Presents
BISON GAME DAY SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2023
NORTH DAKOTA STATE
DRAKE
►When: 2:30 p.m., at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome ►TV: ESPN+ ►Radio: 1660-AM, 107.9-FM
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Submitted photos
North Dakota State linebacker Oscar Benson is flanked by his father Karl and stepmother Michelle at the FCS national championship game in Frisco, Texas.
The drive in Oscar Benson’s father is more than highway miles For 22 years, Karl Benson has driven from Minneapolis to anything and everything for his son BY JEFF KOLPACK The Forum FARGO
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here is no way anybody could calculate the number of miles Karl Benson has driven to watch his son Oscar, whether it be a school musical, some activity or a football game. Karl has gone through a few cars. It’s been 22 years of driving from Minneapolis to Hillsboro, N.D., where Oscar went to school, or North Dakota State, where he is currently a starting linebacker for the Bison football team. “He’s put on a lot of miles,” Oscar said. “I’m definitely blessed to have him. No matter how far it is, he’s always able to make the trip and a lot of people can’t say that. Oscar’s parents got divorced when he was 1½ years old and from that point Karl vowed not to miss anything. He’s been good on his word. “I always wanted to be present, that was always my thing,” he said. “I just said no matter what it is, football games or Christmas concerts or whatever it was, I was going to make that drive because that’s what I needed to do.” Karl did miss one game, however, a Hillsboro-Central Valley game when Oscar was a high school freshman. The Burros lost. It’s a humoristic note right now, but Karl took some of the blame. “I was like, oh my God, what did I just do?” he said with a chuckle. “That’s part of the motivation. But it reminds me like (Saturday) that I don’t like to miss games because you never know what’s going to happen. You never know if he’s going to have a great game or
North Dakota State linebacker Oscar Benson stands in the middle of his stepfather and mother Paul and Molly Baumgartner (left) and his father Karl Benson and his wife Michelle at the FCS national championship game in Frisco, Texas. God forbid he gets injured, I just want to be there.” What happened last Saturday? Benson picked off two University of Northern Iowa passes and was a major factor in the Bison taking a 48-27 win that cemented their bid into the FCS playoffs. NDSU will host Drake University (Iowa) Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome. Sure as the sun will rise in the east, Karl will be there. He’s been to every Bison game, home and away. “It fits right in with the mold of a lot of our parents,” said NDSU head coach Matt Entz. “His dad is back and forth, left and right. Parents do a lot of
things for their kids that you just hope your kids pay it forward someday.” For Karl, seeing Oscar nab the two picks at Northern Iowa was a reward of sorts for traveling to all those games that Oscar didn’t play. The entire family — Oscar’s sister Stella is also an NDSU student — was in Cedar Falls for that matter, including aunts and uncles. Karl was texting with Scott Olsen, Oscar’s high school coach in Hillsboro, after each pick and both had similar thoughts: this is the Oscar Benson they expected when he committed to the Bison in the summer of 2019. “With Oscar, I think it’s just
being comfortable,” Olsen said. “It’s a learning curve from North Dakota high school football to Division I FCS. It’s just taken him a little more time and now he’s reaping the benefits. It’s about him getting acquainted and being free to make plays.” Karl knows athletes and making plays. He worked for Nike in Minneapolis and Chicago for more than a decade working with the Michael Jordan brand. “And in doing that, we were always in community and I didn’t necessarily think we were doing as much as we could do in community,” he said.
Benson on W5
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BISON NOTEBOOK
Photos by Ginnie Coleman / Drake Athletics
Drake sophomore defensive end Finn Claypool (90) has 12.5 sacks this season to rank third in Division I FCS in total sacks.
Drake’s Finn Claypool calls Missouri Valley the ‘SEC of the FCS’ Bulldogs sophomore defensive end Finn Claypool has 12.5 sacks this season BY ERIC PETERSON The Forum FARGO
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he Drake Bulldogs aren’t new to the Missouri Valley Football Conference this season, playing against playoffbound North Dakota and South Dakota State in September. Drake defensive end Finn Claypool thinks the Missouri Valley is the top conference in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision. “The (MVFC) is the SEC of the FCS, it really is,” said Claypool, referring the Southeastern Conference that’s generally regarded as the top league in the FBS. “Anyone who denies that is delusional in my eyes, and you’ve got to play the best if you want to be the best.” The Bulldogs are set to play another Valley foe in North Dakota State at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in the first round of the FCS playoffs at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome. Drake is making its first appearance in the FCS playoffs. “Playing high-level talent Drake quarterback Luke Bailey (2) has only been sacked four times this season. teams like North Dakota State, like North Dakota, like South said those games helped his things really well.” D-line, we know they’re going to Dakota State at Target Field like team improve as the season be big and fast,” said the 6-foot-2, Drake played NDSU at the we did this year, that tells you progressed. Fargodome to start the 2022 sea- 190-pound Bailey. “We know what you should be, that tells we’ve got guys, too, that can “If you looked at it with a crit- son. The Bison earned a 56-14 you what you want to strive to play. ... I’ve got to get rid of the ical eye, there were some posivictory in that game, the first be,” said Claypool, a redshirt ball fast because those D-linetives in there,” said Stepsis, who meeting between the programs sophomore who leads his team men are always coming.” has been the team’s head coach since 1962. with 12.5 sacks this season. since the 2019 season. “It does “It’s more of a comfortable sit- Alexander adds options The 6-foot-1, 232-pound Claygive you some confidence movuation because we’ve done it for Bison secondary pool ranks second in the FCS in ing forward.” before,” said Drake senior quar- The emergence of redshirt sacks per game with 1.14 and The Bulldogs (8-3) have won terback Luke Bailey. “We’ve freshman cornerback Jaquise third in overall sacks. eight consecutive games since played at the Fargodome before. Alexander has allowed the Bison UND rolled to a 55-7 victory that loss to the Jackrabbits, and ... We kind of know the overall to play more nickel packages — against the Bulldogs on Sept. 2 a defensive set with an extra in Grand Forks to start the regu- finished with a perfect 8-0 record feel and we know what to in the Pioneer Football League expect.” defensive back on the field — as lar season. Top-seeded SDSU — to earn an automatic bid to the Bailey has completed 55% of the season has progressed. The the defending FCS nationa playoffs. his passes (199 of 362) for 2,446 5-foot-10, 171-pound Alexander, champions — cruised to a 70-7 “They’ve won eight games in a yards and 16 touchdowns with victory against Drake at Target from Ruskin, Florida, has startseven interceptions. He’s only Field on Sept. 16 in Minneapolis. row,” said Bison head coach ed the past three games for Matt Entz. “They’ve continued been sacked four times this Despite those margins of vicNDSU. to get better as the season has season. tories for the MVFC teams, Drake head coach Todd Stepsis gone on. I think they do some “They always have a good NOTEBOOK on W5
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BENSON CONTINUED from W2 Karl did something about it. When he left Nike, he walked the talk on his community action and got back into Minneapolis striving for positive interaction. It’s always been his thing to give back and help people who could use a hand or find an avenue to better opportunities. “Service has always been important to me,” Karl said. “Hopefully I feel like it’s important to Oscar as well. It’s easy to say your dad is your role model but at the same David Samson/The Forum time you sort of want it North Dakota State’s Jaquise Alexander stops Southern Illinois’ Izaiah Hartrup on to be for what your dad Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023, at the Fargodome. does as well, not just being your dad. So I wanthistory of the subdivied to mirror and be that Kava’s sack total sion. Montana made 17 kind of person he can be surging CONTINUED from W4 consecutive postseason proud of.” NDSU senior defensive He is co-owner of BenSenior cornerback Mar- end Jake Kava has 3.5 QB appearances from 19932009, while New Hampson Entertainment & cus Sheppard has rotated sacks in the past two shire made 14 in a row Events, a sports marketwith Alexander late in games and is second on from 2004-2017. ing firm that creates the season at one CB spot, the team with five sacks events for not only athwhile senior Jayden Price entering the FCS playoffs. • Bison safety Cole Wisniewski was named Misletes but non-profit orgahas started every game at Senior defensive end souri Valley Football Con- nizations. He previously the other corner. Dylan Hendricks leads ference defensive player ran One2One that fos“We’ve been able to the Bison with 5.5 sacks of the week for his pertered the development of play with Jayden Price a through 11 games. kids in Minneapolis and little more in nickel on “Your seniors should be formance against Northern Iowa during the final was president/CEO of some third downs,” Entz playing their best football the Minnesota Black game of the regular seasaid. as the season unfolds,” Chamber of Commerce son. Wisniewski had a Alexander played 39 Entz said. “Jake has been that worked with Blackgame-high nine tackles snaps against Northern a tremendous leader. He owned businesses. Iowa last Saturday, may not be a captain, but and also returned an “He’s a big leader in the interception 75 yards for according to Pro Football he is one of our top leadcommunity,” Oscar said. a touchdown in a 48-27 Focus, while Sheppard ers on our football team, “And for myself, too, to victory against the Panplayed 35. Price led the especially defensively.” know what a strong leadthers. Wisniewski leads group with 65 snaps. Kava has 37 total tackthe Bison with five inter- er is and try to embody “As you see growth and les, including eight tackthat in everything I do, ceptions this fall. elevation of Jaquise’s les for a loss. The Fargo • NDSU is averaging 36.1 he’s definitely my biggest confidence, and just Shanley graduate also role model. I look up to points per game to rank understanding of the has a quarterback hurry. him a lot.” No. 8 in the FCS in that playbook, then it allows NDSU has 29 sacks headIt’s been a haul starting category. Bison senior us maybe to do a little bit ing into the postseason. with Benson’s true freshquarterback Cam Miller more than we weren’t man year coming during Etc. Etc. Etc. ranks second in the FCS prepared to do early in the peak of the COVID-19 • NDSU has made the the year,” Entz said. “It’s with a .747 completion FCS playoffs for 14 conmade us more multiple percentage. Richmond QB pandemic in the fall of 2020. He redshirted the maybe in our third down secutive seasons, tied for Kyle Wickersham ranks spring season of 2021 and and nickel package.” second most in the first with a .753 mark.
NOTEBOOK
Alyssa Goelzer / The Forum
North Dakota State’s Oscar Benson gives high fives to fans with his teammates while leaving the field after their team’s win against Indiana State on Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021, at the Fargodome. played sparingly in the fall ‘21 season, one that saw NDSU go 14-1 and win its ninth Division I FCS national title in 11 years. Benson started five games in 2022 when outside linebacker James Kaczor was sidelined for a period of time with an injury. He finished the season with 20 tackles. But Karl never saw frustration in his son about a lack of consistent playing time those first three seasons. “There are a bunch of alpha personalities but I think there is a maturity there to know what he needs to do to get on the field and stay on the field,” Karl said. “His body needed to catch up to some of the stuff he was going and I think it’s all kind of synching together right now.” Benson is tied with
fellow linebacker Logan Kopp at second on the team in interceptions with three. Safety Cole Wisniewski is second in the FCS in interceptions with five. Benson’s first pick against UNI was pictureperfect zone coverage. His second was picture-perfect athleticism, leaping high off the UNI-Dome turf to snag Theo Day’s pass. There was plenty to talk about with dad after the game. That’s why he doesn’t miss anything. “I always try to give him a show,” Oscar said, “and I’m glad that taking the time to drive everywhere is worth it for him to see me make some plays.” Readers can reach Forum reporter Jeff Kolpack at jkolpack@forumcomm.com. Twitter@KolpackInForum
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