Bison Illustrated February 2016

CONTENTS

feature

28

DRIVE FOR FIVE Take a look back at the 2015 football season as we go game-by-game and highlight the season's most important storylines.

88 SENIOR FAREWELL After the championship game, NFL quarterback to-be Carson Wentz sent a message to his Bison family.

Read it here.

100 "BISONIFICATION" OF THE FCS Senior columnist Joshua "Swany" Swanson writes how NDSU became THE brand of the FCS.

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RETURNING STARTERS

THIRSTY FOR MORE

CHRIS KLIEMAN

MATT ENTZ

We speak to seven football players who played monumental roles in 2015 and will be back on the roster in 2016.

22

If you thought a five-peat was impressive, wait until Swany gives you the keys for NDSU's six-peat in 2016.

BISON ILLUSTRATED • F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 6

Bison head coach Chris Klieman sits down with us and speaks about the challenges and adversity NDSU faced this season.

Defensive coordinator Matt Entz explains to us the growth of the Bison defensive and how they overcame defeat.

CONTENTS

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136

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TIM POLASEK

DEAN BRESCIANI

MATT LARSEN

FORMER PLAYERS REUNION

Offensive coordinator Tim Polasek overcame two losses and an injury to his starting quarterback in 2015. He breaks down how NDSU's offense stayed the course.

NDSU President Dean Bresciani answers questions about another remarkable football season and the happenings around the university.

Director of Athletics Matt Larsen answers our questions about the football team and how work is coming along during his second year at NDSU.

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DRIVE FOR FIVE STAMPEDE

TEXAS TAILGATING

YOUR FRISCO EXPERIENCE

BEN NEWMAN

Who doesn't enjoy a good pep rally? Friday before the game, special guests Dean Bresciani, Matt Larsen, Craig Dahl and Kyle Emanuel hyped up the crowd for Saturday's game.

Everybody knows how much Bison Nation likes to tailgate. Well, in Texas, the pregame party always turns up a notch.

Friday's walk-through practice is always extra special with former Bison football players watching from the sidelines. We were there to capture it.

Around 20,000 Bison fans made the trip to Frisco.

They sent us their photos to share their experiences with all of you.

For the 2015 season, Chris Klieman and his football staff introduced a new secret weapon to motivate his student-athletes throughout the long season.

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ANISH SHROFF

CRAIG HALEY

​TEAM MAKERS​

​SWANY SAYS​

The ESPN play-by-play announcer who covered three Bison playoff games shares with us his experience with the football team and Bison Nation.

Ever wonder how the national media perceives the Bison? You're in luck.

We ask FCS reporter Craig Haley what he thinks about NDSU's dynasty.

NDSU has some really, really big rings. Guess who makes it all possible?

NDSU was counted out this season numerous times.

Swany is here to explain why the Bison have gained the reputation of never giving up.

23

MEET THE

TEAM MIKE

BRENT

BOUGIE

FEBRUARY 2016 | VOLUME 10 ISSUE 7 Bison Illustrated is a free publication distributed monthly (12 times a year). Our mission is to help promote North Dakota State University Athletics, provide a quality and fun reading experience and to improve the way of life in our community. The publication is mailed to homes across the US and has newsstand distribution throughout North Dakota and Minnesota.

PUBLISHER Spotlight Media PRESIDENT Mike Dragosavich ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Paul Bougie EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Andrew Jason EDITOR Joe Kerlin

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DANIELLE

DESIGN/LAYOUT Ryan Koehler, Sarah Geiger, Soda Tran CONTRIBUTORS Josh Swanson, Joe Kerlin, Paul Bougie COPY EDITORS Erica Rapp, Nate Mickelberg, Jonathan Lee GENERAL MANAGER Brent Tehven

TRACY

ERICA

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MARKETING/SALES Tracy Nicholson, Paul Hoefer, Paul Bougie, Tank McNamara, Jenny Johnson SOCIAL MEDIA Dani Wente PHOTOGRAPHY J. Alan Paul Photography, NDSU Athletics, Paul Flessland

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BUSINESS OPERATIONS Heather Hemingway MANAGER SPECIAL THANKS Ryan Perreault, Wes Offerman, Ryan Anderson, Jeff Schwartz, Colleen Heimstead, NDSU Athletics WEB DEVELOPERS Dani Wente, Austin Sandmeyer DELIVERY Mitch Rapp

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FOR ADVERTISING CALL 701-478-SPOT (7768) or email info@spotlightmediafargo.com

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SODA

TANK Bison Illustrated is published monthly by Spotlight Media LLC. Print quantity exceeds 40,000 per issue. Printed in the U.S.A. Bison Illustrated does not necessarily endorse or agree with content of articles or advertising presented. Bison Illustrated assumes no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts or photographs. Bison Illustrated is NOT an official publication of North Dakota State University.

To learn more about Spotlight Media, go to spotlightmediafargo.com

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BISON ILLUSTRATED • F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 6

Send change of address information and other correspondence to:

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Spotlight Media LLC. 502 1st Ave N. First Floor Fargo ND, 58102 or info@spotlightmediafargo.com

EDITOR’S NOTE

SWINGING

I was recently asked to pinpoint a turning point in NDSU’s season that allowed them to go on another championship run. I struggled to find just one, so I’m naming five.

THE SEASON FROM THE EDITOR Joe Kerlin

joe@bisonillustrated.com

Monday after South Dakota defeat (10/19) It was "Black Monday" for the Bison program.

Previously, that Saturday, they lost in the biggest upset in recent memory at the Fargodome and their starting quarterback Carson Wentz broke his wrist. To add insult to injury, the positive narrative took a sudden twist as pundits in the region and the FCS started doubting the validity of the 2015 Bison. That Monday, the team met, and their mindsets completely changed. The coaches talked to the players about winning not only on Saturday’s but every day of the week. Simplifying the process worked while players and coaches point to that meeting as to when the entire attitude of the team shifted.

Easton Stick’s first touchdown at Indiana State (10/24) Everything we’d heard about Easton Stick’s ability was speculative until he took his first starting snaps against Indiana State.

26

The Bison were 4-2, 2-1 in the conference, and playoff aspirations were in the balance. During NDSU’s first drive, it was third-and-three from the Sycamores' 29-yard line.

Stick took the direct snap, followed his blocks on the right side and sprinted his way to pay dirt. It was his first rush attempt as the starter and it went for six and a sign the offense was going to be fine.

King Frazier’s 50-yard run against Southern Illinois (10/31) Through the first seven games of the season, Easton Stick was the only Bison to rush for over 100 yards in a game. The running backs hadn’t quite found their groove and the offensive line was finally healthy and clicking.

Halloween evening, the backs found their rhythm

BISON ILLUSTRATED • F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 6

bisonillustrated

@bisonmag

that was summarized in King Frazier's 50-yard touchdown run to begin the fourth quarter. Frazier took the handoff up the middle and a pulling Jeremy Kelly engaged with a Saluki linebacker driving him back to create a seal for Frazier who did the rest. NDSU totaled 397 yards on the ground, led

by Frazier’s 177 yards and Stick’s 130.

Youngstown State Fourth Quarter (11/14) Youngstown State delivered a wake up call with their 1-2 punch at running back and the Bison found themselves down 24-10 in the fourth quarter. In one of the biggest momentum shifts of the 2015 seasons, “Code Green” suddenly appeared halting five Youngstown drives in succession.

The Penguins only ran 16 offensive plays as the Bison offense was able to climb back from the deficit. Easton Stick led the comeback, scoring the goahead touchdown with 35 seconds left.

@joebisonmag

Bruce Anderson Opens Second Half with Kick Return (12/12) The FCS playoffs quarterfinal was the longawaited rematch of a wild game in the Fargodome earlier in October when NDSU came from behind to defeat UNI. The potent Panthers' offensive attack was able to take the lead early and nurse it going into the second half. The opening kick to start the third quarter was caught

by Bruce Anderson. After that, the rest was magic.

Anderson ran up the middle, spun away from a tackler and bounced it to the right side. He was met by a platoon of UNI defenders but was able to spin to his right again to avoid the cluster. It was open field from there as Anderson sprinted up the UNI sidelines to give the Bison a 14-10 lead. The Fargodome’s roof nearly blew off and the Bison were able to keep the lead and advance to the semifinals.

SINCERELY,

Joe Kerlin

BLESSED

IN MORE WAYS THAN FIVE FROM paul bougie CONTACT ME 701-478-7768 paulbougie@spotlightmediafargo.com Photo by The Loft Photography Studio

READING RECOMMENDATION: If you're near an audio-playing device, click play on "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC.

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e are blessed. We live in a great community and we are people that are nice to each other. We help out when needed, we show support to our non-profits and we attend benefits for people we don’t even know and bid on items that we don’t need. But most of all, we give our hard-earned money so others can be happier.

Now, the reason I am writing this in the fifth National Championship Issue of Bison Illustrated is very simple. I was a witness to this back in January after the confetti had been swept up, that last celebration beverage was hoisted in the air (in a plastic-approved tailgating cup from oneherd.com) and the fifth trophy was set in the trophy case at NDSU. There was a benefit for Paul Morlock, father to No. 25 Chase Morlock. I was watching what our community, and more specifically, what Bison Nation could do. People were bidding on $100 dollar items, but paying $350. Because they care. Now for the cynics, those who read this and say, "Well they are all friends

of the family, and that’s why they did it," this is where I say “Not so fast my friend.” I was a part of conversations with people who had no idea who Paul was, and all they knew of was Chase because he played football. These people saw the sign out in front of the event, and some just read the story. And even though parking was two blocks away with a line at the door, they came in and just asked, “Where can I just give a donation?” That, in my opinion, sums this all up. We are Bison Nation and we care. We are a community,and we care. Never change my friends. That is what makes this job and living here a true gift.

Go Bison! And I am wondering if Dave Richman and Maren Walseth would mind if we grilled behind the bench so we can still get our tailgate on during basketball games?!

Go Bison,

Paul Bougie

DRIVE FOR FIVE

DRIVE FOR FIVE

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he long and winding road of the secondtoughest schedule in the country caused many to doubt if the Bison could survive another championship run. Yet, not even inexperience, injuries and a backup quarterback could dethrone the mighty Bison. Storming from the smoky mountains of Montana in August to the cool January Texas air in Frisco, follow NDSU on their Drive for Five...

By Joe Kerln Photos By Paul Flessland

PHOTO

The Bison seniors celebrate an FCS National Championship for a fifth time while being showered with familiar green and yellow confetti.

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BISON ILLUSTRATED • F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 6

DRIVE FOR FIVE

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DRIVE FOR FIVE

Thousands of Bison fans made the 900-mile trek to watch their four-time defending champion Bison team kick off the 2015 season.

WEEK NDSU

35

MONTANA

38

DATE

August 29, 2015

LOCATION

Missoula, Mont.

RANKING

NDSU #1 - Montana #13

ATTENDANCE 24,472 people

GAME RECAP SPN kicked off its college football coverage by taking a trip to Missoula, Mont., for NDSU’s matchup with Montana in the FCS Kickoff game.

Brent Musburger and Jesse Palmer called the game from the booth on ESPN’s flagship station as nearly one million viewers across the country witnessed the No. 1-ranked Bison fall in the final seconds to the Grizzlies.

E

An explosion of three touchdowns between Carson Wentz and Zach Vraa gave the Bison a 2821 halftime lead. But the Bison couldn’t hang on, as Griz running back Joey Counts plunged forward on a 4th-and-goal to score the go-ahead touchdown with two seconds left.

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BISON ILLUSTRATED • F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 6

DRIVE FOR FIVE L

GAME STATS

TOTAL YARDS

427

544

GAME STATS

PASSING YARDS

198

434

GAME STATS

RUSHING YARDS

229

110

GAME STATS Chris Klieman Head Coach

TIME OF POSSESSION

“I know our guys will respond. This by no means defines our season. We have a long way to go.”

35:16

24:44

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DRIVE FOR FIVE

#82 ZACH VRAA POSITION

Wide Receiver

HOMETOWN

Rosemount, Minn.

HIGH SCHOOL

Rosemount High School

STATS/ACCOLADES

2014 All-Missouri Valley Football Conference Honorable Mention 2013 All-Missouri Valley Football Conference First Team 2014 Capital One Academic All-District 2014 Missouri Valley Football Conference All-Academic First Team 2014 MVFC President's Council Academic Award 2011, 2013, 2014 Missouri Valley Football Conference Commissioner’s Academic Excellence Award 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 Missouri Valley Football Conference Honor Roll 195 Receptions 2,957 Receiving Yards 28 Receiving Touchdowns

When did Easton Stick prove to you that everything was going to be okay with him at quarterback?

“Honestly, probably that first game. His first game back when we came through, got the win. After that, everyone had confidence in him. He had a couple slip-ups, but that’s going to happen with a redshirt freshman quarterback. And after seeing him those first couple games, we knew we were going to be sitting nice the rest of the season.”

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DRIVE FOR FIVE

WEEK NDSU WEBER STATE

41 14

DATE

September 12, 2015

LOCATION Fargo, N.D.

RANKING NDSU #2

ATTENDANCE 18,801

Photos By Joseph A. Ravits

GAME RECAP fter a shaky performance to begin the season, the Bison defense handcuffed Weber State’s offense during the home opener.

The Wildcats were held to 206 yards of total offense.

A

Bison running back Chase Morlock had a breakout game, scoring two touchdowns in the second quarter on back-to-back NDSU possessions. The first came via a 55-yard reception, and he followed that with a 47-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Carson Wentz.

Morlock had a career-high seven receptions and 136 receiving yards. Wentz added another touchdown through the air and on the ground, giving him a total of four on the day.

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BISON ILLUSTRATED • F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 6

Junior Chase Morlock scored two touchdowns the same day NDSU honored a former No. 25, Tyler Jangula, who tragically died last January.

DRIVE FOR FIVE L W

GAME STATS

TOTAL YARDS

586

206

GAME STATS

PASSING YARDS

281

153

GAME STATS

RUSHING YARDS

305

Chase Morlock Running Back

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GAME STATS

TIME OF POSSESSION

"I know he (Tyler Jangula) was a great guy and Coach (Tyler) Roehl made him sound like he was exactly what Bison Pride is. I know it's been tough for that family and a lot of Bison Nation, so my condolences go out to that family.�

40:04

19:56

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DRIVE FOR FIVE

BEN LECOMPTE #19 POSITION Punter

HOMETOWN Barrington, Ill.

HIGH SCHOOL

Barrington High School

STATS/ACCOLADES

2014, 2015 First Team AllMissouri Valley Football Conference 2015 First Team STATS FCS All-American Team 2015 Second Team Associated Press FCS AllAmerican 2015 FCS ADA All-American Team 2014 Second Team Sports Network All-American Second Team 2014 College Football Performance.com FCS Punter of the Year 2012 College Sports Journal FCS All-Freshman Team 2013, 2014 Missouri Valley Football Conference Honor Roll 44.6 Yards/Punt 95 Punts Inside the 20

What will you miss most about NDSU football?

“The culture, the family aspect of it, the coaches, the fan base, the city of Fargo – everything about it that makes it one of the greatest college football programs in the country.”

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BISON ILLUSTRATED • F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 6

DRIVE FOR FIVE

WEEK NDSU NORTH DAKOTA

34 9

DATE

September 19, 2015

LOCATION Fargo, N.D.

RANKING NDSU #4

ATTENDANCE 19,044

GAME RECAP t had been 11 years since NDSU and UND played football against each other, and for one afternoon, the old in-state rivalry continued inside the Fargodome. It was the 111th meeting between the two programs, as NDSU used three second quarter touchdowns to breeze to victory over UND, 34-9.

I

Bismarck native Carson Wentz threw four touchdowns - two to sophomore RJ Urzendoski - securing victory in their final nonconference game of the regular season.

The Bison defense was stingy in back-to-back weeks, allowing UND just four yards on the ground and only 61 total yards.

Junior linebacker MJ Stumpf led the way with six tackles.

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BISON ILLUSTRATED • F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 6

In his third start at linebacker, Harvey, N.D., native MJ Stumpf twisted North Dakota quarterback Keaton Studsrud down for a short gain.

DRIVE FOR FIVE L W W

GAME STATS

TOTAL YARDS

377

61

GAME STATS

PASSING YARDS

262

57

GAME STATS

RUSHING YARDS

115

Nate Tanguay Defensive Tackle

4

GAME STATS

TIME OF POSSESSION

“We have to come back now over this bye week and realize we have to get better still because we’re playing some really good teams coming up. We need to keep playing with a chip on our shoulder and keep wanting to beat up offensive lines.”

36:36

23:24

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DRIVE FOR FIVE

CARSON WENTZ #11 POSITION

Quarterback

HOMETOWN Bismarck, N.D.

HIGH SCHOOL

Bismarck Century High School

STATS/ACCOLADES

2014, 2015 Honorable Mention All-Missouri Valley Football Team Two-time NCAA Division I Championship Game Most Outstanding Player 2014 College Sporting News Fab 50 All-America 2014 College Sporting News FCS Playoff MVP 2015 NCAA Elite 90 Award 2013, 2014 NCAA Elite 89 Award 2015 CoSIDA Academic AllAmerican of the Year 2014, 2015 CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team 5,115 Passing Yards 45 Passing Touchdowns 13 Rushing Touchdowns

Is it still surreal to hear NFL Draft experts say your name – potentially even as a first-round pick?

“Now that I’ve heard it enough, it’s setting in a little bit. But at first, it was pretty cool. I’ve always had the dream to play at the next level and the first time it happened this summer – hearing that – it kind of was surreal. I always thought I could, but to get the reaction from some of those guys that early on was pretty cool. And yeah, I’m just looking forward to the future.”

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BISON ILLUSTRATED • F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 6

DRIVE FOR FIVE The Bison offensive line bullied its way through the Jackrabbit defense all night, registering 202 yards for the Bison run-game.

WEEK NDSU

28

SDSU

7

DATE

October 3, 2015

LOCATION

Brookings, S.D.

RANKING

NDSU #3 - SDSU #5

ATTENDANCE 17,348

GAME RECAP he battle for the Dakota Marker trophy signified the beginning of the Missouri Valley Football Conference schedule for both NDSU and SDSU. The rivalry saw its longest winning streak extend to eight, as NDSU defeated the Jackrabbits 28-7.

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The Bison defense got to SDSU quarterback Zach Lujan three times and was in his face all night. Greg Menard led the team in sacks with two and a half, while Tre Dempsey led the team in tackles with six.

The scoring began when, on NDSU’s first drive, they went on a 10-play, 69-yard drive, capped by a two-yard King Frazier touchdown.

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BISON ILLUSTRATED • F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 6

DRIVE FOR FIVE L W W W

GAME STATS

TOTAL YARDS

385

238

GAME STATS

PASSING YARDS

183

242

GAME STATS

RUSHING YARDS

202 Carson Wentz Quarterback “When you’ve played them so many times over the past couple years, you have a lot of film on them. I think we had – Coach Polasek was saying it – arguably the best game plan we’ve had in a long time. I think there were things we exploited and did a heck of a job.”

-4

GAME STATS

TIME OF POSSESSION

39:19

20:41

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DRIVE FOR FIVE

JORDAN CHAMPION #5 POSITION

Cornerback

HOMETOWN

Avondale, Ariz.

HIGH SCHOOL

Westview High School

STATS/ACCOLADES 32 Career Starts

58 Games Played 160 Total Tackles 93 Solo Tackles 6.5 Tackles For Loss 20 Passes Defended 1 Interception

Now that you’ve graduated and your NDSU career is over, what’s next?

“I still want to see if I can pursue football, however far that will take me. I’m still trying to figure that out yet. But I think I want to stay around sports, maybe want to coach. I’ve done a little bit of that here over the summer so I think I want to continue that.”

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BISON ILLUSTRATED • F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 6

DRIVE FOR FIVE

WEEK 31 NDSU NORTHERN 28 IOWA DATE

October 10, 2015

LOCATION Fargo, N.D.

RANKING

NDSU #3 - UNI #10

ATTENDANCE 18,954

Photos By Alyssa Pereira

GAME RECAP n 2014, UNI was the only team to defeat the Bison, and in doing so, they snapped NDSU’s 33-game winning streak. This year, in Fargo, the Bison sought revenge but found themselves down by four points entering the fourth quarter.

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There were five lead changes in the final 15 minutes. Jedre Cyr’s touchdown gave NDSU a three-point lead until Darrian Miller took it right back for UNI. Darrius Shepherd made an acrobatic catch to retake the lead for NDSU, but UNI’s Aaron Bailey ripped off an 83-yard touchdown run.

Carson Wentz led the Bison down the field once more and found Shepherd again with 35 seconds left to secure the Bison victory.

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BISON ILLUSTRATED • F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 6

Darrius Shepherd impressively keeps a foot in bounds to secure his first touchdown catch of the fourth quarter. He ended the day with two touchdowns, despite only playing one half.

DRIVE FOR FIVE L W W W W

GAME STATS

TOTAL YARDS

476

435

GAME STATS

PASSING YARDS

335

158

GAME STATS

RUSHING YARDS

141

277

GAME STATS Darrius Shepherd Wide Receiver

TIME OF POSSESSION

“When you’re in the end zone, there’s no pain. It’s an exciting feeling to see your teammates all around you, pulling you and lifting you up cheering and you hear the crowd. It’s just awesome.”

39:08

20:52

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DRIVE FOR FIVE

#30 JEDRE CYR POSITION Fullback

HOMETOWN

Glyndon, Minn.

HIGH SCHOOL

Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton High School

STATS/ACCOLADES

2013 Missouri Valley Football Conference Commissioner’s Academic Excellence Award 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 MVFC Honor Roll 50 Games Played 1 Touchdown

What’s going to be your most recurring memory from your time with the team the last five years?

“Probably hanging out with all my teammates. The friends I made over the four and a half years. There are only 10 of us left from our original class – or 11 – so I think we’ve grown to be pretty close to each other.”

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DRIVE FOR FIVE

WEEK NDSU SOUTH DAKOTA

21 24

DATE

October 17, 2015

LOCATION Fargo, N.D.

RANKING NDSU #2

ATTENDANCE 18,420

GAME RECAP or the first time in 26 games, NDSU failed to defend the Dome, as they lost to the University of South Dakota. It was the first win in 14 Missouri Valley Football Conference games for USD and it was also their first win against NDSU in Fargo since 1978.

F

After building a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, NDSU allowed two Coyote touchdowns in the second quarter. Drew Potter’s touchdown with 4:47 left in the fourth quarter tied the game, and then, Miles Bergner drilled a 33-yard field goal as time expired to seal the 24-21 upset for USD. News that NDSU starting quarterback Carson Wentz broke his wrist in the second quarter came out two days later.

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BISON ILLUSTRATED • F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 6

The Bison backfield was outgained on the ground against USD by 68 yards. NDSU’s leading rusher King Frazier was held to just 36 yards rushing.

DRIVE FOR FIVE L W W W W L

GAME STATS

TOTAL YARDS

320

395

GAME STATS

PASSING YARDS

195

202

GAME STATS

RUSHING YARDS

125

193

GAME STATS Nick DeLuca Linebacker

TIME OF POSSESSION

“First off, all the credit to USD. They had a terrific gameplan and they came out and executed. As a defense, we pride ourselves on stopping the run and we weren’t able to do that today.”

29:52

30:08

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DRIVE FOR FIVE

#80 NATE MOODY POSITION

Wide Receiver

HOMETOWN

Dickinson, N.D.

HIGH SCHOOL

Dickinson High School

STATS/ACCOLADES

2013 Missouri Valley Football Conference Commissioner’s Academic Excellence Award 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 Missouri Valley Football Conference Honor Roll 56 Games Played 38 Receptions 10.1 Yards/Reception 2 Touchdowns

How will you apply Bison Pride in your everyday life after your career is over?

“I’ll always have close ties to the school. My sister goes here, too. The people around here and the character this school has, the people that represent it – I think I’m going to do my best to live that out.”

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DRIVE FOR FIVE

WEEK NDSU INDIANA STATE

28 14

DATE

October 24, 2015

LOCATION

Terre Haute, Ind.

RANKING

NDSU #8 - Indiana St. #18

ATTENDANCE 6,524

Photos By David Wegiel Jr. at Pinola Photography

GAME RECAP n his first rushing attempt of the game and his first as a starter, redshirt freshman quarterback Easton Stick took the ball 29 yards to paydirt to open the scoring for NDSU and to announce his arrival to Bison Nation.

O

Stick went on to become NDSU’s first 100-yard rusher in a single game this season, as he tacked on another rushing touchdown and a touchdown pass to RJ Urzendowski in the third quarter.

The freshman impressed in his first start and assured Bison fans that the team would be fine while Carson Wentz nursed his wrist injury.

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BISON ILLUSTRATED • F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 6

Freshman Easton Stick scampers into the endzone for his second rushing touchdown against Indiana State.

DRIVE FOR FIVE L W W W W L W

GAME STATS

TOTAL YARDS

369

201

GAME STATS

PASSING YARDS

126

86

GAME STATS

RUSHING YARDS

243

Easton Stick Quarterback

115

GAME STATS

TIME OF POSSESSION

“It was nice getting the win.

It took me a little bit to get comfortable, but once I did, I just felt like we just kept getting better as an offense. And the offensive line played great today, the perimeter blocking was awesome, so all the credit to those guys.”

39:31

20:29

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DRIVE FOR FIVE

CJ SMITH #6 POSITION

Cornerback

HOMETOWN Savage, Minn.

HIGH SCHOOL

Burnsville High School

STATS/ACCOLADES

2015 First Team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference 2013 Honorable Mention All-Missouri Valley Football Conference 2014 MVFC Honor Roll 43 Career Starts 58 Games Played 57 Passed Defended 8 Interceptions 139 Total Tackles

What do you want the younger guys to take away from this senior class?

“Don’t take it for granted. Don’t take winning for granted. It’s a hard process we go through every year, and we have to refocus every year.”

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BISON ILLUSTRATED • F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 6

DRIVE FOR FIVE

WEEK 35 NDSU SOUTHERN 29 ILLINOIS DATE

October 31, 2015

LOCATION

Carbondale, Ill.

RANKING NDSU #7

ATTENDANCE 6,508

Photos By Saluki Athletics

GAME RECAP he Bison rushing attack led the offense to five touchdowns against Southern Illinois. King Frazier powered his way to a career high in rushing yards with 177, including a 50-yard explosion for a touchdown to begin the fourth quarter.

T

Easton Stick also rushed for a career-high 130 yards. He and his old Creighton Prep High School teammate RJ Urzedowski connected five times through the air for 93 yards and two touchdowns. Seventyseven of those came on a third-quarter slant pattern that Urzendowski turned upfield for a 77-yard touchdown. It was the longest touchdown pass of the season for the Bison.

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BISON ILLUSTRATED • F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 6

DRIVE FOR FIVE L W W W W L W W

Redshirt freshman Lance Dunn carried the ball for 38 of NDSU's 397 yards on the ground against Southern Illinois.

GAME STATS

TOTAL YARDS

535

398

GAME STATS

PASSING YARDS

138

277

GAME STATS

RUSHING YARDS

397

King Frazier Running Back

121

GAME STATS

TIME OF POSSESSION

“I definitely found a groove early in this game, but it definitely helps when the Rams are moving the D-line up front.

Communication was extremely good today and there were no missed assignments. It was really a clean game overall by our offense.”

32:42

27:18

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DRIVE FOR FIVE

JEREMY KELLY #54 POSITION

Offensive Guard

HOMETOWN

Somerset, Wis.

HIGH SCHOOL

Somerset High School

STATS/ACCOLADES

2015 Second Team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference 2014 Missouri Valley Football Conference All-Newcomer Team 31 Career Starts 31 Games Played Transfer from MinnesotaCrookston

How has Fargo been as a home for you the last few years?

“The weather can be a little sporadic, obviously, but we have a great community.

Everyone kind of knows about Bison football, so they support the team. There are a lot of nice people in Fargo.”

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BISON ILLUSTRATED • F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 6

DRIVE FOR FIVE

WEEK NDSU WESTERN ILLINOIS

59 7

DATE

November 7, 2015

LOCATION Fargo, N.D.

RANKING NDSU #6

ATTENDANCE 18,251

GAME RECAP n Easton Stick’s first start at the Fargodome, NDSU piled on to the hype by introducing their new matte green Harvest Bowl helmets.

It was the first time since 1998 NDSU dramatically changed the way their helmets looked.

I

Junior linebacker Pierre Gee-Tucker returns an interception 36 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter.

The fresh helmets worked, as NDSU jumped on Western Illinois early with a miraculous catch over the top of a defender by senior Zach Vraa, who then landed and ran for a 41-yard touchdown.

ESPN’s College Football Live announced the catch as the second-best in all of college football this season. The Leathernecks never recovered from Vraa's highlight reel catch as NDSU cruised to their sixth-straight Harvest Bowl victory.

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BISON ILLUSTRATED • F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 6

DRIVE FOR FIVE L W W W W L W W W

GAME STATS

TOTAL YARDS

528

205

GAME STATS

PASSING YARDS

197

172

GAME STATS

RUSHING YARDS

331

33

GAME STATS Pierre Gee-Tucker Outside Linebacker

TIME OF POSSESSION

“Everybody had that chip on their shoulder. We told ourselves we have to play great at all times, not just sometimes. We have to have no letdowns and just play Bison defense.”

43:47

16:13

63

DRIVE FOR FIVE

#59 JOE HAEG POSITION

Offensive Tackle

HOMETOWN

Lake Shore, Minn.

HIGH SCHOOL

Brainerd High School

STATS/ACCOLADES

2014, 2015 First Team AllMissouri Valley Football Conference 2014, 2015 First Team STATS FCS All-American Team 2014, 2015 First Team Associated Press FCS AllAmerican 2014, 2015 FCS ADA AllAmerican Team 2015 Walter Camp FCS AllAmerican Team 2014 AFCA All-America 2014 College Sporting News “Fab 50” All-America 2014 College Sporting News Offensive Lineman of the Year 60 Career Starts 60 Games Played

Another year, another 1,000yard rusher for you guys. What allows you all to achieve this feat year after year?

“It’s obviously been a longstanding tradition at NDSU to run the ball, and we’re really taking a lot of pride in that this year. When Carson (Wentz) went down, we really had to step up our game. Everyone just kind of lifted their play, and I think we’ve been really dominant this year.”

65

DRIVE FOR FIVE

Easton Stick celebrates his go-ahead touchdown with 35 seconds left in the fourth quarter, which capped a 14-point comeback win at Youngstown State.

WEEK NDSU

27

YOUNGSTOWN 24 STATE DATE

November 14, 2015

LOCATION

Youngstown, Ohio

RANKING

NDSU #2 - Youngstown St. #20

ATTENDANCE 11,309

GAME RECAP DSU trailed Youngstown State for 56 minutes and 15 seconds in Easton Stick’s fourth game of his career. But the redshirt freshman proved his ability to come from behind and led the Bison to victory at the Ice Castle.

N

The Bison were down 24-10 at the end of the third quarter before the offense sparked a ferocious comeback with a touchdown by King Frazier and a 40-yard field goal

by Cam Pedersen. Stick then took the game into his own hands with a four-yard touchdown run to give the Bison their first lead of the game with 35 seconds remaining.

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BISON ILLUSTRATED • F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 6

DRIVE FOR FIVE L W W W W L W W W W

GAME STATS

TOTAL YARDS

360

349

GAME STATS

PASSING YARDS

176

104

GAME STATS

RUSHING YARDS

184

Easton Stick Quarterback

245

GAME STATS

TIME OF POSSESSION

“This team – I’m just so proud to be a Bison, man. This team is a tough bunch of dudes and there’s no quit in anybody in that locker room and that’s something we really pride ourselves on. We’re going to fight all four quarters.

(I’m) just proud to be here.”

32:16

27:44

67

DRIVE FOR FIVE

#88 LUKE ALBERS POSITION Tight End

HOMETOWN Iola, Wis.

HIGH SCHOOL

Iola-Scandinavia High School

STATS/ACCOLADES

2015 Second Team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference 2014 Missouri Valley Football Conference Commissioner’s Academic Excellence Award 2013, 2014 Missouri Valley Football Conference Honor Roll 43 Games Played 26 Receptions 306 Receiving Yards 5 Receiving Touchdowns

What’s the best advice you received from an older teammate when you were younger?

“Just to stick with it. Not everyone’s path is the same.

Everyone is different. It all works out in the end. You’ll find your niche in this program, so you just have to latch on to it and keep going.”

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DRIVE FOR FIVE

Senior offensive tackle Joe Haeg greets head coach Chris Klieman prior to kickoff on Senior Day at the Fargodome.

WEEK NDSU MISSOURI STATE

55 0

DATE

November 21, 2015

LOCATION Fargo, N.D.

RANKING NDSU #2

ATTENDANCE 18,624

GAME RECAP DSU’s Senior Day during the regular season finale at the Fargodome was over before the Bison offense got the chance to possess the ball. Backup defensive end Caleb Butler fell on a Missouri State fumble in the end zone to put the Bison ahead, 7-0, 1:21 into the game.

N

The Bison offense accumulated a seasonhigh 601 yards of total offense against the Bears.

The rushing attack was unstoppable, tallying 412 yards. Lance Dunn led all Bison rushers with 125 yards, and King Frazier, Darius Anderson and Bruce Anderson had more than 50 yards rushing apiece.

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BISON ILLUSTRATED • F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 6

DRIVE FOR FIVE L W W W W L W W W W W

GAME STATS

TOTAL YARDS

601

171

GAME STATS

PASSING YARDS

189

62

GAME STATS

RUSHING YARDS

412

Brian Schaetz Defensive Tackle

109

GAME STATS

TIME OF POSSESSION

“We grind every day. Offseason, during the season, we’re sharpening each other and it really shows. It (conference championship) means a lot to me, to us seniors, to the young guys. It’s definitely going to bring something positive to this program, having five.”

31:17

28:43

71

DRIVE FOR FIVE

ANDREW BONNET #46 POSITION

Fullback/Tight End

HOMETOWN

Council Bluffs, Iowa

HIGH SCHOOL

Underwood High School

STATS/ACCOLADES

2014, 2015 First Team AllMissouri Valley Football Conference 2015 Second Team STATS FCS All-American Team 2014 Third Team Sports Network All-American 2014 College Sporting News “Fab 50” All-American 2013, 2014 Missouri Valley Football Conference Commissioner’s Academic Excellence Award 2013, 2014 Missouri Valley Football Conference Honor Roll 2012 Missouri Valley Football Conference All-Newcomer Team 61 Games Played 574 Receiving Yards 8 Receiving Touchdowns

What's your favorite memory from Frisco, Texas?

“I would have to say the first year that I was on the field when we won (2012). That was probably the best. Watching from the stands the previous year just kind of kills you inside that you aren’t out there playing.”

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DRIVE FOR FIVE

WEEK NDSU

37

MONTANA

6

DATE

December 5, 2015

LOCATION Fargo, N.D.

RANKING

NDSU #2 - Montana #16

ATTENDANCE 18,232

GAME RECAP DSU struck their revenge early against Montana in the second round of the FCS Playoffs, when Easton Stick sprang loose for a 49-yard touchdown run in the game’s first possession.

But the storyline of NDSU’s first playoff game wasn’t revenge or Stick, it was the play of true freshman Bruce Anderson and the Bison defense.

N

Anderson scored on a 15-yard run in the second quarter and returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown in the third.

The Bison defense had a pair of interceptions returned for touchdowns by cornerbacks Jalen Allison and C.J. Smith.

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BISON ILLUSTRATED • F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 6

True freshman Bruce Anderson is mobbed by his teammates in the end zone after his first kickoff return for a touchdown of his career. But he wasn’t done.

DRIVE FOR FIVE L W W W W L W W W W W W

GAME STATS

TOTAL YARDS

316

235

GAME STATS

PASSING YARDS

66

229

GAME STATS

RUSHING YARDS

250

6

GAME STATS C.J. Smith Cornerback

TIME OF POSSESSION

“It feels great. This is probably the most fun game I have ever played in, to be honest. Just seeing the young guys step up and just playing with the passion that we did today was a great feeling.”

40:36

19:24

75

OLD

DRIVE FOR FIVE

#8 DARIUS ANDERSON POSITION

Running Back/Wide Receiver

HOMETOWN

Kapolei, Hawaii

HIGH SCHOOL

Island Pacific Academy

STATS/ACCOLADES

2014 Missouri Valley Football Conference Honor Roll 270 Rushing Yards 115 Receiving Yards 480 All-Purpose Yards Transfer from Valley City State

How do you think you’ll apply Bison Pride in your everyday life once your playing career is over?

“I think it comes down to fundamentals and keeping technique in everything that you do. Make sure that you do everything right and to the best that you can. And do everything you can 110 percent. That’s what I’ve learned playing at NDSU.”

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DRIVE FOR FIVE

WEEK 23 NDSU NORTHERN 13 IOWA DATE

December 12, 2015

LOCATION Fargo, N.D.

RANKING

NDSU #2 - UNI #15

ATTENDANCE 18,041

GAME RECAP ruce Anderson made the most of his encore performance in the quarterfinals of the FCS Playoffs. The freshman brought back the opening kickoff of the second half for a touchdown by spinning his way through defenders.

B

The Bison defense made a statement after allowing 435 total yards to UNI and 28 points back in October.

They held the Panthers to a season-low 221 total yards and only yielded one touchdown and a pair of field goals. The performance was topped off with a safety by senior defensive tackle Brian Schaetz.

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BISON ILLUSTRATED • F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 6

Senior defensive tackle Brian Schaetz brings down UNI quarterback Aaron Bailey in the end zone for a safety during the fourth quarter.

Schaetz delivered the final dagger.

DRIVE FOR FIVE L W W W W L W W W W W W W

GAME STATS

TOTAL YARDS

269

221

GAME STATS

PASSING YARDS

116

101

GAME STATS

RUSHING YARDS

153

120

GAME STATS Nick DeLuca Linebacker

TIME OF POSSESSION

“From the previous time we played them, we left some plays out on the field. We just thought we had to stop the run game and limit the big play and I think we did a good job of it.”

31:46

28:14

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DRIVE FOR FIVE

BRIAN SCHAETZ #61 POSITION

Defensive Tackle

HOMETOWN Denmark, Wis.

HIGH SCHOOL

Denmark High School

STATS/ACCOLADES

2012 College Sports Journal FCS All-Freshmen Team 2013, 2014 Missouri Valley Football Conference Commissioner’s Academic Excellence Award 2011, 2013, 2014 Missouri Valley Football Conference Honor Roll 59 Games Played 36 Career Starts 123 Total Tackles 21 Tackles for Loss 10 Sacks 1 Safety

What have you learned about yourself personally over your time as a Bison?

“That I can graduate from college. That and creating friends and relationships with people that I never thought I would’ve, coming from Denmark, Wis., some small town south of Green Bay. I’ve created some great relationships with people around the area and I’m happy I have.”

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BISON ILLUSTRATED • F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 6

DRIVE FOR FIVE

WEEK NDSU

33

RICHMOND

7

DATE

December 18, 2015

LOCATION Fargo, N.D.

RANKING

NDSU #2 - Richmond #12

ATTENDANCE 18,105

GAME RECAP or the fourth consecutive season, NDSU played in the FCS Playoff’s Friday night semifinal game. It was the fifth-consecutive FCS semifinal win, as the Bison trounced the Richmond Spiders 33-7 behind a strong performance from the offense, defense and special teams.

F

Bison running back King Frazier rushed for 121 yards and two touchdowns, becoming NDSU’s first 1,000-yard rusher this season. Eric Perkins added an 88-yard punt return for a touchdown in the third quarter. It was NDSU’s third consecutive game with a special teams touchdown.

The Bison were headed back to Frisco for an unprecedented fifth year in a row.

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BISON ILLUSTRATED • F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 6

Cornerback C.J. Smith intercepted a pass from Richmond quarterback Kyle Lauletta. It was the second consecutive game with an interception for the senior.

DRIVE FOR FIVE L W W W W L W W W W W W W W

GAME STATS

TOTAL YARDS

418

209

GAME STATS

PASSING YARDS

136

171

GAME STATS

RUSHING YARDS

282

Brad Ambrosius Defensive End

38

GAME STATS

TIME OF POSSESSION

“The crowd affects what we do a lot and there’s a lot of false starts like coach alluded to and there’s a lot of times where the snap count is really easy to tell.

And that’s how we’re able to get a lot of sacks and get pressure on the quarterback.”

36:38

23:22

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DRIVE FOR FIVE

#67 BROCK RUSSELL POSITION

Offensive Guard

HOMETOWN Mandan, N.D.

HIGH SCHOOL

Mandan High School

STATS/ACCOLADES

2013, 2014 Missouri Valley Football Conference Honor Roll 5 Games Played Transfer from Bemidji State

You’ve graduated now, so what’s your plan for the future?

“I plan on being around Fargo for about a year. Working with Food Services of America, kind of getting into food sales, that kind of thing. Mostly (doing) sales within the company.”

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DRIVE FOR FIVE

For the fifth consecutive year, the NDSU football team ended their season with a grand celebration on the stage alongside the FCS Championship trophy.

WEEK NDSU

37

JACKSONVILLE STATE

10

DATE

January 9, 2016

LOCATION

Frisco, Texas

RANKING

NDSU #2 - Jacksonville St. #1

ATTENDANCE 21,836

GAME RECAP he Bison are no strangers to the FCS’s biggest stage and they proved that by scoring on their first four possessions of the FCS National Championship game against Jacksonville State. After building a 24-0 lead at half, the Bison cruised to victory behind the return of their starting quarterback Carson Wentz.

T

Wentz didn’t show rust in his return, running for two touchdowns and delivering one through the air to senior fullback Andrew Bonnet.

The defense continued its mean streak, as Jacksonville State was held to a seasonlow 204 yards of total offense.

The Bison also turned over the fourth-best offense in the country four times.

The Bison made history by becoming the only college football team at any level to win five consecutive national championships.

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DRIVE FOR FIVE L W W W W L W W W W W W W W W

GAME STATS

TOTAL YARDS

379

204

GAME STATS

PASSING YARDS

197

57

GAME STATS

RUSHING YARDS

182

Carson Wentz Quarterback

147

GAME STATS

TIME OF POSSESSION

“Just felt like old times almost (touchdown to Andrew Bonnet). Actually, the same play I hit him a couple times. I was just really fired up. I was fired up the whole day to be out there, and it was a lot of fun.”

40:51

19:09

87

FAREWELL

SENIORS BID FAREWELL Photo By Paul Flessland

W

ith a promising pro career ahead of him, starting quarterback Carson Wentz took time the day after winning his fifth national championship to pen his coaches, teammates and Bison Nation a letter on social media. This is the transcript from that post:

What a ride. Wow. As a kid, you dream of winning a national championship.

You dream of playing in a big game like that. But 5? That’s just unheard of.

It’ll definitely take some time for this all to set in.

However, now that my career as a Bison has come to an end, I just want to say thank you.

First off, I have to thank the good Lord for the many blessings I have received in my life. Next, thank you to my family.

They have always been my biggest fans and I wouldn’t be where I am without them. Thank you coaches. Every single one of you deserves more credit than you receive. Personally, you’ve all pushed me to be the best I could be and most importantly, you believed in me. That can trump anything and I am so grateful for the coaches I had at NDSU – and the coaches of my younger days. Thank you teammates. You guys that have been my teammates at some point

in the last 4.5 years, I love you guys.

You guys are my brothers for life.

I’ll miss going to battle with you. And lastly, thank you Bison Nation and the Fargo community.

You guys truly are the best fans in the world, like I said yesterday. The support you provide us is unbelievable. You make the game so much more fun and provide us the energy we need on game days, and the support and encouragement we need every other day.

Fargo, you have been awesome. 4.5 amazing years of my life. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. As I go on to the next chapter of my life, the one phrase that keeps ringing in my head is, “Once a Bison, Always a Bison,” and it couldn’t be more true. Thank you everybody and God bless!

*** 88

BISON ILLUSTRATED • F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 6

CELEBRATION

TROPHY

PRESENTATION Photo By Paul Flessland

“T

his thing has gone from beyond a dynasty. It’s an empire they built in Fargo,” proclaimed ESPN play-by-play announcer Anish Shroff after the final whistle was blown in the 2015 FCS National Championship.

Bison players rushed to the middle of the field to shake the hands of their opponent before running on the stage in the north end zone of Toyota Stadium.

Thousands of Bison fans rushed the field and swarmed around the stage to celebrate another FCS championship and to hear Chris Klieman and Carson Wentz speak to the crowd.

When asked about the emotion of this moment for the senior Wentz, he said, “A lot of them.

I mean, look at this (points to crowd). I mean, this is why we play. Best fans in the nation and so many emotions today and we’re just happy to come out with a victory.”

Wentz earned his second Championship MVP award after scoring three touchdowns.

“I got a bunch of dudes making plays all over the field. I’m just the beneficiary,” Wentz said. “I just have to get them the ball.

The ‘Rams’ protected me all day and it was just an unbelievable experience.”

CELEBRATION

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BISON ILLUSTRATED • F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 6

LUCKY NUMBER

TROPHIES

1965

1968

NDSU 20 Gambling 7

NDSU 23 Arkansas State 14

1969

NDSU 30 Montana 3

1983

NDSU 41 Central State (Ohio) 21 96

BISON ILLUSTRATED • F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 6

1985

NDSU 35 North Alabama 7

1986

NDSU 27 South Dakota 7

TROPHIES

1988

NDSU 35 Portland State 21

1990

2011

NDSU 51 Indiana (Pa.) 11

NDSU 17 Sam Houston State 6

2012

NDSU 39 Sam Houston State 13

2013

NDSU 35 Towson 7

2014

NDSU 29 Illinois State 27

2015

NDSU 37 Jacksonville State 10 97

BY THE NUMBERS

BY THE NUMBERS

DRIVE FOR FIVE

36 3RD

NATIONALLY

POINTS ALLOWED IN 2015 PLAYOFFS

13TH NATIONALLY

271.5 YARDS/GAME TOTAL DEFENSE

1ST

236.7 YARDS/GAME RUSHING OFFENSE

36:38 TIME OF POSSESSION

NATIONALLY

9

5TH

15.3 POINTS/GAME SCORING DEFENSE

NATIONALLY WINS OVER TEAMS IN TOP 25

2ND NATIONALLY

98

AVERAGE MARGIN OF VICTORY IN 2015 PLAYOFFS

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE

BISON ILLUSTRATED • F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 6

23.5

71-5

FIFTH YEAR SENIORS OVERALL RECORD

20 FIFTH YEAR SENIORS TOTAL PLAYOFF WINS

SWANY SAYS

swany

BY JOSHUA A. SWANSON *Swanson is a native of Maddock, N.D., a proud NDSU alum and a life-long Bison fan.

BISONIFICATION

FCS

OF THE

MARGIN OF VICTORY IN PLAYOFFS 2011 2012

18.75

15.25

2013 2014 2015 100

32.75

11

23.5

BISON ILLUSTRATED • F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 6

I

t’s North Dakota State’s world and everybody else is just living in it. Ask any

other team playing in the Football Championship Subdivision that has competed for the title of Mr. Runner-up to the Bison since 2011.

The latest No. 2, Jacksonville State, was a supposedly high-octane, superior athletic group that sported several starters who transferred in from the SEC, as in Southeastern Conference, from places such as Auburn, Ole Miss and Tennessee.

They had the speed, size and skill to compete with NDSU, demonstrated by the fact that they took Auburn to overtime this fall. They had not lost an FCS game heading into the championship. As we’ve heard too many times in recent years, the Bison surely had seen nothing like the Gamecocks.

And it didn’t matter one iota.

The Bison blew the doors off the Gamecocks, dominating all phases of the game for a 37-10 win that capped a fifth straight championship season.

The game was, for all practical purposes, over when NDSU ran up a 24-0 lead with 6:12 remaining in the first half. All that was left to do by that point was load the confetti cannons with green and yellow paper and bust out the familiar championship hats and t-shirts.

How’s this for jaw-dropping numbers that would make your statistics teacher blush. The Bison have as many national championships as losses since 2011. NDSU owns a ridiculous 71-5 record during that span, each year culminating with a massive celebration on the stage at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.

Lost in the gushing over the five national championship trophies - the quintuplets - is the often-overlooked fact that NDSU is 20-0 in playoff games during their championship run.

Well, duh, they have to be if they’ve won five straight titles. But dig a little deeper and you see how truly dominant the Bison have been against the best of the best in the FCS. Of their 20 playoff wins, 15 came by double digits, and of those, with the exception of Furman in 2013, all were against a ranked opponent. The Bison are 10-0 against Top-10 teams and

SWANY SAYS

FOLLOW @swany8

19-0 against Top-20 teams, in the playoffs over the five championship seasons. If that isn’t impressive enough for you, try this on. In the 20 playoff games, NDSU’s average margin of victory is 20.25 points. In other words, the Bison have been, on average, nearly three touchdowns better against the elite teams in their division. Sure, you can point to the unforgettable, edge-of-your-seat wins over Georgia Southern (2012), South Dakota State (2014), and Illinois State (2014), but it’s hard to argue with an average spread compiled over the course of 20 games and five playoff runs. You want an argument for moving to the FBS next time you’re sitting around the water cooler and someone asks, there it is.

The rest of the FCS must feel the same way South Dakota head coach Dave Triplett did after the Bison beat his Coyotes to win the 1986 Division II National Championship for NDSU’s third national championship in four years during th3 1980s dynasty. “I wish to hell they would get out of Division II,” said Triplett, following the Bison victory in Florence, Ala. “They can go wherever they want.” This year, despite facing arguably the toughest road to the championship during the five-peat, which included Montana, Northern Iowa, Richmond, and Jacksonville State, the rest of the FCS was feeling Triplett’s Bison-induced pain. “I said to coach (Klieman) after the game, I hope that was your best show right there because if he’s got more than that, I think they are extremely rare,” said Richmond coach Danny Rocco after his team lost 33-7 to NDSU in the semifinals.

Extremely rare indeed. NDSU is dominating the competition like few, if any, teams outside of John Wooden’s UCLA Bruins in their heyday and Casey Stengel’s New York Yankees teams of the 1950s have in the history of sports. No other college football team – not Alabama, Notre

Dame, Michigan, Nebraska, or those great Oklahoma teams – has won five consecutive national championships.

The decades of the ‘10s have seen the Bisonification of the FCS, meaning the complete and utter takeover of an entire sport by a team that has proved elite beyond elite - more certain than even death and taxes.

“One of the great runs not just in the history of collegiate athletics, but in the history of North American sports,” said ESPN’s Anish Shroff, recapping the Bison win over the Gamecocks.

Shroff, who announced three NDSU playoff games, including the championship, went on, explaining how the Bison have become a major part of the American sports landscape. “This isn’t just in the fabric of Fargo, they’ve moved on to something bigger.”

done,” reflected Klieman, looking towards several of his players sitting next to him.

Coach, you’re not the only one at a loss for words to explain what five straight national championship means. I don’t know if anyone can, because it’s never been done in college football. Ever. It’s so historic, we need a new word to describe it. I’ll settle on “Bisonification” – the complete and utter takeover of an entire sport by a team that shows no signs of slowing down even at five straight national championships.

*** WILLIAMS

SBNation, one of the most visited sports websites in the world, summed it up thusly: “North Dakota State’s title streak is so incredible, we ran out of sports things to compare it to.”

Lee Fitting, the producer of ESPN’s College GameDay, who, along with Shroff, has become a favorite of Bison Nation, racked up 402 retweets and 562 favorites for this beauty the day after NDSU’s fifth straight title: “How bout ‘dem @NDSUathletics Bizon, again. I say nothing. @CollegeGameDay to Fargo in ’16.”

JENSEN

WENTZ

Yep, that’s right. It looks like College GameDay will return in 2016 – for the third time in four years, all part of the Bisonification that is sweeping the landscape.

“It’s remarkable, the five titles, I can’t put it into words,” began Bison coach Chris Klieman during the postgame press conference when asked to explain what NDSU’s five straight national championships meant. “I’m hoping someday I’ll be able to. It’s remarkable what these guys have

CROCKETT 101

RETURNING PLAYERS

EASTON STICK NUMBER

#12

HEIGHT

6' 2”

WEIGHT

2016 CLASS

215 lbs SOPHOMORE

POSITION

Quarterback

HOMETOWN Omaha, Neb.

2015 STATS Completion Percentage – 61% Passing Yards – 1,144 Passing TDs – 13 Rushing Yards – 498 Rushing TDs – 5

Q&A What was one of the biggest learning curves you had to get over that first game?

“I think just the speed of everything. Going up to the line of scrimmage every time with a plan, that was the biggest thing.

Just making sure that we’re going to be in good plays, plays that are going to give us a chance to be successful and after that, it was just playing as fast as I could. It’s something, I wasn’t playing very fast those first couple of games, especially in the throwing game, and I think it was something I needed to gain more confidence in and trusting myself more than anything.”

How will your training be different this offseason compared to last year?

“It’s just going to be from a leadership standpoint. I’m going to have to take a big step, especially vocally. Not having Carson (Wentz) and a lot of those seniors, I’m going to have to take a big step and grow in that area. Just making sure that I’m holding myself accountable, as well as everybody else and just getting better every day. There are a lot of things to work on and a lot of things to learn from, and it’s nice to have a lot of film now of myself playing games to learn from and study.”

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BISON ILLUSTRATED • F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 6

RETURNING PLAYERS

KING FRAZIER NUMBER

#22

HEIGHT

5' 11”

WEIGHT

2016 CLASS

213 lbs SENIOR

POSITION

Running Back

HOMETOWN

Greenwood, Mo.

2015 STATS Rushing Attempts – 219 Rushing Yards – 1,158 Yards/Carry – 5.3 Rushing TDs – 11

Q&A How do you think you did this year?

“I played pretty good.

Always, there’s room left for improvement, a lot of stuff to work on to get better at. I felt like I left a lot of yards out there this year. Hopefully, I can bounce back next year and have an even bigger year.”

You ran for a career-high 177 yards against Southern Illinois. Is that when you started feeling your groove as the starting running back?

“It really clicked for me before that game a little bit. That’s when we really redefined the running back position on our end. That’s when we set a standard for how we want things to be in the backfield, so that’s what really helped me out a lot more. I started getting more of a rhythm in the backfield and things like that started happening. That’s when I really felt like I got things swinging and I had that big game, so that really helped also.”

What was the collective thought process in that running back room after Carson Wentz went down?

“We just knew we had to step up our play to another level. Any time you lose a player like that, that can go first (quarterback) off the board in the draft, that’s big. So we knew we had to step up our play and make Easton Stick as comfortable as he can. That happened and we got it done.”

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RETURNING PLAYERS

NICK DELUCA NUMBER

#49

HEIGHT

6' 3”

WEIGHT

2016 CLASS

244 lbs SENIOR

POSITION Linebacker

HOMETOWN Omaha, Neb.

2015 STATS

Total Tackles – 135 Tackles for Loss – 10 Sacks – 3 Forced Fumbles – 2 Interceptions – 2 Pass Break Ups – 6

Q&A What will stick out to you most from this national championship?

“The whole week was awesome. They really take care of us down there. It was a great time to give back to the community, have a little fun and then obviously all the stuff with the game. It’s a once-in-alifetime experience, really.

We’re just lucky to do it a few times.”

What was it about the Jacksonville State game plan that allowed you to have the success you did?

“I think we were able to get on them early, so that was a big focus. To stop them right away before they got a lot of momentum. I think we did a good job of that and tried to limit those big plays.”

What are you most proud of with the defense this year?

“I think our maturity as a defense.

We were so young coming in and with Montana, everybody was asking questions whether or not the young guys could step up. And I think, without a doubt, there’s no question, everybody did and we were excited to see the progression we made.”

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RETURNING PLAYERS

BRUCE ANDERSON NUMBER

#42

HEIGHT

WEIGHT

2016 CLASS

5' 11” 202 lbs SOPHOMORE

POSITION

Running Back

HOMETOWN Ruskin, Fla.

2015 STATS

Rushing Yards – 503 Rushing TDs – 2 All-Purpose Yards – 1,143 Total TDs – 5

Q&A How do you prepare yourself for a game when you don’t know how many times you’ll touch the ball with a crowded backfield?

“It’s game-based. I don’t really let the four or five running backs get me down. I just practice hard every week and, through practice, I show my abilities, my talent on the field so the coach can see. And you just have to compete for it. We’re always there for each other in the end.”

When did you notice the crowd saying “Bruuuce?"

“It was like, the first game. One of our linebackers told me, ‘Hey, they were up there yelling Bruuuce real deep like your voice.’ And I was like ‘What?’ I didn’t really hear it during the game, but then the next game I heard it and thought, ‘Oh, that’s kind of cool.’ It just got louder, louder and louder, and more people were doing it each game.”

What goes into those back-toback kick returns in the playoffs?

“I think it starts with the guys up front. They have to get on their blocks and try to hold them as long as possible. Then, after that, you have to trust the scheme that coach Austin put up in front of us and trust that you have to hit it at full-speed. You can’t hesitate, you just have to keep running. Some of them, like the second one, I had to break a few tackles, but it’s just trusting in your ability and going.”

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RETURNING PLAYERS

TRE DEMPSEY NUMBER

#3

HEIGHT

5'10”

WEIGHT

2016 CLASS

175 lbs JUNIOR

POSITION

Free Safety

HOMETOWN Lakeland, Fla.

2015 STATS

Total Tackles – 52 Solo Tackles – 35 Interceptions – 3 Pass Break Ups – 9

Q&A Why is the emotion you display on the field important to the way you play?

"I grew up in Florida and every game I played was against people I knew and it was emotional.

I grew up playing in the backyard against these kids, and that’s how I get going, with my emotion. I think when I do get passionate about it, that’s when I’m at my best. That’s how I try to come out for every game."

What can you take away - from a leadership standpoint - with how C.J. and Champ carried themselves?

"I think they taught me a lot of leadership characteristics to get me ready for next year. Even going through this year, they helped me in situations that I should be able to handle next year. They’re great leaders on and off the field. I've got to say (Jordan) Champion was very, very wise. To be as young as he is, he taught me a lot of wisdom. C.J. (Smith) is an on-the-field leader.

He’s more of a set-by-example leader. I’m trying to take both of those qualities, all their qualities, really, and run with them."

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RETURNING PLAYERS

ZACK JOHNSON NUMBER

#66

HEIGHT

6' 4”

WEIGHT

2016 CLASS

326 lbs SENIOR

POSITION

Offensive Guard

HOMETOWN

Apple Valley, Minn.

2015 STATS

Games Started – 12 First Team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference Third Team Associated Press FCS All-American Honorable Mention College Sporting News “Fab Fifty” All-American

Q&A How did Jacksonville State’s defensive line compare to the lines in the Missouri Valley?

“I think we hear all these things about them being in the SEC, or former SEC players, so I think that makes us more pumped up to go against these guys that played against some of the best competition in the country. I think it helped us prepare even more and made us ready to go play in this game.”

Where did you see the most improvement with the offensive line as the season progressed?

“I think as the season went on, after that Montana game, we went on that little winning streak and when South Dakota happened, we didn’t prepare as well as we should have and I think our preparation for every day, which our motto is, 'win the day,' we want to be 1-0 for each day. And that was the concept we took after USD for the rest of the season. We never looked back, never missed a beat and that was something that was huge for us offensive linemen. Do your assignment, and if you do make a mistake, go 100 miles per hour and on to the next play. You can’t dwell on anything in the past.”

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RETURNING PLAYERS

GREG MENARD NUMBER

#96

HEIGHT

6' 2”

WEIGHT

2016 CLASS

239 lbs JUNIOR

POSITION

Defensive End

HOMETOWN

Lakeville, Minn.

2015 STATS

Total Tackles – 48 Tackles for Loss – 14.5 Sacks – 10 Forced Fumbles – 2 Fumbles Recovered – 2

Q&A You didn’t have a sack until the fourth game. Did you change anything you were doing in the first three?

“I think I just started trusting the technique more in the South Dakota State game. I think I was pressing too hard in the first three games to try and get a sack, and when you press too hard, things don’t work out how you want them to. I came back against SDSU and just let the game come to me and just took it naturally as the game came.”

What got into this defense as the season went along?

“Before that Youngstown State game, we were getting a little bit of big heads because we played a couple good games and then we came back from that game and we were like, ‘Wow, we can’t just show up and play.’ Youngstown had a really talented offense and a couple really good running backs and a dual quarterback system.

After that, we were really locked in and I think we saw what people were saying about us – that we aren’t a good defense, we’re not the same as before and we just took that personally and came out and practiced hard every day to get ready for our opponents.”

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SWANY FIVE

1.

THE EASTON STICK SHOW

By Joshua A. Swanson

THIRSTY FOR MORE

W

Keys for a Bison Six-Pack

inning national championships is not easy. In fact, it is incredibly hard. So hard, few teams repeat, let alone three-peat. Only one other team besides North Dakota State has notched the four-peat, and no other team, at any level of college or professional football, had won five in a row.

Repeating as champions, according to Hall of Fame basketball coach Pat Riley, is the hardest thing to do in sports. NDSU has entered the pantheon of all-time great teams by doing something never before done in winning five consecutive national championships.

What makes this story all the more unique, unbelievable, iconic, fill-in-the-blank with whatever word you choose, as if winning five straight titles was not historic enough, the Bison will open next fall as the consensus No. 1 team in the Football Championship Subdivision. The Bison will be favored to win a sixth consecutive championship in 2016.

NDSU returns 16 of 22 starters and has a bevy of players that gained valuable playing time in 2015, although not in a starting role. Among those starters are preseason Buck Buchanan Award candidate, linebacker Nick DeLuca, and quarterback Easton Stick, who guided the Bison to an 8-0 record while top NFL draft prospect Carson Wentz was sidelined with a broken wrist.

Nobody is betting against the Bison returning to Frisco for the six-pack, which is a change from the last two years, when most experts thought NDSU’s run of championships would finally come to an end.

What will it take for the Bison to notch the repeat three-peat? Here are five keys to look for when NDSU opens camp next August.

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We caught a glimpse of how special a player and leader Stick is as he guided NDSU to eight straight wins after a devastating home loss to South Dakota. Not only did the Bison fall to 4-2 after the upset to the Coyotes, they lost Wentz for the next eight games. Many doubted whether NDSU could even win a playoff game, let alone compete for a national championship when Wentz went down.

With the season hanging in the balance, all Stick did was step in and blow the lid off of the FCS with his electric play, navigating the Bison all the way to Frisco, Texas, just like Brock Jensen and Wentz before him. Expectations

will be high for the sophomore from Omaha, Neb., and rightfully so. But don’t expect Stick to be intimidated. By all accounts, he’s got the tools, poise and leadership skills possessed by his predecessors at quarterback. For the Bison to continue the dynasty, Stick will need to continue his already high-level of play. I think he will, and then some. Bison fans are well served to make reservations for Frisco early because the 2016 Bison are going to be something special.

2.

NEXT MAN UP The last five years, NDSU has witnessed a cornucopia of all-time greats go through the program. From quarterbacks Jensen to Wentz, Warren Holloway, Colton Heagle, Christian Dudzik to Grant Olson, Travis Beck and Ryan Smith, Joe Haeg, current NFL players Marcus Williams, Billy Turner, John Crockett and Kyle Emanuel, and even special teamers like kicker Adam Keller, and on, and on, and on. The Bison have been able to recruit and develop guys to step up and fill big shoes in winning five straight championships.

The last two years, we’ve watched the emergence of guys like R.J. Urzendowski, Robbie Grimsley, Greg

Menard, and Bruce Anderson, etc., etc., all key contributors to the four and five-peats. For the Bison to continue their championship-winning ways, they’ll need these guys to take on even bigger roles, and for younger players to contribute to fill critical spots at cornerback, depth on the offensive and defensive fronts, and receiving targets for Stick.

Next man up is a mantra of NDSU football. To make a run at the six-pack, they’ll need more of the same.

Next man up.

SWANY FIVE

3.

KEY DEFENSIVE WEAPON The Bison have to replace two multi-year starters and more than capable cornerbacks in C.J. Smith and Jordan Champion.

NDSU also loses a key defensive weapon that had as much to do with the last four championships as any other player, their punter. Ben LeCompte has consistently pinned opponents deep in their own territory for the last four years. LeCompte was clutch in winning the field

position battle. So much so, LeCompte was the Player of the Game in this year’s quarterfinal victory over Northern Iowa because he kept the Panthers backed up in the shadow of their goal line all afternoon.

Maybe more so than any other position on the roster, the Bison enter next year with their biggest question mark at punter.

SWANY FIVE

4.

CHIP ON THE SHOULDER Even after winning three straight championships, culminating with a perfect 15-0 season in a victory over Towson in 2013, many thought the Bison didn’t have enough pieces coming back in 2014 or 2015 to return to Frisco. NDSU proved those doubters wrong, continuing their record-setting streak with the four-peat and five-peat.

This year, the Bison will find themselves in a somewhat unfamiliar position – they’ll

be the overwhelming favorite to win another championship. There will be no underdog card to play with the likes of Stick, DeLuca, and nearly a full complement of starters returning on the offensive and defensive lines.

Whether this NDSU team can handle that hype, wireto-wire, which may include a return visit from ESPN’s College GameDay, will go a long way in determining whether the Bison repeat the three-peat.

5.

EARLY SEASON TESTS There will be no easing into the schedule. The Bison will be tested early and often.

In their first six games, the Bison have contests against perennial Big Sky contender Eastern Washington, 2014 national runner-up Illinois State, rival and Top-10 team in South Dakota State, and, of course, what may be NDSU’s most difficult game ever when the Herd travels to Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa, to play the Iowa Hawkeyes, who are fresh off

a Rose Bowl appearance.

Oh, by the way, rumors are swirling that the Bison will open the year in ESPN’s FCS Kickoff again, potentially against another Top-10 FCS team. Even if NDSU can navigate this gauntlet, whether they can do so while remaining healthy will be one of the biggest stories as the team heads into the Missouri Valley Football Conference slate next October.

LEADING THE WAY

January 9, 2016, marked the fifth time Chris Klieman stepped foot on the sidelines for the Bison in Frisco, Texas. He spent the first three FCS Championships as NDSU's defensive coordinator.

CHRIS KLIEMAN HEAD COACH

By Joe Kerlin Photo By Paul Flessland

hris Klieman and his staff had one of their finest coaching moments in NDSU history. They quadrupled the size of the defending champion target on their back, overcame the loss of a starting quarterback and loss two games in the regular season. It was a formula made for a setback season at NDSU, but their leaders wouldn’t allow it to happen.

At the center of it all was the head coach and his determination for a fifthconsecutive FCS crown.

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LEADING THE WAY

After the completion of his second season as the head coach of the football team, Chris Klieman has entered rare territory. This season, he won his second FCS Championship as head coach in two years. Of the 30 head coaches in NDSU football history, only Earle Solomonson and Klieman have won back-to-back championships in their first two seasons at the helm.

In 1985, Solomonson inherited a team filled with star players that would go on to win three championships in four seasons.

When Klieman took over after NDSU’s third-straight championship, he had to overcome the loss of 24 seniors and in the beginning of this season, he needed to replace seven starters on defense.

The past two years haven’t been a bed of roses either. Doubts swirled around the Bison football program and questions were raised as to whether NDSU’s Championship run was most likely over. But, as is the mark of a true champion, Klieman refused to allow his team and coaching staff to remain satisfied.

In the fight to remain at the top, Klieman has reflected his attitude for perpetually finding new and innovative ways to keep his program hungry for the next championship.

Through fullbacks and tight ends coach Tyler Roehl’s relationship with New York Giants' safety and former Bison Craig Dahl, Roehl met with performance coach Ben Newman and knew this was the guy Klieman needed to keep the Bison success moving forward.

THE INTERVIEW CHRIS KLIEMAN: "Well, anybody who works with Craig Dahl and what Craig Dahl has meant to Bison Football, I thought was somebody we wanted to hear from. Tyler Roehl, who’s good friends with Craig, kind of hooked up with him and we ended up bringing Ben in last spring. I got a chance to visit with him for maybe half an hour, 45 minutes up here and then he went down and visited with our team. Just a dynamic guy. He’s somebody that commands the room and he hit it

off with our guys right away. It was really cool.

"Some of the things that he just talked about was attacking the process, max effort pays off and some of the things that we use all season long. Ben wanted to keep coming back. We wanted to always have him come back during the season, but he’s a busy guy. I didn’t want to interrupt what he was doing.

He wanted to come back. He came back for UND, came back for a playoff game and ended up coming back for the Championship Game.

Each time, he came to practices and came to their meals and their meetings and had a chance to address our football team every time. He did a phenomenal job."

BISON ILLUSTRATED: So he got to know some of the student-athletes well on a personal level?

CK: "Absolutely. I don’t know which ones individually he did or didn’t, but everybody knew who he was."

BI: Newman told us he has 90 speaking gigs per year. Were you surprised after the USD game that he would send that inspirational video even though he couldn’t be in Fargo personally?

CK: "No, just because of how much he hit it off with our guys and how much he hit it off with our staff.

He’s a genuine guy. We have a genuine staff here, just as far as we want to learn from him. I think he wanted to be around us and learn as much as he could from us. Just because of how well we had similar personalities, myself and him. Tyler Roehl and him. Some of the guys

on our team. I just think he was so impressed with what he saw when he came here, not only from our guys but from our community, from the fan support, being able to see a game in the Fargodome. What he saw on Friday afternoon, with the alumni practice we had down in Frisco, just blew him away. As well as seeing our fans down in Frisco.

The guy was in tears after the game.

It was one of the neatest things he’s ever seen. For him to say it was one of the neatest things he’s ever been a part of, with the amount of things he’s been a part of and a number of people he’s been a part of, it was pretty special to me."

BI: Why does it seem like this program is constantly finding a new way to find an edge on your opponents?

CK: "Well, we’re always looking to. That’s one thing. If you stay the same, you’re not moving forward.

You can either be green and growing or ripe and dying. We are always trying to find new ways. I think these are lifelong things that our guys are going to enjoy and our guys are going to look back on. If it can help those guys now in school, in working life 10 years from now, whatever our young men are doing.

If we can offer it to our guys, I think it’s our obligation to be able to do that as coaches.

"Last year, it was Stuart Munsch. It was Rear Admiral Stuart Munsch that came to our indoor football practice in 2014. This year it was Ben Newman. I think success helps that.

People probably reach out to us as well. 'I want to see what you guys are doing here.'"

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LEADING THE WAY

When asked what he’ll remember most from the 2015 football season, Klieman was quick to mention the adversity the team had to overcome. Adversity – one of the most cliché buzzwords in the talking-to-the-media handbook. In this instance, is the perfect term to describe a season filled with highs and lows.

The Bison football team has overcome injuries in the past, specifically, an injury-riddled wide receiver position in 2011, safety Colten Heagle in 2012, senior leader Grant Olson in 2013, and Travis Beck on Senior Day in 2014. But they’d never overcome the loss of a quarterback poised to hear his name called by Roger Goodell in the first round of the NFL Draft.

The loss of their starting quarterback wasn’t the only piece of adversity that could’ve quickly shut the door on NDSU’s five-peat.

A season-opening loss to Montana in Missoula, Mont., on national television, derailed any thought it was going to be an easy road back to Frisco, Texas.

Reality struck once again against South Dakota, a team that hadn’t beaten NDSU in Fargo since Klieman was 10 years old.

CK: "Well, because I didn’t think we played our best, and I didn’t think, our kids always gave great effort, but I didn’t think our focus was very good. We had just come off a win against Northern Iowa, which is an emotional win. Previous to that, we came off against an emotional win against South Dakota State. Previous to that, we came off an emotional win over UND. We had what are perceived to be our three biggest rivals in three straight weeks and then we play USD. We just didn’t have great focus. The guys played hard. They made a great effort, but they didn’t have great focus. If you don’t have great focus throughout a week, it’ll catch up to you on Saturday.

The message was pretty stern on Monday after the USD game of, "We still have the season in front of us, but, unless we reenergize our focus and make sure we know each week you can lose to anybody, we’re going to end up having a not very good season." Now we’re really at that defining moment. We’re at playoff mode at 4-2. We’re going on the road for two tough road games with a brand new quarterback.

"The emphasis we put on there was, just win the dang day. Meaning, I don’t think we had a great prep week leading up to USD so we were just getting through that week to get to that game. Whereas,

for that moment on that Monday, it was just win the day. We were going to go out and practice and win Monday, then we’re going to go out and practice our tail off and win Tuesday, and if you bank enough good days, you’ll be ready to play on Saturday. From that moment on, we banked great days Monday through Friday. There was never a week where I said, “A, we’re not prepared or B, we weren’t focused to play.” I knew, every Saturday, we could have lost any game, but we were always prepared mentally and physically."

BI: Wentz goes down that week.

This football team has overcome injuries and that’s not anything new to this program, but losing their starting quarterback might be a little bit different. Does that make Easton Stick’s performance that much more remarkable, the way he came in?

CK: "Absolutely. Credit Easton for being ready to step right in. And when I say that, he prepared like a starting quarterback game one through six. He prepared like he was going to start and play every play against Montana, play every play against Weber, UND and so forth. The guy is so meticulous and so driven and detail-oriented, he was prepared that if Carson had an ankle injury, he was ready to play a whole game. So I knew when it was his time, the stage wouldn’t be too big for him, and he was going to be prepared. Now, how do you perform and execute?"

An 8-0 record eased any doubts about Stick’s ability to perform and execute. The rest, well, as they say, is history.

Klieman congratulates freshman kicker Cam Pedersen after his third made field goal in Frisco.

Wentz returned for the championship game against Jacksonville State, and the defense played possessed while they routed the number one team in the country, 37-10, winning their fifth consecutive FCS national championship. The Bison found their edge and were rewarded by completing a championship run that stacks up to the finest runs in sports history.

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LEADING THE WAY

Matt Entz just completed his second season as NDSU defensive coordinator. He saw his defense improve dramatically in the playoffs, only allowing nine points a game.

MATT ENTZ

DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR

By Joe Kerlin Photo By Paul Flessland

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M

att Entz had to overcome another handful of losses on defense before entering the 2015 season. It was no bed of roses for this year's version of the Bison defense, but as the season went along, they campaigned to be one of the most unforgettable groups in Bison history.

LEADING THE WAY

When Bison Nation dreamed about the opening game of the season, not even the most pessimistic fan could dream of the NDSU defense allowing Montana to run 92 plays for a total of 544 yards, 27 first downs and five touchdowns.

It was “The Nightmare in Missoula” and it left Bison Nation questioning the validity of the young Bison defense. Defensive coordinator Matt Entz also knew, even though they were without senior cornerback CJ Smith, the product they put on the field against Montana was unacceptable for the rest of the season.

The Bison rolled six new starters out on defense against Montana, and by the second game of the season against Weber State, the 2015 version of “Code Green” started taking shape. Their official coming out party was in the conference opener against South Dakota State in Brookings, S.D. The defense allowed seven points, registered three sacks and hit the Jackrabbits quarterback seven times.

The following week against Northern Iowa, the defense would face its toughest challenge of the season: dual-threat quarterbacks.

The Bison had avoided seeing the type of athlete like Northern Iowa’s Aaron Bailey and the inexperience showed. The defense allowed a season-high 277 yards on the ground, 173 more yards than the average rushing yards they allowed per game.

The week after a nail-biting victory against UNI, the University of South Dakota deployed a similar offensive strategy. The read optionlike offense worked, as the Bison were on the receiving end of one of the biggest upsets in the FCS all season.

THE INTERVIEW MATT ENTZ: "I think after the USD loss, there were some guys that got coached hard the next week. I’m not saying we slipped at all, I just think we thought we were better than we were as a group at that time. I think when the Carson (Wentz) injury

happened, the defensive guys said we need to help, we can provide the offense a little bit of time to go through some growing pains maybe with Easton (Stick). We can give him the ball back a few extra times during the course of the game, but we have to start playing a little bit better so we can enable that to happen.

That’s probably when we started to see it.

"You start talking about the second half of the Youngstown game is probably when this group figured it out and said, we’re a pretty good group, we can play with anybody in the country. Those three three-andouts we had in the fourth quarter of that game just propelled us and pushed us right into the playoff season. I think those two kinds of key moments of the season where maybe we had an epiphany and that’s when we started to believe we were pretty good."

BISON ILLUSTRATED: What went into the progression of success against dual-threat quarterbacks?

Was it a schematic change or just the experience gained throughout the season?

ME: "I think seeing it more. We changed a few things schematically to enable our kids to be in better positions to keep the ball in the core – if you will – more. Not trying to always make perimeter tackles.

Let’s have our d-ends and backers be involved in the run game other than always putting it on a freshman safety or a sophomore safety.

Because then all of a sudden, you miss in space, it’s going to be a big play.

"About midseason, we started to make some changes schematically so we could be a better tackling team, a better pursuit team. I think that paid off big time. Our game plan did not change a whole lot as we went through the season. We were defending the same type of quarterbacks and we did it with a fairly similar game plan - slightly tweaked here and there - and based on formation and personnel. But

that was part of it too. As a staff we said, “Hey, we can’t have too much in with these guys. We want them to play fast, let’s make sure they really know what they’re doing.”

On the sidelines, we’ll know the adjustments, we’ll know the issues so that way, if we have to adjust, we can make it and they’re comfortable with it. We didn’t want to outcoach ourselves, let these guys keep getting better."

The Bison defense turned it up a notch after the Youngstown State game. They shut out Missouri State in the regular season finale at the Fargodome the following week and forced three turnovers in the first quarter. The first coming by way of a fumble when defensive end Greg Menard strip-sacked the Bears’ quarterback and Caleb Butler fell on it in the end zone. Their first shutout of the season was imminent.

The 55-0 win was a precursor to what was about to take place in the next four playoff games. The country took notice of the defense when they got one more shot at Montana in the second round, but this time, it would be different, playing in their house. The second matchup against Montana was going to be a true measuring stick to show just how far they have come since the seasonopening debacle.

ME: "We knew we were young and we knew we needed more

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LEADING THE WAY practice time. There were a lot of things we took away from it (first game against Montana). We were frustrated that Smith wasn’t playing that game. Hindsight’s always 2020. One guy might’ve made a big difference for us, but it is what it is.

"I think we told people last summer, this time last year, that this was going to be a process. We were definitely going to be better by the end of the year than we were in the beginning in August, and I think we proved that to be correct.

We probably improved by more than what I had envisioned, this is an unbelievable group of kids that usually you kind of plateau somewhere along the season, but this group didn’t. Their best football was the last four weeks of the season."

BI: What allowed for the improvement, specifically, against Montana because we can just look at the dramatic difference in points allowed?

ME: "Two-fold. We actually knew what they were going to do.

The first time, it was a new staff, new situation. We were trying to speculate how they would attack us. You actually had some real live, NDSU versus Montana clips that you could see how they took advantage of us, what did they do here. It was easier to convey that to our team the second time around.

"I think our second time around our Entz with his linebacker position group after defeating SDSU 28-7.

kids played with a huge chip on our shoulder, especially defensively.

Our offense scored 35 points and that should be enough for us to win here at NDSU. I think they wanted to go out and prove the world wrong, and say, “Hey, we are different. We’re a much-improved team than you saw in August.” They played as well as they could’ve all year. It was an exciting game and great game with two pick sixes.

They did an unbelievable job of disguising coverages. Playing from within the scheme, they understood it as well as we’ve seen.

We were really excited after that game about where we were at and where we were going."

BI: Why did the secondary have a better day the second time around against Montana?

ME: "I think we did a great job, and Coach Klanderman in the secondary did a great job disguising coverages, doing a much better of job. And some of the comfort level that comes with disguising coverages is just your guys like Robbie Grimsley guys like Tre Dempsey had a full year of snaps under their belt. You play in game one and they were probably a little bit uncomfortable with just not being 100 percent sure of what they were doing within the defense, and now they had a year of snaps, a year of close games, and a lot of continuous development and they were able to play a lot faster, but I think that was ultimately our ability

to disguise coverages. We still got great pressure on the quarterback with our guys up front. We thought we could take advantage of that matchup on that particular day and our guys up front continued to get better."

Of the four teams NDSU played in the playoffs, the Bison defense held its opponents to season-lows in total yards. The 36 total points allowed in the playoffs was the lowest total given up by a Bison defense in the playoffs since their first championship run in 2011. The one catch with the 2015 version of the Bison defense is, seven of its starters are returning and four will be seniors.

The 2015 season was a year of growth for defensive coordinator Entz, not only for his side of the ball but also for himself as a coach and what he could take away from a season filled with overcoming adversity.

ME: "Just staying the course, and keep doing what you’re doing.

There’s a reason why you’re all here, don’t try to be anybody else. I try to do a great job of understanding my deficiencies and leaning on people around me, who can make-up for those.

I’m probably a front-seven guy, so that’s where guys like Coach Klieman and Coach Klanderman are critical for me, because I haven’t coached in the back end and have a decent knowledge, but I’ve never been there.

"It’s great to be at a place where you’re afforded the opportunity to just be a football coach. You get to coach, your get to recruit, you get to impact players’ lives, you don’t have to worry about all these other little things that at other places, the fundraising, that’s not part of what we do. It’s great where I can be just invested in the Xs and Os and the player development that goes on daily here and that’s what makes it such a special place."

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LEADING THE WAY

" Tim Polasek spent his second season as offensive coordinator transitioning his backup quarterback into the starting role. He was successful by leading Easton Stick to an 8-0 record.

TIM POLASEK OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR

By Joe Kerlin Photo By Paul Flessland

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T

im Polasek is paid to hold the most scrutinized coordinating job in college football. In a day and age of high-powered passing offenses, he’s retained the brand of Bison football generations of fans have grown to love.

LEADING THE WAY

In his second year as the offensive coordinator, Tim Polasek overcame the biggest hurdle any leader of the offense could face. The Bison were set to be one of the most explosive offenses in the FCS, with the majority of their offensive line returning, a spoiled amount of talent from the skill positions and a quarterback poised to become an NFL Draft darling. The offense started out of the gates as if it was determined to make its mark in the NDSU history books, scoring more than 33 points per game through the first five games.

The scoring-at-will mentality continued during an unseasonably warm afternoon in mid-October against a program that’s become NDSU’s little brother over the past decade in the University of South Dakota. NDSU quickly drove the ball with ease, manufacturing two scoring drives in the first quarter to gain an early 14-0 lead.

What Bison Nation didn’t know, as they celebrated Carson Wentz touchdown to freshman wide receiver Darrius Shepherd, was their quarterback, Wentz, completed the pass with a broken wrist. The injury didn’t get any better, as the ailing Wentz and the Bison offense sputtered, eventually falling 24-21 to a team that hadn’t won in Fargo since 1978.

The next day, the offensive coordinator learned the fate of his starting quarterback and called a meeting with his other offensive coaches – quarterbacks coach Randy Hedberg, wide receivers coach Atif Austin, offensive line coach Conor Riley and tight end and fullbacks coach Tyler Roehl – to determine what the offense would look like with freshman Easton Stick at the helm.

THE INTERVIEW TIM POLASEK: "It’s not like we sat there and said, 'Okay guys, we have to open up another (play)book, it’s a whole new set of plays.' What happened initially, and I haven’t admitted this, but there’s a portion of the playbook that wasn’t going to be called or that we weren't

going to put him in those situations.

Obviously, Easton is slower to trigger the field throws, the two or three Carson completed this week, than Carson would be. Carson is going to get to the field and throw that ball because he has super confidence, through all five years of reps that he’s had.

Immediately, you know you’re going to lose that part of it. Maybe you start building the pass game inside-out a little bit more than outside-in.

"Initially, (the) reaction and emotion with it, I told the offensive guys, 'Take five minutes. But when we come back in the room, we’re going to find a way to win.' Coach Riley and some of those guys talked about it not being a really fun week for all those guys. I thought subconsciously, and consciously just being me, we cranked the intensity up even in our own room. For a three or four week span, I wasn’t pleasant to be around, but there’s a lot of unknowns and that’s maybe the thing that’s stood out answering questions about this topic and it’s okay to say to you guys, the media, it’s going to be a learning process for us as much as it is for Easton. We have to learn about our trigger guy.

"Normally, the guy who steps in and starts, you’ve seen two or three Spring Games, you’ve seen five to 10 scrimmages and we didn’t have that luxury. All I can tell you is, and you hear us coaches say it over and over again, “Attacking the process.”

There’s gotta be some trust in the process, too. We know that Easton has been through most reps than most backup quarterbacks with the way we practice and how we do things. Therefore, we simply said, '(The) young man has got to be ready to go. We’re going to have to play it by ear.' We were going to have to get the kid on the move a

little bit more to make it more of a half-field sequence in his read progression."

BISON ILLUSTRATED: So what was the emphasis for the offense before that Indiana State game? Was it back to basics?

TP: "No. We just called everything but the field throws. Everything was in front of the kid except the ability for him to get to the field throws.

That’s as simple as I can say it without getting into all of it.

"I could show you the call sheet.

It did not decrease. We stayed at about a 240 play average on our call sheet. It was all there, obviously, we wanted to take advantage of his ability to move the ball with his feet, whereas Carson, that’s always been a luxury."

Stick relieved the senior starter valiantly by going on the road for back-to-back tough Missouri Valley Football Conference opponents.

The Bison came away with two victories to move their record to 6-2, and Stick posted two consecutive 100-yard games on the ground.

The running game as a whole found its groove against Indiana State

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The melting pot of running backs in the backfield finally meshed as King Frazier, Chase Morlock, Lance Dunn and Bruce Anderson found their roles.

After going half the season without finding their groove, the Bison backfield finally flipped the switch.

TP: "I think that’s fair. It really is. I think that next week after we had a fumble issue or two at South Dakota State, I talked to the group about redefining who we are and who I want us to be. From that point on, I think we just ran with a lot more passion.

"It was interesting because, after the game, King came up to me and said thanks. He didn’t have to say anything more than that. I knew exactly what he was talking about.

He knew I was right and pushing him to another level. That was really cool.

"I think, more than anything else, that’s what I’m most proud of, is, whether the O-line or the running backs or whoever turned it up a notch, I mean shoot, Easton played really well. I think the whole unit stayed the course, didn’t crank it up, we stayed the course and we didn’t waiver and question. That’s probably the most important thing.

We never said, “Oh gosh, Easton is not Carson, how are we going to do this?” More importantly, we just attacked the game plan and we went and did it, whatever way it shook out."

Stick finished the season with an 8-0 record and led an offense that averaged more than 37 points per game during that stretch – four points more than the first six games with Wentz at the helm.

This season was Polasek’s finest hour as a coach. He had lost his starting quarterback, dealt with the occasional injury to an offensive lineman, running back or wide receiver, and lived up to the high expectations placed on the offense this season.

TP: "The players deserve most of the credit. You know, too, there’s a process of putting them in positions to be successful. I think the losses are a little more exaggerated by guys like yourself and need to be.

We live in a community where it matters to people. If you don’t perform up to par, you deserve to be criticized. That’s why we get paid okay, but, sitting here now and in a week, we’ll be changing gears to 2017 recruiting and all that. Yeah, I think it is a rewarding year, I think

Polasek and tight end/ fullback coach Tyler Roehl put their game face on as they walk into Toyota Stadium.

that we can all walk up and down this hall knowing we all did a great job.

"I just look at the job that Coach Hedberg did with the adversity he had. Number one, he had a kid ready to play and he should.

Our staff on offense will always be judged how good our twos and threes are, and that’s how I approach it with my guys."

BI: What do you think you have learned this season about yourself and coaching?

TP: "I think, it’s funny, someone, I can’t remember, it wasn’t on the record or anything, but if there’s another sport I’d coach, it would be high school basketball because you can really take the philosophy of just being playoff-tough and we need to be shooting the ball well late in the year, right, because everybody gets in.

"To me, at NDSU, if you get a couple home games, and you’re in the playoffs, you have a shot. When you get people coming from the East Coast or the West Coast, or a different conference, I think our home crowd is worth five-six points itself, or two or three possessions itself.

"I take away looking back when it’s fresh, it’s neat to do this interview when it’s fresh in your mind but Bison Nation showed up. If you look at every big game we won, they made an impact.

"I take away that we can, we’re not defined only by a few great players in the program, we’re defined by the player who wears jersey number one, to the player that wears number 99B. Everybody matters and I think I really grew an appreciation for the support staff, Brian Gordon and those guys, the job Hank Jacobs is doing now.

Everybody matters and if anybody gets complacent, we will not win a championship. And that’s hard to do. But the neat thing about North Dakota State, it seems that nobody wants to let down their brother, former player, a supporter, administrator, or simply put, each other."

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My TURF is here with the Bison.

Make it yours too!

DEAN BRESCIANI

DEAN BRESCIANI NDSU PRESIDENT

By Joe Kerlin Photo By Paul Flessland

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SUSTAINING MOMENTUM ix years and five FCS Championships – not a bad record for North Dakota State University President Dean Bresciani. Not only has his championship record moved NDSU forward, his resume is also filled with achievements that have sprung NDSU forward in academia. We caught up with President Bresciani to reflect on a fifth championship and talked about what’s next for NDSU on campus.

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DEAN BRESCIANI

THE INTERVIEW BISON ILLUSTRATED: This was your fifth time down in Frisco, Texas, for the FCS national championship.

What’s turning into your favorite tradition down there - besides winning?

DEAN BRESCIANI: "I’m very enthusiastic about the fan support for NDSU and Bison athletics, not just in Frisco but around the country and the globe. Social media allows us to celebrate together, and the pride, enthusiasm and passion, not just for football but for everything our university has become, is getting as much national attention and recognition as our athletic program. Few, if any, teams in the nation, at any level, bring more than 17,000 fans to their bowl game. But NDSU does that year after year.

The entire nation is sitting up and taking notice of that."

Worth area, don’t miss Angelo’s, Mamma Faye’s, Pecan Lodge, Cousins and Lockhart Smokehouse."

BI: What do you think allowed the football team to overcome so much adversity and still be crowned champions on that stage in Frisco?

DB: "What separates and defines our program and our university is its culture. It is important to remember that the 13 national football championships have been won under eight different coaches, thousands of different players and countless tens of thousands of fans - although many of those fans have remained the same throughout! But what binds our teams together is an attitude of 'team first,' of winning the play, winning the day and ultimately achieving your team goals, and of fans who every year exceed both the emotional and material support they provided the year before. In other words, it’s not simply a culture of what you do but how you do it!"

BI: Carson Wentz won his THIRD straight NCAA Elite 90 Award and finished with a 4.0 GPA. Has Carson set the bar for future students competing in athletics at NDSU about what it takes to be a studentathlete?

DB: "My colleagues at other major universities around the nation recognize what Carson has accomplished both on the field and academically. I was at the NCAA Convention in the days after the Championship and with every comment about his athletic accomplishments came compliments about his academic performance. That said, Carson is not alone at NDSU. For over the past three years, NDSU has had in excess of 60 student athletes every semester with perfect 4.0 GPAs. A number of athletes annually receive league and NCAA academic honors.

Two of the past three years, we’ve had student-athletes as finalists for NCAA 'Woman of the Year.'"

BI: You’ve lived in Texas and judged the SCHEELS ND BBQ Championships, so you appreciate good barbecue.

Anywhere you specifically like to go when you’re down in Texas for the championship?

DB: "In my opinion, 'bad' Texas BBQ is better than BBQ just about anywhere else in the country, so you can’t go wrong! That said, the best ones are legendary. In the Dallas/Fort

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DEAN BRESCIANI

BI: A couple months, ago you said you want NDSU’s enrollment to reach 18,000. Why do you think that’s an important number to reach, and what’s the first step in reaching that goal?

DB: "There are a number of reasons that’s an important enrollment to anticipate. First and foremost is that our state desperately needs more young people in all of our colleges and universities and subsequently entering the state’s workforce.

With more than 20,000 vacant jobs today and estimates that that number will triple within the next five years, the onus on our state’s colleges and universities is to grow and graduate more young people. NDSU, as the state’s nationally-recognized flagship university, located in our state’s largest and fastest growing city, has the greatest potential to meet that state need. With the recently opened STEM classroom building (the first fully state-funded building at NDSU in almost 40 years, which will accommodate 4,0005,000 students a day), that enrollment also represents the 'carrying capacity' of our campus facilities without a substantial number of new state-funded academic buildings. Additionally, our bond-rating agencies have encouraged us to grow, because doing so will further improve our already state-leading bond rating, which will result in substantial financial savings.

And last but most definitely not least, limiting ourselves to that enrollment keeps NDSU as one of the smallest public research universities in the nation and maintains the welcoming and supportive student-focused tradition we so enjoy."

BI: With the construction of the STEM Building and the remodeling of Churchill Hall coming soon, what other renovation and construction projects can we expect?

DB: "The legislature has already approved in concept the

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replacement of the failing Dunbar Hall. We’re hopeful that will be funded in the upcoming session.

Due to accreditation warnings, we’ll also need to address facility concerns with Sudro Hall and the engineering complex in general. Of course, everyone is looking forward to completion of the exciting Sanford Health Athletic Complex and 5,700seat SCHEELS Center, which, in combination, will be one of the best facilities in this part of

the country for student-athletes and fans alike. The generous corporate and individual support, which has allowed for its construction without any state-appropriated resources, will result in an exceptional asset not just for NDSU but our entire state."

BI: Thanks for your time, President Bresciani, keep up the great work!

***

DEAN BRESCIANI

MATT LARSEN

Director of Athletics Matt Larsen enjoyed his second trip to Frisco, Texas while he fires up Bison Nation during the Drive for 5 Stampede pep rally.

MATT LARSEN

ATHLETIC DIRECTOR

By Joe Kerlin Photo By Paul Flessland

INVESTING IN SUCCESS att Larsen took his second trip to Frisco, Texas, as the athletic director at North Dakota State and came away with a familiar result. This past August, Larsen announced that NDSU will implement full costof-attendance to every scholarship studentathlete. We asked him about the response he’s received and if his foresight to position NDSU as one of the powers in the FCS has come to fruition.

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MATT LARSEN

There are never any guarantees in college athletics, but the way in which our players and coaches responded after the Montana loss speaks to the culture and tradition of Bison football. There were no excuses. Our players and coaches dedicated themselves to getting better each and every day and the results spoke for themselves.

This team matured and improved more from week one to week 11 than any other program I have ever been around. That is Bison Pride."

BI: The coaching staff dealt with another heavy loss of seniors from last year, specifically on defense. How much of the success should be credited to them this season?

THE INTERVIEW BISON ILLUSTRATED: You were there when NDSU lost to Montana. After that game, did you think that this team was capable of making it back to Frisco, Texas?

MATT LARSEN: "Having worked in college athletics for over 20 years, you understand that one game does not define a season and/or a team. However, this was the first Bison football team in some time that had to deal with major adversity early on in a season. There was no one more disappointed with the outcome of that game than the players and coaches in the locker room.

ML: "Because the football program has experienced such great success the last six years, in most cases the effort and impact the coaches have had are overlooked and undervalued by many. In my opinion, having been around the program from the first practice until the last game of the season, the job our coaches did this year was exceptional and ultimately led to another championship season. From the loss of many veteran players to the opening season loss to the loss to USD to the loss of the best player in college football, there were many people around the country that counted the Bison out and said this was the end of the run. Our coaches stuck with their plan, believed in the team and, most importantly, continued to make our players better each week.

Anyone can coach good players, but it takes a special group to take good players and continually make them better from one practice to the next."

MATT LARSEN BI: The turnout at the pep rally in Frisco and at the national championship game was overwhelming once again. Does Bison Nation ever cease to amaze you?

media story. This exposure in media outlets (print, radio, internet and television) throughout the country continues to build upon the strong brand recognition of NDSU and Bison Athletics."

ML: "Blessed. That is the word that continually comes to mind when I think of our fan base. You are correct in that they never cease to amaze. Their passion for and commitment to Bison Athletics runs incredibly deep and is reinforced in their attendance, loyalty and financial support. So to have between 17,000 and 20,000 fans in Frisco and nearly 5,000 at the pep rally is no surprise. In talking with the athletic directors that make up the FCS selection committee, they are all so impressed by our following and strive to replicate the support (even at some level) at their own institutions.

We truly have the model fan base at the FCS level, which is something we should continue to celebrate and be proud of. Thank you, Bison Nation!"

BI: What kind of changes can fans expect at the Fargodome next season?

ML: "From an NDSU Athletics perspective, we are planning on building the new additions out in place this past season – a renovated player’s lounge, an expanded trophy case and a branded tunnel walk. The program is in real need of a new locker room that is representative of a 13-time national champion. This will include new lockers and carpet, renovated bathroom space, an updated champions room and branding that

BI: What kind of an impact does the football team’s success have on other athletic programs at NDSU? ML: "Any time an athletic program has success on the national level, all other programs benefit from the exposure. The collective success of NDSU Athletics the last few years has helped expose fans, alumni and potential recruits all across the country to the special things happening in Fargo.

The success of football, specifically this year, with its fifth straight championship, has become a national

Larsen jokes with Deputy Director of Athletics Todd Phelps (left) before Friday's walk-through.

Phelps - who was hired in July took in the sights and sounds of Frisco for the first time.

MATT LARSEN depicts the storied history of Bison football.

"In addition, the Fargodome has plans to upgrade the video boards within the venue and along the concourse. These upgrades will greatly enhance an already spectacular fan experience and allow us to deliver greater content to all spectators."

BI: How is the construction of the Sanford Health Athletic Complex coming along? Is it still on schedule for next fall?

ML: "The excitement around the Sanford Health Athletic Complex and the SCHEELS Center continues to build as they get closer to completion in fall 2016.

The contractors have worked diligently to keep the project on

schedule and with each passing day, it gets closer to once again being the home of Bison Athletics.

We’ve already had a glimpse of the positive impact this facility will have on our student-athletes, with the men’s and women’s basketball programs utilizing the new Nodak Mutual Basketball Performance Center this winter.

"The SHAC will be a state-of-theart complex that includes all things today’s student-athletes need to be successful, under one roof.

Facilities and amenities included within the complex are the 5,700 seat SCHEELS Center, a new strength and conditioning center (including the Gate City Bank Fueling Station), new academic center, enhanced Sports Medicine examination and rehabilitation area, the NDSU Athletics Hall of

MATT LARSEN

Larsen carries his youngest daughter, Rylee (8), through a tunnel of Bison fans, cheering for their team as they walked to the locker room from the bus Saturday morning.

Fame, expanded administrative and coaching offices, new locker rooms and team lounge spaces, two new ticket offices and a wrestling practice area."

BI: You announced that NDSU will implement full cost-of-attendance for its athletes next season before the Montana game. What kind of impact have you seen that announcement make on the athletic programs already?

ML: "To date, the reaction to offering full cost-of-attendance across all sports has been very positive and well received by our student-athletes, coaches, alumni, fans, donors and recruits. With this initiative, NDSU continues to be a leader in college athletics with the intent of supporting our student-athletes at the highest possible level and providing them a championship experience.

"In conjunction with this announcement, we launched the Bison Pride Fund and the NDSUAthleticFund.com website, which allows fans and alumni

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to support cost-of-attendance, scholarships and overall program excellence. We are very fortunate that numerous donors and alumni have come forward to support this initiative to date.

"In addition, providing cost of attendance separates NDSU from many of our competitors within the Summit League and Missouri Valley Football Conference. As a result, our coaches have seen the positive impact this announcement has made on recruiting."

BI: What can you do to ensure the success of the Bison football program for following years?

ML: "As I have stated numerous times, you need to continue to invest when your program is having success. For NDSU football, this includes retaining the current coaching staff and continuing to improve upon facilities.

"As we witnessed this year, stability with the coaching staff had a great impact on the players, the overall program and the ability to

overcome early season adversity.

We have also seen success in their first two recruiting classes and the impact players that have contributed to the program. Most importantly, however, is that they are well-respected by their players and are seen as mentors and role models for these young men. It is imperative to keep this group together.

"As mentioned earlier, facilities are such an important component to any athletics program. The plan for a new locker room and the amenities that the SHAC will offer will be a huge benefit for the football program. Beyond these two elements, the greatest longterm facility need for the football program is a permanent indoor practice facility. Given the harsh winters of North Dakota and a number of our competitors having indoor practice facilities, this will satisfy a training and conditioning need, as well as help in recruiting future student-athletes."

***

WE OWN FRISCO

Bison Football

FORMER PLAYERS

The most celebrated Frisco tradition saw another outstanding turnout Friday afternoon during the final walkthrough before Saturday’s game. Over 200 former Bison football players stood on the sidelines, exchanged greetings after years apart and watched the 2015 version of the Bison football team prepare for its championship game. Generations of players

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mingled, laughed and made new acquaintances with current players before huddling in the middle of the field to signify the strong family-like culture Bison Pride encapsulates.

We caught-up with several Bison greats as the grazed the crowd looking for old teammates and former players that continually carried the Bison Pride torch.

WE OWN FRISCO

dave piepkorn This is the highlight for me of the whole thing. If you look around, everyone of these guys, a lot of them 35 years ago, we were all teammates. When we do this in the middle of the field, that’s the highlight. Whether they win or lose, it’s awesome.”

arden Beachy The big thing, and everyone talks about this, is it’s never the Xs and Os and the plays, it’s mainly locker room stuff, bus rides, the stuff that happened off the field. You can see as you’re standing here, all the camaraderie.

Everyone’s hugging each other because it is a brotherhood, all the stuff that you went through. That’s the fun part of it.”

“I was just talking with a couple of guys out there, it’s like, ‘Goll, did you ever think the program would get to this level?’ It’s just cool to see. The bigger thing is, five is impressive because you think, ‘Somewhere down the line, this team was tested, something’s going to go wrong or a fluke play or a couple key injuries, but kudos to the coaching staff. I thought the defense in the last month really woke up and Easton Stick came in and has done a terrific job.”

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“The thing that is the most common is that we would rip each other about everything so you had to have pretty tough skin.

That’s prepared me for politics because that’s what you do. You rip each other, even though you haven’t seen each other for 30 years, that’s what you do.”

kyle emanuel It’s almost more of a vacation for me now. When you come as a player, it’s all business.

It’s been fun. I get to reconnect with some really good friends, some old teammates and kind of relax and enjoy the festivities.”

“I appreciate the fans and I’ve obviously gotten some support and I’ll give them time to give them my autograph or whatever it is because I really do appreciate it.

You feel it, even in San Diego, the support back here in Fargo.”

WE OWN FRISCO

christian dudzik

Carlton littlejohn “It’s fun to see the outside view of things like just being a guy looking into the team. I’ve been so focused each year that I haven’t had time to pay attention to what’s going on outside. Now I can see what the fans do, the whole process of what they do to get ready for Frisco also. It’s actually really fun.”

“I came down with him (roommate), but I’ve been staying with a few other guys: Kyle Emanuel, Colten Heagle, Esley Thorton, Mike Hardie, those guys, Ryan Smith.”

“I said hi to all the guys. (Nick) DeLuca, of course. One of the linebackers and MJ (Stumpf), Pierre (Gee-Tucker), those guys. I had to say hi to those guys. I said hi to Albers and the great mustache he has. I lived with him for a little bit so I had to say hi to him. Joe Haeg and (Andrew) Bonnet, the guys that I pretty much played with the whole time I was playing. They were redshirts but you’re with them for four years. I’ve gotten to see them as seniors now. It’s really a great experience all around because you see how everyone has grown up.”

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I’ve been watching Marcus Williams on TV and I finally get to see him in person. He’s doing such great things. I’ve been able to see Kyle (Emanuel). I’ve seen some of the guys come up for the game like Trevor (Gebhart) and Colten’s (Heagle) been around, but to be up here and experience this National Championship experience with those guys, it’s a lot of fun.”

“I was most excited about coming back here and seeing all the former players. That’s what I was most excited about besides the game.

Just to come back here and see all the guys from my class, guys who he played in the ‘70s, ‘80s, ‘90s, it’s special. There are no more words to explain that.”

Esley Thorton Just a lot more relaxing this year. It’s all business as a player. Your main goal coming in is winning the game whereas, as a fan, you’re having as much fun as you can. Seeing former teammates. It’s awesome. I mean they’re all different. There’s a lot more satisfaction as a player.

Winning obviously. It’s been really fun as a fan too.”

marcus williams I got a chance to learn from some great guys like Darrelle Revis and (Antonio) Cromartie and Todd Bowles. For me, it was a great year. A learning year for me. It didn’t go as well as you wanted it to but, overall, it was a success.”

“For one, it’s Bison Pride. This is what Bison Pride is all about.

Being here with the alums, with the players, getting all the support.

When I was here playing, just the support from the alumni and all the fans is the reason I love playing every single week. I know that I want to come out here and do the same for the players that are playing. Just go out there and support those guys. We have their backs no matter what.”

WE OWN FRISCO

PEP FEST

It was another wild night the Friday before game day in Frisco, Texas. This year, the NDSU Development Foundation and Alumni Association hosted its annual Frisco pep rally called the “Drive For Five Stampede.”

An estimated 5,000 screaming Bison fans were in attendance to take in the night’s festivities. We caught up with the event host, Vice President of Engagement SARA WALD, after the evening’s events to talk about some of the highlights from Dr. Pepper Arena.

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Dr. Pepper Arena had actually saved the date for us just in case we needed it and it was in Frisco so that’s how we picked where we were going to go.”

– Sara Wald

bisonarts singers They’ve been around for a better part of a decade and we’re trying to utilize them more to let the public know who they are and the talent we have at NDSU and we just thought it would be a great way to start the show and get people rocking.”

– Sara Wald

WE OWN FRISCO

craig dahl Craig Dahl’s name came forward as someone who would be available and someone who has had such a long career in the NFL that we felt like our fans haven’t seen or talked to him directly in a long time. We thought it would be a great way to reintroduce him to the group. Craig was, unfortunately, never a part of a national championship team, but he is still an important part of the culture that was created here of Bison football and we thought it would be a great way to honor him and have him on the stage.”

– Sara Wald

luke gulseph We hand-picked him from the crowd as people were entering.

We were looking for someone who is old enough to ask a question, wouldn’t be too nervous up on stage, and Luke was selected from the crowd. He was really excited. Luke's dad is a pharmacy alum, lives in Sioux Falls, S.D., and he is a huge Bison football fan, I don’t think he’s missed a championship game, and he was someone we saw in the crowd and thought it would be a good fit to get Luke up on stage.”

– Sara Wald

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special videos

It was important to start with the countdown video because that’s the classic for us. Media Productions put together all our videos for us this year. It was a fan 'thank you' with the coaches and some of the current players.

Year in Review highlight was also played for everybody so you can remember all the highs and lows from this past season.”

let’s get fired up!

Honestly, we all just had big smiles on our face. It was just an amazing night. I thought the production that went into it was just stellar, with the fireworks and the songs and the BisonArts Singers performed amazingly well. We were really pleased with everything said and done.

I think our fans who attended were pumped up and ready for the game the following day and that was our goal at the end of the night.”

– Sara Wald

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WE OWN FRISCO

BEFORE THE GAME

texas

tailgating With four years of experience under their belt, members of Bison Nation knew exactly what they were doing when it came to tailgating in Frisco, Texas. The fifth time around was as special as ever when NDSU continued the tradition of walking from the bus to the stadium with a swarm of fans cheering the football players. The Gold Star Marching Band and cheer team led the charge as fans yelled and encouraged the football team before kickoff. And if you know anything about Bison tailgating, you know the real tailgating happens in the parking lot where Bison faithful throw the most outrageous pregame parties.

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Mike Benedict and his crew at Thundering Herd Tailgating never miss a chance to bring their bus to a Bison tailgate on the road, especially when they have a relative living in the Frisco area.

Benedict’s crew bought their bus three years ago and are constantly updating their bus decals with the growing number of championships NDSU wins.

thundering herd tailgating

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“It’s always something special traveling with the Herd. You don’t see a turnout like this for everybody,” Benedict said. “There’s so many of us that come down here and Frisco just welcomes everybody that turns up.”

WE OWN FRISCO

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Empty Nester Tailgating

The Empty Nesters Gone Wild has arguably the best name and greatest traditions – Fireball Blessings and “That Guy” Trophy – in the Bison pregame tailgating lot.

Created about three years ago, according to spokesperson Tom McDougall, Empty Nesters has

WE OWN FRISCO

the best atmospheres of any Bison pregame party.

“The Empty Nesters Gone Wild thing, my wife and Laurie Sather sort of fight over that because it was Laurie’s idea about the empty nester part,” explained Tom McDougall. “But then it was my wife’s idea to do the hashtag ‘EmptyNestersGoneWild.’” been to Bison games in Manhattan, Kan., Ogden, Utah and Frisco several times.

In the beginning, Tom and Chris McDougall joined forces with Lee and Jana Johnson, Mark and Laurie Sather and Bill and Heather Klug to create one of

Next to having a creative name, their reputation for a good time is well known, especially with football players’ families. The Morlocks are a frequent visitor after meeting them in Ogden, Utah for the Weber State game in 2014. The Urzendowskis are known to stop by, too.

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FAN PHOTOS

R U O Y

O C S I FR CE N E I R E EXP

We asked and you answered! Eight members of Bison Nation sent us their photos from Frisco and they couldn't have been better.

AMY GIBSON Amy Gibson (jumping) celebrates the five-peat by leaping in the air on the field at Toyota Stadium. She was joined

by Sam and Pat Sorenson for the on-field celebration.

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BRENDA ENTZ COACHES' FAMILIES PHOTO: Brenda Entz, wife of Bison defensive coordinator Matt Entz, poses for a photo with the coaches' families before the championship game.

1 - Jill Polasek 2 - Estella Klanderman 3 - Tori Austin 4 - Chery Hysjulien 5 - Corryn Klanderman 6 - Jarrett Klanderman 7 - Amanda Klanderman 8 - James Klanderman 9 - Vicky Goeser 10 - Jaxon Goeser 11 - Mary Roehl 12 - Cate Riley

13 - Christy Brawner 14 - Haley Klieman 15 - Devin Klieman 16 - Colby Klieman 17 - Kellen Entz 18 - AJ Austin 19 - Brenda Entz 20 - Konnor Entz 21 - Marie Gordon 22 - Amni Austin 23 - Rhonda Klieman

E K E B R A H N A D (From left to right) Gary Otterness, Colin Eide, Matt Dondoneau, Frisco Mayor Maher Maso, Brady Otterness and Dan Harbeke take a photo at the notorious Six Flags tailgating before the FCS Championship game.

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CHRIS ULMER (From left to right) Chris Ulmer, Kevin Jepersen and Eric Henschke snap a selfie from their seats in the end zone. Jepersen is Ulmer's brother-in-law and made the trip to Frisco 1,477 miles from Oxnard, Cali.

(From left to right) Derek Schrader, Eric Henschke, Chris Ulmer, Albert Daou, Kevin Jespersen, Jim Ulmer, Joe Houn and Ron Jespersen pose on the field after NDSU's victory. This flag made the trip to Montana for the season-opening game in Missoula, Mont.

MITCHELL SAMEC Mitchell Samec (right) and Morgan Samec (left) take a selfie. Morgan is a volleyball player at NDSU and is engaged to No. 90 Grant Morgan on the football team.

Their wedding is March 12.

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TONYA SORENSON Tonya Sorenson and Sam (7) prepare to storm the field.

Sorenson and Amy Gibson also flaunt their Bison Pride in front of a van painted with Jacksonville State support.

"Couldn't resist!"

- Tonya Sorenson

JERRY SPECHT Jerry Specht (blue jacket) enjoys his time on the field, celebrating NDSU's fifth consecutive championship.

BRENDA BURLEY Brenda Burley's amazing images from her time in Frisco, Texas.

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FOOTBALL FEATURES

Ben Newman (right) experienced all Frisco, Texas had to offer while he tagged alongside the football team for the week. The next day, he was in Washington DC, watching the Redskin's Will Compton in the playoffs against Green Bay.

NDSU’S

SECRET WEAPON Interview by Joe Kerlin Photo By Paul Flessland

he Bison football team has always looked to gain an edge on its opponents.

You don’t win five national championships without attempting to better yourself every season. Whether it’s Jim Kramer’s grueling summer workout programs or Dave Ellis’s nutrition charts, the Bison are always a step ahead of the FCS field.

T

Newman is a performance coach and specializes

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in providing mental training tools he uses with professional and collegiate athletes, as well as Fortune 500 companies.

He was introduced to the Bison football program when he met Craig Dahl’s mentor, Michael Sheppard. Newman met with Dahl, who, in turn, welcomed him to the Bison football program. The relationship was a perfect fit, as Newman spoke to the team before a handful of games this season.

BISON ILLUSTRATED • F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 6

THE INTERVIEW BEN NEWMAN: "The first time I was brought in, it was in an evening setting.

They brought me in just to do a 30-40 minute keynote presentation to really fire up the year and fire up what they were about to do. I think at that point in time, it was a new relationship for all of us. I don’t know if there were any guarantees or anything of that nature that I would continue the work I did with the team during the season, but the message did resonate.

We talked about legacy, and we talked about the opportunity they had as a team. And they continued to let me return."

BISON ILLUSTRATED: How do you hope the student athletes apply your lessons to football and outside of the game?

BN: "There are some trigger words that I think are the most common, and you heard Coach Klieman say it when he accepted the trophy. He said the words, “Attack the process.” That’s probably the message that is most consistent in our work, is helping each individual player connect to what their piece of the process looks like within the team. What is their commitment, what does the team need from them as an individual player?

And then helping that player connect to what it looks like on a daily basis for them to get their best. For collegiate

athletes, that includes giving it their best in the classroom, giving it their best with their nutrition, giving it their best at their practice times, giving it their best in the weight room. It’s having balance because it’s tough being a collegiate athlete. But it’s having that balance and them understanding what their process looks like and then attacking that process. With each individual attacking the process collectively, the team can perform at a higher level."

BI: What did you think of your first Frisco experience?

BN: "I’m just continually so impressed with the culture and the legacy of the entire NDSU family, from the individuals that I’ve met within the university to collegiate athletics, and for me, when you talk about tradition, when you talk about greatness, when you talk about family, when you talk about legacy, I don’t think there’s a better example in sports today than NDSU, period. I’ve never seen anything like this culture. To see 250 alumni come back for a championship game and then come to a practice to see those players, and the interaction with the players was just incredible. To me, that’s what it’s all about. It’s about one generation supporting the next generation, continuing to the next generation.

FOOTBALL FEATURES

Having an opportunity to continually grow the program."

BI: What have you learned about Bison Pride and what do you believe it represents?

BN: "It epitomizes the word legacy.

My mother passed away 11 days before my 8th birthday, so legacy is very, very important to me, and I live every day to continue to write her story. For me, that’s a big purpose, right. It’s my big, big purpose. I think NDSU shares that commonality of that big purpose.

It’s something bigger than each individual player and truly epitomizes legacy and that’s what connected me so deeply with the university and the team."

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BI: Do you plan on staying with NDSU and continuing to speak to them?

BN: "I would certainly hope I’m not going to get fired after this season (laughs). No, I think the beauty is, we’re just getting started. There are some speaking opportunities and things that BG (Brian Gordon) had in mind, so there’s a bunch of times I should be there in the offseason."

***

To check out the full interview with Ben Newman, go to BisonIllustrated.com.

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FOOTBALL FEATURES

Anish Shroff has been at ESPN since 2008. He got his big break when he appeared on the second season of "Dream Job." He received his bachelor's degree from Syracuse Univeristy in 2004.

WORLDWIDE LEADER POINT OF VIEW

By Joe Kerlin Photos Courtesy of ESPN nish Shroff has been carrying the torch for Bison coverage at ESPN. He’s called the last three championship games and has made a handful of trips to Fargo to witness the scene inside the Fargodome.

We asked him about the program and how many people are really paying attention at the Worldwide Leader in Sports, ESPN.

A

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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THE INTERVIEW BISON ILLUSTRATED: From the eight games you’ve called, have you noticed any differences in the program as time has worn on?

ANISH SHROFF: “That’s the amazing part to me and that we throw the word dynasty around in sports a lot, and if you think of it, dynasty implies a couple of things. One is success and two is some form of succession.

And we’ve seen that.

They’ve had two different head coaches. They’ve had three different quarterbacks playing key parts of this playoff run.

All these key elements that could cause a team to slip up or maybe cause some kind of regression and somehow they’ve managed to keep this impossibly high standard now for five years. That, to me, is the most amazing part, and if you want to talk about constants, I think the two constants that jump out, one is line play. They are just so sound and so solid in the trenches. In every game I’ve done, I’ve yet to see a team dominate or even be North Dakota State’s equal, really, in the trenches. The other constant has been the fans. I’m lucky enough to go around the country every Saturday, to all different programs and see all different schools and all different venues, and I’m not sure there are many fan bases, maybe you can count on one hand a fanbase as passionate, who are as

loyal, and who impact the actual game as much as the Bison fans do.”

BI: Do you talk to coach Klieman before the games about the pressure to keep the success going and what does he say?

AS: “Absolutely. He (Chris Klieman) jokes about it because we’ve had discussions about, ‘Hey, so is there a point now where just the pressure on you guys is overbearing?’ And he goes, ‘Yeah, I’d be at the grocery store or I’ll be out and about in Fargo and people will say, hey coach, bought my ticket for the championship.’

And he’ll look down and say, ‘It’s August.’ (Laughs) They expect to win here. I think this is a fan base that understands this run of success is something that is going to last forever and I think the can appreciate how special this is. We may not see something like this in college football period – especially at the Division I level – in our lifetimes. It’s magical what they have. As to how do you sustain it? One thing coach Klieman keeps going back to is this ‘stay hungry, stay humble,’ and it’s easy to say that, and when you keep winning, you can think maybe you get to big for your bridges, maybe there’s some confidence that borders an arrogance, but then you go back to the type of kid they recruit.”

FOOTBALL FEATURES

BI: You’ve covered a wide-range of sports and have been a sports fan your whole life, so can you remember anything like this championship run?

AS: “My broadcasting career, I’m primarily on the remote side, covering college sports, so no.

A couple that sort of jump out, but again, we’re not even close to being apples-to-apples. I was a student at Syracuse and we had a great lacrosse program there. They went to 22 straight Final Fours at one point. But again, they didn’t win 22-straight championships. They never won more than three in a row, so just in the annals of college sports, in football, this is unheard of. It really is because you have success, people come after your coaches, people come after your assistants and that’s happened here, and yet they’ve still managed to sustain it.”

BI: Do you have colleagues at ESPN that come up to you and

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ask about North Dakota State and, if so, what do they say?

AS: “(Laughs) Yeah, they do. I work out of the studio at ESPNU down in Charlotte, N.C., and people are definitely intrigued by what’s happening up in Fargo. I frequented Fargo enough times now where (laughs) they crack a few jokes. They wonder if I’m going to change my last name to Gunderson or something soon (laughs). Listen, this is a phenomenon that’s being talked about at ESPN. North Dakota State has a lot of fans and supporters at the network because we’re amazed at what they’ve been able to do and how long they’ve been able to do it.”

BI: What do you think it will take to make this a six-peat?

AS: “As long as they can keep the coaching staff intact, which I do believe will be challenged the further along you progress. And

if you have a year where you do get knocked out early and teams are looking to fill vacancies, why wouldn’t you raid North Dakota State’s staff? They know how to win. They’ve been on the biggest stage. They know what it takes.

I think they’ve been fortunate in a lot of ways, too, with injuries. I know Carson Wentz goes down this year, but the next man up is Easton Stick. Maybe they run into a year where their o-line gets banged up or they have to burn a bunch of redshirts. This is a program that likes to redshirt guys.

They haven’t had that issue so far. There’s certainly an element of fortune and luck that plays a part of it. You need that if you’re going to win five in a row, and the coaching staff will tell you that."

***

Go to BisonIllustrated.com to read Anish’s take on Carson Wentz and NDSU moving to the FBS.

FOOTBALL FEATURES

Craig Haley was the presenter/host of the STATS FCS Awards. He presented the offensive player of the year to Eastern Washington's Cooper Kupp and defensive player of the year to Montana's Tyrone Holmes.

WHAT DOES THE NATIONAL MEDIA THINK ABOUT THE BISON? STATS’ CRAIG HALEY DISCUSSES THE NDSU DYNASTY.

By Joe Kerlin

obody follows the FCS closer than Craig Haley. When we’re watching the Bison at the Fargodome, Haley is keeping an eye on all the teams, gaining a reputation as one of the most knowledgeable FCS minds in the country. Even though he had Jacksonville State ranked No. 1 in the STATS Poll for most of the season, he wasn’t surprised NDSU handled business like they did in Frisco. He explains why in our conversation.

N

This interview has been edited for clarity.

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FOOTBALL FEATURES

THE INTERVIEW BISON ILLUSTRATED: Did you think the game was going to be closer than the final score indicated?

CRAIG HALEY: "I think most people probably thought it would be somewhat closer. I picked the Bison, as most people did, but at some point last week, I started to question if I was underestimating Jacksonville State. Then, when I was talking to players on Thursday, I left there thinking Jacksonville State has no idea what they’re getting into with the Bison. And the Bison are just on another level than everybody else."

BI: Was the conference Jacksonville State plays in a factor for you believing they wouldn’t be ready?

CH: "That’s a considerable difference, you’re right. The Missouri Valley Football Conference from the OVC (Ohio Valley Conference) is a drop-off, especially the other teams that played in the championship games. I don’t think their (JSU) conference gave them quite what NDSU sees from week to week and it showed here. They had to come out strong and take that punch to the face and they didn’t. That’s another thing I’ve been writing about is, you have to take that punch in the face from North Dakota State because they know how to put teams away. It’s crazy how they just take a lead and go off and win and when they need to. Their second half adjustments during these five years have been unbelievable just how they win the second half."

BI: Was the punch in the face that first drive when NDSU kept handing the ball off, daring Jacksonville State to stop them?

CH: "Yeah, they’re going to show you the power run game and their physical defense and throw that at you and see how you react, especially the conference teams that they’re facing. Jacksonville State just wasn’t ready for that. You could see on the first drive, that

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some of the defensive linemen already had their hands on their hips. They were just taken aback during that first drive, let alone what they were going to face throughout the game."

BI: What were your opinions with NDSU to begin the season and specifically the defense after the Montana loss?

CH: "I never felt their defense was going to get to the level they got to. But at the same time, I just felt it’s an August game. You don’t have your legs underneath you quite yet and you’re facing this team that is just going to pass, pass and pass. I thought there was a little bit of an excuse there. Now, again, I don’t think anybody could see how good this defense was going to be. Their defense in the playoffs was as good as it gets. But at the same time, I thought that loss to Montana was a little deceptive."

BI: What about your feelings after the South Dakota loss because they also lost Carson?

CH: "That’s one of the biggest surprises of the season. I do think in conference play, in any conference, people aren’t quite as intimidated because you know your league opponents so well. I thought with losing Wentz, that next game was critical. When you’re 4-2 and knowing you have some tough games ahead and you’re going to Indiana State, if they had lost that, then everybody is starting to get really nervous. I feel like NDSU was saying they were confident in Easton going into that game and they knew his talent, but you have to have some questions in the back of your head. You’re going on the road against a tough Indiana State team and you’re only 4-2, knowing what a loss could do, I feel that was a huge game."

BI: Back in 2010 when you got the position you’re in now, did you see this dynasty coming?

CH: "Nope. Nobody could foresee this (laughs). I even made the

mistake in 2011 of picking Sam Houston State in the championship game. This is just unbelievable and, unfortunately for the FCS, they’ve lost Georgia Southern, Appalachian State and now Coastal Carolina. The depth of teams that could win a national title isn’t quite what it could be, but at the same time, the Bison have just separated themselves from everybody and they’re the standard."

BI: Is this NDSU dynasty good for the FCS? CH: "I think so. Anytime there’s a dynasty it makes people pay attention and people are always going to pay attention to the FBS first, so this gives people reason to look at the FCS. I think it was a different kind of year, though. NDSU wasn’t number one throughout the year. There were a lot of upsets during the season, back and forth kind of scores. I felt like there was parity throughout the year."

WHO IS CRAIG? FOOTBALL IS LIFE Craig Haley has been covering FCS football on a national scale for six years.

He’s the FCS Senior Editor for STATS and his work can be found at fcs.football. His FCS Pick ‘Em record this season was 574-152 (79%).

TEAM MAKERS

FUNDING THE FUTURE

By Chris Haugrud

W

ith tax season fast approaching, I am reminded of the giving my family contributes to North Dakota State University’s Endowment Fund. This endowment fund is what helps provide the athletic scholarships needed to attract talented student-athletes to our community. After a tax credit, the donation our family makes takes very little out of our pocket and gives us the satisfaction of knowing we have helped a student-athlete’s dream of college sports and academics become a reality.

Some of our past and present student-athletes may never have had the opportunity to attend college without a partial or full scholarship offer. There are countless stories of former athletes, like Mike Favor and Joe Mays, on how attending NDSU gave them a fresh start and helped shape them into great adults. Much of this had to do with the support and mentoring they received from the outstanding coaching staff here at NDSU. 192

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And then there are those studentathletes who come to Fargo from all over the country to get their college degrees and stay in our community. These people include the likes of Steve Walker, and Bison Illustrated publisher, Mike Dragosavich. There are countless other student-athletes just like them who stay here to raise their families and continue to give back to our community and to NDSU. Here is how the endowment works...

In August 2015, NDSU Athletics made the decision to include the cost-of-attendance in studentathlete scholarships. It was a decision based on providing the students a first-rate experience and to help them succeed in the classroom and in competitions.

The funding of cost of attendance will also help the coaches recruit the best and brightest to continue and build on the successes of all programs. To fund this aggressive initiative, the Bison Pride Fund was established. Simultaneously, the NDSU Athletic Fund was started to provide a comprehensive giving model for the areas athletics to raise private dollars and provide all of the options to support.

Simultaneously, the NDSU Athletic Fund was started to provide a comprehensive giving model for every element the athletic department raises private dollars for, and to provide all of the options for support.

The NDSU Athletic Fund is the comprehensive fund that supports all of the athletic initiatives. The fund includes specific gifts for

Team Makers, Bison Pride, Bison Athletic Excellence and Legacy giving. Team Makers does fall under the umbrella of the NDSU Athletic Fund but in no way diminishes the importance or distinction as the lifeblood of the athletic department. The Bison Pride Fund will support the cost-of-attendance and program excellence and the Bison Athletic Excellence Fund will provide sport specific assistance. Legacy giving is the opportunity to provide support through capital gifts, endowments and planned giving.

Bison Nation has been incredibly supportive since 1950 when the Team Makers Club was established. The funds provided by the friends, fans and alumni have always been at the highest levels in both NCAA Division II and NCAA (FCS) Division I. This support allows the studentathletes to continue to succeed academically, athletically and graduate to be future leaders in their communities. It provides the resources to win conference and national championships.

If giving is something you find your family would like to start, there are many ways to do it. 2016 could be the year you start your endowment and make a difference in the life of our young student athletes.

* * * For further information regarding athletic funding and how to support, please visit NDSUAthleticFund.com.

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BISON CULTURE

By Joshua A. Swanson

THE TIE THAT

BINDS

NORTH DAKOTA STATE CULTURE CONNECTS GENERATIONS OF CHAMPIONS n its long and storied history, North

I

Dakota State football has won 13 national championships. Of course, nowadays, when you hear about the Bison, most of that talk focuses on the five consecutive titles won at the Football Championship Subdivision level. People, especially national media outside of Fargo and North Dakota, tend to ignore the previous eight championships won at the Division II level. But, if you ask anyone that has worn the green and yellow, they’ll tell you those earlier championships have as much to do with NDSU’s current success as anything else.

The night before the Bison played Jacksonville State for this year’s title, NDSU Athletics released a hype video featuring several former players, all of whom had won national championships. George

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Kallenbach, a native of Maddock, N.D, played for the 1965 Bison, the first national title team in school history. What Kallenbach and the other players said tells you all that you need to know about the tradition of Bison excellence.

Its genesis centers on one word, one singular concept standing above all else: culture. “This culture, this tradition, this Bison model of good things happen to those who work hard,” said Kallenbach, explaining how the Bison have been able to win 13 national championships and 32 conference titles, most of those coming since 1963 when guys like Darrell Mudra, Ron Erhardt, Denis “Izzy” Isrow, Ardell Wiegandt and Walt Odegaard arrived on campus and started building the Bison culture, what we now call Bison Pride. These founding fathers of NDSU football

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started the process of turning around a program that had won only three conference championship in the team’s first 69 years from 1894 to 1962.

There are two powerful visuals that tell this story and give meaning to a one-of-akind culture. The first is what has become an annual part of NDSU’s championship run to Frisco. The day before the Bison play in the national championship, hundreds of former players turn out for the final practice of the year to signify that this team, this program and university, is much more than one group of players in a single season, but the sum of decades of dedicated people that have built NDSU football into the juggernaut it is today.

“We continued the legacy that’s been built many, many years before us,” said Chad Stark, an AllAmerican running back who came to NDSU from Brookings, S.D. Stark was part of three national

BISON CULTURE

championship teams in 1983, 1985 and 1986. “We didn’t let those teams down because we’ve continued the tradition of Bison Pride and setting the bar high,” he said. This is the bedrock of Bison football. Today’s teams play for those guys that came before them, something rare in all of sports. “That is what NDSU is all about, it’s a bring your hard hat and lunch pail type of environment around here, and that’s been established years ago and that’s been continued,” said Brock Jensen, the all-time winningest quarterback in Division I history, who guided the Bison to three straight championships from 2011-2013.

The other visual is how the Bison have elected to display their record-setting success.

When other schools win a championship, no matter the sport, they commemorate it with a single banner highlighting that particular team and one set of players. The championship team and year stand alone, separate from the work and sacrifice previous teams put in to get the team to that apex of success. Not NDSU. If you look toward the rafters on the south side of the Fargodome, you don’t see any individual championship banners. You only see two banners –one for national championships and the other for conference championships.

There is a tie that binds every year on those banners; everyone that wore the green and yellow, each coach that has stood on the sideline or in the press box, all those men and women on staff that contributed to this culture 196

of excellence, all the fans that filled Dacotah Field and the Fargodome. It is yet another example of how Bison culture rests on the sum of its collective parts rather than on the work of a few individuals. It is the meaning behind the time-honored credo, “The strength of the Herd is the Bison, and the strength of the Bison is the Herd.”

Following NDSU’s 3710 demolition of the Gamecocks, during the postgame press conference, someone asked head coach Chris Klieman how the Bison have managed such a historic run of success with few equals in sports history. Klieman’s response confirmed the tie that binds the 2015 Bison to all their predecessors, that culture of Bison Pride.

“It’s amazing,” began Klieman, who, in his first two years as head coach, has won two national and conference championships, coached dozens of all-conference and all-American players, both on the field and in the classroom, in addition to coaching several NFL players, including soon to be NFL quarterback Carson Wentz, who many predict will be the first quarterback taken in this year’s NFL Draft. “It’s these guys, and it’s coach Kramer, it’s our assistant coaches, and it’s the culture. It’s all the guys that were out there on the field, the alums, those are the guys we do this for, it’s remarkable,” said Klieman, referencing the Friday practice.

“We maybe weren’t always the biggest, the strongest or the fastest. There was just that culture of winning

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that was bred in you,” explained Phil Ostlie, who, like Stark, played on the 1983, 1985 and 1986 title teams. While this year’s Bison had their share of size, physicality and speed, they were often overlooked and not favored to continue the championship streak.

“I mean, it speaks for itself, it’s amazing to be part of a team that’s won five,” said Wentz. The culture of winning, that effort and relentlessness, creates an inertia that overwhelms opponents. “I really think they were relentless, their effort on every single play was just unbelievable, they didn’t take any plays off,” said Kyle Lauletta, Richmond’s quarterback, after NDSU dominated the Spiders in the national semifinals, 33-7.

Even with a record five straight national championships, the Bison culture means the team doesn’t rest on its past successes. Instead, they have already commenced offseason workouts to begin building toward another championship endeavor. “It’s just attack the process,” concluded Klieman, describing how this culture has perpetuated championship

upon championship. “For us, we’re going to attack the process, which is the offseason, get guys better and better and win the day next year, and keep winning plays.”

Too often, culture is reduced to a buzzword, an overused simplification of how to make a championship team or a more productive and profitable business. But for those special places where culture is real, where it’s more than a buzzword, it’s not just a difference maker, it is the difference maker.

It can get you through adversity and losses. It can weather injuries to all-Americans and NFL draft picks. Culture doesn’t press the panic button. It overcomes the constant turnover of senior classes that guide the way with their leadership and pass the torch to the next group.

It can sustain you when most of your coaching staff departs for another school during the middle of a playoff run. It is the tie that binds, that connects generations of champions.

It’s how you win 13 national championships, and five in a row. It is, quite simply, the strength of the Bison.

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