UND VS. Sioux Falls

[boxerboy]

I remember about a year or so ago maybe two when I made a comment about how SF could give USD a good game. I was scorned here for such a thought. I did not know the level of support a Div II school still had compared to an NAIA institution.
Well today it wasn't USD but it was UND who early defeated USD. Now before you all jump down my throat I do not think SF would ever challenge SDSU. It does show that the top level NAIA schools can beat average Div II schools though.

[DakotaKid]

Re: UND VS. Sioux Falls

To answer that question just look at our scores from a couple years ago.
Yes on any given day, plus SFU is a heck of a football team. They have a big roster with a large number of redshirts and a great over all program. Any body can have a good year or two but to be good year in and out takes a soild organization.

[sfjacksfan99]

Re: UND VS. Sioux Falls

When you get to destroy NAIA teams every week and then go play a team who has to work their rear end off every week in the FCS, it's a big advantage for the small school, it's their super bowl. USF should be a good team in the NSIC, but when they have to play a "real" schedule for a full year, they're not going undefeated. Remember UND beat UNI like three years ago when UNI was very good and I think UNI still made the playoffs.

For the record, I do not like USF and their continued beatings on inferior opponents and puffing their chest about it. I wish UND would have pummelled them.

Also for the record, if and when Stig retires, I hope SDSU attempts to get Kalen DeBoer for a coach. He is not a good, but a great coach, IMO.

[JimmyJack]

Re: UND VS. Sioux Falls

We'll see how USF does with NCAA academic compliance and funding controls in place. Maybe they'll continue to thrive. Maybe not.

I was surprised about this game until I talked to somebody who knows more about USF's program. It's not like they're a D3 school. I'm told they have about 45 scholarships.

[jacksfan29]

Re: UND VS. Sioux Falls

We'll see how USF does with NCAA academic compliance and funding controls in place. Maybe they'll continue to thrive. Maybe not.

I was surprised about this game until I talked to somebody who knows more about USF's program. It's not like they're a D3 school. I'm told they have about 45 scholarships.

JimmyJack is correct, a school like USF will give out a lot of money in needs and "academic" scholorships to athletes to bring them in. I also don't like USF. I think they play incredibly weak schedules which allows them to get up for one or two games per year. UND is a weak FCS school in transition. Injuries and the let down of the UND players "having" to play USF with a mere 6K (I'm told) showing up played into the hands of a small, good NAIA team who; due to the weak schedule they play were able to prepare for this game since the beginning of the year. I think it will be interesting to see the UND v USF game in a couple of years. I have a feeling a very different UND team will show up.

[filbert]

Re: UND VS. Sioux Falls

I tend to agree with the assessment that USF will in absolute terms probably fall back a bit from the top of the world they play in now--if only because they're going into a league that doesn't allow the maximum number of D-II scholarships in football. The MIAA teams will always have a competitive advantage over the NSIC teams because of this. This doesn't mean that a good NSIC team won't be able to compete and win (viz. UMD vs. NW Missouri last year) but it does mean that it will always be an uphill climb for the NSIC schools vs. the full-scholarship D-II conferences. And I've seen recently that the NSIC is beginning to raise their football scholarships some, which will help close the gap.

Also, I don't think it's commonly understood that the academic requirements and overall regulation and scrutiny of athletic programs both increase as you go "up" in levels--from NAIA to NCAA, and from D-III/D-II to D-I. That's why there is a five-year period for a D-II school to transition to D-I. A lot of that time is spent getting up to speed on the increased reporting and academic/institutional controls that the NCAA requires in D-I. Adding scholarships and coaches is the easy part of moving up.

You do hear (far too often) about the scandals and abuses at D-I schools. You don't hear about them as much as the "lower" levels. Part of that is a heightened level of enforcement and part is simply more media attention at the D-I level. (And part is the increased pressure to "succeed at any cost" in D-I, because of that media, fan, and booster attention.)

None of which should denigrate what USF has done at the NAIA level. It's hard to conceive of them being much more successful than they have been. And it also doesn't really excuse UND's getting beaten. USF had the better team on the field for 60 minutes--that was pretty obvious if you watched very much of the game at all. The Cougar players not only wanted it more but had the talent to take it away from the Sioux at their place.

[filbert]

Re: UND VS. Sioux Falls

I just clicked on the fact that the scores of both USF-UND and SDSU-NDSU games was 28-13.

Weird, huh?

[Nidaros]

Re: UND VS. Sioux Falls

I just clicked on the fact that the scores of both USF-UND and SDSU-NDSU games was 28-13.

Weird, huh?

That's exactly the thought that went through my mind as SDSU scored the fourth TD and EP.

[Nidaros]

Re: UND VS. Sioux Falls

You do hear (far too often) about the scandals and abuses at D-I schools. You don't hear about them as much as the "lower" levels. Part of that is a heightened level of enforcement and part is simply more media attention at the D-I level. (And part is the increased pressure to "succeed at any cost" in D-I, because of that media, fan, and booster attention.)

Years ago I used to subscribe to the offical newspaper of the NCAA. One of their features was complete disclosure in small print of all proceedings against NCAA members regardless of classification. Some of this reading was of interest. Some of the small schools get eager to make progress and have often found the most corrupt individual for their coach as Morningside College did in the 1980's.

The proceedings against Morningside were in the small print section of the NCAA paper and were more detailed than any story printed in the Sioux City Journal.

When the corrupt guy was hired at Morningside, name now is forgotten, I recall Harry Forysth telling that he warned the NCC Commisioner to look out for this guy as he had been on the national committee for football and was aware of his dealing in Maryland. This guy who name escapes me had complete disreguard for rules and regulations and he basically is the one responsible for them leaving the NCC and D2 as they could no longer afford to fund their scholarships and what have you, plus Morningside got a new president who said enough is enough we are joining NAIA and GPAC. My point is that most of the time the D2 and below get away with murder, and their membership goes along and even participates in wrongdoing.

So with D1, I think there is a more conscious effort to play by the rules and the media has a big role to play here by keeping everyone's feet to the fire. This is not an endorsement of Stu Whitney Journalism, but the right questions do deserve to be asked some times. Even if its a cost over run on a President's new home.

In reguards to USF, I do think the President and AD are very eager, but appear to have the most squeaky clean coach who knows how to win football games who apparently plays by the rules, but I detect some ambitions from the President of wanting to be the Sioux Falls Team, and maybe see Boise State as their pattern. Being a tuition driven school, I dont see them ever as a big enrollment school, but I can see their athletic budget growing by leaps and bounds thanks to support from the Sioux Falls business community. That part is of big concern to me.

[BitsTD]

Re: UND VS. Sioux Falls

Does USF's win yesterday make the NSIC pause and think about not adding them to the league when the Coo is DII?

[SD-STATE]

Re: UND VS. Sioux Falls

I have said before that it won't be easy sailing for USF in the NSIC and I think that still will be the case. However, I think we should all give USF their due. They played a hell of game, won in dominating fashion. Let them enjoy their moment. As much as USF's coach is talked about, I think one has to recognize the effort of Morrell, who I believe is their D coordinator. If you look at their weekly thumpings of NAIA opponnents, teams are lucky to score.

[trueblue]

Re: UND VS. Sioux Falls

Around halftime of our game I noticed USF assistant coach Al Hansen and, I believe, Morrell sitting in about row 10 of section E.

[Rabbit74]

Re: UND VS. Sioux Falls

Congratulations to USF. USF and their President have been friends of SDSU for a long time. You may remember that their president, Mark Benadetto, was the only Univeristy or College President in the area that supported our move to Division I and even testified in our favor at the Regents hearing if I remember correctly. And I have seen him at SDSU football games. They have built a powerhouse at the NAIA level, but have come to realize just like we did that it is time to move to the next level. Their normally weak schedule in the GPAC was one that they propably would have continued to dominate for the forseeable future, instead they have elected to challenge themselves by starting the transition. I wish them the very best of success at Division II and if admitted to the NSIC as they probably will be great success in that conference. Just as we saw our move to Division I to be a move based on Vision, it is only fair to respect their vision in their move to Division II. I happen to be a personal friend of their former coach, hall of famer Bob Young and know their president to a lesser extent. They are both people with class and individuals USF and South Dakota are fortunate to have.

[JimmyJack]

Re: UND VS. Sioux Falls

Does USF's win yesterday make the NSIC pause and think about not adding them to the league when the Coo is DII?

Doubt it. I'm told USF has about 45 scholarships right now. It'll be interesting to see how compliance and a cut in scholarships impacts their football program.