to get the wild beast out of town after traffic dies down tonight.

 "They are wild animals," Jim Job, a biologist with the North Dakota Department of Game and Fish told the Grand Forks Herald. "Especially if they're in town, they're already going to be a little nervous with all the traffic and people running around already. Definitely, don't want to corner a wild animal or make it feel like it's cornered. Definitely keep your distance because they are very large animals and, if they do feel threatened, they could react."



UPDATE: The moose has been returned to the wild.

Friday, August 30, 2019

WDAY's Dom Izzo Predicts 4-7 Record for UND

Thinking of funny tripe. WDAY sports reporter Dom Izzo doesn’t think that the UND football team is going to be very good this season. Moreover, he seems to think that when the season is overhead coach Bubba Schweigert is going to be looking for a new job. I guess we’ll find out. If I was coach Schweigert, I’d hang this garbage in the locker room. Seriously, this is why they play the games. Football is played on the football field and not in the blogs and newspapers. Time for the Hawks to prove Mr. Izzo wrong.
Last year I said it was a monster year for Bubba Schweigert at UND. If that was monstrous, this year is titanic. Schweigert has to win this season and I’m not sure if they’re going to. The Fighting Hawks have one of the toughest schedules in the FCS, games with NDSU, Eastern Washington, UC Davis and Sam Houston State. If the Fighting Hawks win one of those games, that’s a big deal. I don’t see a winning record this year, and I think UND may be in line for a new coach. (Link)
PREDICTION: 4-7

Monday, October 10, 2016

UND 18th IN FCS Coaches Poll

Rankings - FCS Coaches Poll

Last Updated - October 10, 2016
FCS Coaches Poll


RANKTEAMPOINTSPREVIOUSRECORD
1North Dakota State (26)65015-0
2Sam Houston State61725-0
3Chattanooga58836-0
4Jacksonville State57744-1
5Eastern Washington55555-1
6James Madison50665-1
7Richmond49375-1
8Charleston Southern44083-2
9The Citadel43995-0
10Montana413104-1
11Villanova376125-1
12Youngstown State361134-1
13Western Illinois301144-1
14South Dakota State299153-2
15Harvard266164-0
16North Carolina A&T241184-1
17Eastern Illinois207204-2
18North Dakota202214-2
19Albany178174-1
20Cal Poly133223-2
21Northern Iowa128112-3
22Central Arkansas125244-1
23Grambling State67253-1
24Samford64NR4-1
25New Hampshire51NR4-2
Others receiving votes: Stony Brook (45), McNeese State (22), South Dakota (21), Wofford (18), Southern Utah (16), South Carolina State (14), Tennessee State (12), Illinois State (9), Lehigh (8), Kennesaw State (3), Liberty (2), Monmouth (1), North Carolina Central (1), San Diego (1) 

Monday, August 08, 2016

UND 19th in FCS Poll

The University of North Dakota football teams starts the preseason ranked 19th in FCS Football.

Rankings as of 8/8/2016
Rank
School
Votes
Prev
1
3941 (152)
NR
2
3636 (2)
NR
3
3569 (4)
NR
4
Richmond (0-0)
3418
NR
5
UNI (0-0)
3413
NR
6
2758
NR
7
2734
NR
8
2554
NR
9
2517
NR
10
2303
NR
11
2151
NR
12
2037
NR
13
Montana (0-0)
1921
NR
14
1879
NR
15
Citadel (0-0)
1535
NR
16
1397
NR
17
1262
NR
18
1189
NR
19
977
NR
20
876
NR
21
Colgate (0-0)
767
NR
22
657
NR
23
Villanova (0-0)
652
NR
24
Towson (0-0)
428
NR
25
395
NR


Others: Youngstown State (393) , Fordham (385) , Harvard (294) , Eastern Kentucky (189) , Southern Utah (162) , Eastern Illinois (151) , Central Arkansas (136) , Duquesne (75) , Alcorn State (62) , Grambling State (59) , Weber State (49) , Penn (46) , Bethune-Cookman (43) , Wofford (43) , Dartmouth (37) , Western Carolina (36) , Liberty (36) , Lamar (28) , Montana State (26) , Delaware (25) , South Dakota (17) , Maine (14) , Dayton (10) , North Carolina Central (10) , Mercer (10) , Prairie View A&M (9) , UT Martin (7) , Samford (7) , South Carolina State (5) , Bryant (4) , Indiana State (3) , Kennesaw State (3) , Southeast Missouri State (2) , Tennessee State (2) , Stony Brook (2) , Southern Illinois (1) , San Diego (1) , Northwestern State (1) , Saint Francis U (1)

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Bubba ball Embraces the New Fighting Hawks Logo

I think the response to the new Fighting Hawks logo was predictable. First, no logo would ever be able to replace the Fighting Sioux logo. Some people aren't ever going to like it. Also, you can't expect everyone to like or embrace the new logo. I am still on the fence, but I don't think it would look bad on a football helmet.

That being said, some of the UND sports programs on campus are already supporting the Fighting Hawks logo. When a UND football recruit commits to UND, it's not uncommon for them to make mention of being proud to be a member of the Fighting Hawks Nation. Or something along those lines.  Today, the UND football team took that first step when head coach Bubba Schweigert announced that the new logo will, in fact, be on the football helmets when the Hawks take the field in September.

“UND football is going to embrace this logo and what it represents,” said Schweigert, adding the logo will be on the helmet for the team’s first game Sept. 1.

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Your UND SID Lineup


 
First, I want to throw some kudos to the University of Sports Information Directors. I think they do a great job and conduct themselves with the utmost professionalism. They also serve as pseudo-therapists for the fans when the sport they work for isn't doing well.   Second, I think they’re underpaid and at times, they're underappreciated. I also think some of them take some unnecessary abuse.
Over the past few seasons, I have seen comments from fans talking how SID so and so needs to step it up. Or, SID so and so isn't doing his job. Many times, after further investigation, they're not even complaining about the right SID.
So, if you new to UND Sports, here are some of the important names you need to know. I also bolded the major sports that each SID covers.  
Media Relations
 
 
 
Assistant AD, Media Rel. (MHKY, XC, T/F)
7.2985
Associate Director (FB, MBB, M/WGOF)
7.2986
Assistant Director (SOC, WHKY, SB, TN)
7.6743
Assistant Director (WBB, VB, BB, S/D)
7.4210
 
 

Tuesday, September 02, 2014

Memo: College Kids Drink, 25 UMD Football Players Cited for Underage Drinking

For those that want to tar the two UND hockey players that were cited for underage drinking, maybe we should cut them some slack. Believe it or not, this is also an issue at other schools around the country. Even in scenic Duluth, Minnesota, college kids, including athletes were cited for underage drinking.
DULUTH, Minn. - About 25 University of Minnesota-Duluth football players were among 50 people cited for underage drinking at a party in Duluth’s East Hillside late Sunday.

Police were called to a large party at a house in the University of Minnesota Duluth area shortly before midnight Sunday, said Duluth Police Sgt. Jayme Carlson. Fifty people were cited for underage drinking, and the renter was cited for hosting the party where underage drinking occurred. All were cooperative with police, he said.

Bulldogs Coach Curt Wiese confirmed Monday evening that many — about 25 — of those cited were UMD football players.

“We did have quite a few of our players at a party last night,” Wiese said. “I’m extremely disappointed in their decision. We hold our players to a lot higher standard than these guys displayed last night.”

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

43 Days until the NHL season - Links...






There are 43 days until the NHL season begins.


UND football starts in two days and six - nine freshmen could end up having their red shirts pulled.


The UND football insider has the two-deep depth chart for the UND football team.


The UND Hockey team took the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. To date, that's the best one that I have seen.


Apparently, the Penguins aren't in a hurry to re-sign their goalie.


Talk is starting to emerge about the NHL in Seattle.



Friday, August 01, 2014

Football single-game tickets go on sale today

Get your UND football tickets today.
 
Grand Forks, N.D. - With the football season less than a month away, officials from the University of North Dakota Athletics Department announced on Wednesday that single-game tickets will go on sale this Friday, Aug. 1, beginning at 10 a.m.

Additionally, UND Champions Club members can participate in a pre-sale for football single-game tickets this Thursday, July 31 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Champions Club members will be e-mailed a passcode and instructions prior to the pre-sale.

Single-game ticket costs for the Robert Morris (Potato Bowl), Stony Brook, Weber State and Northern Arizona games are $15-$20 for adults and $10 for youth. Single-game tickets for the Montana (Hall of Fame) and Portland State (Homecoming) games are $20-$25 for adults and $15 for youth.

Fans looking for the best value are still encouraged to purchase season tickets, which start at just $75 for all six home games. These can be purchased online at UNDSports.com/Tickets, in person at the Ralph Engelstad Arena Box Office, or by calling 701-777-4689.

UND Football opens the season on the road on Thursday, Aug. 28 at San Jose State (9 p.m. CT). The home opener is set for Saturday, Sept. 6 as UND will take on Robert Morris in the 49th Annual Potato Bowl USA. Kick-off is set for 6 p.m. at the Alerus Center.

Tickets can be purchased at the Alerus Center Box Office, UND Box Office at Ralph Engelstad Arena or via Ticketmaster.com.

Visit www.undsports.com/tickets for more information.

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Does Taylor leaving NDSU change anything?



With Gene Taylor leaving Moo-U for the University of Iowa, one has to wonder if anything will have changed? Will UND and NDSU finally get to play in football? It will be interesting to see if NDSU will continue to insist on having all of the games at the Fargo Dome. Just for the record, UND went 6-0 against NDSU in all other sports. Obviously, NDSU is at the pinnacle of the FCS football ranks right now, but it would be awesome to see the two teams play again.
Tom Miller, Inforum.com -- Taylor’s move to deputy director of athletics at the University of Iowa – the newly created No. 2 position in the department – also breathes new life into the negotiations for the renewal of the University of North Dakota-NDSU football game.

The UND-Bison football rivalry has been on hold since 2003, when NDSU made the move up from Division II and UND stayed behind until joining the Division I ranks in 2007.

The recent negotiations between UND athletic director Brian Faison and Taylor certainly seemed to be at a stalemate, as was revealed by the Grand Forks Herald during an open records request of their email exchanges last month.