Bison Game Day December 4 2021

‘ROAD WARRIOR’

For Bob Clark, 500 Bison games in a row has been a nationwide quest

By Je� Kolpack

The Forum Fargo

As the story goes, Bob Clark was a young student at North Dakota State when his family, from Minot, N.D., made a visit on parents weekend in the fall of 1971. His parents went to dinner at the Elks Lodge in downtown Fargo leaving Bob to babysit his younger sister Julie.

Bob asked Julie if she wanted to go bowling.

“I said, no, I want to go to the football game,” Julie said.

Julie was the sports nut in the family. At home, she was the one who had to alert her father when the Vikings were about to kickoff. So when her older brother asked about bowling, there was no question what she wanted to do.

“I’ll never forget the crowd,” said Julie Baker, who lives in Fargo. “Packed and loud and really cool.”

That brother-sister football act is going stronger than ever. So ironclad in the family that Bob will be attending his 500th straight NDSU football game on Saturday when the Bison host Southern Illinois in the second round of the Division I FCS playoffs.

Earlier this year, Bob tweeted his journey of sorts before the Bison played at Towson University. Maryland was his 24th state in watching an NDSU football game joining a list that includes the traditional Upper Midwest states, but destinations like Georgia, Louisiana, Washington, California, Alabama and Delaware as well.

His streak started in 1982 innocently enough with some friends who dubbed themselves the “Road Warriors.” That was

the year they drove to Davis, Calif., to watch the NDSU at UC Davis playoff game.

Things got serious in the 1983 Division II playoff run when the Bison returned to Davis for a semifinal victory and won the national title in McAllen, Texas.

Clark is in an elite group, especially in the FCS.

McNeese State fan Chris Buchanan was at over 500 straight games heading into the 2021 spring season. Assuming he’s still going — no news is usually good news in the world of a super fan — he’s at 518 straight.

At that rate, close calls of not making a game are most likely part of the attraction. Prior to the 2021 spring season, Clark was predictably paranoid of fans not being let into a game. There was some work to be done for him to attend the NDSU and Central Arkansas game at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome in October of 2020 — the only game in the fall for the Bison and was only open to a small contingent of friends and family.

Other super fans had similar close encounters over the years.

Paul Layne was preparing for his 526th straight SMU football game in 2020 when the Mustangs traveled to Tulane. But the Green Wave barred all fans from the game with the exception of family members because of the COVID-19 pandemic putting Layne’s streak in jeopardy.

Thanks to the SMU athletic director, who contacted Tulane’s athletic director, Layne got into the game.

Clark had a similar nervous moment when the Bison played at Northern Iowa last spring. There were no tickets available to the public because the UNI season ticket base was more than

the allowable fans in the game. But thanks to an Iowa State and Northern Iowa fan who was on an NDSU fan message board, he offered Clark an extra ticket.

“There were some parents who even couldn’t get into that game,” Clark said.

In 1998, USC fan Giles Pellerin died at his 797th straight game, a streak that began in 1926. San Diego State fan Tom Ables died two days before what would have been his 788th straight game in 2017. His allegiance included over 1,000 San Diego State basketball games.

After last season, Tommy Ray at Alabama had been to 618 straight. No word if that continued this season but most likely has.

One thing about Bob; he doesn’t leave much to chance. He left for the NDSU at the Youngstown State (Ohio) game three weeks ago on a Wednesday, driving from Fargo to Minneapolis before boarding a flight.

“What happens when a flight gets canceled on a Friday morning?” he said. “You’re at the mercy of the airlines and when you’re 1,000 miles away, it’s too late to drive. Especially if the wind is blowing and the snow is falling.”

He left for the Towson game on a Thursday for the same reason. Clark did not leave the streak up to the airlines to cancel his flight to 500 straight. Or most places for that matter.

Julie accompanied Bob to one of NDSU’s games at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, Calif., during the Division I transition and found the pace rather quick.

They were in a couple of airports, rented a car in San Jose and drove to Cal Poly.

“I couldn’t keep up with him in the airport,” Julie said.

“Bob is a nervous wreck about missing or not having a ticket or something. It’s gone from being kind of cool to being fretful about not seeing a game.”

Bob will tell anybody one of the best benefits has been getting to know the parents of Bison players over the years. Being in the same away destinations as them will do that, usually getting to know each other at tailgates.

“When you go to Youngstown or Southern Illinois, yeah, there are Bison fans that live in the area,” Bob said. “But the group of people that are there are the parents. I stop by their tailgate every Saturday and am on their email list. That’s the fun part about it.”

Current and former Bison parents and former players are invited to stop by a celebration tailgate in Bob’s honor west of the dome on Saturday. It’s located on the north end across from the Fargo Air Museum. A group of Bob’s friends rented a large tent.

“He was a catalyst for us joining Team Makers, he does a great job of being a quiet, reserved promoter of the program,” said Tammi Jo Barta, who’s helping with the tailgate festivities.

Barta and her husband Randy have been part of Bob’s season ticket package of eight for many years. There was a time when John Mark, as the president of Team Makers and a former Road Warrior, made a big deal of Bob reaching 33 in a row in the 1980s. And from 1991 to 2007, Bob’s job took him to Minneapolis but he still didn’t miss a game.

A football game. Not a bowling match.

David Samson / The Forum

Bob Clark, shown here in Frisco, Texas, for the 2012 Division I FCS national title game, will be attending his 500th consecutive North Dakota State football game on Saturday.

who seem to have found themselves on

PROBABLE STARTERS

Bison offensive line went back to the basics late in season

By Je� Kolpack and Eric Peterson The Forum Fargo

It probably started on the first play of the game three weeks ago at Youngstown State. Junior running back TaMerik Williams, in his first start, ran for 18 yards. It really started a few plays later when fullback Hunter Luepke went up the middle for a 49-yard touchdown run.

The Bison offensive line was back.

The consistent push was back. The physical look of the West Coast offense had returned.

“I just think we found more of a purpose to play for,” said senior left guard Nash Jensen. “We knew as an entire offense we needed to get better and that’s exactly what we’ve done. We just go out there and compete and prove it with urgency.”

NDSU ran for 463 yards against Youngstown. A week later, it amassed 334 against South Dakota. That didn’t come by accident. Bison head coach Matt Entz said the offense “chiseled down” the playbook, perhaps a key heading into Saturday’s second round FCS playoff matchup against Southern Illinois at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome.

“I think it takes a lot off of everybody’s plate,” Jensen said. “We don’t have to think about anything fancy, just stick to what we know and get better at that.”

That’s not to mean NDSU won’t do all of its pre-snap movements and motions. But at its base, the offensive line’s job is to move defenders off the ball. That hasn’t always been the case this season in a position group that can get complicated with schemes and movements.

“We know we have to go out, run off the ball and get people moved,” Jensen said.

Jensen, by the way, a fifthyear senior, will return next fall and use his free pandemic season of eligibility. He redshirted in 2017.

“I don’t think I could leave this place without a stone unturned,” he said. “I still have goals for myself that I want to achieve and I think staying an extra year will help me achieve those goals. I just want to leave this program better than I found it.”

Bison balancing game, recruiting this month

It’s playoff time, but that doesn’t mean the Bison coaching staff is 100% focused on Southern Illinois. National signing day is only a week and a half away.

The Bison have known commitments from 32 players to date.

That’s a larger than normal class. And while NDSU has Southern Illinois to try and figure out, other teams whose season is done have all of their attention on recruiting, the possibility of convincing a Bison commit to flip.

Entz said it’s on NDSU’s staff to keep plugging away.

The Bison are still trying to schedule official recruiting visits.

“We have to do a great job staying in touch,” he said.

“There are a lot of irons in the fire but it’s a good situation to have. Preparing for a game is better than being out on the road right now. All of our recruits know that we’re still preparing and I think they understand.”

Salukis hoping to ground ‘gritty’ Bison

NDSU is averaging 35.3 points and 271.8 rushing yards per game entering its second-round game, while the Salukis are allowing 161.9 yards per game to opponents.

The Bison rushed for a combined 757 yards in their final two games of the regular season.

“You physically have to match them,” said SIU head coach Nick Hill. “You’re not going to trick them. There won’t be any, ‘Let’s run a bunch of trick plays and try to win this game,’ that doesn’t work. You have to line up, and you have to physically take on the challenge and be more physical than them and then have the belief to beat them.”

The Salukis earned a 38-14 home victory against the Bison last spring, limiting NDSU to 109 rushing yards on 21 attempts in that game. SIU snapped a Bison 39-game winning streak with that victory in Carbondale.

“This team will take the field with the belief that they know they can beat them, not that they think they can,” Hill said. “They’ve done it before. … This team has proven it can beat anybody and also we can get beat by anybody.”

Hill said he has a “ton of respect” for the NDSU program, which has a 37-3 record in the FCS playoffs that includes a 28-1 record in the Fargodome.

“When you put on the

film, they play hard, they’re gritty,” Hill said. “This is a pretty typical North Dakota State team as far as getting back to really physically getting after you in the run game.”

Baker brings ‘tenacity’ to SIU offense

SIU sophomore quarterback Nic Baker has had a strong season, completing 242 of 388 passes (62%) for 3,026 yards and 26 touchdowns with 11 interceptions. The 5-foot-9, 194-pound Baker has also rushed for 52 yards and a touchdown on 87 attempts.

“He’s a competitor,” Hill said. “He’s 5-8 1/2, 5-9, so there’s got to be some reason why we recruited a 5-9 quarterback. He has a toughness and a tenacity and a will to win. He continues to get better. He makes plays with his feet. He can push the ball down the field.”

The Salukis are averaging 32.9 points and 427.8 yards per game. Hill said his team is at his best when Baker is

playing efficient football.

Baker completed 17 of 23 passes for 254 yards and a touchdown in SIU’s victory against the Bison last February.

“Whenever he’s making great decisions, he moves the ball down the field,” Hill said.

SIU is playing its 10th Missouri Valley Football Conference opponent this season after earning a 22-10 road victory against South Dakota in the opening round of the FCS playoffs.

“We’re going to play every team in the Valley,” Hill said.

“Everybody talks about what a grind eight games in the Missouri Valley are, well we get 10 of them. ... This team is prepared for this.”

Odds and ends

► The Bison have won 35 consecutive games after open weeks in both the regular season and postseason. That streak includes 19 home games, eight road games and eight FCS national title games in Frisco, Texas.

► There is no shortage

of experience on the SIU roster; several players are in their fifth or sixth year of school. NDSU, meanwhile, placed four players on the all-Valley Newcomer team, although only Williams is a starter. Quarterback Quincy Patterson, defensive end Loshiaka Roques and cornerback Marques Sigle also made the team. Southern Illinois was represented by cornerback David Miller.

► Hill is impressed with Bison wide receiver Christian Watson, who has seven touchdown catches and one touchdown run entering the playoffs. “Christian Watson is a unique player and tough to really contain and we’ve got to do a great job with that,” Hill said. “He’ll have his opportunities and he’s made a lot of those opportunities this season.”

► Southern Illinois is making its second consecutive postseason appearance. Prior to making the playoffs last spring, the Salukis hadn’t made the postseason since 2009. “This isn’t time to feel good about ourselves and read off all the press clippings and feel good about it,” Hill said. “It’s about preparing for a game. We’re playing an unbelievable team. It’s going to take some toughness and some gritty play to go up there and get a win on the road where a lot of teams haven’t.”

► The NDSU Gold Star Marching Band gave its retiring director Sigurd Johnson a unique birthday present this week: a 6 a.m. concert at his house.

► NDSU is in the playoffs for the 12th straight season. Montana has the FCS record of 17 from 1993-2009. New Hampshire (2004-17) is next followed by the Bison.

David Samson / The Forum

North Dakota State guard Nash Jensen (66) has been a stalwart along the Bison offensive line.

Saluki Athletics photo

Southern Illinois quarterback Nic Baker has passed for 26 touchdowns and more than 3,000 yards through 12 games this season.

ETSU-Kennesaw State matchup harkens back to memorable day

By John Bednarowski Marietta (Ga.) Daily Journal Kennesaw, Ga.

Kennesaw State coach Brian Bohannon said he has great memories from the program’s inaugural game in 2015 at East Tennessee State.

It was the inaugural victory, but more than that, it was the culmination of 2 1/2 years of preparation.

“Just the buildup to the first game, and I’m sure they had the same thing on their side,” Bohannon said of facing East Tennessee State, which was playing its own inaugural game after restarting its program following its 2003 shutdown.

“I think we figured it up. We had something like 75 practices before we ever played a game.”

And now Kennesaw State (11-1) and East Tennessee State (10-1) will meet in the second round of the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs at 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 4, in Kennesaw, Georgia. The winner will move on to face the winner of Southern Illinois and North Dakota State in the quarterfinals.

That first game was played at Kermit Tipton Stadium on the campus of Spring Hill High School in Johnson City, Tennessee. East Tennessee State used the stadium for two years until the completion of its new home, the 7,964-seat William B. Greene Jr. Stadium in 2017.

“There was a huge buildup. We had no idea what was going to happen,” Bohannon said. “I remember, they had the ball the nearly the whole first quarter, and then we got some things going.”

With 6:42 left in the

second quarter, Kennesaw State trailed 13-7, but that is when the flood gates opened with 49 straight points by the Owls. The deluge was highlighted by a 19-yard interception return by defensive lineman Nick Perrotta, a 69-yard touchdown pass from Trey White to Justin Sumpter and a 63-yard run by Darnell Holland.

Kennesaw State ran for

416 of its 512 total yards of offense, leading to a 56-17 victory.

“It was a great win and great memories,” Bohannon said. “I don’t think you will ever take that away. It was a big night for us, obviously, because we never had football here.”

Fast forward seven seasons and the teams will meet again Saturday, but this time there is a little more on the

line.

Kennesaw State is in its fourth trip to the playoffs and, each time, has advanced to at least the second round. The Owls defeated Davidson 48-21 last week in the opening round.

For East Tennessee State, it is the second time since the program was reborn that it has made the playoffs, following a 2018 appearance. This year, the Buccaneers

are the Southern Conference champion, the No. 7 national seed and earned a bye into Round 2. It is a testament for both programs to have become playoff teams so quickly.

“It speaks volumes for East Tennessee State, their administration and coach (Randy) Sanders,” Bohannon said. “Obviously, on our side, it’s huge to be in this position, and I’m sure it’s the goals and aspirations of their program, as it is ours. To do it the right way, to build it the right way to get these opportunities, that’s what you aspire for. I think that’s the goal of both programs.”

After Kennesaw State won the 2015 game in Johnson City, East Tennessee State returned the favor the following season in Kennesaw State. In the season opener at Fifth Third Bank Stadium, the Buccaneers beat the Owls 20-17 in double overtime.

Both games were spirited and it seemed like a natural rivalry was brewing considering the teams are only about a four-hour drive apart, but they have not faced one another since.

“I’m sure along the way there has been conversation,” Bohannon said of scheduling East Tennessee State. “We’ve probably had that conversation with everyone, as you can imagine, but when it comes to scheduling, I don’t remember any of the particulars. Nothing has really happened since we played the initial games in 2015 and 2016.”

Christopher Hanewinckel / USA Today Sports

East Tennessee State Buccaneers tight end Nate Adkins (44) catches a pass as he is hit by Vanderbilt Commodores safety Maxwell Worship (21) during the first half of an early September game at Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, Tenn. The No. 7-seed Buccaneers host Kennesaw State in the second round of the FCS playoffs on Saturday.