ISU No Minnesota - Game Analysis

[CaBisonFan]

The ISU team that we played last night was 'much' more talented than MN was in 2006 and 2007. They were more physically imposing across the board...and their ball handlers were extremely talented. QB is a stud. If ISU doesn't win 2 or 3 games in the Big 12...I'll be very surprised. With fine-tuning, they could be very good.


I saw two extremely pivotal plays that really stood out...game-changing, momentum destroyers for us.


1. Their fumble at the goal line. It was a damn fumble. No touchdown. We get the ball. HUGE. If this didn't happen...a nail-biter to the end. We weren't outplayed like the score showed...not even close. ISU was 'very, very' fortunate. We were not dominated physically.


2. Our fumble at the goal line. HUGE (Oh God...please keep this from becoming a thread about 'you know who.')

Other observations:

1. In the first half, our defense was hung out to dry entirely too long. We didn't sustain drives to help them out. Not their fault. That has to change...yesterday.

2. Preston Evans....Holy Shit....he won't be like Joe. He'll be like Preston.

3. DJ McNorton did just fine. He really didn't get much space to do anything. Their special teams coverage was outstanding...no...stifling.

4. Tight ends are incredible. They're going to give the MVFC fits. Wow! They're top-shelf FBS players. Holloway will be a very good wide receiver.

5. Our two defensive tackles rocked. The defensive line, as a whole, will chew up many of our opponents.

6. Siger was impressive. We should have given him and Voigt a few carries. Paschall...what can I say? He's the man. Wow! Doesn't like contact? Bullshit

7. Give our offensive line another couple of weeks and they will be extremely dominant. They 'are' impressive. They are an FBS line.
8. OK...here goes. Mertens mostly impressed me. :hide: The interception was an amazing play by their d-back. Nick looked confident & acted like a leader. That's new.

9. Outside of not giving Voigt and Siger a few carries...I liked Vigen's offense...very much. Many new wrinkles...with more to come.

10. I disagree with the 7-4 folks. With some luck & a mimimum of injuries...we're a 9-2 or 8-3 team. Depends mostly on the work-ethic of this group.

11. We won't see a team that's as talented as ISU this year. Hate to disappoint the UNI or SIU fans...but we won't...at least not depth-wise. Not even close.

Finally...I love outdoor football. The atmosphere looked and sounded incredible. What an experience for our team & fans. I am jealous.

(Did I say that I love outdoor football? Can't remember. I love outdoor football...you know...the outdoor kind. Love...it...especially the on-campus kind...outside.)

Love those USC uniforms. Put a Trojan on the helmet...and...tadaaaaaa. lol

[IState]

Love those USC uniforms. Put a Trojan on the helmet...and...tadaaaaaa. lol

I find this humorous simply because yours are a direct ripoff of the Quacks up in Eugene....

[rutlandbison]

I find this humorous simply because yours are a direct ripoff of the Quacks up in Eugene....
HAHAHA Really?!?!?!? Take a closer look.
http://1ac1.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/10163.jpg

[Dazz]

The ISU team that we played last night was 'much' more talented than MN was in 2006 and 2007. They were more physically imposing across the board...and their ball handlers were extremely talented. QB is a stud. If ISU doesn't win 2 or 3 games in the Big 12...I'll be very surprised. With fine-tuning, they could be very good.


I saw two extremely pivotal plays that really stood out...game-changing, momentum destroyers for us.


1. Their fumble at the goal line. It was a damn fumble. No touchdown. We get the ball. HUGE. If this didn't happen...a nail-biter to the end. We weren't outplayed like the score showed...not even close. ISU was 'very, very' fortunate. We were not dominated physically.


2. Our fumble at the goal line. HUGE (Oh God...please keep this from becoming a thread about 'you know who.')

Other observations:

1. In the first half, our defense was hung out to dry entirely too long. We didn't sustain drives to help them out. Not their fault. That has to change...yesterday.

2. Preston Evans....Holy Shit....he won't be like Joe. He'll be like Preston.

3. DJ McNorton did just fine. He really didn't get much space to do anything. Their special teams coverage was outstanding...no...stifling.

4. Tight ends are incredible. They're going to give the MVFC fits. Wow! They're top-shelf FBS players. Holloway will be a very good wide receiver.

5. Our two defensive tackles rocked. The defensive line, as a whole, will chew up many of our opponents.

6. Siger was impressive. We should have given him and Voigt a few carries. Paschall...what can I say? He's the man. Wow! Doesn't like contact? Bullshit

7. Give our offensive line another couple of weeks and they will be extremely dominant. They 'are' impressive. They are an FBS line.
8. OK...here goes. Mertens mostly impressed me. :hide: The interception was an amazing play by their d-back. Nick looked confident & acted like a leader. That's new.

9. Outside of not giving Voigt and Siger a few carries...I liked Vigen's offense...very much. Many new wrinkles...with more to come.

10. I disagree with the 7-4 folks. With some luck & a mimimum of injuries...we're a 9-2 or 8-3 team. Depends mostly on the work-ethic of this group.

11. We won't see a team that's as talented as ISU this year. Hate to disappoint the UNI or SIU fans...but we won't...at least not depth-wise. Not even close.

Finally...I love outdoor football. The atmosphere looked and sounded incredible. What an experience for our team & fans. I am jealous.

(Did I say that I love outdoor football? Can't remember. I love outdoor football...you know...the outdoor kind. Love...it...especially the on-campus kind...outside.)

Love those USC uniforms. Put a Trojan on the helmet...and...tadaaaaaa. lol

Lets not go crazy. While a Bison fan I am a realist. Iowa State will end up the worst team in the Big XII this season. As far as being more talented than UM in the two years we played them, that's funny as well. Our teams that played during those years were so much better than the product we have on the field now.

[CaBisonFan]

I find this humorous simply because yours are a direct ripoff of the Quacks up in Eugene....

What is it about Iowa schools? You have USC uniforms...and Iowa has Steelers uniforms. It's not a big deal. Good job though. It was for you...:cool:

[CaBisonFan]

Lets not go crazy. While a Bison fan I am a realist. Iowa State will end up the worst team in the Big XII this season. As far as being more talented than UM in the two years we played them, that's funny as well. Our teams that played during those years were so much better than the product we have on the field now.

Why be a realist about a game...huh? :ranting:

The 2007 MN team could have gone down to Ames and gotten blown out by 40.

[Bisoncurling]

No no no ISU's jerseys are way different from USC's... ISU has TWO strips on each shoulder, USC only has ONE. So obviously they are way different. Right?

[Dazz]

Because what is the point of setting yourself up for disappointment. I knew this was going to happen being a freshmen in 06 and getting to see them lose 2 games in 2 seasons. I knew once they were eligible for the playoffs they were no longer gonna be ready to play in them. The good thing about this year though is there is no pressure. You are not the top team coming in.

[CaBisonFan]

No no no ISU's jerseys are way different from USC's... ISU has TWO strips on each shoulder, USC only has ONE. So obviously they are way different. Right?

Exactly...and they're thinner. Totally different. lol

[CaBisonFan]

Because what is the point of setting yourself up for disappointment. I knew this was going to happen being a freshmen in 06 and getting to see them lose 2 games in 2 seasons. I knew once they were eligible for the playoffs they were no longer gonna be ready to play in them. The good thing about this year though is there is no pressure. You are not the top team coming in.

What is the point of thinking they'll do badly? I've got real things to 'worry' about.

[Dazz]

I am not thinking they will do badly either. I think they will win 7 games.

Also I think you think that Iowa State is a lot better than they are.

[CaBisonFan]

I am not thinking they will do badly either. I think they will win 7 games.

Also I think you think that Iowa State is a lot better than they are.

The physicality of the 07 MN team compared to ISU is...no comparison. Their QB, runningbacks, and receivers are studs compared to what we saw in the baggie. You won't find a bigger fan of Walker, Mays, Steffes, Roehl, Dahl, etc, etc, etc. Lots of great players...and great teams. My 'opinions' about this have nothing to do with them. To me...those teams were champions...but their games against MN weren't their top performances of the year. We played average against a typical MN team.

But I must remind you that I don't think much about what I think. I do this for fun. Okeedokee?

[mebisonII]

Edit: Wow, this got long. Expect a few TL,DLR comments :P

Alright, made it into the office before 9am after going to the game last night and getting home ~2am. Met PL, SD, his wife, and SAV briefly during halftime. Great night for football...couldn't have asked for better weather! Could have asked for a different outcome though. Here are my thoughts, FWIW:

1. Mertens: Looked ok for the middle part of the game. It seemed like the first drive or two he was unsteady (lots of players probably were) and then by the last 10 minutes he was forcing a lot of balls into double coverage, overthrowing, etc. Saw several receivers having to catch the ball off their back shoulder, which didn't help anything. I tend to agree with the people who say that if we get behind, we will be in trouble.

2. The fumble: Thought that was an odd play to call. Why go with something so different than what had actually gotten us down the field?

3. The interception: The ISU alum that I was at the game with is not going to let me forget the sight of a pass bouncing off our own player's helmet, straight up into the air and down into a pile of 3 cyclones for a long time.

4. Paschall: was great. Pretty much always took 3 hits to get him down. Usually could pick up at least 3-5 yards after first contact. Cyclone fan behind me: "He has DI talent!" :blush:

5. Evans: As good as advertised.

6. The other fumble: I didn't catch who recovered it, but he gets extra bonus points. Somehow that turned into a +20 yd play for us, and there was a lot of red and yellow in that part of the field.

7. Other Quarterbacks: When we are down 17 with 6 minutes left, and there's no sign that we'll show the spark to get back in it, why not let Perez take a few steps, just to get gametime experience? Even if you aren't trying to replace Nick, lets have a backup who has seen the field in case of injury or something.

8. Defense: On and off. Seemed like we got several 3-and-outs, but if IA St. started getting the ball moving, we just couldn't stop them for anything. Maybe it was the speed of their playcalling.

9. Cyclone Reaction: I'm not sure they left feeling very good about their team. The guy I was with said he didn't expect them to win another game based on what he saw.

10. Penalties: HOW IS IT POSSIBLE TO GET OFFSIDES ON 3 CONSECUTIVE KICKOFFS???? :banghead: We pretty much gave up the length of the field in penalties, while I don't think they had any. Ours were mostly procedural too: kicking team offsides, illegal substitution, etc. Can't win games being that sloppy.

11. Kicking: Can we have their field goal kicker? He missed the 57 yarder (how many teams could even consider trying that), but the 50 yarder was golden and would have been if he had been 10 yards further back, too. Makes the field awfully short. Especially when they get to start on the 30 or 40 yardline every time.

12. Returns: Was that how are system is supposed to work when we are returning? Seemed like the blockers would bunch up and wait for the returner to get to them and then be too slow to get moving and the returner (was it Gaitlin?) would have to turn and scamper laterally across the field by himself. Usually got a few yards, but that just didn't look right.

Alright, I'm done. Based on what I saw, I'd put us somewhere in the 7-4 (realistically) or 8-3 (optimistically) range, depending on how good the conference is.

[CaBisonFan]

Edit: Wow, this got long. Expect a few TL,DLR comments :P

Alright, I'm done. Based on what I saw, I'd put us somewhere in the 7-4 (realistically) or 8-3 (optimistically) range, depending on how good the conference is.


Some good comments. I was hoping for this kind of discussion. You were at the game. Was the atmosphere really great? It looked great on the streaming. I think the recovery was made by Voigtlander. It was a tremendous hustle play by a guy that I call a 'gamer.'

[mebisonII]

Some good comments. I was hoping for this kind of discussion. You were at the game. Was the atmosphere really great? It looked great on the streaming. I think the recovery was made by Voigtlander. It was a tremendous hustle play by a guy that I call a 'gamer.'

I don't have a lot to base it on, as that was the first BCS game I've been too, the first Bison game I've seen in person since 2004, and the first Bison road game I've been to without wearing a marching band uniform.

It was pretty fun though. We were totally surrounded by red. PL wasn't too far off, but I'm not sure if there was any other green in our whole section. So it was a little strange to be up cheering and clapping for a good run and then realize the only voice I could hear was my own! It wasn't real intense...but people were having fun and it was a great night out. So I guess I'd say yes, a good atmosphere!

[BryceCa]

Iowa State will need to greatly improve to have a chance to hit .500 this year. ISU fans are extremely concerned about what they saw last night.

[cydave]

I don't have a lot to base it on, as that was the first BCS game I've been too, the first Bison game I've seen in person since 2004, and the first Bison road game I've been to without wearing a marching band uniform.

It was pretty fun though. We were totally surrounded by red. PL wasn't too far off, but I'm not sure if there was any other green in our whole section. So it was a little strange to be up cheering and clapping for a good run and then realize the only voice I could hear was my own! It wasn't real intense...but people were having fun and it was a great night out. So I guess I'd say yes, a good atmosphere!

It was an average atmosphere. You won't see the big time, very loud, very crazy, very packed type atmosphere unless we are hosting Iowa, or a Big 12 team.


Iowa State will need to greatly improve to have a chance to hit .500 this year. ISU fans are extremely concerned about what they saw last night.

Yep. I am predicting 3-5 wins. If our defense improves greatly, MAYBE 6.

[mebisonII]

It was an average atmosphere. You won't see the big time, very loud, very crazy, very packed type atmosphere unless we are hosting Iowa, or a Big 12 team.

That was my guess. It was fun, but not very intense. IA St. never really had much to worry about, but it was close enough not to be quite comfortable. Just a casual night hanging out in the old stadium.

[cydave]

That was my guess. It was fun, but not very intense. IA St. never really had much to worry about, but it was close enough not to be quite comfortable. Just a casual night hanging out in the old stadium.

Glad you had fun. See you back in Ames either for the basketball game this winter or in 2014 when we open against you guys again.

[bisonaudit]

Special teams were not special.

Net, we gave up about 100 yards of field position. Kickoff coverage was not good at all.

We had 60 yards in penalties which isn't a total disaster, but somehow they only picked up 1 for 10 yards after the game was decided, so that made our number look/feel worse.

The most popular guy on an average football team is always the 2nd quarterback.

[mebisonII]

Special teams were not special.

Net, we gave up about 100 yards of field position. Kickoff coverage was not good at all.

We had 60 yards in penalties which isn't a total disaster, but somehow they only picked up 1 for 10 yards after the game was decided, so that made our number look/feel worse.

The most popular guy on an average football team is always the 2nd quarterback.

:rofl: That's pretty good.

[Scooter1]

9. Cyclone Reaction: I'm not sure they left feeling very good about their team. The guy I was with said he didn't expect them to win another game based on what he saw.


I think this guy was expecting the same blow out 37-3 third quarter ass pumping that they gave SDSU last year. When it didn't happen he assumed the worst for his team. The reality is that ISU should be an improved team over last year.

They should beat..

1. Kent State. It is on the road but they beat these guys by 20 last year.
2. Army. It is in Ames and if they go into this game 2-1 they should take care of business.

They can beat...

3. Baylor at Ames. (I know they lost last year.)
4. Texas AM on the road (they have a 40% chance of winning this game also)
5. Colorado at Ames (lost a nail biter last year)

Based on what I saw last night, I would say anything less than four wins for this team should be called a failure. A 7 win season and the ISU coach gets coach of the year in the B 12. I am positive that ISU will win more games than last year.

[mebisonII]

I think this guy was expecting the same blow out 37-3 third quarter ass pumping that they gave SDSU last year. When it didn't happen he assumed the worst for his team. The reality is that ISU should be an improved team over last year.

They should beat..

1. Kent State. It is on the road but they beat these guys by 20 last year.
2. Army. It is in Ames and if they go into this game 2-1 they should take care of business.

They can beat...

3. Baylor at Ames. (I know they lost last year.)
4. Texas AM on the road (they have a 40% chance of winning this game also)
5. Colorado at Ames (lost a nail biter last year)

Based on what I saw last night, I would say anything less than four wins for this team should be called a failure. A 7 win season and the ISU coach gets coach of the year in the B 12. I am positive that ISU will win more games than last year.

I would tend to agree with you. I think my ISU friend was a bit pessimistic. But I can see where it comes from...NDSU and SDSU are more or less on the same level, and they thumped SDSU before getting rocked for the rest of the season. If they start out looking worse...:hide:

[cydave]

I think this guy was expecting the same blow out 37-3 third quarter ass pumping that they gave SDSU last year. When it didn't happen he assumed the worst for his team. The reality is that ISU should be an improved team over last year.

They should beat..

1. Kent State. It is on the road but they beat these guys by 20 last year.
2. Army. It is in Ames and if they go into this game 2-1 they should take care of business.

They can beat...

3. Baylor at Ames. (I know they lost last year.)
4. Texas AM on the road (they have a 40% chance of winning this game also)
5. Colorado at Ames (lost a nail biter last year)

Based on what I saw last night, I would say anything less than four wins for this team should be called a failure. A 7 win season and the ISU coach gets coach of the year in the B 12. I am positive that ISU will win more games than last year.

I would maybe change out Texas A&M with Iowa. This is a huge rivalry and Iowa has lost their last 2 trips to Ames. Both of those wins were when we were HUGE underdogs. In 2005 Iowa was ranked #8 and we won 23-3, I think they got in the red zone just once. Strange things happen in rivalry games.
Then I would also add K-state to the "can" win column. This game is at a neutral site, Arrowhead Stadium, and we will have a huge fan following there. We almost beat them last year at their place, and they too are under a new coaching staff.

This brings us to anywhere from 3-7 wins. However, in my realistic view, I think we will win 3-5. IF we win 6 or 7, and make a bowl game, that would be HUGE, yet very unlikely.

[Cat80]

I find this humorous simply because yours are a direct ripoff of the Quacks up in Eugene....

How can you tell, the Quacks change every game? ISU changes logos and design every couple of seasons. What's next, the return of the swooping ISU?

[Cat80]

It was an average atmosphere. You won't see the big time, very loud, very crazy, very packed type atmosphere unless we are hosting Iowa, or a Big 12 team.



Yep. I am predicting 3-5 wins. If our defense improves greatly, MAYBE 6.

I concur. Arnaud can tighten things up on his throws too. For the first time in a long time, the 'clones showed promise.

I disagree on the Iowa or Big 12 crowd. The 54,000+ two years ago for the UNI game was pretty loud. For a while.

[cydave]

I concur. Arnaud can tighten things up on his throws too. For the first time in a long time, the 'clones showed promise.

I disagree on the Iowa or Big 12 crowd. The 54,000+ two years ago for the UNI game was pretty loud. For a while.

Yeah, I forgot, whenever UNI comes to town its very intense. I believe our all time crowd record was set when we played UNI.

[Cat80]

Yeah, I forgot, whenever UNI comes to town its very intense. I believe our all time crowd record was set when we played UNI.

No offense, Dave but I'm not called as many dirty names in my entire life as I am wearing a purple shirt at Jack Trice.

Good luck the rest of the way and we probably should leave the Bison to their own board!:nod:

[cydave]

No offense, Dave but I'm not called as many dirty names in my entire life as I am wearing a purple shirt at Jack Trice.

Good luck the rest of the way and we probably should leave the Bison to their own board!:nod:

LOL yeah, in-state rivals aren't liked at JTS. I'd imagine its a lot worse if you're wearing black and gold, or Husker clothes. ;)

I agree. Good luck to you guys as well.

[BisonNeil]

10. Penalties: HOW IS IT POSSIBLE TO GET OFFSIDES ON 3 CONSECUTIVE KICKOFFS???? :banghead: We pretty much gave up the length of the field in penalties, while I don't think they had any. Ours were mostly procedural too: kicking team offsides, illegal substitution, etc. Can't win games being that sloppy.

How does this happen? Quite simply, put succinctly in one word: Bohl.

Bohl is the kickoff special teams coach. Other coaches have other special teams but this is the one Bohl does himself. Kick off special teams have absolutely sucked for three years. That is beyond argument. I have begged Bohl on his radio show to fire his kick off return special teams coach, yet he continues to torture us.

For someone who comes off as being intelligent it absolutely is beyond comprehension that he cannot see show badly he sucks at coaching this special team.

[umdbulldogs]

cabison, why do feel the need to try and take shots @ the u of minny? its almost like you have a complex where you think ndsu football in d2 is equal to the big ten! I'm starting to think your a troll on bisonville judt trying to make enough stabs at certain schools where people decide to defend such institutions! every chance u get your saying something negative about the gophers or I state, but then talking noise about how amazing ndsu is....sounds like your jealous of major conference football!
by the way I was told I was stupid for saying isu is better than the 07 goofers...and the 07 bison were heads and shoulders above this squad...when will someone give some love for being the truth? I know cabison won't say it cause he will be busy bashing the gophers cause he's jealous that minny gets love and ndsu is in fargo hahaha

[TheBisonator]

cabison, why do feel the need to try and take shots @ the u of minny? its almost like you have a complex where you think ndsu football in d2 is equal to the big ten! I'm starting to think your a troll on bisonville judt trying to make enough stabs at certain schools where people decide to defend such institutions! every chance u get your saying something negative about the gophers or I state, but then talking noise about how amazing ndsu is....sounds like your jealous of major conference football!
by the way I was told I was stupid for saying isu is better than the 07 goofers...and the 07 bison were heads and shoulders above this squad...when will someone give some love for being the truth? I know cabison won't say it cause he will be busy bashing the gophers cause he's jealous that minny gets love and ndsu is in fargo hahaha

Minny gets love?? From who??:confused: :confused: :confused:

[gotts]

cabison, why do feel the need to try and take shots @ the u of minny? its almost like you have a complex where you think ndsu football in d2 is equal to the big ten! I'm starting to think your a troll on bisonville judt trying to make enough stabs at certain schools where people decide to defend such institutions! every chance u get your saying something negative about the gophers or I state, but then talking noise about how amazing ndsu is....sounds like your jealous of major conference football!
by the way I was told I was stupid for saying isu is better than the 07 goofers...and the 07 bison were heads and shoulders above this squad...when will someone give some love for being the truth? I know cabison won't say it cause he will be busy bashing the gophers cause he's jealous that minny gets love and ndsu is in fargo hahaha

Come again?

[tjbison]

cabison, why do feel the need to try and take shots @ the u of minny? its almost like you have a complex where you think ndsu football in d2 is equal to the big ten! I'm starting to think your a troll on bisonville judt trying to make enough stabs at certain schools where people decide to defend such institutions! every chance u get your saying something negative about the gophers or I state, but then talking noise about how amazing ndsu is....sounds like your jealous of major conference football!
by the way I was told I was stupid for saying isu is better than the 07 goofers...and the 07 bison were heads and shoulders above this squad...when will someone give some love for being the truth? I know cabison won't say it cause he will be busy bashing the gophers cause he's jealous that minny gets love and ndsu is in fargo hahaha

well being a troll on here tells me your suffering from this also!!

[Purple Jalepeno]

cabison, why do feel the need to try and take shots @ the u of minny? its almost like you have a complex where you think ndsu football in d2 is equal to the big ten! I'm starting to think your a troll on bisonville judt trying to make enough stabs at certain schools where people decide to defend such institutions! every chance u get your saying something negative about the gophers or I state, but then talking noise about how amazing ndsu is....sounds like your jealous of major conference football!
by the way I was told I was stupid for saying isu is better than the 07 goofers...and the 07 bison were heads and shoulders above this squad...when will someone give some love for being the truth? I know cabison won't say it cause he will be busy bashing the gophers cause he's jealous that minny gets love and ndsu is in fargo hahaha


Great post! But he might not reply back. I have not scrolled down yet. He might be busy loading the 1987 1st round game video of the DII playoffs against New Jersey College of Future Lobster Boat Captains! Sorry... I needed to come back and edit. This was NDSU 6th DII championship.

Dude great post!

[CaBisonFan]

cabison, why do feel the need to try and take shots @ the u of minny? its almost like you have a complex where you think ndsu football in d2 is equal to the big ten! I'm starting to think your a troll on bisonville judt trying to make enough stabs at certain schools where people decide to defend such institutions! every chance u get your saying something negative about the gophers or I state, but then talking noise about how amazing ndsu is....sounds like your jealous of major conference football!
by the way I was told I was stupid for saying isu is better than the 07 goofers...and the 07 bison were heads and shoulders above this squad...when will someone give some love for being the truth? I know cabison won't say it cause he will be busy bashing the gophers cause he's jealous that minny gets love and ndsu is in fargo hahaha

The Gophers get no love from the country. I taught in West-Central Minnesota for a lot of years and earned my Gophers stripes. But please...don't put down NDSU by comparing them to the Big 11. (Can these people count? I mean really...the Big 8 got it. The PAC-8 got it.) LOL

Oh yes...I once was an avid Gophers fan that lost his voice during the Big Dance runs...but it lost its appeal after the games in 06 & 07. The real 'class' acts in athletics compliment their opponent after losing...even if they don't mean it. In Minnesota's case, it was blown off purely as a strange enomoly...you know...like that never would have happened in the past. I call it the Sid Hartman Complex...where everything can be rationalized away.

But cereally...the physicality of the ISU team was light-years ahead of the 06 & 07 MN teams. I freely admit that those teams sucked. But in my past life...I remember watching an awful lot of Gopher football teams snatching defeat out of the jaws of victory. Oh, the thrill of losing a 3 or 4 touchdown lead to Iowa, Wisconsin, Ohio State...and others. As a former Gopher fan, I thought I was living in groundhog country...or some form of deja vu all over again. If there was a way...the Gophers could be counted on. Still...I didn't lose the faith...until the classless attitude after the Bison beat on the Gophers. And yes...stats 'do' matter. Both years were blowouts. The Bison put in average performances in the red zone both years. Maybe a little bit of stage fright contributed to that...not sure. Just trying to give a little credit to the 2009 Bison for going into an arena that was packed to the gills, with real fan attitude, and a team that has some big-time athleticism on the field.

Do you understand this? Is there something that you don't get? Oh yeah...I watched the UMD game on Thursday. Good team. Bet you'll all throw away your recordings of the title game from 08 and bury the whole thing. It'll never come up 20 or 30 years from now. (That was sarcasm...OK?)

The joy is in the catch UMD......:cool:

[MplsLaker]

Lets not go crazy. While a Bison fan I am a realist. Iowa State will end up the worst team in the Big XII this season. As far as being more talented than UM in the two years we played them, that's funny as well. Our teams that played during those years were so much better than the product we have on the field now.

ding, ding, ding. we have a winner johnny! i read many of his posts and quite frankly CaBisonFan is a bit over the top and many times is "off" in his football analysis.

the other thing is he seems to have a giant hard-on for the minnesota gophers (even though he "claims" to not be a fan of them and insists he is not jealous of BCS conference football - sure you're not buddy boy) and still talks about them way too much considering that game was played going on 3 years ago by as you noted: the best ndsu team of all time vs. the worst UM team of all time. something tells me his "claim" that he used to pull for the U of M back in the day is hogwash as well. me thinks it is really just a made up story, so that he has an open-ended excuse to keep bringing up the U of M in practically every post he makes and so he can hold onto 2007 for the next 50 years of his life.

but hey at least he tries hard, so i will give him some credit there.

i know it is sad and hard to do, but it is time to move on CaBisonFan. f-ing move on already! the way you hang onto that 2007 anomaly of a win for ndsu is getting pretty pathetic to say the least. :(

[CaBisonFan]

i know it is sad and hard to do, but it is time to move on CaBisonFan. f-ing move on already! the way you hang onto that 2007 anomaly of a win for ndsu is getting pretty pathetic to say the least. :(

Almost have my limit....:cool:

[rutlandbison]

ding, ding, ding. we have a winner johnny! i read many of his posts and quite frankly CaBisonFan is a bit over the top and many times is "off" in his football analysis.

the other thing is he seems to have a giant hard-on for the minnesota gophers (even though he "claims" to not be a fan of them and insists he is not jealous of BCS conference football - sure you're not buddy boy) and still talks about them way too much considering that game was played going on 3 years ago by as you noted: the best ndsu team of all time vs. the worst UM team of all time. something tells me his "claim" that he used to pull for the U of M back in the day is hogwash as well. me thinks it is really just a made up story, so that he has an open-ended excuse to keep bringing up the U of M in practically every post he makes and so he can hold onto 2007 for the next 50 years of his life.

but hey at least he tries hard, so i will give him some credit there.

i know it is sad and hard to do, but it is time to move on CaBisonFan. f-ing move on already! the way you hang onto that 2007 anomaly of a win for ndsu is getting pretty pathetic to say the least. :(
I don't think it was an anomaly. But yeah, it was 2 years ago.

[TransAmBison]

I don't think it was an anomaly. But yeah, it was 2 years ago.
I wouldn't call it an anomaly either. When the year before we only lose by 1 point and they make a bowl game...I would say that puts on the same level. No, we are not Big Ten level...but neither are the Gophers. Booooyah!

[Tatanka]

I wouldn't call it an anomaly either. When the year before we only lose by 1 point and they make a bowl game...I would say that puts on the same level. No, we are not Big Ten level...but neither are the Gophers. Booooyah!

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f159/RaulMonkey/IronEagle_SickBurn.gif

[rutlandbison]

I wouldn't call it an anomaly either. When the year before we only lose by 1 point and they make a bowl game...I would say that puts on the same level. No, we are not Big Ten level...but neither are the Gophers. Booooyah!
BOOOYAH!!!

[VanClubPres]

7. Other Quarterbacks: When we are down 17 with 6 minutes left, and there's no sign that we'll show the spark to get back in it, why not let Perez take a few steps, just to get gametime experience? Even if you aren't trying to replace Nick, lets have a backup who has seen the field in case of injury or something.



Ok now I am going to brag just a tiny little bit. I was lucky enough to know some people who know some people who got us passes on to the sidelines for the game. At one point, Coach came over and told Perez to warm up because he was going in on the next possesion, and we did have one, bu he never went in. Do not know why, but there was a reason. I was kinda hoping just to see him play, but there will be another chance in the future.

[56BISON73]

Ok now I am going to brag just a tiny little bit. I was lucky enough to know some people who know some people who got us passes on to the sidelines for the game. At one point, Coach came over and told Perez to warm up because he was going in on the next possesion, and we did have one, bu he never went in. Do not know why, but there was a reason. I was kinda hoping just to see him play, but there will be another chance in the future.

You were wearing the van club pres t-shirt werent you:D

[mebisonII]

Ok now I am going to brag just a tiny little bit. I was lucky enough to know some people who know some people who got us passes on to the sidelines for the game. At one point, Coach came over and told Perez to warm up because he was going in on the next possesion, and we did have one, bu he never went in. Do not know why, but there was a reason. I was kinda hoping just to see him play, but there will be another chance in the future.

Oh, I saw that Van Club Pres shirt down there! Must have been a fun vantage point to watch from!

Glad to hear they were at least planning to put him in. This isn't a huge anti-Mertens thing at all. Just seems like if you aren't likely to affect the final outcome anyways, why not take a look at some other people and give them a little experience. Heck, you never know when your Heisman Trophy winning quarterback is going to fall wrong and spend the game sitting on the sideline. :hide:

[EndZoneQB]

Heck, you never know when your Heisman Trophy winning quarterback is going to fall wrong and spend the game sitting on the sideline. :hide:

That play may have given me a trip to the national championship :)

[westnodak93bison]

Lets not go crazy. While a Bison fan I am a realist. Iowa State will end up the worst team in the Big XII this season. As far as being more talented than UM in the two years we played them, that's funny as well. Our teams that played during those years were so much better than the product we have on the field now.

After watching Colorado last night I'd have to say ISU is better than the Buffs. Buffs offense is not good and in the Big 12 that aint gonna cut it.

After watching the Goophers play Syracuse and barely win I was not impressed and they still are the Goophers.