Bison Game Day October 28, 2023

Presents

BISON GAME DAY SATURDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2023

NORTH DAKOTA STATE

►When: 2:30 p.m., Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome ►TV: WDAY (ABC)

$3.00 (Suggested retail price) Copyright 2023 The Forum

MURRAY STATE

►Radio: 1660-AM, 107.9-FM

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Photos by Jamie Rhodes / USA Today Sports

Murray State Racers quarterback DJ Williams (2) looks to throw against the Louisville Cardinals during the second quarter at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium on Sept 7, 2023, in Louisville, Kentucky.

MURRAY STATE FOOTBALL, WHO ARE THESE GUYS? New Missouri Valley Football Conference school is popular in town, third in Valley in attendance

BY JEFF KOLPACK The Forum FARGO

T

he sport of choice in Murray, Kentucky, is no doubt men’s basketball, with the local Division I university producing several NBA players and 18 appearances in the NCAA tournament. Heck, Murray State was once home to Joe Fulks, who is credited with being one of the pioneers of the jump shot.

Fulks played at Murray in the early 1940s and was considered one of the most prolific scorers in his day. Yet, when it comes to well-known athletic figures at Murray State, perhaps football takes the cake with a list of head coaches that went on to bigger and better things.

Frank Beamer, Mike Gottfried, Houston Nutt and Ron Zook were all head football coaches at one time in Murray.

Beamer went on to a Hall of Fame career at Virginia Tech, Gottfried is an ESPN analyst Jamie Rhodes / USA TODAY Sports who coached the University of Pittsburgh to success, Nutt later Murray State Racers head coach Dean Hood looks on during a timeout during the second half against the Louisville Cardinals at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium. coached at Arkansas and Mississippi and Zook was a head flights to Fargo this weekend visit to Gate City Bank Field at it’s been great. Folks around coach at Florida and Illinois. and to the University of South the Fargodome on Saturday for here get excited when talking “We’re proud of the lineage Dakota earlier this month. a 2:30 p.m. game about football.” of Hall of Fame coaches who “We’re focusing on enhancing When Murray was accepted The man in charge these days have come through here and got is Dean Hood, a 59-year-old vetinto the Missouri Valley Confer- our infrastructure here from their start at Murray State,” ence for most other sports, foot- player experience and staffing,” eran in the coaching business said Dave Winder, the school’s ball came along in the Missouri said Murray State athletic direcwho has spent most of his communications director for Valley Football Conference. The tor Nico Yantko. career in the Kentucky-West athletics.

Murray is the quintessential school has already made some Virginia-North Carolina area.

Winder was a freshman basecollege town that has a populaupdates to its football locker His highest-level job was defenball player at Murray State in tion (17,311) almost equal to the sive coordinator at Wake Forest room, team room and player 1982 when he saw his first footaverage attendance of its three from 2001-07 and assistant coach lounge with the weight room ball practice with Beamer as the at the University of Kentucky home games (12,017). The Racand athletic training spaces in head coach. The prevailing ers drew 15,885 in their last line for an upgrade. from 2017-19. thought to this day: the look of home game against Southern Football added two full-time From there it was back to the at least five NFL-type players on FCS as a head coach again. He assistants to get up to the NCAA Illinois and rank third in the that team.

Missouri Valley in attendance allowable number of 10. It is tasked with raising the pro“I thought, wow, this is really behind South Dakota State file of Murray State from a Ohio added graduate assistant posigood,” Winder said. “I always (18,545) and NDSU (15,664).

Valley Conference school to one tions and a director of operatell people, we haven’t been of the power leagues in the FCS. tions. The Racers are investing great a lot but when we’ve hit it, The Racers make their first in their travel with charter Murry State on W5

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BISON NOTEBOOK

David Samson / The Forum

North Dakota State linebacker Oscar Benson (11), shown here against Maine, made his first start of the 2023 season last weekend against Western Illinois at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome.

HILLSBORO’S OSCAR BENSON MAKES DEFENSIVE IMPACT FOR NDSU NDSU linebacker Oscar Benson has made six starts during his Bison career

BY ERIC PETERSON AND JEFF KOLPACK The Forum FARGO orth Dakota State junior Oscar Benson made an impact against Western Illinois, his first start this season.

His pass breakup in the second quarter led to a Logan Kopp interception, which the Bison converted into a touchdown during a 52-7 victory in Missouri Valley Football Conference play at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome.

“That’s all you’re really looking for, finding a way to help your team anyway you can. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to win,” said Benson, from Hillsboro, North Dakota.

The 6-foot-1, 218-pound Benson started for Julian Wlodarczyk, who was out last weekend due to injury. Benson is in line for a second consecutive week with Wlodarczyk’s availability unknown heading into Saturday’s game against Murray State at the Fargodome.

Bison head coach Matt Entz said the team was waiting on more information of Wlodarczyk’s injury status.

Benson had two tackles against the Leathernecks and the Bison rebounded after allowing 49 points against the University of North Dakota the previous week.

“I think we know the talent we have on defense,” Benson said.

“We all know that’s how it should have gone (against UND), and we didn’t play up to our standard and potential. We were all ready to get back out there and show that we have a solid defense.”

The Bison limited winless Western Illinois to 184 yards on

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Tim Sanger / NDSU Athletics

North Dakota State defensive end Dylan Hendricks, right, disrupts a pass from Missouri State quarterback Jordan Pachot on Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023, at Plaster Stadium in Springfield, Mo. 52 plays. The week prior, NDSU allowed 328 yards on 51 plays against the Fighting Hawks.

Benson said the team got back to basics against Western Illinois.

“I think simplicity, making the game plan a little more simple, allowing guys to play fast and make plays,” Benson said.

“We’ve got playmakers here and we were able to utilize that.”

Benson made five starts last fall and played in all 15 games.

He’s played in all season games this season, making 10 total tackles.

“I think a lot of it comes with physicality, not thinking too much, not making it too complicated,” Benson said. “Playing our brand of football and being physical and making plays fly-

ing around.”

Hendricks adds to team-leading sack total NDSU senior defensive end Dylan Hendricks had 1.5 sacks against the Leathernecks — including a forced fumble — and leads the team with three sacks through seven games.

The 6-foot-3, 245-pound Hendricks, from Pulaski, Wisconsin, has 19 total tackles this season.

“I think Dylan’s played really well the last few weeks,” Entz said. “He’s playing probably his best football here. ... He’s really become a leader for us up front.”

Former Bison coach also a two-QB believer Count former Bison head coach Chris Klieman as one who is not

afraid to use two quarterbacks these days. Veteran Will Howard started this season for the Wildcats but an injury forced highlytouted freshman Avery Johnson into the mix. He responded with five touchdowns in a win at Texas Tech two weeks ago and when Howard returned last week, both were effective in a 41-3 blowout over TCU. NDSU has gone mainly with senior Cam Miller this season, but junior Cole Payton has been part of the game plan in every game and was the team’s leading rusher until last week. Entz was asked this week if he and Klieman are comparing notes on using two QBs.

notebook on W5

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NOTEBOOK CONTINUED from W4 “We haven’t dove into that too much but I did see a little of that game on Saturday evening,” he said. “I know that through some early conversations in summer and fall camp he talked about how talented their young quarterback was and it was going to be hard to not find a way to utilize him.”

Bison true freshman kicker impresses Three true freshmen made their Bison debuts last week in kicker Eli Ozick, running back Kelly Watson and cornerback Najee Nelson. They were the first true freshmen NDSU has played in a game this season.

Ozick handled kickoff duties with Entz saying he thought punter Kaedin Steindorf, who formerly handled the kickoffs, was getting too much use with his leg. Ironically, the Bison didn’t punt against the Leathernecks but the hope was Ozick would get better hang time with his kickoffs.

That appears to have been the case.

“I think his hang time was 3.9 (seconds), which is considerably different than what some of our hang times have been,” Entz said. “He does a great job of getting some air underneath it. It affects our coverage team and it was fun to hear our Alyssa Goelzer/The Forum coverage team respond North Dakota State’s Cam Miller is tripped up by Western that this is different from Illinois’ Garret Steffen on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023, at the 3 1/2 seconds, it’s almost Fargodome. four seconds.”

MURRY STATE

for a 28-24 win over the visiting Racers last week.

“I’m really proud of our The University of North team and how we’ve comDakota is next at 10,341 peted this year,” Yantko followed by Southern Illisaid. “Maybe the results nois at 10,204. Murray is don’t necessarily speak to more of a regional school that in the win column. that is an attraction to But I think the conference fans in Calloway County is certainly elevating the that has just north of profile of Murray State, 37,000 people. Expanded which is a great national further, what is called the brand particularly as an Jackson Purchase Region all-sport program. comprising a few counties Changing from the Ohio in the southwestern corValley was no small move Jamie Rhodes/USA Today Sports ner of Kentucky has a Murray State Racers’ Eric Phoenix (7) attempts to avoid considering the Racers population of almost played in the league for 74 a Louisville Cardinals tackle during the second half at 200,000. years and were a founding L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium on Sept. 7, 2023, in The thing to do these member.

Louisville, Kentucky. days, of course, is to “I’ll tell you this, the check out the teams in the very curious about it. compliment is in the game that Murray targetnew conference. league,” Yantko said of We’re all curious to see ed as a proving ground “Stepping up to this the Missouri Valley. “It’s how our process goes into that it would be competinew league, it’s caught the the Missouri Valley and with North Dakota State, tive in league play. They attention of our fan base it’s with all the Dakota how we’ll be growing into only trailed South Dakota and a lot of them want to schools, it’s with every it.”

21-7 after three quarters see the new teams we’re other team in the Misbefore the Coyotes, ranked souri Valley Football ConThe Racers got off on playing,” Winder said. fourth in this week’s Stats ference. We know this is the right foot in Valley “There is a great interest Perform poll, pulled away. the premier league in FCS play with a 30-28 home in joining this league and no question the fans are football and honestly I Missouri State held on win over Indiana State, a

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Another reason to use true freshmen probably more frequent than before is the expansion of the NCAA’s four-game eligibility rule to not included playoff games. A redshirt can play in four or fewer games in the regular season without losing a year of eligibility.

“I just think you keep developing people as long as your can,” Entz said.

“Even if you have a hint of opportunity you can make it to postseason you can be creative if you do have some late-season injuries you don’t have to worry about it.”

Etc, etc, etc, • Nine of the 12 Missouri Valley teams are ranked in the top 29 in the latest FCS Sagarin Ratings by USA Today including seven of the top 12 and

think it would hold water to a lot of other mid-major leagues out there in how they’re resourced and how competitive they are.

We know it’s going to take investments over time.”

The Racers last made the FCS playoffs in 2002, the last of five appearances that includes one victory in 1996 when they beat Western Illinois 34-6 in the first round. Otherwise, there were losses to Lehigh in 1979, Eastern Illinois in 1986, Northern Iowa in 1995 and Western Kentucky in 2002.

“We want to revive that,” Yantko said. “We don’t want to just participate in this league, we want to go and compete in this league.”

Hood, however, is no stranger to FCS postseason. As the head coach at Eastern Kentucky, he was 55-38 with playoff appearances in 2008, ‘11 and ‘14 that included Ohio Valley

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six of the top eight.

• NDSU did not punt last week, the first time since the 2017 season opener against Mississippi Valley State that happened, which is a streak of 91 games. At least punter Kaedin Steindorf wasn’t totally bored; he was the holder for Griffin Crosa’s seven point-after kicks and one field goal.

• The Bison are plus-9 in turnover margin this fall, tied for second in the FCS in that category.

• Murray State will play in a dome for the fourth time in school history.

The others were South Dakota this season, 2010 against Georgia State at the Georgia Dome and 2001 against Minnesota at the Metrodome. The Racers are 1-3, beating Georgia State.

titles in 2008 and 2011.

The last winning season before Hood took the reins in the COVID-19 delayed spring season of 2021 was a 7-4 record in 2011 when Chris Hatcher was the head coach. The Racers went 6-5 in the fall 2021 season before slipping to 2-9 last year.

NDSU will visit Murray State next season, which will be the school’s 100th year of playing the sport.

“Over the years, this university has shown a commitment to playing football many times,” Winder said. “Everybody thinks Murray State is a basketball school but in the times football has gotten going, those have been the best of times.”

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

Twitter@KolpackInForum

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