Win or Lose: I like Coach Kill

[tony]

Was doing my search for NDSU stuff while waiting for a compile to finish and found this:

http://www.gopherhole.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1482

Minnesota has players NDSU would have loved to have but Kill is going to be the toughest opponent.

[OnTheFifty]

Some official transcript questions:

COACH KILL: Thanks for everybody being here.
We are hard in preparation for North Dakota State, a team that I have great respect for, and somebody that I know a lot about through the years. I've got great respect for their coach. Been watching their film. It's a football team that plays tremendously hard. They reflect their head coach. He's a hard nosed guy. And they play that way. They do not take plays off. That's something that we can learn from here at the University of Minnesota.
But they play as hard as anybody that we play to this point in time. And I think you all know, being here from the State of Minnesota, that they have had pretty good fortune over the past I believe four or five years. Guys are going to have to help me today 2007, correct?

They came in and won. And then it took a blocked field go to win the other one. So I think that that should tell us something.
So I will tell you that I think that this game -- and no disrespect to anybody else on our schedule, no disrespect to Miami -- we'll have to play better than we did against Miami to win.
And you know, that is what it is.


Q. Can you think how hard North Dakota State their roster is filled with kids that wanted to be recruited
COACH KILL: I know. I hear about it every day.

Q. not being good enough
COACH KILL: I understand.

Q. These kids want to give it their best shot in their one shot here.
COACH KILL: Well, I've heard about it since I took the job. Shoot, I was told I wasn't good enough for the job. So, hell, I'm one of those guys. You don't think I don't compete or I don't think about that from a day to day basis? So you bet your tail end they are going to come in here and be ready to play, and they are going to play with a chip on their shoulder.
North Dakota State has made a living off Minnesota kids for a long time. I played against them when I was at Pittsburg State when Rocky Hager was there and I was offensive coordinator and we were both running split back veer, and shoot we were drawing 25,000 people at the Dome and we were the ones that opened the Dome when I was at Pittsburg State.
So I have a long time of history. So you don't have to convince me and tell me how hard those son-of-a-bucks are going to play. That's a subject that doesn't need to be discussed. I know they are going to play their best game, and I know they are going to play hard. I've got to make sure I our kids understand that. And, you know, if they don't understand it, they are not very educated, because it is what it is. They got beat in 2007 here and they had to block a field goal (to win in 2006).
So you need to take all that I lived with that I AA and Division II label and all that, and I'm the same guy that we were I AA and we went to Indiana and kicked their butt. Those things you can throw out the door. That's why college football is such a great sport. You don't know who is going to win from week to week. That's why you play. It don't matter what damn level it is, you'd better hook it up. They have some good players now, I'm telling you.
So I mean, you're not going to hear me say anything, because I know. I've lived it. Now, some of these people may not have lived it, and we have got some kids in the program that should have lived it still. Bennett ought to remember it. So hopefully he'll get the message across.
But we really, to be honest with you, if our kids are very smart and they watch the film from last week, hell, we've got to get a lot better. We are still a long way from being very good. So, we have got to get better. I'm more worried about us getting better. I mean, even in the New Mexico State, in the loss, there's things that got better in that game, even though the game was lost. There was some things that got better, and so we have got a lot of room for improvement to make and we know. That.
You know, to me, this is a huge game for us, it really is. We need to get better. We need to play well. I think the game is sold out. So you know, we need to get it done.


Q. Going back to the New Mexico State game, you go out to Southern Cal, nobody gives you a chance to even be in the ballgame and then your kids are looking at this film of New Mexico State, I don't know if you showed it to them or not; and Ohio U beats them (44-24). My feeling is that your kids have no reason to be overconfident, but they were not really ready to play against New Mexico State because they did beat a good team in Miami.
COACH KILL: Well, since New Mexico State, I've had about I don't know about how many damn seizures. I've had a hell of a lot of stuff happen to me since New Mexico State; so I can't remember my damn name sometimes.
But I can tell you this from New Mexico State is that from that game, is that football is a strange game, and there's about three there's at least three times in that deal there should have been points, three touchdowns on the board. I don't think the kids did not play hard, and weren't ready to play and all that kind of stuff; they didn't execute.
And why they didn't execute that's our responsibility. Shoot, we probably gave them too much information for them to execute, so I'm not going to blame the kids. But we didn’t do a good enough job. We probably felt like yeah, we came off USC, we played a good third and fourth quarter, we can move on, we can go a little faster here coaching.
But through my coaching career, we have won most of the games we are supposed to win. And you can go back and look and we have done it. Do I feel bad about that game? Hell, yeah, I mean, it's a game we should have won. Any time you got the ball inside the five, or whatever it was, three times and you don't get touchdowns, that's I'm used to being able to handle the damn ball off and stick it up somebody's tail end, but we didn't do it.
You know, where we are at in our program, there is no room for error, in any game we play, any game. We can play and we can win games. But there is no room for error.
It's just like on Saturday, Miami, it shouldn't have gone down to the last play of the game against Miami. If we had kept contained on the quarterback and understand what leverage is, that game's over. So, we're lucky. We weren't so lucky against New Mexico State, you know, my opinion. We scored; we had the ball on the one yard line and I feel like we scored. There ain't no question in my mind, but you no what, it shouldn't have been that close. If we were worth a damn, he would have scored and he'd have ran it two yards in the end zone and we wouldn't have to question it.
So there's just no room for error with our program where it's at and the kids playing, and they have got to understand that. So you're right, they have got to bring their A Game every week. And you watch the pros, hell, they can't bring their damn A Game every week. They take damn plays off and all. That that's why I do have respect for North Dakota State. They don't take no damn plays off. That's why they win. If we learn not to take any damn plays off, then we wouldn't have lost to New Mexico State. So it's a deal of getting the mentality built into a group of young people that, hey, you are not super human, forget the five star bull. You need to learn how to play hard. That's it. Now, be don't write all that language in there (Laughter) but I'm pretty wired up so, it is what it is.

Q. What's your philosophy of playing North Dakota State, South Dakota State?
COACH KILL: Well, I don't have no choice. I mean, the schedule is made. I mean, I can comment on what I like to do and what I want to do.
Right now, you know, I just had that question asked, what are you going to do on schedule and three years from now when you only have three games. Hell, I've got I'm thinking about today's practice and how we are going to do in today's practice and what we are going to get better at.
I really have not put tons of thought on it. It's one of those things, playing North Dakota State and the history of what's happened the last two times we have played them, you know, I'd rather play somebody else, you know. But is it good for the college football? Is it good for the state? Is it good for, you know, everybody? We have got a sold out place. It's college football. It will be a great evening, all that kind of stuff. That's good.
But I can tell you this, is that we have everything to lose. They have nothing to lose. When we came to Northern Illinois, hell, when we came to Minnesota, do you think I was going to leave any chips on the table if we had to? No. Didn't have to worry about it, you know. That's just how it is.
It doesn't matter if it's and that I AA, let me tell you something about I AA. It's one of the greatest levels to coach at in the history of football. Because I AA, you get 60 63. You get 63 full rides. But you still get 85 on scholarship, all right. And at the time I was there, you have got the one year transfers; I coached some guys, Brandon Jacobs I remember coaching kids now, at that level, but you can break up scholarships. So if you're not sure on a kid, okay, you can give him tuition and books, and then maybe he grows into something special. So you can roll the dice. But at this level, you can't roll no dice. APR, all that stuff, is a whole different game than what it is at this level.
So you're talking about a level to coach at and get some players? I mean, let me tell you something. You don't think App(alachian) State didn't have players when they went to play the University of Michigan? Let me tell you, Appy State, they can beat University of Michigan; they can beat a lot of teams. And I don't care what anybody says in the room, because I played them, I watched them. They were good.
So all that stuff, it comes down to Saturday, you play the game, and the team that makes the least mistakes usually wins. And that's what it's going to come down to.

[CaBisonFan]

Was doing my search for NDSU stuff while waiting for a compile to finish and found this:

http://www.gopherhole.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1482

Minnesota has players NDSU would have loved to have but Kill is going to be the toughest opponent.

Gopher football will get better with him there. It has to be a breath of fresh air to most Gopher fans. Maybe he'll even let our band play.

[NWNDBison]

Wow! Not afraid to tell it like it is, is he?

[Hammersmith]

Damn, now I miss Mason and Brewster. They were easy to hate. This guy has to be all respectful and nice and stuff. That sucks.

[WYOBISONMAN]

Damn, now I miss Mason and Brewster. They were easy to hate. This guy has to be all respectful and nice and stuff. That sucks.

Coach Kill is a class act. Not a buffoon like Brew.

[EndZoneQB]

Kill is legit, GREAT hire. He seems like the guy that you just listen to when he starts talking...

[Herd]

You can bet that I will stand and cheer loudly for coach Kill . . . you can bet on that. What a classy guy.

On the flip side, we also have a very good coach in Fargo. I would not trade him.

[EndZoneQB]

You can bet that I will stand and cheer loudly for coach Kill . . . you can bet on that. What a classy guy.

On the flip side, we also have a very good coach in Fargo. I would not trade him.

The jury is still out on Bohl IMO. Is he a bad coach? HELL NO! Very good? We will see this year. And the next. He has a history of being stubborn so I hope we don't have issues like that AGAIN.

[TheBisonator]

Kill will have troubles this year with the team (not enough talent/Brew's talent), but in the next couple/few seasons, he will turn the Gophers into TRUE contenders. I have no question about that. He may end up being to Minnesota what Alvarez was to Wisconsin.

I wouldn't like for us to be playing the Gophers in 2014.

[IzzyFlexion]

I know that we as fans cannot and will not control the outcome or this game. But I would hope that the team and the staff don't get sucked into the "Kill is such a great guy and we're pulling for him" vortex

Anyone else see the HBO special on Bird and Magic?

Larry and Magic had never met socially until after their famous NCAA Championship matchup. Early on in their pro careers (I believe it was their second or third season) they shot a shoe commercial together and although polar opposites in personality, they ended up bonding that day after the shoot with some real quality "new friends" time.

They didn't see each other again until they went head to head early on in the next regular season. Magic, being the extrovert, approached Larry in the tunnel as the team passed each other. Magic said that he was excited to see Larry and and hoped for a friendly exchange of hellos. According to Johnson, Larry stared at him as though he had just killed his dog and made no effort to greet Magic.

That's what made Bird so damn great.

I guess what all of this jibberish is trying to get at is that for this week................Kill and the Gophs are the enemy and I hope Bohl and company approach it this way.

[SlickVic]

He has a potty mouth someone should get him some soap...that good old boy shtick all only go so far...sooner or later he's gonna realize your in the big ten now Michigan Nebraska Iowa Michigan state plus Wisconsin every year...I think its safe to say theryll be a lot of swearing going on over the next few seasons in gopher land....I got my money on the "this isn't going to end well" line...they shoulda never fired Glenn mason that guy was pure class as the old saying goes you made your bed now lie in it goophers good luck

[SDbison]

I agree.........I don't care if Kill is the messiah, all I want is for NDSU to beat the living crap out of the gophers. Bunch of blathering fools on this messageboard. None of you have a clue. Kill is coaching at Minnesota........get it........they will NEVER out recruit Ohio State, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Michigan and Iowa. So at best Minnesota at might finish second in their 6 team subconference in the next 5 or 10 years. BFD!

[344Johnson]

I agree.........I don't care if Kill is the messiah, all I want is for NDSU to beat the living crap out of the gophers. Bunch of blathering fools on this messageboard. None of you have a clue. Kill is coaching at Minnesota........get it........they will NEVER out recruit Ohio State, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Michigan and Iowa. So at best Minnesota at might finish second in their 6 team subconference in the next 5 or 10 years. BFD!

It'd be tough for them but hey, Wisconsin wasn't always great by any means either. Do I think Minnesota will ever win a Big Ten(12) title? Not anytime in the next 10 years. But hey, Northwestern made the Rose Bowl in '96 right?

[WYOBISONMAN]

Good god......you can respect an opposing coach and still want to beat the team.:facepalm:

[TbonZach]

Good god......you can respect an opposing coach and still want to beat the team.:facepalm:

^^ What he said. Not to derail the thread/turn it into a measuring contest, but I still feel that way about Dale Lennon. As a person/coach I have a lot of respect for him. But as the UND/SIU coach he can sit on the pointy end of a broom. Same goes for Jerry Kill. He's a great person/coach, but as the UofM coach he can shove it.

[Tatanka]

^^ What he said. Not to derail the thread/turn it into a measuring contest, but I still feel that way about Dale Lennon. As a person/coach I have a lot of respect for him. But as the UND/SIU coach he can sit on the pointy end of a broom. Same goes for Jerry Kill. He's a great person/coach, but as the UofM coach he can shove it.

well put.

[SportsLover]

The guy is a class act! But to say he is going to resurrect the gophers is one of the preposterous statements of the year. The Big 10 is a lot different than any of the other conferences he has coached in. Ill give the guy credit he has turned around 2 teams quick. But the jury is still out on finding recruits that can compete for a Big 10 title. But he is obviously an upgrade from Brewster (A big upgrade) The guy can talk the talk but can he walk the walk. He is in a total different league of talent and coaches. He will bring the gophers out of the bottom of the standings but i still dont think he will be able to bring in recruits with the ability's to compete with the Penn Sts, Ohio Sts and Wisconsins.

Anyways let's kick some gopher behind while we can!!!!!

[CaBisonFan]

The guy is a class act! But to say he is going to resurrect the gophers is one of the preposterous statements of the year. The Big 10 is a lot different than any of the other conferences he has coached in. Ill give the guy credit he has turned around 2 teams quick. But the jury is still out on finding recruits that can compete for a Big 10 title. But he is obviously an upgrade from Brewster (A big upgrade) The guy can talk the talk but can he walk the walk. He is in a total different league of talent and coaches. He will bring the gophers out of the bottom of the standings but i still dont think he will be able to bring in recruits with the ability's to compete with the Penn Sts, Ohio Sts and Wisconsins.

Anyways let's kick some gopher behind while we can!!!!!

I agree.

Minnesota is one of the toughest jobs in the Big 11 (or is it 12??). Glen Mason brought them to a few high points and should be commended for it. Even places like Wisconsin & Iowa have it easier because of their proximity to Chicago, St. Louis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, and that massive recruiting ground in the Illinois, Ohio, and Michigan region.

But there's something else at Minnesota...an intangible that gets in the way. Kill will do as well as anyone there. He could be the king of MN if he slipped them into the Rose Bowl someday. An upper 3 finish in the conference would be like walking on water. The stadium will help some. The baggie was a disgrace and a downer for the U of M.

[mnriverbison]

None of you have a clue. Kill is coaching at Minnesota........get it........they will NEVER out recruit Ohio State, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Michigan and Iowa. So at best Minnesota at might finish second in their 6 team subconference in the next 5 or 10 years. BFD!

I'm not sure what the state of MN ever did to you, but man can you hold a grudge. "NEVER" is a long time, and there is no reason that MN shouldn't be able to recruit with WI or Iowa. Those programs were also jokes before Alvarez and Fry. These things are cyclical, and much like the "curses" of the Red Sox and Cubs, the real curse of MN football has simply been the bad people running it.

[moosbah]

^^ What he said. Not to derail the thread/turn it into a measuring contest, but I still feel that way about Dale Lennon. As a person/coach I have a lot of respect for him. But as the UND/SIU coach he can sit on the pointy end of a broom. Same goes for Jerry Kill. He's a great person/coach, but as the UofM coach he can shove it.

Very well put.

[heckler]

And I thought it was PL's sausage that everyone liked.

[CAS4127]

^^ What he said. Not to derail the thread/turn it into a measuring contest, but I still feel that way about Dale Lennon. As a person/coach I have a lot of respect for him. But as the UND/SIU coach he can sit on the pointy end of a broom. Same goes for Jerry Kill. He's a great person/coach, but as the UofM coach he can shove it.

I would take Lennon over Kill any day. Kill is just a little too much for me, and I think eventually that will be the case for the Metro media. The good old boy, oh schucks thing gets a little tiring. I prefer and articulate, tell-it-like-it-is coach like Lennon. And I am not so sure Lennon isn't a better coach than Kill.

[steelbison]

I would take Lennon over Kill any day. Kill is just a little too much for me, and I think eventually that will be the case for the Metro media. The good old boy, oh schucks thing gets a little tiring. I prefer and articulate, tell-it-like-it-is coach like Lennon. And I am not so sure Lennon isn't a better coach than Kill.


The next four years will prove or disprove your opinion.


Lennon must prove he can win without Kill's recruits and that remains to be seen.

[WYOBISONMAN]

I think Dale Lennon is one hell of a coach and will prove his worth over that time.

[tcbison]

I think Jerry Kill is a huge improvement over Brewster but it is too early to say he is the next Lou Holtz for Minnesota. I really don't think Mason was that bad of a coach at least with him they won some big games like when they beat Ohio State at the Horseshoe and Michigan at the Big House. I think the biggest test for Kill is to get a good defense which Minnesota hasn't had in I don't know how long.

[tony]

All I know is that Kill's team held Steve Walker and the Bison offense to zero points when he was at SIU. And Kill beat NDSU in a home opener* while coaching Emporia State when Kevin Feeny was the NDSU's QB.

* How many non-conference home openers has NDSU lost since 1983? One?

[tcbison]

All I know is that Kill's team held Steve Walker and the Bison offense to zero points. And Kill beat NDSU in the home opener* while coaching Emporia State when Kevin Feeny was the QB.

* How many home openers has NDSU lost since 1983? One?

True but Steve Walker got hurt in that game early in the 3rd quarter and that was 2005 when NDSU wasn't even up to 63 scholarships yet. I agree that Kill is a good coach but turning Minnesota around is not an easy task.

[SlickVic]

I think Jerry Kill is a huge improvement over Brewster but it is too early to say he is the next Lou Holtz for Minnesota. I really don't think Mason was that bad of a coach at least with him they won some big games like when they beat Ohio State at the Horseshoe and Michigan at the Big House. I think the biggest test for Kill is to get a good defense which Minnesota hasn't had in I don't know how long.

1999 homecoming in happy valley mason rolled in there and beat #1 Penn state on a last second field goal...I believe he was big ten coach of the year that season...but old glen also had some major meltdowns lol still to this day for the life of me I can't figure out how anybody could dislike the guy he was a first class football coach

[SlickVic]

http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/2009/10/17/mag_main_story.aspx


The Thursday night before the Nov. 6 game, Mason remembers having his daughter -- then a Minnesota student -- and her boyfriend over. The boyfriend, a fraternity member, started egging on Mason into going to a party at his frat.

Mason reluctantly agreed.

When Mason returned after the stunning victory, his wife reminded him that he promised to go to the party. He gave in, went and got a "gift."

"I didn't stay there long," Mason said with a laugh. "A kid walked up and gave me -- I'll never forget --and gave me a can of Busch Light beer that was warm. I said to him, 'This is all I get for beating Penn State?' He goes, 'Hey, ice is expensive.' "

That seemed to be the only setback for Minnesota regarding the game.

Mason, who wore a dress shirt and tie whenever he coached against Paterno -- "when you go to a man's house, you ought to dress accordingly," he said -- soon met the man he considered an amazing coach, a legend and a gentleman.

But also a man who looked torn.

"I swear to God, I can see it like it was yesterday," Mason said. "He had a smile on the face for my team and he had a tear in his eye for his team. That takes an unusual guy. Because he knew what those kids had accomplished and what went into it. He saw maybe a dream for his kids going down the drain. That's why I respect the guy so much."

[HerdBot]

True but Steve Walker got hurt in that game early in the 3rd quarter and that was 2005 when NDSU wasn't even up to 63 scholarships yet. I agree that Kill is a good coach but turning Minnesota around is not an easy task.

EDIT 2nd drive of the 3rd quarter hurt.

He got hurt in the first half actually. And I remember the score was 9-0 and with Walker we would have won. Kills team allows 300 yards passing to New Mexico State

[tcbison]

He got hurt in the first half actually. And I remember the score was 9-0 and with Walker we would have won. Kills team allows 300 yards passing to New Mexico State

GoBison.com has it like this: Steve Walker led North Dakota State (7-4, 3-2 Great West), completing 7 of 17 passes for 67 yards. Walker left the game in the third quarter with an injury.

Actually it was the first drive in the 3rd quarter according to the play-by-play summary.

[HerdBot]

GoBison.com has it like this: Steve Walker led North Dakota State (7-4, 3-2 Great West), completing 7 of 17 passes for 67 yards. Walker left the game in the third quarter with an injury.

Actually it was the first drive in the 3rd quarter according to the play-by-play summary.

Your rights. 2nd drive of the 3rd backup went in. My memory is not as good as I remember. But I remember listening on the radio

[everybody knows my name]

1999 homecoming in happy valley mason rolled in there and beat #1 Penn state on a last second field goal...I believe he was big ten coach of the year that season...but old glen also had some major meltdowns lol still to this day for the life of me I can't figure out how anybody could dislike the guy he was a first class football coach


Mason did pretty well compared to his predecessors, and if he hadn't been complacent (satisfied with 7 wins per year) and scornful of the local talent, he'd probably still be cashing a check from the U of M. Unfortunately for Mason, it was easy to let him go after a few horrifying disappointments, mostly due to his poor relations with the natives.

[EndZoneQB]

Mason did pretty well compared to his predecessors, and if he hadn't been complacent (satisfied with 7 wins per year) and scornful of the local talent, he'd probably still be cashing a check from the U of M. Unfortunately for Mason, it was easy to let him go after a few horrifying disappointments, mostly due to his poor relations with the natives.

Mason enjoys his job now, but I know he definitely learned from his mistakes. I think he actually has regrets about how he handled everything. He'll be the first one to tell you if he had recruited anything on defense he'd still be the coach.