Bison Game Day December 9, 2023

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BISON GAME DAY SOUTH DAKOTA

SATURDAY, DEC. 9, 2023

►When: 1:30 p.m., at DakotaDome, Vermillion, S.D. ►TV: WDAY (ABC)

NORTH DAKOTA STATE

►Radio: 1660-AM, 107.9-FM

BISON GAME DAY SOUTH DAKOTA VS. NORTH DAKOTA STATE

G2 | SPORTS | Saturday, december 9, 2023 | tHe Forum

NDSU Archives photo 121.1 football champ 19861.8

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NDSU Archives photo 121.1 football champ 19861.6

North Dakota State quarterback Gary Barta (5) powers past a South Dakota North Dakota State quarterback Jeff Bentrim (1) runs through a tackle defender during the NCAA Division II national championship game Dec. 13, against South Dakota during the NCAA Division II national championship game Dec. 13, 1986, in Florence, Alabama. The Bison earned a 27-7 1986, in Florence, Alabama. The Bison earned a 27-7 victory in that game. victory in that game.

Alligator races, Lynyrd Skynyrd part of last NDSU-USD playoff matchup North Dakota State and South Dakota met in the 1986 Division II title game in Florence, Alabama

BY JEFF KOLPACK The Forum FARGO

O

ne of the first sights after landing at the local airport was Joe Bob’s grocery. This wasn’t North Dakota or South Dakota anymore, this was Alabama.

It was 1986 and North Dakota State was a day away from taking on the University of South Dakota for the Division II championship in Florence. For a student newspaper writer, this was a road trip of monumental proportions.

The cab driver from the airport talked of Bear Bryant’s recruitment of local legendary player Ozzie Newsome, saying the legendary Alabama head football coach stayed at Ozzie’s house for three straight days.

“The Bear, he was one ‘bad’ coach,” the cabbie said. “The Bear knew how to get his players.”

Ozzie, now in the front office of the Baltimore Ravens, is from Muscle Shoals, which is one-third of the trifecta including Florence and Sheffield. If Muscle Shoals sounds familiar to music historians, it should.

Lynyrd Skynyrd recorded “Sweet Home Alabama” there, which generally is attributed to the Muscle Shoals Sound Studios.

Local legend had one session being held at a makeshift recording studio at a local hotel, which at one time looked to be a Holiday Inn. The student sportswriter walked into the room, closed his eyes and imagined what it must have been like in 1973.

What’s all of this have to do with a football game? It was all part of the experience of two northern teams playing a title football game in northwest Alabama.

It was also the last time the Bison and Coyotes played a postseason football game.

They’ll tie the knot again Saturday at 1:30 p.m., only this time in USD’s friendly confines of the DakotaDome in Vermillion, S.D. They’re doing it as Division I schools, something former Coyote coach Dave Triplett was Nostradomus-like in his assessment of NDSU after the Bison won 27-7 on that gray, cloudy, cool day at the home field of the University of North Alabama.

“I wish to hell they would get out of Division II,” Triplett said in his postgame press conference.

“They can go wherever they want.”

Triplett turned a mediocre Coyote program into a national winner, finishing his USD tenure in

NDSU Archives photo Football 9.12 - 1986

The game program for the NCAA Division II national championship game between North Dakota State and South Dakota on Dec. 13, 1986, in Florence, Alabama. The Bison earned a 27-7 victory in that game.

1988 with a 70-45 record. He spent the next six seasons as an assistant at the University of Iowa before getting out of coaching.

“Dave Triplett was a very good football coach,” said former Bison head coach Rocky Hager, who in 1986 was the NDSU defensive coordinator. “I do remember that statement and I have to be honest with you, I thought it was time. I thought the time was coming for us to move up, Division II was shrinking in the way they were doing things.”

It took 17 years, but the Bison finally made good on Triplett’s edict.

NDSU won that game with defense and special teams, getting an 84-yard punt return for a

touchdown from future 13-year NFL player and two-time Super Bowl champion Tyrone Braxton and recovering a Coyote fumbled punt return that set up another score. The NDSU punter, by the way, was Casey Bradley, known better these days as Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator and former NFL head coach Gus Bradley.

Backup quarterback Gary Barta, recently retired as the athletic director at Iowa, scored on a 1-yard run. The Bison recovered two fumbles and held USD to 6 of 13 passing and one interception. It was the first year the Division II title game was held in Florence, moving from a multi-year run in McAllen, Texas.

“The hospitality was incredible,” Hager said this week.

Of note: Then NDSU president Laurel Loftsgard had a friendly relationship with community leaders in The Shoals, Hager said.

That could have stemmed from the Bison beating North Alabama in the 1985 championship game in McAllen, at the time called the Palm Bowl.

In Florence, the Bison staff and players met Harlon Hill, the namesake for the trophy that goes to the best player in Division II, which that year was won by Bison quarterback Jeff Bentrim. The student writer didn’t get a ticket to that banquet. So in an effort to write

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BISON NOTEBOOK

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North Dakota State’s Jake Kava eyes Montana State quarterback Tommy Mellott in the NCAA FCS playoffs on Saturday at Bobcat Stadium in Bozeman, Montana.

BISON DE JAKE KAVA ON A QB SACK SPREE OVER PAST 4 GAMES North Dakota State senior has surged into the team lead for quarterback sacks

BY ERIC PETERSON The Forum FARGO

F

or North Dakota State defensive end Jake Kava, playoff mode started late in the regular season after a 17-point road loss against No. 1-ranked South Dakota State.

“If we lose another game, there’s no guarantee that we’re going to get into the playoffs,” Kava said, recalling the mindset after that defeat to the rival Jackrabbits.

The Bison haven’t lost since, winning the final two games of the regular season and two playoff games.

That four-game winning streak has NDSU (10-3) set to play No. 3-seeded South Dakota (10-2) at 1:30 p.m. Saturday in the NCAA Division I FCS quarterfinals at the DakotaDome in Vermillion, South Dakota. The game is being aired on ABC, including WDAY-TV locally.

“The love we have for each other,” said Kava, a senior. “We kind of took that mantra, we’re not done yet. ... I think we’ve done a good job of turning it around and starting to play better football.”

Kava’s numbers have spiked over those past four games with 8.5 tackles for a loss and 5.5 sacks. He has at least one sack in each of the past four games. The Fargo Shanley graduate leads the team with seven sacks through 13 games. Senior defensive end Dylan Hendricks has 6.5 sacks.

“I definitely think I’m playing a lot better,” Kava said. “Sometimes you get sacks, sometimes you don’t.”

The 6-foot-1, 247-pound Kava had a key sack late in the fourth quarter against Montana State last weekend. That stalled an MSU drive in a game the Bison won 35-34 in overtime on a blocked extra point. Kava relished playing in Bobcat Stadium before a sellout crowd of 17,247 fans.

“It was awesome,” Kava said. “I love our fans and playing home games is unreal. We’ve been blessed with a lot of playoff home games with crazy environments, but there is something special with going on the road. Our travel squad is smaller, 64 guys.”

The Bison have to win on the

David Samson/The Forum

North Dakota State’s Jake Kava chats with coach Grant Olson before play against Montana State in the NCAA FCS playoffs on Saturday at Bobcat Stadium in Bozeman, Montana. road again to extend their season.

The Coyotes earned a 24-19 victory against NDSU on Sept. 30 in the Fargodome. In that game, USD built a 21-3 halftime lead.

“We’ve got to start fast,” Kava said. “We started extremely slow against them a couple months ago.

We can’t let that happen again.”

In that first game, Coyotes quarterback Aidan Bouman completed 10 of 12 passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns. South Dakota rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown on 26 attempts.

“They’re a ball possession, ball control football team, they’re going to try to dominate time of possession,” Kava said. “That’s one thing we really didn’t do well the first time we played them, we couldn’t get them off the field.”

game at the DakotaDome.

“Now, it’s more of, it’s just anothNDSU senior offensive lineman er game,” Hunter said. “He’s my Hunter Poncius and his younger brother, no matter the outcome of brother Gerrit Poncius will have the game.” their teams face off for the second Tonia expressed her excitement time this season. Gerrit is a No. 2 for her sons on social media earlier left tackle for the Coyotes, while this week.

Hunter is the No. 2 left tackle for “So proud of both of our boys the Bison. and their teams!!!!” Tonia wrote.

Hunter — who is 6-foot-8, 315 pounds — said his parents Erik and “What an incredible day!!!! Memories made that’s for sure … again — Tonia are prepared for the FCS quarterfinals showdown. Gerrit is a couldn’t be more proud or excited for all that’s to come!!! Let’s go 6-foot-7, 295-pound sophomore.

Offense!!!”

“They’ve got sweatshirts that Hunter Poncius played hero have half NDSU, half USD, so they’re kind of split down the mid- against Montana State last weekend as his blocked extra point lifted the dle,” said Hunter, from Buffalo, Bison to a 35-34 overtime victory.

Minnesota. “They will be wearing Hunter said he’s now focused on those.”

Hunter said he also expects to his have grandparents at Saturday’s NOTEBOOK on G5

Poncius Bowl, Part 2

BISON GAME DAY SOUTH DAKOTA VS. NORTH DAKOTA STATE THE forum | Saturday, december 9, 2023

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| SPORTS | G5

NOTEBOOK CONTINUED from G4 NDSU’s rematch with the Coyotes.

“I think it’s an awesome opportunity for us,” Hunter said. “It’s something we’re all excited about.”

Etc. Etc. Etc. • NDSU has a 7-1 record in playoff rematches against opponents from the regular season. The Bison played South Dakota earlier this fall, a game the Coyotes won 24-19 on Sept. 30 at the Fargodome.

• The Bison are alone atop the FCS playoffs alltime wins list with 46 after last weekend’s win at Montana State. Georgia Southern is second with 45 and Montana is third with 36. NDSU has a .920 winning percentage (46-4) in the FCS playoffs.

• The Bison have a 58-272 series edge against South Dakota, including a 10-2 mark as Division I opponents. The teams last met in the postseason for the NCAA Division II national championship in 1986, a game that NDSU won 27-7 in Florence, Alabama.

• Roy Philpott (play-byplay), Roddy White (analyst) and Lauren Sisler

David Samson/The Forum

North Dakota State’s Jake Kava congratulates teammate Hunter Poncius (76) after the overtime win over Montana State during the NCAA FCS playoffs on Saturday at Bobcat Stadium in Bozeman, Montana. (sideline) are handling the call for Saturday’s nationally televised game

at the DakotaDome. The game is also available to stream on ESPN.com and

the ESPN app.

• For the Coyotes, this is their first 10-win season

at the FCS level, their first time as a top-8 seed and the first time they

have reached the FCS quarterfinals.

21-12 win over USD in the regular season.

CONTINUED from G2 “We felt like that should have been a bigabout some local flavor, ger margin of victory,” he went to a local RamaHager said. da Inn and witnessed Of the title game: “The baby alligator races in an defense came up with enclosed 10-foot glass some pretty significant “racing track.” The winplays against their counner of one race was ter option play,” Hager named “Rambo.” said. “There was some That ‘86 NDSU team really good play from finished 13-0, including a our free safety Todd

DeBates because of their option game.”

The scenarios are different this year, with NDSU being the underdog as an unseeded FCS playoff team facing the No. 3-seeded Coyotes.

“I’ll say this, it does not shock me that we’re playing another Missouri Valley team at this point in the season,” said NDSU head coach

Matt Entz. “And it does not shock me that we’re playing a Bob Nielsoncoached football team at this time.”

Nielson is the head coach at USD. This week, Entz got a call from Hager reminding him of the last time the Bison and Coyotes met in a playoff game. What did Rocky tell him?

“I cannot repeat it,”

Entz said.

It’s been since 1986, but history is finally repeating itself in December with these two programs.

Prior to the Division II game, the Sioux Falls Argus Leader newspaper funded a billboard in Florence saying “The South (Dakota) Will Rise Again Go Coyotes!!”

Overnight before the game, evidently

somebody representing NDSU altered the billboard to say, “The South (Dakota) will Lose Again Go Bison!!.”

Anybody know if there will be alligator races at a hotel in Vermillion?

MATCHUP

Readers can reach Forum reporter Jeff Kolpack at jkolpack@forumcomm.com.

Twitter@KolpackInForum

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