BISON-REDBIRDS 10 YEARS AGO:
37 SECONDS OF PURE TITLE DRAMA
The 2014 FCS national championship game will go down as one for the ages for Missouri Valley
BY JEFF KOLPACK
The Forum FARGO
As anniversaries go, North Dakota State will have plenty of Division I FCS title-winning 10-year celebration opportunities. Or 20-year or 30-year.
In rehashing the annual game in Frisco, Texas, that the Bison have won nine times since 2011, none had the thrill-of-victory, agony-of-defeat scenario that the 2014 championship had against Illinois State.
It easily was a top five for greatest FCS title games ever played, with the subdivision dating back to 1978 forming as Division I-AA. Adding spice to the mix; it was the first time two teams from the same conference played for the national championship.
“We’ll always be hooked at the hip,” said Illinois State head coach Brock Spack, referring to the clash of Missouri Valley Football Conference programs. “Those two teams will be special in my opinion. A great game. Probably one of the greatest games I’ve ever lost. Fans were great. The two best teams played that year, I don’t think there’s any doubt about that. I have fond memories of the whole experience to be honest with you.”
There are other nominees like Sam Houston’s last-second 23-21 win over South Dakota State in the spring season 2021 game. The Bearkats converted key fourth-down plays on the winning drive, scoring with 16 seconds remaining.
There was Georgia Southern’s 44-42 win over Furman in the 1985 championship game. GSU went 72 yards in 82 seconds, scoring the game-winner with 10 seconds remaining in a game played at the Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Wash. Boise State, in the second year of the subdivision in 1980, scored on a 14-yard touchdown pass with 12 seconds left to defeat Eastern Kentucky 31-29. Boise went 80 yards in 43 seconds after Eastern Kentucky took the lead with 55 seconds left.
In each instance, certainly, making plays in crunchtime was of the essence, which former Bison receiver RJ Urzendowski was a master. He may not go down as the best receiver at NDSU in the Division I era, but arguably the most clutch.
His 12-yard touchdown reception from Carson Wentz with 54 seconds remaining in the second round of those 2014 playoffs beat South Dakota State 27-24. What perhaps remains forgotten? Urzendowski was a true freshman.
Yet, he remained as calm as a fifth-year senior in the Illinois State title game.
“Just the chaotic nature of the situation,” Urzendowski said this week. “We had a lead at halftime and all of a sudden you looked up and we were down at the end.”
They were down 27-23 via a 58-yard touchdown run by Illinois
State quarterback Tre Roberson with 1:38 remaining. The Bison took over at their own 22-yard line and had a false start penalty on the first play.
But Wentz hit Urzendowski over the middle for 32 yards on the next play and the rally was on.
“In terms of the drive itself, at that point of the season, we practiced that situation so many times that it wasn’t super stressful,” Urzendowski said. “We ran it multiple times in games and practiced it a million times.”
Wentz and Urzendowski combined for 13 yards on the following play and the Bison reached the Redbird 38-yard line. But Wentz was incomplete on the first two plays and NDSU had third-and-10, with the Bison calling time out.
“That’s when I felt the magnitude of the situation,” Urzendowski said. “Kind of had a second to pause there, huddle up on the sidelines and then at that point it set in that we had to go win this thing.”
The Redbirds brought an all-out blitz on that next play, with Wentz heaving a high arcing pass down the left sideline as he was being hit.
“Pre-snap, I had a good idea it was going to be a zero blitz,” Urzendowski said. “I knew if that was the case, he was for sure going to throw it to me. It was something before the play I knew would be a possibility.”
With the ball sailing toward him, Urzendowski made the best steparound wide receiver adjustment move in NDSU history, hauled in the pass and was taken down at the 5-yard line. The Bison called another time out with 41 seconds remaining.
The discussion now no longer centered on Wentz’s golden right arm. It was a collaboration between then offensive coordinator Tim Polasek in the coaches booth and Wentz, with Wentz on a headset standing next to assistant coach Tyler Roehl.
Polasek, now the Bison head coach, said he remembers that sequence like it was yesterday. He recalls head coach Chris Klieman not being happy with the time out.
“I wanted to get the elite quarterback with the elite mind that can control everything, I wanted to get a two- or three-play sequence set up for him,” Polasek said this week. “And it wasn’t uncommon at that time for me and Carson to get on the headset together.”
Polasek recommended a pass.
“He said, ‘Coach, put it in my hands, OK?’ ” Polasek said. “What a great moment in Bison history.”
Even before Wentz snapped the ball, Polasek knew it was the perfect call based on Illinois State’s defensive alignment. NDSU had six players plus the quarterback on the left side. The Redbirds had five defenders.
Wentz shed one tackler and scored easily with 37 seconds left.
“An awesome game, but I wish we could have been 37 seconds closer to
keeping them out of the end zone but we weren’t able to do it,” Spack said.
It still wasn’t over, not with Roberson and the fact the Redbirds had come from behind in the fourth quarter to win five times that season. But Bison linebacker Esley Thorton picked off Roberson to end that threat.
“You still see highlights of it pop up whenever, all the time,” Urzendowski said. “Those were just two really, really high quality teams. That didn’t look like two typical FCS teams out there. It was a conference game and there were a lot of NFL players on the field.”
That is true. For NDSU, Wentz was the No. 2 overall NFL Draft pick and is with the Kansas City Chiefs. Los Angeles Chargers QB Easton Stick was a true freshman quarterback who made the trip. Linebacker Chris Board is still with the Baltimore Ravens. Others who formerly played in the NFL were defensive end Kyle Emanuel, offensive lineman Joe Haeg and linebacker Nick DeLuca. Illinois State
had NFL players in tight end James O’Shaughnessy, wide receiver Cam Meredith, cornerback Davontae Harris and offensive lineman Cameron Lee. Roberson is still in the CFL. Each team had other players get NFL camp looks.
“Maybe it didn’t stick out at the time because I was so young but years later you realize how much talent was on the field,” said Urzendowski, now an operations manager for a construction company in Kansas City. “There were so many big plays made in that game that probably are forgotten because it was so close at the end. On their side of the ball, they had some big plays, too.” Illinois State recognized those players from 10 years ago last week in a home game against Eastern Illinois.
“It’s always fun to see them grown up and doing well in life and moving on after football,” Spack said. Someday, NDSU’s team will be in the Bison Athletic Hall of Fame. Thanks to the last 37 seconds.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Jeff Kolpack at jkolpack@forumcomm. com. Twitter@KolpackInForum
North Dakota State’s players celebrate the 2014 national title in Frisco, Texas.
Photos by David Samson / The Forum
North Dakota State’s RJ Urzendowski picks up 33 yards before being tackled by Illinois State’s DraShane Glass on the final drive Jan. 10, 2015, during the FCS title game in Frisco, Texas.
North Dakota State’s R.J. Urzendowski grabs a 33-yard reception in front of Illinois State’s DraShane Glass to put the Bison in scoring position Jan. 10, 2015, during the NCAA FCS championship game in Frisco, Texas.
K E Y P L A Y E R S
Redbirds
Cam Miller • QB
With the NDSU defense unsettled through four games it's up to Miller to carry this team at the start of Missouri Valley play, anyway
Joe Stoffel • TE
The veteran senior got more involved in the passing game last week with four receptions and will be needed against Redbirds
Trent Fraley • C
The transfer from Marshall in his first year as a starter has taken control of one of the most important positions on the offensive line
Tommy Rittenhouse • QB
Rittenhouse emerged in a fall camp battle for starting job and has been effective completing 56 of 85 passes with 6 TDs and 2 INTs
Daniel Sobkowicz • WR
One of the most consistent and dependable receivers in the Missouri Valley, has 16 receptions and has hurt Bison in past Keondray Jackson • S
The senior started his career at Division II Nebraska-Kearney, leads the Redbirds in tackles with 37 plus an interception
Dom Izzo
North Dakota State’s Cade Osterman another young receiver making a mark
BY JEFF KOLPACK
The Forum
FARGO — Injuries to a pair of veteran North Dakota State wide receivers put an onus on three Bison underclassmen over the course of the first four non-conference games. Bryce Lance, Mekhi Collins and Chris Harris combined for three receptions last season. They produced, with 32 catches, with Lance leading the way with 20. It’s helped soften the blow of the loss of RaJa Nelson and Braylon Henderson. Perhaps add redshirt freshman Cade Osterman to that mix. The transfer from the University of Minnesota has just two grabs, but he’s slowly being worked into the rotation.
“I think the confidence came from practice, moreso,” Osterman said.
“But my name was called and I was ready.” His presence was needed even more when veteran receiver Tyler Terhark went down with an injury last week against Towson University. Quarterback Cam Miller has shown no hesitancy in going to any of his younger receivers.
“I feel like our chemistry is getting stronger and stronger,” Osterman said. “I’ll be ready and I hope Cam knows that. The more confidence he has in me, the more confidence I have, too.”
He redshirted at Minnesota last season, but opted to transfer to a school where he could make a difference. NDSU didn’t offer in the first goaround, but did when Osterman entered the transfer portal.
“So we’re here now and that’s all that matters,” he said. “I wasn’t necessarily expecting to get on the field as fast as I could. I just wanted to be making an impact somewhere as opposed to just being part of something.”
He may not soon forget his first NDSU career catch, a key play late in the fourth quarter in the 38-35 rally two weeks ago at East Tennessee State. It was a 27-yard deep middle route on third-and-18 that reached the ETSU 13-yard line. NDSU didn’t score on that drive, but it set up a field position difference that ultimately benefited the Bison.
“I really like the way the receivers are attacking the next-man-up mentality,” said Bison head coach Tim Polasek. Ojuri got assist from Polasek NDSU veteran coaches will see one familiar face across the sideline at Hancock Stadium when the Bison play at Illinois State. Former standout Bison running back Sam
Osterman was the Minnesota 2022 Mr. Football at Elk River High School, a running quarterback with over 1,400 yards and 20 touchdowns his senior year and a receiving standout with 13 career touchdown receptions.
Ojuri is the running backs coach for ISU, a position he’s had for five years but will be the first opposite Polasek, who coached him at NDSU.
“I look past the player part now,” Polasek said.
Like the time when Polasek was the offensive line coach at Iowa and invited Ojuri to the Hawkeyes summer camp. He set Ojuri up with a couple of notable coaches, including the running backs coach with the New Orleans Saints who he knew would help Ojuri with his coaching career.
“I got him with those guys for a reason, so they could talk to him about the professionalism it
takes to grow in this business and what it really takes,” Polasek said.
A one-hour one-on-one session with Polasek after that turned into an overnight stay at the Polasek house.
“I called my wife, made sure we had the right beverages and we hung out for about eight hours,” he said. “He’s grown so much. I’m watching him from afar and seeing him recruit. He’s at a pretty elite level. His running backs play hard.”
Depth part of Valley equation
It’s the first mostly-full week of Missouri Valley Football Conference play
with the Bison and Redbirds being the marquee game followed closely by Southern Illinois at South Dakota. That is if September non-conference games were any indication.
“I think most of us are kind of what we expected,” said Illinois State head coach Brock Spack. “I think there are a lot of teams that at least can get in the playoff-caliber type of situation. If you’re not prepared every Saturday, you’re going to get rolled.”
He expects depth, as usual, to play into the equation with injuries that can happen. Spack pointed to 2015 when
NDSU starting quarterback Carson Wentz missed half the season with a wrist injury.
The Bison had Easton Stick as a redshirt freshman and Stick led NDSU to the title game.
“That injury bug might bite you sometime and you have to be able to overcome that,” Spack said.
Etc. etc. etc. Miller continues to ascend the Bison record book in all kinds of ways.
He’s tied with Stick with most career rushing touchdowns by a Missouri Valley QB with 41. Miller’s 219 yards passing last week against Towson was the 13th time he’s surpassed 200 yards, which tied him with Stick and Steve Walker for most in Bison history behind Brock Jensen’s 14. NDSU leads the all-time series 14-2 and has won 12 straight. The Bison are 5-1 at Hancock Stadium and have allowed only 10 points in the last three games in Normal.
Illinois State offensive tackle JJ Guedet, a transfer from the University of Minnesota, was named the Valley Offensive Lineman of the Week last week. The 6-8, 305-pound Guedet was a backup for the Gophers since enrolling in 2019 as a three-star recruit from Washington, Ill.
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