NDSU's Formula for Success

[cclarkblues]

NDSU plays a lot like Alabama. Old school - Tougher than hell defense, almost boring gind-it-out, try to stop us offense. Wear you down and beat you like a dog in the second half. They are the Bama of our diviision.

 

[AZGrizFan]

When my wife taught at MSU, the school used to recruit students from the Twin Cities. I was talking to a young guy in Bozeman a couple months ago who discovered Montana as a teenager in Wisconsin taking the Empire Builder to Whitefish every winter for YMCA ski trips.
Big Sky was owned by a Michigan based Boyne USA which promoted the hell out of Montana ski trips and subsidized jet flights from the Midwest to Bozeman to ski Big Sky.

Yep and if you drive around the Twin Cities you will see Montana advertising on billboards, buses, light rail, tv, radio....EVERYWHERE! I'm telling you the Twin Cities/Minnesota market is ripe for recruiting. The farm kids in Greater Minnesota are like the kids from places like Plentywood and Columbus while there's enough to do in Missoula to keep kids from the Twin Cities interested.

Other schools Griz coaches would be wise to check out in Minnesota are Hutchinson, Glencoe-Silver Lake, Mahnomen, Cretin-Derham Hall, Eden Prairie, Minnetonka, and Wayzata.

One thing you guys overlook in regards to recruiting. It may not play out like this for every kid but many of them it does. You cannot underestimate what it means for a young man to be able to play in front of his family or at least have his family be able to see him play. For you to recruit players from Minnesota the closest game a Minnesota kids family would be able to see him play would be und and grand forks. That would be twice in his collegiate career. The rest of the games they would all have to fly to or drive thousands of miles. That plays a bigger factor than some want to acknowledge. Not saying you couldn't get a kid from Minnesota but I am saying kids are not going to routinely look that direction unless they have no other offers and if that's the case there may be other issues to look at. Anyway it's an interesting discussion.

I don't think anyone is saying we need to get 10-15 kids a year out of Minnesota. But your argument holds little water or NO kid from a distant state would ever leave to play ball. We got a lineman out of Iowa last year, and we've got a verbal from a kid out of Fort Wayne Indiana this year, and another from Sioux Falls, SD and an offer out to an OL/DT from St. Paul, MN. Baby steps...

 

[Gpsit]

The Bison had great success in D-II until 1990 when the scholarships were cut way back. This evened the playing field very quick. IMO, this is the reason the Bison have been missing, up until recently, from post season play. Maybe we should have moved up to I-AA when it was created, but that was not the case.

Coach Bohl may go to another program some day. I believe he would only go to a handful of schools, one being Nebraska. Who knows, maybe that is in his contract? I am very impressed with the Griz. You have a great fan base and a fantastic stadium. I agree, this could have been the 3-peat if not for the questionable call at EWU, but that is water under the bridge. I look forward in having the Griz and Bobcats in Fargo in the upcoming years. It will be great football.

 

[AllWeatherFan]

NDSU plays a lot like Alabama. Old school - Tougher than hell defense, almost boring gind-it-out, try to stop us offense. Wear you down and beat you like a dog in the second half. They are the Bama of our diviision.

Exactly. Just like the best CAA teams we've played.

 

[MNGriz04]

H
NDSU debunked a lot of assumptions about what it takes to make it to the chipper. It's not a school rich in championship appearances. UND had the better playoff showing in DII.

Exposure to California. Remember when Coach Pflugrad was telling the media that the new Big Sky Conference scheduling scheme could be bad for UM because it wouldn't play as much in Califirnia as it did under the old Big Sky? He said that was bad for recruiting because UM wouldn't have exposure to California. California players signing with the Griz wouldn't get to play in front of their families often. Seems to be working out for the Bison just fine. They've actually gotten better since they played in the Great West.

Here's another thing we learned from NDSU. If you got a coach on your staff that isn't getting it done? He might have a great resume. He might bleed your school colors. He might have more fiery spirit than a cheerleader on meth. If his kids aren't performing. Fire him. Coach Bohl has no problem cutting a coach loose, even a coach as solid as Mike Breske. THe Bison OC has been at the school 15 years. Bohl has been there 10 years. EVeryone else has been there for a much less time. NDSU has six coaches on its staff with four years or less with the Bison. THere are none of Craig's college roomates, or best men or siblings holding a whistle.

Here's another myth debunked. You don't need a staff full of former players or assistants who know your school's brand of football or bleed whatever god awful colors your uniforms are. There are 11 coaches on NDSU's staff. Only four of them are NDSU alums.

Here's another thing we learned, hard schedules aren't bad. NDSU doesn't play the Iowas, the Oregons, the Tennesees of the world. It plays FBS teams it can compete with and it beats them. After that, it plays a conference schedule that's pretty tough year in and year out.

If you are going to post please post something worth reading and not science fiction. UND has won one (that's 1) championship at the DII level in football. Now lets talk about NDSU's tradition rich history of football. NDSU has won ten (that's 10) championships 2 now at the current FCS level. Please at least try to do a little homework before posting such nonsense. UND is a hockey school first and foremost and anyone telling you anything else is just kidding themselves.

That's what I was trying to tell him. However, I disagree with the Fighting Sioux being a hockey school first. They are a goon school first which puts skates on a bunch of MMA wannabees. :lol:

 

[MNGriz04]

NDSU plays a lot like Alabama. Old school - Tougher than hell defense, almost boring gind-it-out, try to stop us offense. Wear you down and beat you like a dog in the second half. They are the Bama of our diviision.

You are giving them too much credit. Georgia Southern almost beat them with their third-string quarterback.

 

[bluemarlin2]

1. Damn good defense - best in FCS by far and better than most FBS teams. That defensive coordinator should be the hottest coaching commodity around.
2. Solid offensive line play.
3. Mistake-free football. A little boring and unimaginative, but no offensive turnovers and very few stupid penalties.

It's really no different than a lot of the other teams who've had success against us deep in the playoffs, i.e., Richmond, James Madison, Villanova, Marshall, etc.

Personally, I'd rather have Don Read's or Robin Pflugrad's offense, even with the higher risks involved, but damn, NDSU could easily win four straight championships when all is said and done.

lol...that sounds exactly like Bobbyball. All three points. :lol:

+1

 

[tojo70]

Yeah those titles helped to get the Fargodome built, helped to form a rock solid core of boosters/fans and it was what brought Bohl back to Fargo(he was an assistant coach at NDSU in the 80s, that experience is what created interest in applying for the NDSU job).

How long before he heads to Lincoln, in your estimation?

Even though he is probably a perfect fit there I don't see it happening, Nebraska did fire him after all and some of their boosters don't really want him back since his defense performed poorly in his final years.

Honestly I think Bohl is fine with coaching at NDSU until he retires. It seems like has no interest in anything but a major college job in the Midwest.

I don't know about that. He was born in Lincoln, grew up in Lincoln, played ball in Lincoln, and coached in Lincoln. Once a Husker, always a Husker. I'm betting he is in Lincoln before four years.

Bohl has a sour taste for Nebraska after what they did to him. From the way he talks, he also has a sour taste for anything FBS.
He just signed an 8 yr contract extension:
$206,000 base salary with 5% yearly increases based on performance
3% of ticket sales
$10K for conf. championship
$5k home playoff game
$2.5K away playoff game
$10K FCS runner up
$15K FCS Championship

Interesting note is that in his contract it is written that his assistant's salary budget will be guaranteed to be in the top 10% of all FCS. Asst. coaches also get bonuses based on conf. championship and playoff/championship wins.
One more thing, the buyout for the contract: $100K for an FCS school and twice his pay for FBS.

 

[MNGriz04]

How long before he heads to Lincoln, in your estimation?

Even though he is probably a perfect fit there I don't see it happening, Nebraska did fire him after all and some of their boosters don't really want him back since his defense performed poorly in his final years.

Honestly I think Bohl is fine with coaching at NDSU until he retires. It seems like has no interest in anything but a major college job in the Midwest.

I don't know about that. He was born in Lincoln, grew up in Lincoln, played ball in Lincoln, and coached in Lincoln. Once a Husker, always a Husker. I'm betting he is in Lincoln before four years.

Bohl has a sour taste for Nebraska after what they did to him. From the way he talks, he also has a sour taste for anything FBS.
He just signed an 8 yr contract extension:
$206,000 base salary with 5% yearly increases based on performance
3% of ticket sales
$10K for conf. championship
$5k home playoff game
$2.5K away playoff game
$10K FCS runner up
$15K FCS Championship

Interesting note is that in his contract it is written that his assistant's salary budget will be guaranteed to be in the top 10% of all FCS. Asst. coaches also get bonuses based on conf. championship and playoff/championship wins.
One more thing, the buyout for the contract: $100K for an FCS school and twice his pay for FBS.

Have you seen how much they pay Pelini? "Bo Pelini will also get a $100,000 raise to $2.875 million." Twice his pay would be about what the Offensive Coordinator made last year at Nebraska.

I still say Cornhusker is in Bohl's blood and it's hard to get out. He will be there within four years as head coach unless Pelini wins the National Championship or Big Ten Championship and a chance at the National Championship, both of which appear unlikely at this point.

 

['68griz]

Honestly I think Bohl is fine with coaching at NDSU until he retires....
He just signed an 8 yr contract extension:
$206,000 base salary with 5% yearly increases based on performance
3% of ticket sales
$10K for conf. championship
$5k home playoff game
$2.5K away playoff game
$10K FCS runner up
$15K FCS Championship

Interesting note is that in his contract it is written that his assistant's salary budget will be guaranteed to be in the top 10% of all FCS. Asst. coaches also get bonuses based on conf. championship and playoff/championship wins.
One more thing, the buyout for the contract: $100K for an FCS school and twice his pay for FBS.

And, I believe this is what Montana needs to do to be successful in the future -- and what I'm sure is NOT going to happen with Engstrom in charge. The future is not bright, IMHO.

 

[BisonBacker]

When my wife taught at MSU, the school used to recruit students from the Twin Cities. I was talking to a young guy in Bozeman a couple months ago who discovered Montana as a teenager in Wisconsin taking the Empire Builder to Whitefish every winter for YMCA ski trips.
Big Sky was owned by a Michigan based Boyne USA which promoted the hell out of Montana ski trips and subsidized jet flights from the Midwest to Bozeman to ski Big Sky.

Yep and if you drive around the Twin Cities you will see Montana advertising on billboards, buses, light rail, tv, radio....EVERYWHERE! I'm telling you the Twin Cities/Minnesota market is ripe for recruiting. The farm kids in Greater Minnesota are like the kids from places like Plentywood and Columbus while there's enough to do in Missoula to keep kids from the Twin Cities interested.

Other schools Griz coaches would be wise to check out in Minnesota are Hutchinson, Glencoe-Silver Lake, Mahnomen, Cretin-Derham Hall, Eden Prairie, Minnetonka, and Wayzata.

One thing you guys overlook in regards to recruiting. It may not play out like this for every kid but many of them it does. You cannot underestimate what it means for a young man to be able to play in front of his family or at least have his family be able to see him play. For you to recruit players from Minnesota the closest game a Minnesota kids family would be able to see him play would be und and grand forks. That would be twice in his collegiate career. The rest of the games they would all have to fly to or drive thousands of miles. That plays a bigger factor than some want to acknowledge. Not saying you couldn't get a kid from Minnesota but I am saying kids are not going to routinely look that direction unless they have no other offers and if that's the case there may be other issues to look at. Anyway it's an interesting discussion.

I don't think anyone is saying we need to get 10-15 kids a year out of Minnesota. But your argument holds little water or NO kid from a distant state would ever leave to play ball. We got a lineman out of Iowa last year, and we've got a verbal from a kid out of Fort Wayne Indiana this year, and another from Sioux Falls, SD and an offer out to an OL/DT from St. Paul, MN. Baby steps...

I think you are wrong saying my comments little water. Kid's want their families to be able to see them play. Playing for a school that far away makes that a difficult thing to do. Not saying you can't sign a kid from outstate but I am saying that a kid is going to look closer to home first in more cases than not. We've signed kids from Arizona, Kansas ect and had them leave because they wanted to play closer to home. Even if it meant playing down a level. Not saying it happens to every kid but it's a factor. The further you get from your base area for recruiting the harder it is especially for any of the schools like NDSU, Montana that are playing in a colder climate. Yeah there are always going to be exceptions to this but by and large it does hold water.

 

[AZGrizFan]

Yep and if you drive around the Twin Cities you will see Montana advertising on billboards, buses, light rail, tv, radio....EVERYWHERE! I'm telling you the Twin Cities/Minnesota market is ripe for recruiting. The farm kids in Greater Minnesota are like the kids from places like Plentywood and Columbus while there's enough to do in Missoula to keep kids from the Twin Cities interested.

Other schools Griz coaches would be wise to check out in Minnesota are Hutchinson, Glencoe-Silver Lake, Mahnomen, Cretin-Derham Hall, Eden Prairie, Minnetonka, and Wayzata.

One thing you guys overlook in regards to recruiting. It may not play out like this for every kid but many of them it does. You cannot underestimate what it means for a young man to be able to play in front of his family or at least have his family be able to see him play. For you to recruit players from Minnesota the closest game a Minnesota kids family would be able to see him play would be und and grand forks. That would be twice in his collegiate career. The rest of the games they would all have to fly to or drive thousands of miles. That plays a bigger factor than some want to acknowledge. Not saying you couldn't get a kid from Minnesota but I am saying kids are not going to routinely look that direction unless they have no other offers and if that's the case there may be other issues to look at. Anyway it's an interesting discussion.

I don't think anyone is saying we need to get 10-15 kids a year out of Minnesota. But your argument holds little water or NO kid from a distant state would ever leave to play ball. We got a lineman out of Iowa last year, and we've got a verbal from a kid out of Fort Wayne Indiana this year, and another from Sioux Falls, SD and an offer out to an OL/DT from St. Paul, MN. Baby steps...

I think you are wrong saying my comments hold no water. Kid's want their families to be able to see them play. Playing for a school that far away makes that a difficult thing to do. Not saying you can't sign a kid from outstate but I am saying that a kid is going to look closer to home first in more cases than not. We've signed kids from Arizona, Kansas ect and had them leave because they wanted to play closer to home. Even if it meant playing down a level. Not saying it happens to every kid but it's a factor. The further you get from your base area for recruiting the harder it is especially for any of the schools like NDSU, Montana that are playing in a colder climate. Yeah there are always going to be exceptions to this but by and large it does hold water.

I'm not saying it isn't a factor, but to imply that we're overlooking it is BS. Yeah, there's a reason why most university athletic teams are stocked with kids from the surrounding area...it ain't rocket science. Then again, lots of kids actually WANT to leave their area, see a different part of the world, experience something new and exciting. Sure, some of those end up getting homesick and leave, but that's life.

 

[MNGriz04]

Yep and if you drive around the Twin Cities you will see Montana advertising on billboards, buses, light rail, tv, radio....EVERYWHERE! I'm telling you the Twin Cities/Minnesota market is ripe for recruiting. The farm kids in Greater Minnesota are like the kids from places like Plentywood and Columbus while there's enough to do in Missoula to keep kids from the Twin Cities interested.

Other schools Griz coaches would be wise to check out in Minnesota are Hutchinson, Glencoe-Silver Lake, Mahnomen, Cretin-Derham Hall, Eden Prairie, Minnetonka, and Wayzata.

One thing you guys overlook in regards to recruiting. It may not play out like this for every kid but many of them it does. You cannot underestimate what it means for a young man to be able to play in front of his family or at least have his family be able to see him play. For you to recruit players from Minnesota the closest game a Minnesota kids family would be able to see him play would be und and grand forks. That would be twice in his collegiate career. The rest of the games they would all have to fly to or drive thousands of miles. That plays a bigger factor than some want to acknowledge. Not saying you couldn't get a kid from Minnesota but I am saying kids are not going to routinely look that direction unless they have no other offers and if that's the case there may be other issues to look at. Anyway it's an interesting discussion.

I don't think anyone is saying we need to get 10-15 kids a year out of Minnesota. But your argument holds little water or NO kid from a distant state would ever leave to play ball. We got a lineman out of Iowa last year, and we've got a verbal from a kid out of Fort Wayne Indiana this year, and another from Sioux Falls, SD and an offer out to an OL/DT from St. Paul, MN. Baby steps...

I think you are wrong saying my comments hold no water. Kid's want their families to be able to see them play. Playing for a school that far away makes that a difficult thing to do. Not saying you can't sign a kid from outstate but I am saying that a kid is going to look closer to home first in more cases than not. We've signed kids from Arizona, Kansas ect and had them leave because they wanted to play closer to home. Even if it meant playing down a level. Not saying it happens to every kid but it's a factor. The further you get from your base area for recruiting the harder it is especially for any of the schools like NDSU, Montana that are playing in a colder climate. Yeah there are always going to be exceptions to this but by and large it does hold water.

The difference is that many, many Minnesota kids have family living out in Montana and many, many Minnesota kids and their families travel to Montana in the winter to ski and the summer to vacation. The only reason someone travels to Fargo is to watch the tumbleweeds blow across the prairie. :lol:

 

[griz4life]

Sure a student would like to have his parents in the stands when he plays, but rosters of DI teams FCS or FBS, prove that students to choose schools that are a long ways from home. Were that not the case, the majority of students from California would not be participating in sports, or they would be filling the rosters of Torreros, Mustangs and Aggies with recruits the rest of the nation couldn't attract.
California has one eighth of the nation's population. The majority the students from California do not participate in college football at schools within driving distance of home.
The best thing NDSU and UM have going for them is that the communities they're in support FCS sports. How often do you read of a recruit saying it was the community that sold them on the Bison? It's a factor in Montana recruiting. There really aren't many FCS schools that have community support working for them.

 

[Grizzoola]

Lots of factors in a kid's deciding on where to play. How about looking at this from a cost/benefit standpoint? How about looking at the cost of recruiting in a certain area vs. the number of starters you get from that area? This may already be in UM's equation. For example, reverse the situation re: UM recruiting in MN. Look at it from NDSU's standpoint re: recruiting in WA & OR. Is UM going to benefit more than the cost by recruiting in MN, or NDSU benefiting more by recruiting in WA & OR? I think there's a cost/benefit that's considered in using limited recruiting funds.

 

[BisonBacker]

There are lots of ways to look at it. Not saying any one way is the perfect or "right" way but IMHO for Montana looking at Minnesota as a hotspot to recruit may yield you a player here or there but overall kids in Minnesota are not going to go looking out West to play for that many teams unless they are called USC, Cal ect. No different than for NDSU fans not to expect to see NDSU pushing hard on Montana, Oregon or Washington kids. Maybe I misread the poster who was talking about Minnesota being a fertile recruiting ground for you guys I just don't see that happening on a regular basis. Especially not when you have the two time defending National Champion a short drive or only a few hours drive away. Unless NDSU doesn't offer a particular area of specialty in academia that Montana does I would say recruiting Minnesota kids on a regular basis for you guys is a stretch.

 

[AllWeatherFan]

Lots of factors in a kid's deciding on where to play. How about looking at this from a cost/benefit standpoint? How about looking at the cost of recruiting in a certain area vs. the number of starters you get from that area? This may already be in UM's equation. For example, reverse the situation re: UM recruiting in MN. Look at it from NDSU's standpoint re: recruiting in WA & OR. Is UM going to benefit more than the cost by recruiting in MN, or NDSU benefiting more by recruiting in WA & OR? I think there's a cost/benefit that's considered in using limited recruiting funds.

You got it, Grizzoola. Recruiting budgets are probably way smaller than most people think, and coaches spend a lot of time driving hither and yon to watch some recruit play in Podunk, MT or schmooze his parents. That's almost impossible to do on a regular basis as far away as Minnesota. Of course, coaches will travel great distances to see a highly prized recruit, but they have to be very selective.

 

[MNGriz04]

Lots of factors in a kid's deciding on where to play. How about looking at this from a cost/benefit standpoint? How about looking at the cost of recruiting in a certain area vs. the number of starters you get from that area? This may already be in UM's equation. For example, reverse the situation re: UM recruiting in MN. Look at it from NDSU's standpoint re: recruiting in WA & OR. Is UM going to benefit more than the cost by recruiting in MN, or NDSU benefiting more by recruiting in WA & OR? I think there's a cost/benefit that's considered in using limited recruiting funds.

How many "Visit North Dakota" tourism ads do you see plastered across the Sea-Tac or PDX metro area? You can't go more than 5 miles without seeing at least 3 ads emanating "Visit Montana" in the Twin Cities metro. Plus, how many OR and WA license plates do you see in North Dakota? I can count the number of times I have seen those plates in ND on one hand and I have driven in, around, and through North Dakota at least 50 times. When I went back home and visited Glacier Park I swore I was in Minnesota with the number of cars with Minnesota license plates and the "ya sure, you betchas".

Comparing OR and WA as recruiting ground for ND is like comparing KS and MO as recruiting ground for Montana. Minnesota on the other hand is a different story for a number of reasons. Trust me, I see it more because I live in Minnesota now. If you would have asked me this when I lived in Montana or Seattle or Portland than I would have said you were crazy. However, I could care less if the Griz recruit this area or not because there is no skin off my nose but I see it and live it every day and some kids in Minnesota would play football for the Griz for a variety of reasons if they were recruited by the Griz.

 

[Walkon79]

The Cats had a strong recruiting base in MN in the 70s


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[mcg]

The Cats had a strong recruiting base in MN in the 70s


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Who cares?