Roadblocks to Frisco

[SDbison]

Ok, so I am a Project Manager and look at things differently than most. If the project was to win the MVFC and get to the FCS national championship game a briefing to the stakeholders would include risks to achieving this goal and also suggestions for improvement to mitigate those risks. Some of my thoughts at this point in the season are as follows.
Great to see the Bison at 9-0, but seems like the Bison rely too much on turnovers, defense rising to the occasion, and other teams mistakes for too many of those 9 victories. Yes, some of the ball bouncing the right way is part of college football, but I see many weaknesses on this Bison team that could prevent a perfect season and / or a long run in the playoffs. Here are some risk / issues and maybe some ideas to make things better. Please add your comments:

1. Offense needs to finish drives and score more often. Too many stalled out drives, often on the opponents side of the field. At least 3 of them in the Indiana State game. Seems except for the occasional flea flicker the play calling gets too predictable. Also untimely penalties are a factor. The offense needs to have better focus and a killer instinct to get the job done. Another benefit of sustained drives is the defense gets a good rest and the opponents offense is off the field.

2. Defense gives up the big play and is on the field too long. Breakdowns in secondary coverage and too soft of coverage are a problem. Why are the Bison playing 10 yards off the wideouts all the time? Just like giving the opponent 5 yards if they want it. Also when NDSU blitzes to get pressure on the QB 90% of the time its up the middle which often gets picked up. Just like with the offense the Bison are too predictable on defense. Not enough 3 and outs for the other teams. At the same time Bison offense is on the sideline getting cold.

3. Catch the ball. When you are wide open you can't be dropping a pass. Holloway I am talking about you. You need to have Smith give you some of the finer points of how to make a catch. Has Smith dropped one yet this year? Most of his catches are unbelievable. So who is Moody kid from ND. Did a great job yesterday. 3 catches for 30 yards and then I think he got hurt. Hope he is OK. I would bench Holloway and start Moody for YSU. The Bison need receivers that are clutch not clutz's.

4. Open up the passing game. Anybody notice how other teams have learned to throttle the Bison dink n dunk passing game? Also notice how the mid range passes (if not dropped) are going well for the Bison. Funny how most Bison scoring drives involve the passes downfield. I think the passing game needs more variety and should be mixed up with more emphasis on downfield passing. This would blow open games for the Bison as the running game and dink n dunk passes would go for 8 yards everytime. Also need to start using the TE on some short to medium passes over the middle, not along the sidelines.

5. Hit the hole faster on short yardage. The Bison have to stop with the deep handoffs when its 3rd or 4th down and 1 yard to go. Instead use quick hitting plays with the FB, or how about a QB sneak? Bison really need to do a better job converting on short yardage. Definitely a weak spot for this team.

6. More contributions from special teams. This is not really a weakness, but great teams benefit a lot from special team efforts and nothing crushes the opponent better than a quick score. Bison have had a few big special team plays this year, but need a bunch more on the way to Frisco. Put Williams in for all kickoff returns. How about trying out Voitlander's ability to pull off a fake punt? Also try more all out rushes to block punts.

In summary, the Bison are on a roll and seem to have a great deal of confidence to win games. If anything is holding back this team it appears to be the overly conservative game plan of the coaches. Not that coaches should suddenly change everything and do things radically different. Just be innovative and build on what is working, not just run the same 5 or 10 plays. The biggest concern is what happens if the Bison have a game where turnovers are not in their favor, or the defense doesn't make that big play. Can the conservative offense come through with enough scores, or make a game winning drive at the end of the game?

[BISONBRI53]

Agree 1000% Think the Southern Ill. game proved this ^^^^^^^^^^

[EndZoneQB]

Yeah, where is Veldman down the seam?? We need to go downfield more than just on 3rd down! Thank god we are converting them....could you imagine what Brock could do if the defense didn't know he was throwing down the field?

[HerdBot]

Our biggest roadblock to Frisco is Youngstown State. Homefield and a bye week is HUGE for health, attendance, and preparation. (and recruiting too)

IMO, we don't get turnovers because of lucky bounces. Thats the Tampa 2. Make the offense play perfect and don't give up quick strike scores. When a team needs a 10 minute drive to score, the odds of a mistake go up, whether thats a fumble, tipped ball, etc... plus we tighten up in the redzone when it counts

We have to fix blown coverages.

[Bisonfan1]

Good post SD, some of those are very correctable and should get better with time. I was shaking my head yesterday for sure on some of the things you mentioned. I would also like to add "The Frisco Cruiser" stalling on the Interstate would be a huge "road block" to Frisco.

[SDbison]

Good post SD, some of those are very correctable and should get better with time. I was shaking my head yesterday for sure on some of the things you mentioned. I would also like to add "The Frisco Cruiser" stalling on the Interstate would be a huge "road block" to Frisco.
Don't you have a tow package on that limo? We could just hook the battlewagon trailer to the back of the Frisco Cruiser and hook the Frisco Cruiser to the limo.

[4mcruenomore]

Nate Moody, DHS baby!!!

[BisonNeil]

I agree with most of what you said SD. A few counterpoints, however.

Vigen used to call Brock's number on short yardage, but with his turf toe I am not sure that is an option any longer. I agree on the deep hand offs. I would like to see the FB run on some of those.

I got my ass handed to me when I suggested that the passing game was dink and dunk, but it is which is why Brock had a 75% completion rate. I am not sure we have the WRs to do anything more. Gebhart has nursed a hamstring for most of the season and hasn't been dependable, Vraa may never get back, and Wahlo just can't get on the field. The fact that the Bison start a true Fr walkon at WR says it all when thinking about the lack of real depth and talent at WR. And by the way, Smith did drop at least one pass yesterday.

I still question how good this OL is. NDSU had several plays for lost yardage running the ball, and a total of 23 yds lost rushing compared to only 8 for ISU. Now, I don't know if that is the result of really predictable play calling on Vigen's part (please note I never commented on the Vigen bashing thread, I am still not sold on his playcalling) or if the OL is struggling. But those negative plays have to stop, they killed more than one drive yesterday and could be a death knoll against playoff caliber teams down the road.

[EndZoneQB]

Don't you have a tow package on that limo? We could just hook the battlewagon trailer to the back of the Frisco Cruiser and hook the Frisco Cruiser to the limo.

Please. That thing is not an out of town-mobile.

[semobison]

I agree with SD about the offense getting the killer instinct! On more than one occasion this season I thought we got conservative with a lead, in games that I thought we could have blown wide open! Championship teams do that! This could come back and bite us, hopefully not in the playoffs! We are 7th in the conference in total offense at 348 ypg. It seems like the offense plays great at times then sputters! We have, however played remarkably mistake free and have an opportunistic defence which is also a characteristic of a great team! Anyway, we are 9-0, gotta love that, and I believe have as good as shot as anybody to win it all this year! If we make it to Frisco, Im there!

[bisoningrandforks]

good post sdbison...I agree with with most of what you said but (maybe its just me) I never like to go for blocked punts unless were behind to spark the team. too much can go wrong.. we get the ball back!!..just watch for the fakes....I dont think the o-line is struggled gabe....we had some chunks of yards running...but when there defense adjusted I wish vigen would adjust more... play action on first down..or change up the running plays ...we should have put this game away earlier...but we a win with or B- game will work...

[Notorious]

I agree with SD about the offense getting the killer instinct! On more than one occasion this season I thought we got conservative with a lead, in games that I thought we could have blown wide open! Championship teams do that! This could come back and bite us, hopefully not in the playoffs! We are 7th in the conference in total offense at 348 ypg. It seems like the offense plays great at times then sputters! We have, however played remarkably mistake free and have an opportunistic defence which is also a characteristic of a great team! Anyway, we are 9-0, gotta love that, and I believe have as good as shot as anybody to win it all this year! If we make it to Frisco, Im there!

Championship teams put other teams away...break their will. When are we going to do this...just continue to beat the hell out of team, drive after drive, score after score, until they just quit! There nothing like seeing this....

We are on the cusp of doing this...gotta make it happen though.

[56BISON73]

I dont know why our drives stall out. We move the ball down the field and then we get stuffed in our own back field on a running play. Doesnt make any difference if its a bad play call as the offenses still needs to execute what ever play is called. Now if we get stuffed because the opposing D over loads us at the point of attack then its poor play calling as we are way too predictable. Which doesnt surprise me because Bohl has said---this is what we are going to do. We are going to pound you. They are trying to break the other team down. I think this gets more difficult as we move forward.


Ryan Smith dropped 2 passes yesterday. Which is a rariety for him. Holloway you just never know if hes going to come done with the ball or not. Didnt Veldman have a few drops also yesterday?

[WYOBISONMAN]

SD absolutely hit the nail on the head with that analysis. Despite the 9-0 record, this team is FAR from invincible. It is going to take a good bit more improvement to win that national title. But, it is very doable.

[HandoEX]

Not all Championship teams have been more dominant than the Bison this year...

EWU got blown out by the only other good team in their conference and 4 of thier wins were by a score or less.

Richmond finished with 3 losses when they won it all.

[semobison]

Not all Championship teams have been more dominant than the Bison this year...

EWU got blown out by the only other good team in their conference and 4 of thier wins were by a score or less.

Richmond finished with 3 losses when they won it all.

What is your point?

[HandoEX]

What is your point?

Championship teams are not always dominating and they dont always put the other teams away. They figure things out in crunch time and they find ways to overcome their weaknesses.

[Gully]

I agree with a lot of SDs points, especially the use of the TD over the middle. Veldman gets some catches, but he's too often right at the sideline. A lot of good things happening, but always more to work on. We had a couple of penalties that were costly and likely kept more points off the board. It seemed like we stopped ourselves as much as they stopped us.

[semobison]

Championship teams are not always dominating and they dont always put the other teams away. They figure things out in crunch time and they find ways to overcome their weaknesses.

1-Nobody said we couldnt win it all!
2-We are not a championship team...yet!
3-Some of the realists on BV understand that we have areas where we can improve if we want to win that elusive championship and that is what this thread is about!

[Strommer10]

Our biggest roadblock to Frisco is Youngstown State. Homefield and a bye week is HUGE for health, attendance, and preparation. (and recruiting too)

IMO, we don't get turnovers because of lucky bounces. Thats the Tampa 2. Make the offense play perfect and don't give up quick strike scores. When a team needs a 10 minute drive to score, the odds of a mistake go up, whether thats a fumble, tipped ball, etc... plus we tighten up in the redzone when it counts

We have to fix blown coverages.
I agree with SD's post, but Gabe hit it on the head. We win out, get a bye, and homefield advantage and everything will take care of itself.

Two road blocks right now are YSU & @WIU. We pass those two tests and we have a week to get healthy, and face a "minor" FCS conference champ or a 7-4 "major" conference team.

[HandoEX]

I should have quoted Note's post, I wasn't responding to anything else.

[Da_Bison]

1-Nobody said we couldnt win it all!
2-We are not a championship team...yet!
3-Some of the realists on BV understand that we have areas where we can improve if we want to win that elusive championship and that is what this thread is about!

I personally think our only road block will be ourselves as SD pointed out. If our guys can come out EVERY game jacked up and ready to go to WAR Like the UNI game, and limit the mistakes like the fumble at the goal line by Warren (score against UNI coulda look even better) I love our chances against anyone we may face. If our O-line comes out every game from here on out on a mission with a chip on there shoulder, and kick ass, we will be National Champs.

[CaBisonFan]

These things stop us:

1. We're in a war of attrition. The team with the best depth & luck in terms of 'who' gets hurt, wins it all.

2. And also relating to the same topic...the season is too long if you go through a full playoff schedule.

3. I'm not in love with the smash-mouth regularity of this conference. It's ugly, not skillful...kind of like the NBA.

[semobison]

Championship teams put other teams away...break their will. When are we going to do this...just continue to beat the hell out of team, drive after drive, score after score, until they just quit! There nothing like seeing this....

We are on the cusp of doing this...gotta make it happen though.

Championship teams do put other teams away! In last years playoff game against EWU everybody blames you know who, or you know what! We had a 7 point lead and recovered a fumble at our own 38 with a little more 4 minutes left in the game. We drove down to the EWU 34 and had 2nd and two. We gained one yard the next two plays, and punted with a little over 2 minutes left. Well, everybody knows what happened after that. I remember thinking we were going to put them away! Two conservative plays and we didnt get it done! The game never should have seen overtime!

[56BISON73]

Championship teams do put other teams away! In last years playoff game against EWU everybody blames you know who, or you know what! We had a 7 point lead and recovered a fumble at our own 38 with a little more 4 minutes left in the game. We drove down to the EWU 34 and had 2nd and two. We gained one yard the next two plays, and punted with a little over 2 minutes left. Well everybody knows what happened after that. I remember thinking we were going to put them away
! Two conservative plays and we didnt get it done! The game never even should have seen overtime!

We played not to lose instead of playing to win.

[4mcruenomore]

We played not to lose instead of playing to win.

I sure hope we don't see that kind of play this year again. That was heart breaking to watch. We need more of a killer instinct.

[BisoninNWMN]

We are not playing perfect but we are 9-0.

If we win out and get potentially 3 home playoff games....it will be hard for any team to come in and beat us.

[herdmember]

Sit Holloway for Moody....preposterous!!

[56BISON73]

I sure hope we don't see that kind of play this year again. That was heart breaking to watch. We need more of a killer instinct.

All the prevent defense does is prevent you from winning. The bad part was you could see it as plain as day as they moved down the field. No way we should have lost that game. I can usually let loses go. For some reason that one still haunts me.

[CaBisonFan]

We played not to lose instead of playing to win.

Couldn't be said better. The option play haunts me...and the fact that we didn't bring the house, or part of it, on their drive.

[ndsubison1]

Ok, so I am a Project Manager and look at things differently than most. If the project was to win the MVFC and get to the FCS national championship game a briefing to the stakeholders would include risks to achieving this goal and also suggestions for improvement to mitigate those risks. Some of my thoughts at this point in the season are as follows.
Great to see the Bison at 9-0, but seems like the Bison rely too much on turnovers, defense rising to the occasion, and other teams mistakes for too many of those 9 victories. Yes, some of the ball bouncing the right way is part of college football, but I see many weaknesses on this Bison team that could prevent a perfect season and / or a long run in the playoffs. Here are some risk / issues and maybe some ideas to make things better. Please add your comments:

1. Offense needs to finish drives and score more often. Too many stalled out drives, often on the opponents side of the field. At least 3 of them in the Indiana State game. Seems except for the occasional flea flicker the play calling gets too predictable. Also untimely penalties are a factor. The offense needs to have better focus and a killer instinct to get the job done. Another benefit of sustained drives is the defense gets a good rest and the opponents offense is off the field.

2. Defense gives up the big play and is on the field too long. Breakdowns in secondary coverage and too soft of coverage are a problem. Why are the Bison playing 10 yards off the wideouts all the time? Just like giving the opponent 5 yards if they want it. Also when NDSU blitzes to get pressure on the QB 90% of the time its up the middle which often gets picked up. Just like with the offense the Bison are too predictable on defense. Not enough 3 and outs for the other teams. At the same time Bison offense is on the sideline getting cold.

3. Catch the ball. When you are wide open you can't be dropping a pass. Holloway I am talking about you. You need to have Smith give you some of the finer points of how to make a catch. Has Smith dropped one yet this year? Most of his catches are unbelievable. So who is Moody kid from ND. Did a great job yesterday. 3 catches for 30 yards and then I think he got hurt. Hope he is OK. I would bench Holloway and start Moody for YSU. The Bison need receivers that are clutch not clutz's.

4. Open up the passing game. Anybody notice how other teams have learned to throttle the Bison dink n dunk passing game? Also notice how the mid range passes (if not dropped) are going well for the Bison. Funny how most Bison scoring drives involve the passes downfield. I think the passing game needs more variety and should be mixed up with more emphasis on downfield passing. This would blow open games for the Bison as the running game and dink n dunk passes would go for 8 yards everytime. Also need to start using the TE on some short to medium passes over the middle, not along the sidelines.

5. Hit the hole faster on short yardage. The Bison have to stop with the deep handoffs when its 3rd or 4th down and 1 yard to go. Instead use quick hitting plays with the FB, or how about a QB sneak? Bison really need to do a better job converting on short yardage. Definitely a weak spot for this team.

6. More contributions from special teams. This is not really a weakness, but great teams benefit a lot from special team efforts and nothing crushes the opponent better than a quick score. Bison have had a few big special team plays this year, but need a bunch more on the way to Frisco. Put Williams in for all kickoff returns. How about trying out Voitlander's ability to pull off a fake punt? Also try more all out rushes to block punts.

In summary, the Bison are on a roll and seem to have a great deal of confidence to win games. If anything is holding back this team it appears to be the overly conservative game plan of the coaches. Not that coaches should suddenly change everything and do things radically different. Just be innovative and build on what is working, not just run the same 5 or 10 plays. The biggest concern is what happens if the Bison have a game where turnovers are not in their favor, or the defense doesn't make that big play. Can the conservative offense come through with enough scores, or make a game winning drive at the end of the game?

1. We dont need to put up a bunch of points every game because we have arguably the best defense in the nation

2. Yesterday was the first time I saw us give up a lot of big plays and broken coverages. Im confident we will fix what happened yesterday esp. in the first half. We got better in the 2nd half.

3. Holloway should have caught that reverse pass from Jensen, but our pass catching is way better this season. Holloway has improved, Veldman has improved and Smith has really stepped up.

4. Running game has been good but not great. Passing game is fine. Our OL seems to be giving Brock lots of time. Brock was 17/30 yesterday. There were some dropped passes, but in past games his stats have been unbelievable. Our passing game has been fine. Holloway and Smith seem to get open most of the time.

5. I also would like to see us utilize our FB more. Also, in the passing game. Just give the defense more options to worry about.

6. I think MWill should be in on all kick returns and DJ shouldnt be back there imo. Smith has gotten some pretty good returns recently.

Were not a team that will blowout many teams. Our defense has won many games for us. We dont have a high powered offense where were gonna put up 30 points on any given night. I think we're fine. If we dont turnover the ball (which we havent done much) we will likely win. The biggest thing that will hold us back from making a deep playoff run and getting to Frisco is injuries. We must be healthy heading into the playoffs. Also, late in games we must keep attacking and playing more liberally when the game is still up for grabs. At some point it's gonna come back to haunt us.

[MN_BISON]

I'd like to see #22 get the rock a little more. I think DJ is great, there's no question about that but I also think Sam has another gear. DJ has been outstanding in there on third downs, for the most part he reads the protection very well and has stepped up and made key blocks for Brock. The plus to this whole two headed monster is SU has two pretty fresh backs heading into the second season. I don't think dropped balls have been a big issue until yesterday, the Bison had to settle for 3 points because of those two missed passes that should have been 14 on the board. I've been a bit concerned about the amount of yards given up to RB's the last couple of weeks in the passing game, the UNI back had over 100 I think and the ISU back had around 50.

[CaBisonFan]

Ok, so I am a Project Manager and look at things differently than most. If the project was to win the MVFC and get to the FCS national championship game a briefing to the stakeholders would include risks to achieving this goal and also suggestions for improvement to mitigate those risks. Some of my thoughts at this point in the season are as follows.
Great to see the Bison at 9-0, but seems like the Bison rely too much on turnovers, defense rising to the occasion, and other teams mistakes for too many of those 9 victories. Yes, some of the ball bouncing the right way is part of college football, but I see many weaknesses on this Bison team that could prevent a perfect season and / or a long run in the playoffs. Here are some risk / issues and maybe some ideas to make things better. Please add your comments:

1. Offense needs to finish drives and score more often. Too many stalled out drives, often on the opponents side of the field. At least 3 of them in the Indiana State game. Seems except for the occasional flea flicker the play calling gets too predictable. Also untimely penalties are a factor. The offense needs to have better focus and a killer instinct to get the job done. Another benefit of sustained drives is the defense gets a good rest and the opponents offense is off the field.

2. Defense gives up the big play and is on the field too long. Breakdowns in secondary coverage and too soft of coverage are a problem. Why are the Bison playing 10 yards off the wideouts all the time? Just like giving the opponent 5 yards if they want it. Also when NDSU blitzes to get pressure on the QB 90% of the time its up the middle which often gets picked up. Just like with the offense the Bison are too predictable on defense. Not enough 3 and outs for the other teams. At the same time Bison offense is on the sideline getting cold.

3. Catch the ball. When you are wide open you can't be dropping a pass. Holloway I am talking about you. You need to have Smith give you some of the finer points of how to make a catch. Has Smith dropped one yet this year? Most of his catches are unbelievable. So who is Moody kid from ND. Did a great job yesterday. 3 catches for 30 yards and then I think he got hurt. Hope he is OK. I would bench Holloway and start Moody for YSU. The Bison need receivers that are clutch not clutz's.

4. Open up the passing game. Anybody notice how other teams have learned to throttle the Bison dink n dunk passing game? Also notice how the mid range passes (if not dropped) are going well for the Bison. Funny how most Bison scoring drives involve the passes downfield. I think the passing game needs more variety and should be mixed up with more emphasis on downfield passing. This would blow open games for the Bison as the running game and dink n dunk passes would go for 8 yards everytime. Also need to start using the TE on some short to medium passes over the middle, not along the sidelines.

5. Hit the hole faster on short yardage. The Bison have to stop with the deep handoffs when its 3rd or 4th down and 1 yard to go. Instead use quick hitting plays with the FB, or how about a QB sneak? Bison really need to do a better job converting on short yardage. Definitely a weak spot for this team.

6. More contributions from special teams. This is not really a weakness, but great teams benefit a lot from special team efforts and nothing crushes the opponent better than a quick score. Bison have had a few big special team plays this year, but need a bunch more on the way to Frisco. Put Williams in for all kickoff returns. How about trying out Voitlander's ability to pull off a fake punt? Also try more all out rushes to block punts.

In summary, the Bison are on a roll and seem to have a great deal of confidence to win games. If anything is holding back this team it appears to be the overly conservative game plan of the coaches. Not that coaches should suddenly change everything and do things radically different. Just be innovative and build on what is working, not just run the same 5 or 10 plays. The biggest concern is what happens if the Bison have a game where turnovers are not in their favor, or the defense doesn't make that big play. Can the conservative offense come through with enough scores, or make a game winning drive at the end of the game?

It's a really good post SD...but are you trying to compete with me????

Responding to your last paragraph...I think that the game plan is to stay with the game plan. It works really well in our conference because of the smashmouth nature of the teams. Play it conservative offensively...have 4 or 5 decent drives to control the clock...play a very hard-nosed aggressive style of defense...and it works. Not sure how this translates into the playoffs. I seem to remember a 'finesse' team that outsmarted us recently. I fear meeting this kind of team, especially on the road.

[A1pigskin]

All good points SD. A lot of balls dropped yesterday, can't have that. It also seems the team is getting banged up pretty good.

[EndZoneQB]

With all that said, who has rooms in Texas?

[CaBisonFan]

With all that said, who has rooms in Texas?

Will passports be required? If so, I need to start preparrying.

[EndZoneQB]

Will passports be required? If so, I need to start preparrying.

To go to DFW? Are you an American citizen....? Or are you suggesting we are going to TJ or something to party lol

[Answer Guy]

Will passports be required? If so, I need to start preparrying.

You know that "Whole Other Country" thing is a marketing slogan, no?

[HandoEX]

Got my rooms booked in north Plano, about 7 miles from Pizza Hut Park...juuust in case!

[EndZoneQB]

Got my rooms booked in north Plano, about 7 miles from Pizza Hut Park...juuust in case!

Thanks for looking out! Courtyard right?

[HandoEX]

Thanks for looking out! Courtyard right?
You know it!

[unbison]

We are watching (sorry old school guys) the best team to play in the dome ever! And what a bunch of nit picky whiners we as a fan base look like wow.... It's one thing to challenge coaches ideas when losing the bison have not lost a game all year it is as close to perfection as you will find this early in the season lets root them on in their quest for perfection knowing full well perfection is not attainable..... Perfect record is though

[4mcruenomore]

2000 Bison, best to play in the dome? I guess we will see!!! ha! Sorry Hando, I just had to say it!

[HandoEX]

2000 Bison, best to play in the dome? I guess we will see!!! ha! Sorry Hando, I just had to say it!
You deserve a kick in the nuts for that! But that was an awesome team. I have some great (and terrible) memories from that season!

[4mcruenomore]

You deserve a kick in the nuts for that! But that was an awesome team. I have some great (and terrible) memories from that season!

You know, a friend of mine called me a football dumbass this weekend, so who knows! Maybe I don't know sh*t!!!!

[semobison]

We are watching (sorry old school guys) the best team to play in the dome ever! And what a bunch of nit picky whiners we as a fan base look like wow.... It's one thing to challenge coaches ideas when losing the bison have not lost a game all year it is as close to perfection as you will find this early in the season lets root them on in their quest for perfection knowing full well perfection is not attainable..... Perfect record is though

I dont know about all of the old school guys, but nobody is whining! Im pumped as hell obout the team right now! I just know with the talent we have we can be better and can improve in certain areas. Being ranked #1 is only good if it is at the end of the season! Constructive criticism and athletics go hand in hand! Also, I dont root for our team, I pull for them! Now go play with your pom poms!

[EndZoneQB]

You know, a friend of mine called me a football dumbass this weekend, so who knows! Maybe I don't know sh*t!!!!

Maybe ?

[CaBisonFan]

We are watching (sorry old school guys) the best team to play in the dome ever! And what a bunch of nit picky whiners we as a fan base look like wow.... It's one thing to challenge coaches ideas when losing the bison have not lost a game all year it is as close to perfection as you will find this early in the season lets root them on in their quest for perfection knowing full well perfection is not attainable..... Perfect record is though

You have no argument with me. By the time the dome was opening the dynasty was on the slide. And ironically, it literally went away at the opening of the FD. Possibly one of the saddest moments in our history.

This is the best team with something significant on the line, for sure. I'll give the 06 and 07 teams a pass. They were an amazing transitional team. Very critical to the move up to DI-AA and our fan base.

[4mcruenomore]

Maybe ?

You mad brah?

[Hammerhead]

I guess I'm one of the old school guys (old farts?) who watched the dominant teams in D-II through the 80s. The level of competition in the MVFC is much better than the NCC so I'd say this year's team could be the best ever. They will be if they do well in the playoffs.


We are watching (sorry old school guys) the best team to play in the dome ever! And what a bunch of nit picky whiners we as a fan base look like wow.... It's one thing to challenge coaches ideas when losing the bison have not lost a game all year it is as close to perfection as you will find this early in the season lets root them on in their quest for perfection knowing full well perfection is not attainable..... Perfect record is though

[EndZoneQB]

You mad brah?

You're the one that sounds mad!

[4mcruenomore]

You're the one that sounds mad!

hahaha, mad happy we won maybe!!

[CaBisonFan]

2000 Bison, best to play in the dome? I guess we will see!!! ha! Sorry Hando, I just had to say it!

They certainly deserve consideration. Is that the team that lost 2 or 3 quarterbacks in one playoff game? Nebraska-Omaha?

[aces1180]

They certainly deserve consideration. Is that the team that lost 2 or 3 quarterbacks in one playoff game? Nebraka-Omaha?

Yes...They also lost an AD in Omaha.

[CaBisonFan]

Yes...They also lost an AD in Omaha.

You've got it. He should have gotten lost several years before that...'cause he's a big part of the reason for the lapse. Hell...he was a huge part of the demise of Rocky Hager. It all got into Hager's head. No support. Complete stupidity imported down the interstate. It was like..."hey Rocky, I have some great ideas about how we could build a great football program !!"

[stevdock]

We are watching (sorry old school guys) the best team to play in the dome ever! And what a bunch of nit picky whiners we as a fan base look like wow.... It's one thing to challenge coaches ideas when losing the bison have not lost a game all year it is as close to perfection as you will find this early in the season lets root them on in their quest for perfection knowing full well perfection is not attainable..... Perfect record is though

I completely agree with you. Week in and week out we are playing the best competition for an entire season we have ever played. As we all know we are very deep and might be as deep or deeper than even those teams in the 80's (I understand that is debatable though).

This killer instinct that you guys are saying we are lacking though I believe is there, but it's backwards from what you are talking about. Our head coach has so much confidence in our defense that I believe when we get up x amount of points (normally 14ish) we go into shutdown mode and make sure we have no big turnovers or momentum changers. THIS HAS BEEN THE CASE EVER SINCE BOHL HAS BEEN HERE. Perfect example is the first Gophers win. We completely dominated that game and if another team would have had those same stats but with that offensive killer instinct they would have won by 20 or 30 points. We won by 6. Another example was EWU last year. We all thought once we were up 7 late in that game that it was over. Add in snow and having to go the full length of the field, game was over. We got conservative on offense and we all know how that ended. Those are 2 examples out of at least 25% of Bohls games here that you could say that about.

I truly believe that if our defense was average or worse we would see our offense go for every point possible, but since overall we have a very good defense I don't see that changing any time soon.

[CaBisonFan]

I guess I'm one of the old school guys (old farts?) who watched the dominant teams in D-II through the 80s. The level of competition in the MVFC is much better than the NCC so I'd say this year's team could be the best ever. They will be if they do well in the playoffs.

Better than all of the teams from the 60s, 70s, 80s, & early 90s is a tall order.

But I give credit to these guys for their accomplishments. Very significant.

[heffray]

I completely agree with you. Week in and week out we are playing the best competition for an entire season we have ever played. As we all know we are very deep and might be as deep or deeper than even those teams in the 80's (I understand that is debatable though).

This killer instinct that you guys are saying we are lacking though I believe is there, but it's backwards from what you are talking about. Our head coach has so much confidence in our defense that I believe when we get up x amount of points (normally 14ish) we go into shutdown mode and make sure we have no big turnovers or momentum changers. THIS HAS BEEN THE CASE EVER SINCE BOHL HAS BEEN HERE. Perfect example is the first Gophers win. We completely dominated that game and if another team would have had those same stats but with that offensive killer instinct they would have won by 20 or 30 points. We won by 6. Another example was EWU last year. We all thought once we were up 7 late in that game that it was over. Add in snow and having to go the full length of the field, game was over. We got conservative on offense and we all know how that ended. Those are 2 examples out of at least 25% of Bohls games here that you could say that about.

I truly believe that if our defense was average or worse we would see our offense go for every point possible, but since overall we have a very good defense I don't see that changing any time soon.

This I think is the best post on this thread so far (rep+++). Bohl is invaluable to our team and I hope we can keep him. We have great talent, but I think the biggest reason we are 9-0 this year is our ability to play a specific game-plan against our opponent week in, week out. If that game-plan is not working out, Bohl and the coaching staff has made the necessary adjustments, and we have been one of the best second half teams in the Conference this year. I'd love to see the stats on that, and I'm not sure the score will always show it, but our defense has been shutting it down in the second half. If we continue to do this, and I don't see any reason why we won't, we are going to be hard to beat no matter who plays us or where we play.

[Tatanka]

I completely agree with you. Week in and week out we are playing the best competition for an entire season we have ever played. As we all know we are very deep and might be as deep or deeper than even those teams in the 80's (I understand that is debatable though).

This killer instinct that you guys are saying we are lacking though I believe is there, but it's backwards from what you are talking about. Our head coach has so much confidence in our defense that I believe when we get up x amount of points (normally 14ish) we go into shutdown mode and make sure we have no big turnovers or momentum changers. THIS HAS BEEN THE CASE EVER SINCE BOHL HAS BEEN HERE. Perfect example is the first Gophers win. We completely dominated that game and if another team would have had those same stats but with that offensive killer instinct they would have won by 20 or 30 points. We won by 6. Another example was EWU last year. We all thought once we were up 7 late in that game that it was over. Add in snow and having to go the full length of the field, game was over. We got conservative on offense and we all know how that ended. Those are 2 examples out of at least 25% of Bohls games here that you could say that about.

I truly believe that if our defense was average or worse we would see our offense go for every point possible, but since overall we have a very good defense I don't see that changing any time soon.

This would seem to contradict the notion that NDSU is classless and runs up the score. Hmm.

[Wally]

Please, let's plow through any and all roadblocks. We need to get to Frisco. First and foremost to win a title and this place wouldn't be bad either:).....maybe this should be in the bikini thread


http://www.3rdbasesportsbarandgrill.com/index.html

https://www.facebook.com/media/albums/?id=202688406428499

[CaBisonFan]

Just enjoy the road.

[semobison]

This I think is the best post on this thread so far (rep+++). Bohl is invaluable to our team and I hope we can keep him. We have great talent, but I think the biggest reason we are 9-0 this year is our ability to play a specific game-plan against our opponent week in, week out. If that game-plan is not working out, Bohl and the coaching staff has made the necessary adjustments, and we have been one of the best second half teams in the Conference this year. I'd love to see the stats on that, and I'm not sure the score will always show it, but our defense has been shutting it down in the second half. If we continue to do this, and I don't see any reason why we won't, we are going to be hard to beat no matter who plays us or where we play.

The reason we are 9-0 so far this season is we dont make mistakes, we take care of the ball and we force turnovers! Bottom line!

[bri-dog]

Not exactly a "roadblock", but everybody better remember to bring a shitload of dimes...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbWg-mozGsU

[unbison]

Vigen may be a road block

[Strommer10]

Vigen may be a road block

We keep running the ball with Ojuri and we probly win this one... :hide:

[BisoninNWMN]

We keep running the ball with Ojuri and we probly win this one... :hide:


You are right on this one!

He is our best RB.....period!

[Strommer10]

You are right on this one!

He is our best RB.....period!
It's sad because I love DJ, but it is probly true.

[semobison]

If we dont give up 451 yards and 24 first downs we probably win this one too! It was the defense fellas! They had the ball 37 minutes to our 22! the offense wasn't out there much!

[2011 Champions]

Who would have thought that roadblock would have been Youngstown State? We beat them.

[unbison]

Who would have thought that roadblock would have been Youngstown State? We beat them.
Please remind me what did the scoreboard say at the end of our game bison more pansies less

[coldspot]

I like how we lose a game and all of a sudden the trolls come back in full force like three weeks ago never happened.

[2011 Champions]

You just got beat in the city owned fargo building. You don't even own your home.

[KTF]

2011 champions... you are wrong, NDSU owns a part of the Fargodome...

[2011 Champions]

2011 champions... you are wrong, NDSU owns a part of the Fargodome...

The toilets?

[KTF]

Actually if I recall correctly, NDSU owns the land on which the buidling sits... Someone correct me if I am worng.

[NDSUstudent]

Yes, NDSU owns the land the dome is built on.

[CaBisonFan]

You just got beat in the city owned fargo building. You don't even own your home.

And when you lose a home game, where do you lose it? I'll give you a hint, unless you don't understand this question. Just let me know.

BTW...city-owned.

[2011 Champions]

And when you lose a home game, where do you lose it? I'll give you a hint, unless you don't understand this question. Just let me know.

BTW...city-owned.
As usual your post doesnt make any sense.

[TbonZach]

And when you lose a home game, where do you lose it? I'll give you a hint, unless you don't understand this question. Just let me know.

BTW...city-owned.


As usual your post doesnt make any sense.

Toll needs a hint. He asked his mommy and she doesn't know, either.

[bisonhp330]

everyone missed this one:

1123

[BlueBisonRock]

Who would have thought that roadblock would have been Youngstown State? We beat them.

Aww, Its the Chump again. Loose your pretend light saber?

We decided to be fair today and we asked guests in tailgating their opinion of your favorite team (your previous favorite. We can if you insist find a way to get the opinion of your current favorite.)

First, we asked a small group of Youngstown fans. Great people and they did represent their school real well. Here is their thoughts:

http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk298/rjehni/Bison%202011/DSC_0571.jpg
And to insure we were being fair, we did ask a random Lehigh fan (remember them and how they treated your old favorites?). Yep: we have consensus.

http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/kk298/rjehni/Bison%202011/DSC_0564.jpg

Too bad. Now, quit slobbering all over your keyboard or your mama will come down to the basement and smack you again!

[TbonZach]

Too bad. Now, quit slobbering all over your keyboard or your mama will come down to the basement and smack you again!

He (she?) would like that too much.

[Capn_Cat]

Ok, so I am a Project Manager and look at things differently than most. If the project was to win the MVFC and get to the FCS national championship game a briefing to the stakeholders would include risks to achieving this goal and also suggestions for improvement to mitigate those risks. Some of my thoughts at this point in the season are as follows.
Great to see the Bison at 9-0, but seems like the Bison rely too much on turnovers, defense rising to the occasion, and other teams mistakes for too many of those 9 victories. Yes, some of the ball bouncing the right way is part of college football, but I see many weaknesses on this Bison team that could prevent a perfect season and / or a long run in the playoffs. Here are some risk / issues and maybe some ideas to make things better. Please add your comments:

1. Offense needs to finish drives and score more often. Too many stalled out drives, often on the opponents side of the field. At least 3 of them in the Indiana State game. Seems except for the occasional flea flicker the play calling gets too predictable. Also untimely penalties are a factor. The offense needs to have better focus and a killer instinct to get the job done. Another benefit of sustained drives is the defense gets a good rest and the opponents offense is off the field.

2. Defense gives up the big play and is on the field too long. Breakdowns in secondary coverage and too soft of coverage are a problem. Why are the Bison playing 10 yards off the wideouts all the time? Just like giving the opponent 5 yards if they want it. Also when NDSU blitzes to get pressure on the QB 90% of the time its up the middle which often gets picked up. Just like with the offense the Bison are too predictable on defense. Not enough 3 and outs for the other teams. At the same time Bison offense is on the sideline getting cold.

3. Catch the ball. When you are wide open you can't be dropping a pass. Holloway I am talking about you. You need to have Smith give you some of the finer points of how to make a catch. Has Smith dropped one yet this year? Most of his catches are unbelievable. So who is Moody kid from ND. Did a great job yesterday. 3 catches for 30 yards and then I think he got hurt. Hope he is OK. I would bench Holloway and start Moody for YSU. The Bison need receivers that are clutch not clutz's.

4. Open up the passing game. Anybody notice how other teams have learned to throttle the Bison dink n dunk passing game? Also notice how the mid range passes (if not dropped) are going well for the Bison. Funny how most Bison scoring drives involve the passes downfield. I think the passing game needs more variety and should be mixed up with more emphasis on downfield passing. This would blow open games for the Bison as the running game and dink n dunk passes would go for 8 yards everytime. Also need to start using the TE on some short to medium passes over the middle, not along the sidelines.

5. Hit the hole faster on short yardage. The Bison have to stop with the deep handoffs when its 3rd or 4th down and 1 yard to go. Instead use quick hitting plays with the FB, or how about a QB sneak? Bison really need to do a better job converting on short yardage. Definitely a weak spot for this team.

6. More contributions from special teams. This is not really a weakness, but great teams benefit a lot from special team efforts and nothing crushes the opponent better than a quick score. Bison have had a few big special team plays this year, but need a bunch more on the way to Frisco. Put Williams in for all kickoff returns. How about trying out Voitlander's ability to pull off a fake punt? Also try more all out rushes to block punts.

In summary, the Bison are on a roll and seem to have a great deal of confidence to win games. If anything is holding back this team it appears to be the overly conservative game plan of the coaches. Not that coaches should suddenly change everything and do things radically different. Just be innovative and build on what is working, not just run the same 5 or 10 plays. The biggest concern is what happens if the Bison have a game where turnovers are not in their favor, or the defense doesn't make that big play. Can the conservative offense come through with enough scores, or make a game winning drive at the end of the game?


Fact:

YSU 27
Prairie Poopers 24

:innocent:

[CaBisonFan]

Who would have thought that roadblock would have been Youngstown State? We beat them.


I think that you're a 30-something that either lives with mom...or...you live in an apartment and rarely come out...and there's a damned good reason. It's not probable...but possible...that yir a sue. That odor gets pretty rank. I'm sensitive to it.

And oh...I could predict that you've been banned from your team's board at least once.

Reason for being banned? 'Cause you can't solve 'stupid.'

[CaBisonFan]

The roadblock is ourselves. Fundamentals are lacking...not talent. There's time...but not much.

[BisoninNWMN]

The roadblock is ourselves. Fundamentals are lacking...not talent. There's time...but not much.


After a good night's sleep it is not all doom and gloom.

WE will beat WIU next week and have a 1st round bye. The extra week will definitely help heal up some injuries and Brock's turf-toe.

YSU played better....period.

I thought the defensive coaches could have made better....or some adjustments but YSU did have one of the best offenses in the country....no excuse though.

Tough loss but time to move on.....Bison are still a damn good team....NC contender.

[JMB]

Ok, so I am a Project Manager and look at things differently than most. If the project was to win the MVFC and get to the FCS national championship game a briefing to the stakeholders would include risks to achieving this goal and also suggestions for improvement to mitigate those risks. Some of my thoughts at this point in the season are as follows.
Great to see the Bison at 9-0, but seems like the Bison rely too much on turnovers, defense rising to the occasion, and other teams mistakes for too many of those 9 victories. Yes, some of the ball bouncing the right way is part of college football, but I see many weaknesses on this Bison team that could prevent a perfect season and / or a long run in the playoffs. Here are some risk / issues and maybe some ideas to make things better. Please add your comments:

1. Offense needs to finish drives and score more often. Too many stalled out drives, often on the opponents side of the field. At least 3 of them in the Indiana State game. Seems except for the occasional flea flicker the play calling gets too predictable. Also untimely penalties are a factor. The offense needs to have better focus and a killer instinct to get the job done. Another benefit of sustained drives is the defense gets a good rest and the opponents offense is off the field.

2. Defense gives up the big play and is on the field too long. Breakdowns in secondary coverage and too soft of coverage are a problem. Why are the Bison playing 10 yards off the wideouts all the time? Just like giving the opponent 5 yards if they want it. Also when NDSU blitzes to get pressure on the QB 90% of the time its up the middle which often gets picked up. Just like with the offense the Bison are too predictable on defense. Not enough 3 and outs for the other teams. At the same time Bison offense is on the sideline getting cold.

3. Catch the ball. When you are wide open you can't be dropping a pass. Holloway I am talking about you. You need to have Smith give you some of the finer points of how to make a catch. Has Smith dropped one yet this year? Most of his catches are unbelievable. So who is Moody kid from ND. Did a great job yesterday. 3 catches for 30 yards and then I think he got hurt. Hope he is OK. I would bench Holloway and start Moody for YSU. The Bison need receivers that are clutch not clutz's.

4. Open up the passing game. Anybody notice how other teams have learned to throttle the Bison dink n dunk passing game? Also notice how the mid range passes (if not dropped) are going well for the Bison. Funny how most Bison scoring drives involve the passes downfield. I think the passing game needs more variety and should be mixed up with more emphasis on downfield passing. This would blow open games for the Bison as the running game and dink n dunk passes would go for 8 yards everytime. Also need to start using the TE on some short to medium passes over the middle, not along the sidelines.

5. Hit the hole faster on short yardage. The Bison have to stop with the deep handoffs when its 3rd or 4th down and 1 yard to go. Instead use quick hitting plays with the FB, or how about a QB sneak? Bison really need to do a better job converting on short yardage. Definitely a weak spot for this team.

6. More contributions from special teams. This is not really a weakness, but great teams benefit a lot from special team efforts and nothing crushes the opponent better than a quick score. Bison have had a few big special team plays this year, but need a bunch more on the way to Frisco. Put Williams in for all kickoff returns. How about trying out Voitlander's ability to pull off a fake punt? Also try more all out rushes to block punts.

In summary, the Bison are on a roll and seem to have a great deal of confidence to win games. If anything is holding back this team it appears to be the overly conservative game plan of the coaches. Not that coaches should suddenly change everything and do things radically different. Just be innovative and build on what is working, not just run the same 5 or 10 plays. The biggest concern is what happens if the Bison have a game where turnovers are not in their favor, or the defense doesn't make that big play. Can the conservative offense come through with enough scores, or make a game winning drive at the end of the game?

I will add a couple of more after a bit of reflection:

7) Defense must stop "desperation" drives - What I mean is drives by teams at the end of the half or game or when our opponents are behind when down and distance become less important. YSU proved again, teams can move the ball on us at the end of the half.

8) We need to play error free football - We are a very good but not dominant team.

[tjbison]

After a good night's sleep it is not all doom and gloom.

WE will beat WIU next week and have a 1st round bye. The extra week will definitely help heal up some injuries and Brock's turf-toe.

YSU played better....period.

I thought the defensive coaches could have made better....or some adjustments but YSU did have one of the best offenses in the country....no excuse though.

Tough loss but time to move on.....Bison are still a damn good team....NC contender.

We played like crap, YSU has a good offense, We missd Drevlow, Even Marcus played a little light giving u a couple passes, I know he had an INT but he he is that good. DJ and his Fumble was the back breaker period, totally took the fire out of the team. I really question the 2 Fade routes in a row to the Endzone, that was really stupid calling IMO

and to everyone else listening to these UNI dipshits, they ont like what the future holds for them its easy to see so they come here and degrade everything but I got 1 thing for them. NDSU gets the auto bid with a win next week and a bye for the playoffs.

The easy thing to do is hit the IGNORE function on the pussy fans

[BisoninNWMN]

Yep....Fu** UNI and their trolls on here.

Lehigh will beat them....again!!!

:rofl:

[ndsubison1]

defense is banged up. we must get healthy

[2011 Champions]

Yep....Fu** UNI and their trolls on here.

Lehigh will beat them....again!!!

:rofl:

YSU 27
Cows 24

[CaBisonFan]

YSU 27
Cows 24

North Dakota State - 27
Purple Scum - 19

[BisoninNWMN]

YSU 27
Cows 24


Bison 27-19 over purple pu**ies.


Illinois State 40-10

[PaBizon]

YSU 27
Cows 24

As the song says..... Cuts like a knife ...... Purple Pansies got sliced ha ha ha