Overcoming Adversity- The Coaching Career of Robin Blake

[TheOtherPotterGuy]

By The Skin of Their Teeth!

Bison escape with a victory versus Hawaii after a 20 point collapse.


Bison WR Atari Munoz (4) catches the winning TD as time expires.

Fargo, N.D- ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?!

That was the phrase undoubtedly uttered by Bison fans as they watched their team barely beat a struggling Hawaii team 26-21 tonight at the Fargodome.

"That was ugly." Head coach Chris Klieman said after the game. "We were not our best today but this team came together and pulled out the victory. At the end of the day that is all that matters."

Bison HB Parker Latimer (20) runs in untouched for a 1st quarter TD

Bison fans would have to disagree with their coach. The first half of the game started out per usual for NDSU. The defense was stifling and the offense did just enough to take a 13-0 lead in the locker room after a 38 yard touchdown by senior wide receiver Atari Munoz.

Bison WR Atari Munoz (4) is wide open for a 38 YD TD

Whether it was just lack of focus, overconfidence or great adjustments made by the Hawaii coaching staff, the Bison came out just plain sloppy in the second half. Bison running back Duane Goolsby scored a touchdown on the opening drive of the second half. When Hawaii got the ball back, Senior quarterback Sean Schroeder led his team on a long drive that ended in a touchdown pass to junior Scott Harding. This was the first touchdown allowed by the Bison defense in 9 quarters.

Hawaii WR Scott Harding (29) catches a TD pass as Bison safety Sergio Swain (5) looks on hopelessly.

The Bison got the ball back two times and both times running back Parker Latimer fumbled inside the NDSU 40 to give Hawaii great field position which they capitalized on with a rushing touchdown by running back Steven Lakalaka and a touchdown catch by wide reciever Billy Ray Stutzmann.

Hawaii HB Steven Lakalaka (4) falls into the end zone for a TD

"Yeah we made some mistakes." a grumpy offensive coordinator Brett Terrell said after the game. "The defense did'nt help us out much so we got lucky to get this win."

Hawaii WR Billy Ray Stuzmann (5) catches a TD to put the Warriors up by one.

One could argue that Coach Robin's Blake defense was put in bad situations on numerous occasions because of the offense. With Hawaii up by one, wide receiver Atari Munoz would put the team on his back when he caught a 52 yard pass from Carey Kaplan with time expiring to clinch the victory.

Bison DT Reginald Elbert (87) sacks Hawaii QB Sean Schroeder (19)

If you were watching the game you would think that our beloved Bison had lost the game. Through the second half, running back Parker Latimer could be seen yelling at various teammates on the sidelines. This caused several small skirmishes on the sidelines between the offense and the defense. With offensive coordinator Brett Terrell's dig at defensive coordinator Robin Blake during the press conference, this is a team that could implode really fast if something or someone does not improve upon the situation.

The Bison will be on a bye this week. They will no doubt try to fix the issues before the Duke Blue Devils come to town.

Hawaii Warriors at North Dakota State Bison
Sep 28, 2013	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Hawaii Warriors (1-3, 1-1)	0	0	7	14	21
North Dakota State Bison (5-0, 3-0)	6	7	7	6	26

Team Stats Comparison
	HAW	NDSU
Total Offense	303	395
Rushing Yards	31	116
Passing Yards	272	279
First Downs	14	18
Punt Return Yards	9	14
Kick Return Yards	59	62
Total Yards	371	471
Turnovers	0	2
3rd Down Converstion	3-6	6-10
4th Down Conversion	0-0	1-1
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-1
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	4-3-0	3-2-0
Penalties	1-15	4-35
Posession Time	10:28	13:32

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		HAW	NDSU
0:46	(NDSU) TD NDSU: P.Latimer, 1 YD run (missed kick)	0	6
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		HAW	NDSU
0:51	(NDSU) TD NDSU: A.Munoz, 38 YD pass from C.Kaplan (R.Bush kick)	0	13
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		HAW	NDSU
3:56	(NDSU) TD: D.Goolsby, 1 YD run (R.Bush kick)	0	20
1:56	(HAW) TD HAW: S.Harding, 9 YD pass from S.Schroeder (T.Hadden kick)	7	20
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		HAW	NDSU
4:32	(HAW) TD HAW: S.Lakalaka, 8 YD run (T.Hadden kick)	14	20
1:07	(HAW) TD HAW: B.Stutzman, 9 YD pass from S.Schroeder (T.Hadden kick)	21	20
0:00	(NDSU) TD NDSU: A.Munoz, 52 YD pass from C.Kaplan (2-PT failed)	26	20

Hawaii Warriors PASSING C/A YDS TD INT S.Schroeder 22-28 272 2 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD S.Lakalaka 8 35 4.3 1 S.Schroeder 3 -3 -1.0 0 D.Saint-Juste 1 -1 -1.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD C.Evans 6 28 4.6 0 S.Harding 5 53 10.6 1 V.Haynes 3 56 18.6 0 C.Gant 2 31 15.5 0 S.Lakalaka 2 50 25.0 0 B.Stutzmann 1 9 9.0 1 D.King Jr. 1 26 26.0 0 K.Kirkwood 1 10 10.0 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD A.Laurel 11 1 0 0 A.Pierce 7 0 0 0 J.Hardy-Tuliau 6 0 0 0 S.Matagiese 5 0 0 0 D.Maggitt 4 0 0 0 B.Daley 4 0 0 0 T.Lataimua 3 0 0 0 B.Yap 3 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG T.Hadden 0-1 3-3 3 0 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 R.Guzman 3 132 44.0 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD T.Grimes 3 59 19.6 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD S.Harding 1 9 9.0 0

North Dakota State Bison PASSING C/A YDS TD INT C.Kaplan 19-23 279 2 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD P.Latimer 22 82 3.7 1 D.Goolsby 7 33 4.7 1 C.Kaplan 3 4 1.3 0 R.Givens 1 -3 -3.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD P.Latimer 7 25 3.5 0 A.Munoz 5 148 29.6 2 B.Redd 3 57 19.0 0 R.Givens 2 29 14.5 0 S.Dunn 1 9 9.0 0 M.Duckett 1 11 11.0 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD C.Francis 9 0 0 0 S.Swain 6 1 0 0 A.Pettit 3 0 0 0 T.Kent 3 0 0 0 S.Leslie 2 0 0 0 T.Briggs 2 0 0 0 J.Golden 2 0 0 0 B.McKinley 2 0 0 0 R.Elbert 1 1 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG R.Bush 0-1 2-3 2 0 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 E.Mason 2 94 47.0 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD B.Redd 2 45 22.5 0 A.Munoz 1 17 17.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD B.Redd 2 14 7.0 0

[EziioGlory]

Nice dynasty. Consider me a follower!

[TheOtherPotterGuy]

Quote: Originally Posted by EziioGlory

Nice dynasty. Consider me a follower!

Thanks! Its not the most beautiful like some of the awesome dynasties on here and I know I can get pretty wordy but it's been a lot of fun so far and I am excited to see where it goes. Thanks for checking in!

[TheOtherPotterGuy]

Chapter Nine

“Look! I’m just saying, if some of y’all had done what you were supposed to do, we wouldn’t have needed Munoz to save our asses!” Running back Parker Latimer said standing in front of safety Sergio Swain.

“Are you freaking serious!?” Swain said in disbelief. “You were the one who couldn’t hold on to the dang football!”

The team had just finished their game against Hawaii. They had won but it wasn’t pretty and angry emotions had spilled over from the field into the locker room. Offensive and defensive players were at odds with each other and arguments erupted throughout the locker room.

Robin Blake stood off to the side watching the chaos unfold. He knew someone needed to step in and defuse the situation, but with the chemistry between the coaches so precarious, he didn’t want to make a move that looked like he was undermining head coach Chris Klieman. Chris, however, was standing against the wall talking to one of the equipment managers and looking like he could care less about what was going on.

Robin made his way over to Chris and said “Hey coach. Shouldn’t we do something about this?”

Chris glanced toward his players and shrugged. “They’re just frustrated. They’ll work it out.”

“But coach, this can’t be-“

“Enough Blake!” Chris said angrily. “You just do what I hired you to do. There are clearly things you need to improve on after today.”

Stung, Robin backed away and turned toward the players. “Listen up! Defense in the film room! Ten minutes!” Without another word he walked out of the locker room and into the cool of the night.

The stadium lights were starting to shut off as the last of the fans made their way out into the cool Fargo night. Sounds of celebration and joy emanated from all around Robin as he walked toward the football facilities. Robin couldn’t believe what happened tonight. The rate at which this team deteriorated was incredible. He was even more stunned by Chris Klieman’s careless attitude. If this is how the team and the coach react in the face of a possible loss, this was going to be a very long season. One thing was for sure though, if he couldn’t fix the whole team, he was not going to let his defense fall apart.

Reaching the football facility building, Robin unlocked the door and propped it open with a stone. He wasn’t surprised by the blame placed upon him by offensive coordinator Brett Terrell, in fact it was expected the first time Robin messed up. What did surprise him was how public he made it. He thought Brett would have a little respect for him and the program but apparently not. Brett had disappeared after the post-game press conference. “Probably at the end of a buffet table.” Robin thought wryly.

He opened the door to the film room and turned on the lights. He placed himself at the front of the room and waited silently for his players. After a few minutes his defense started trickling in with various emotions etched on their face. None of which were joyous ones.

“You’d never know we just won a game on a last second touchdown.” Robin thought to himself.

After every member of his defense was sitting quietly in their seats, Robin cleared his throat. “What went wrong today?”

The players looked around the room at each other wearily. Defensive tackle Reginald Elbert slumped in his chair trying hard to appear small which was comical since he weighed well over 300 pounds and was 6’6.

“Anybody?”

Safety Calvin Francis raised his hand tentatively. “We couldn’t stop Hawaii?”

Robin shook his head. “No. Not the answer I was looking for.”

Linebacker Pat Dunbar shouted “We didn’t get enough pressure on their quarterback.”

Robin shook his head again.

Confused the players looked around at each other. Finally linebacker and defensive captain Ali Pettit raised his hand. “We were not a team.”

“Yes.” Robin said. “We did not work together today. Instead of it being North Dakota State versus Hawaii, it was the North Dakota State offense versus the North Dakota State defense. That cannot happen. Ever.”

“But coach!” Some of the players protested. “They started it!” Sergio Swain, who earlier was in Parker Latimer’s face, screamed: “That running back was going around cursing everyone in here out! He's a selfish arrogant jerk! Are we supposed to stand for that?”

Robin waited calmly for the noise to subside. “I am fully aware what some of those guys were doing. But in the face of adversity, even when it comes from your own teammates, you must stand strong and continue to fight for your brothers.”

“Man that’s bull.” Cornerback Jordan Golden said. “I ain’t putting my blood, sweat and tears into a team that is going to rip me every time something bad happens.”

Several players nodded in agreement.

“I know what I am asking is a lot and may seem impossible at this point in time.” Robin said as Sergio snorted derisively. “But I’ am not asking you to be best buds with them, just for you to respect and support them.”

“But coach.” Ali said standing up. “Even you are having problems with the coaches. We all saw it. How can we respect those guys if even you are fighting with them?”

“Because they are my colleagues and at the end of the day we all want the same thing, a championship for this program. I may not be happy with them and get along with them, but I’ll do everything in my power to support them and help lift this team up.”

Ali sat but down and looked at Robin thoughtfully.

“One of my favorite movies of all time is ‘Remember the Titans.’ Anybody in here seen it?”

Almost every head in the room nodded.

“Now that movie was definitely full of chaos and strife, but they eventually came together, respected each other and they dominated the competition.” Robin came forward and looked at all his players. “I’ am not saying that you will be all kumbaya and be best buddies and I’ am not saying we will dominate the competition, even though we are still undefeated believe or not.”

Laughs echoed throughout the room.

“But I’ am asking that you respect every member of this team and all the coaches. No matter what they say or do, shrug it off and use the football field as a way to show off with your actions not your words.”

The players looked at each other. Some nodded in agreement.

“And remember, there are 18 seniors on this team this year, 10 of them are in this room. The seniors definitely deserve the best you got. If you can’t tolerate certain member on this team then at least fight for your brothers who are gone at the end of this year.”

Silence prevailed in the room. Then Ali Pettit stood up again. “Yeah you bunch of lazy motherf-, If I see anyone not playing hard out there in my last few games you will not be a part of my entourage when I’ am drafted number one overall in the NFL next year.”

The players busted up laughing. Some punched Ali in jest. The mood in the room was considerably lighter than it was a few minutes ago.

Robin smiled and then turned serious again. “Listen men. I honestly have no idea what will happen this year. We may lose the rest of our games; we may go undefeated and win a championship. But one thing I do know for sure, we will have the best damn defense in this country and we will do it with respect and dignity!”

Cheers rose up in the room. Everyone was smiling now.

“Alright guys. Go home, enjoy this win. Be ready to work again on Monday.”

The players groaned. “But coach!” said Sergio. “It’s a bye week!”

Robin glared at him which made Sergio slink back into his seat, then he grinned. “Fine, see y’all Tuesday!”

Everyone cheered and started heading out. Watching his players walk out the door, playing and joking with each other he sighed. This was a good group of guys and he hoped this season will end well for them. Shutting off the lights Robin headed home.



An hour later, Robin was getting ready for bed when his doorbell rang. Glancing at his luminescent clock which said 12:45, he groaned. He had an idea of who might be at his door this late. She had impeccable timing as usual.

The doorbell rang again. “I’ am coming! I’ am coming” Robin opened the front door and his suspicions were confirmed. Anna stood at his door.

“Look I really don’t have time for—“Robin stopped suddenly as he looked at Anna closer. Her hair was unkempt, her eyes were red, her clothes were wrinkly and she had no hint of any game day colors on her which was highly unusual since she never missed a game. “Hey are you ok?”

She gave a small sob. “I’ am sorry. I know I’ am the last person you want to see right now.”

“What’s going on?”

“It’s my mom. She… She is not doing well.”

“Oh Anna.” Robin said sadly.

“And I... I just need my friend right now and I knew you’d still be up because of the game and--“

“Of course. Come in.”

Anna walked inside nervously. “You can go to bed if you want. I’ll stay here on the couch. I just need to be somewhere other than the hospital tonight.”

“Don’t be silly.” Robin said as he grabbed some blankets and a pillow from the hall closet. “I can stay with you for as long as you need.” He made up the couch and then sat at the end. Anna came over and sat next to him grabbing a blanket. “So what’s going on with your mom?”

She grimaced. “Cancer. She has Stage 4 lung cancer. It spread to her organs and they are starting to shut down. The doctor says she’ll be gone in a few days.”

Robin put an arm around her and held her close. “I’ am so sorry. Is there anything I can do?”

She curled into him and closed her eyes. “Just stay with me please? I am so tired..”

There was silence for a few minutes and then Robin heard a soft snore. Moving slowly he gently placed a pillow under her head and covered her in a blanket. He then grabbed another pillow and blanket from his bedroom and laid down on the floor next to her. “What a strange and depressing day.” He said as he closed his eyes and let sleep take him.

[TheOtherPotterGuy]

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Auburn remains the top dog once again. But after that, it is a complete mess with the several upsets that happened this past weekend.

NCAA Football Rankings - AP Top 25 - Updated: Sep 30, 2013
RK	LW	TEAM (VOTES)	W	L	POINTS
1	1	Auburn	4	0	40
2	3	Michigan State	4	0	21
3	4	Baylor	3	0
4	7	Missouri	4	0
5	9	Oklahoma	4	0
6	8	Oregon	4	0
7	11	Wisconsin	5	0
8	10	Alabama	3	1
9	5	Ohio State	4	1
10	12	Louisville	4	0
11	13	Clemson	3	1
12	14	Northern Illinois	4	0
13	6	South Carolina	3	1
14	15	Stanford	3	1
15	2	Florida State	3	1
16	17	Oklahoma State	3	1
17	18	Texas A&M	4	1
18	19	TCU	4	0
19	20	Fresno State	4	1
20	21	Kansas State	4	0
21	22	Boise State	5	0
22	23	USC	4	0
23	--	UCF	3	1
24	--	LSU	3	2
25	16	Georgia	2	2

Despite losing to conference foe Wisconsin, Ohio State's Braxton Miller remains the Heisman favorite.

Heisman Watch - Updated: Sep 30, 2013
NAME	POS	SCHOOL		SEASON STATS
Braxton Miller	QB	Ohio State		69-115, 959 YDS, 15 TD, 3 INT
Melvin Gordon	HB	Wisconsin		94 ATT, 576 YDS, 9 TD
Ben Malena	HB	Texas A&M		66 ATT, 395 YDS, 6 TD
Glasco Martin	HB	Baylor		69 ATT, 408 YDS, 9 TD
Johnny Manzial	QB	Texas A&M		81-120, 1219 YDS, 11 TD, 0 INT

Players of the Week

Offense:

Louisiana Tech WR Jon Greenwalt

15 REC, 293 YDS, 5 TD

Defense:

Western Kentucky CB Tyree Robinson

2 TKLS, ATK, FF, INT

Congratulations to both players!

[TheOtherPotterGuy]

Chapter Ten

The rain poured down on the dark covered crowd of mourners as a very immaculate pastor continued to speak with pompous flair while occasionally glaring at the cloudy sky.

“This is so cliché.” Robin thought to himself as he clutched his jacket tighter against the cold. “Rain at a funeral.”

It was a few days later after the disastrous aftermath of the Hawaii game. Even though they had won, team chemistry had been shaken and the coaches were not on the same page at all. In fact offensive coordinator Brett Terrell had not been seen since his press conference on Saturday.

Robin wiped the rain water off his face and tried to make himself smaller under his umbrella. He looked toward the front and saw Anna standing with her father clutching his hand. She wasn’t crying at the moment but her dad was completely losing it. Robin shook his head. She was a lot stronger than anyone, including him, had given her credit for. She had come over to his place that Saturday night to escape the hospital for a little while. She went back the next morning and her mom passed away a couple hours later. She cried once momentarily and then took charge of the situation. She planned the funeral, organized her mom’s possessions, obtained the death certificate and took care of her dad. Robin only saw her once this week before the funeral and it was to ask for help moving some of her mom’s heavy furniture. Her dad had decided that he was going to live with one of his son’s in Bismarck.

He glanced at the pastor willing him to wrap it up. His team was on a bye this week but he felt anxious being away from the facility to long, especially with the situation so tenuous and the Duke Blue Devils coming to town.

As if Heavenly Father Himself heard his thoughts, the pastor gave one more exaggerated flourish and then signaled the pallbearers to lower the casket into the ground.

Anna and her father gave one last glance, saying their goodbyes, and then turned around to meet with their guests and accept condolences.

“Why don’t we all just head back inside?” Anna said, shouting to make her voice heard over the rain and the chorus of voices.

Relieved, everyone starting walking towards the warmth of the church building. Robin made his way to where Anna was walking with her father.

“Hey.” He said as he reached the duo. “How are y’all holding up?”

Anna gave a small smile and said: “About as well as can be expected.”

Robin turned toward her father and extended his hand. “I’ am very sorry for your loss sir. If there is anything that I or the university can do for you, please let me know. Your daughter has helped us out plenty and I know you and your late wife were big supporters.”

Her father shook his hand firmly and said: “Please. Call me Bert. It means a lot to me that you came out here today.”

Robin looked at Anna. “It was an honor to be invited.”

Bert looked at the blush that was creeping into his daughter’s cheeks and turned back toward Robin, a twinkle in his eye. “I’ll be moving out of town in a few days. So I trust you won’t let things go to hell.”

Robin chuckled. “I promise I won’t let that happen if I can help it.”

Bert stood closer. “I’ am serious. There are rumors about some unsettling things going on with the team. Don’t let them run you out of town. Your one of the best things to happen to this town. There is beauty here if you can open your eyes and see it.” With that Bert turned away and started walking towards the building.

“What was that all about?”

Anna shrugged, her cheeks still pink. “I don’t know. He rambles on about the randomness things sometimes.” She gave his hand a small squeeze. “I know you have to go but thank you so much for coming. It means more then you’ll ever know. Plus momma would be thrilled to know a member of the university football coaching staff was here.”

“Of course. Thank you for inviting me.” He absentmindedly brushed a wet strand of hair out of her face. Anna closed her eyes for a second then shook her head and backed away.

“I...um. I need to go help my father get to the building.”

“Yeah.” Robin said looking at his hand like it was possessed.

“So um...see you around?”

“Sounds good.” He said and walked away quickly to put distance between the awkwardness that had sprung up between them.



An hour later, Robin was back at his office having changed out of his wet suit and was preparing to watch film on the Duke Blue Devils when his door swung open.

“I figured you’d be here.” Head coach Chris Klieman said. “I need you in my office right now.”

“What’s going on?”

“I don’t have time for questions Blake.”

Confused and kind of annoyed, Robin followed Chris back to his office where he got a surprise. North Dakota State universities athletic director, Matt Larsen, was standing in the office talking on his cell phone.

He finished up his phone call and waved them in. “Sit down gentlemen please.”

Chris sat at his desk and started fidgeting nervously. Robin took a seat and looked at Matt questioningly. “What’s going on sir?”

Matt sighed. “Bad PR.” He looked at Chris. “Where is Brett?”

Chris cleared his throat. “I am not sure sir.”

Matt glanced at him confused. “Excuse me?”

Chris cleared his throat again and looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there. “I am not sure sir. We haven’t seen him since the game on Saturday.”

Matt gave an exasperated sigh. “Well that is going to have to wait. Is the running backs coach on his way?”

“I couldn’t get a hold of him sir.”

“Damn man do you know where any of your staff is?”

Matt looked away just as Chris gave him a glare. “I guess this will have to do then.” He glanced at his watch. “What do we do about Latimer?”

“What do you mean sir?” Robin asked confused.

“Haven’t you heard?” Matt said with a raised eyebrow.

“I was at a funeral for a friend.”

“Ah. My condolences. Parker Latimer was arrested last night again. He assaulted a female at a bar, drove drunk, and when an officer attempted to arrest him he resisted.”

Robin shook his head in disgust.

“We need to handle this before this blows up.” Matt said. “We don’t need this kind of publicity. We don’t have the resources to keep it under wraps like a Florida State or a Oklahoma State.”

“We should give him four game suspension. Then put him under strict rules when he comes back.” Chris said.

Robin snorted.

Matt looked at him. “Disagree Blake?”

He looked at Chris who had a dangerous look on his face then back at the director. “I am not in charge so what I say doesn’t matter.”

“But I invited you here and I want to know what you think. Plus in the absence of the offensive coordinator and the running backs coach, you are the next best thing.”

Robin took a deep breath and said: “Well if it were up to me, I’d dismiss him from the team. This is his second arrest in a couple of months, he fights with his teammates, and he is a senior so suspending him for more games will be irrelevant because he won’t play much anyways.”

“But he is a vital part of our offense.” Chris protested. “Taking him out will ruin any chemistry the offense has built up together.”

“He ruins team morale and we definitely don’t need that.” Robin said. “Plus Goolsby has shown he can carry the load.”

“No offense sir, but he is just the defensive coordinator. He doesn’t deal with those players on a daily basis.”

“Fine.” Matt said holding up his hands. “Then let’s talk to someone who does.” Matt pulled out his phone and pushed a button.

“I’ve tried calling him but he wouldn’t answer.” Chris said smugly.

‘We’ll see.” Matt put the phone on speaker. There were a couple of rings and then: “Hello?”

“Brett? It’s Matt. Where are you?”

“I am at home.”

“Can you come down to Chris’s office? There is something we need to discuss.”

“No you don’t understand.” Brett said, his voice distorted by the speaker on the phone. “Home, meaning South Carolina.”

Taken aback Matt said, “What the hell are you doing there?”

“I am resigning. Effective immediately.”

There was silence in the room, then “Excuse me?”

“The past couple of games have been really draining on my health and well being. When the players started fighting with each other and I couldn't stop it, I realized I am way too old for this.”

“You do realize we are undefeated?” Matt sputtered.

“Yes and I wish the team all the luck in the world, but for my health and my families sanity I need to step away.” Brett said

“You know you’ll have to pay back some money that was in your contract?”

“Yes.” Brett said, sounding determined.

“Well then, I am sorry to see you go. Thank you for all you’ve done for the program.”

The phone went dead and there was silence in the room for a moment.

“Well we really can’t lose Latimer now.” Chris finally said. “The offense will suffer and there will be no chance of a championship.”

Matt looked at Chris thoughtfully then said “We will dismiss him from the team. I’ll tell the board tonight. Prepare a statement for tomorrow’s press conference about both dismissals.” Matt straightened his suit and proceeded to the door. “And for the love of God at least pretend you both want to be here or your wish will be a reality.” He left.

Robin stood and looked at Chris. “Do you need any help?”

“No.” He said waving his hand dismissing Robin. “Go game plan for Duke.
The defense is the only thing we got left.”

Robin left wondering how in the world he got into this mess.

[TheOtherPotterGuy]

Parker Latimer Dismissed From the Team

Fargo, N.D- The fallout from the Hawaii game continues.

After being arrested for a second time in a couple of months, North Dakota State University has decided to dismiss senior running back Parker Latimer indefinitely.

"It's definitely disappointing when a player of his caliber does not live up to the standards you have set." Head coach Chris Klieman said at a press conference. "We are a team though, and the team comes first. I wish Parker all the best."

Latimer was arrested two nights ago when he assaulted an unnamed female at a bar, drove while under the influence, and resisted arrest when Fargo PD attempted to bring him in. If found guilty, he could face up to ten years in prison.

It was expected that the senior from Wisconsin would be an integral part of the Bison offense and help guide this team to their first winning FBS season. Instead Latimer will finish the 2013 season with 379 yards and three touchdowns.

Offensive Coordinator Brett Terrell Resigns

Fargo, N.D- In possibly the worst bye week ever experienced by the Bison faithful, offensive coordinator Brett Terrell has resigned from his position citing "health reasons."

"We wish Brett all the best in this new chapter of his life." Head coach Chris Klieman said at the same press conference announcing Parker Latimers dismissal. "I'am disappointed that we won't have his presence around here anymore but I'am confident we will be able to move forward and achieve success."

Terrell led a unit that struggled a little bit this season but was able to pull out a miracle last week versus Hawaii.

"We are all going to miss him a lot." Senior quarterback Carey Kaplan said. "But all we can do is move on and do our job."

Coach Klieman will take over offensive duties and call the plays for the rest of the season. Lets hope this is the end of the bad news and our beloved Bison can move forward and end this season on a good note.

[TylerHL]

Ouch, Latimer should have found Jameis Winston's lawyer. You're a good writer! Enjoying this