Bison Game Day September 4 2021

‘WE ARE 100% READY’

It’s back to business for Bison football and it can’t come soon enough for fans

By Jeff Kolpack The Forum Fargo

It’s been an unprecedented almost two years for the 1976 MCI bus, as if it had a mind of its own. If it did, the layoff must have been long and lonely.

The tailgating rig of the Fargo Beer Club sat at a garage near Pelican Lake in Minnesota since the end of the 2019 season, a distant relationship that none of its 20 owners were fond of, but had little choice with the shutdown from the pandemic.

But when Bob Sutton started the bus recently to prepare for its triumphant return to Fargo, it showed little hesitancy.

“She fired right up,” Sutton said. “There were a couple of issues to take care of, but I think it misses the excitement, too.”

The excitement will return to the west parking lots of the Fargodome on Saturday when the Bison host the University of Albany (N.Y.) at Gate City Bank Field. And most likely the game, as well.

“I think the atmosphere especially for this first game is going to be through the roof,” said Bison senior defensive end Spencer Waege. “It was nice to be playing in the spring but everyone knew it wasn’t the same, especially for us on defense when it was third down. We expect the crowd to get into it and mess up the opponent’s offense and we didn’t have that in the spring.”

Tailgating was not allowed in the one fall game of 2020 and last spring’s five home games.

For that matter, attendance was limited in most of those games to half capacity and the crowd never even reached that. In the case of the Fargo Beer Club including social members, the group numbers around 50. Sutton said most opted out of attending spring football. No longer.

“We are 100% ready,” he said. “Everybody, and I mean everybody, I talk to is ready to get back to some normalcy and back to watching Bison football.”

Sutton bought the bus in 2008 and sold shares to the group a year later. Like so many buses and trailers in the tailgating section, it’s custom painted, in this case predominantly yellow with “Bison tailgater” and the club’s logo on the side.

It needed a minor brake tuneup and is now highway ready. The bus has been to the FCS national title game in Frisco,

Texas, in three of NDSU’s eight appearances. During the season, it’s stored at a nearby plumbing and heating shop.

“It’s just like missing a segment of your life,” Sutton said. “It seemed like it took forever. It seemed like two or three years. Now we’re all champing at the bit. I think things will be back to normal after the first kickoff. The biggest topic of discussion has been how do I get my tickets? My age group isn’t the biggest electronic-age group.”

Game day preparations for the Fargo Beer Club are divided among the owners. A different set of around four people for every game are appointed to organize the food and cleanup. Sutton handles the assortment of

beverages. There’s an “Iron Five” that gets up early, gets the bus, has breakfast and gets in line to enter the tailgating lot.

Certainly, they are not alone.

NDSU athletic director Matt Larsen said there was almost a 100% renewal in tailgating spots for this fall from the previous full capacity. It’s a strong indication that business will be back in a big way in pregame festivities.

The athletic department sold all of its available season tickets of 13,000, but it remains to be seen if the place that carries a capacity of 18,700 will be full. Singlegame tickets were still available this week and the student turnout was unknown.

“I can’t wait,” said Larsen, when asked if he remembers what a full dome was like.

“Honestly, somebody asked me if it feels like a game week and it does. You feel the buzz around town. It’s something you miss. You hate to say you take things for granted, but last year, whether it was the fall game or the games in the spring, you missed the passion, the energy, so I’m looking forward to seeing it on Saturday.”

The Gold Star Marching Band, after mostly being silenced since 2019, will be unleashed with the full lot of instruments with one noticeable pregame exception: it won’t be walking and playing in the tailgating lot, instead will be parked across the street next to the dome.

Still, it beats watching the game on the big screen in Festival Concert Hall like the band did when the Bison played Central Arkansas last fall.

“I missed this incredibly,” said Sigurd Johnson, director of athletic bands.

Like a head coach with freshmen starters, Saturday’s performance will come with some nerves. The NDSU band has two classes of freshmen who haven’t performed on the field at a game.

“But we’re all excited for it,” Johnson said. “We’re hoping for an electric atmosphere. It’s a cliche, but it’s true.”

Once fans are inside, Fargodome general manager Rob Sobolik said the public won’t notice much difference. There have been several behind-thescenes improvements, such as in the catering area, digital menu boards and general cleaning.

The dome and its contractors need about 450-500 people in services to host a Bison football game. The City of Fargo requires employees to wear masks and the dome workers will be abiding by that stipulation.

NDSU, however, is making masks optional for fans and no proof of vaccination is required to enter the dome.

What is proven is the financial benefit of Bison football games to the city-owned facility. The Fargodome operated at a deficit in 2020 for the first time since it opened in 1993. A $3.7 million federal pandemic relief program aided by an insurance policy erased that.

“We haven’t really experienced life without NDSU in the fall,” Sobolik said. “Back to a normal regular season is significant for the Fargodome. The spring season helped some but it didn’t offset those events that did not happen in the first half of 2021.”

David Samson / The Forum

North Dakota State football players celebrate with fellow students after the 2019 FCS semifinal victory over Montana State at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome.

North Dakota State fans celebrate in an FCS semifinal victory over Montana State in 2019, the last time the Fargodome had a full capacity crowd.

The North Dakota State Gold Star Band fires up fans in the tailgating lots in October, 2019.

GAME DAY NOTEBOOK

Bison DE Waege looking to take the baton from Tuszka of 2019

By Jeff Kolpack

The Forum Fargo

It was a different offseason for North Dakota State defensive end Spencer Waege in that when he looked around for a veteran player, that vision turned to himself. He’s that guy now.

It used to be Greg Menard when he came to NDSU from Watertown, S.D. That transitioned to Derek Tuszka and both of those players left their college careers as defensive ends who made life miserable for quarterbacks, especially in their junior and senior seasons.

Waege wants to be that guy.

“It’s a role I’ve been looking forward to,” he said.

The first step in that goal is Saturday afternoon when the Bison host the University of Albany (N.Y.) at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome.

The Great Danes boast one of the top running backs in the FCS in Karl Mofor, but are mostly known around the country as the home to quarterback Jeff Undercuffler.

The 6-foot-5, 231-pound sophomore led the FCS in passing touchdowns in the last full season in 2019.

“He’s definitely one of the bigger ones we’ve played against in awhile,” Waege said. “He has some size and really good arm talent so it will be a challenge for our whole defense in general.”

The Bison will counter with a defensive front that is expected to rotate around 10 players, including Waege and Tony Pierce at one end spot and Brayden Thomas

and Logan McCormick at the other.

Tuszka’s final year was 2019 and he didn’t leave without giving the younger players some good habits.

“One thing with Derek I always noticed is how much time he put into watching film,” Waege said. “Anytime I popped into the coaches office upstairs Derek was always in coach Buddah (Williams’) office watching film. He was such a student of the game and you could tell he was because when it came to Saturdays he was doing great out there. He knew what was going to happen and he was playing fast so stuff like that is what I really took away from him.”

Waege remains in

consistent contact with Tuszka, who was waived by the Broncos earlier this week but was expected to be signed to the practice squad.

“If I have questions filmwise or anything, I can talk to him,” he said.

A backfield by committee

Dominic Gonnella is listed as the No. 1 Bison tailback, but that’s mostly for paperwork purposes only. Expect a host of players to get carries against the Great Danes. Junior Kobe Johnson is back healthy after missing time last spring.

“Kobe healthy is a special player,” said NDSU head coach Matt Entz.

TaMerik Williams, a transfer from SMU, is expected to make his Bison debut. At 6-foot-1, 225 pounds he’s the biggest of the NDSU backs — unless Hunter Luepke gets a few carries at tailback.

Luepke is actually lighter this fall at 6-1 and 236 pounds. He’s the scheduled starting fullback but may also line up at tight end. Last year, with injuries hindering the backfield, Entz said the offensive almost had to “force feed” the ball to Luepke.

“That’s not the case right now,” Entz said.

In a changeup from Williams and Luepke, the Bison can go to sophomore Jalen Bussey, who at 5-5, 161 has had several electrifying

runs in his short career. Sophomore TK Marshall also had a few looks last spring. Etc. etc. etc.

► The Bison have won five straight season openers since the 38-35 loss at the University of Montana in 2015. They have won 22 straight home openers since a 23-21 loss to Emporia State (Kan.) in 1998, back in the Division II years.

► NDSU receiver Christian Watson and offensive lineman Cordell Volson were named to the preseason watch list for the Senior Bowl. The Bison have had 10 Senior Bowl participants in seven in the last eight years. Last year, offensive lineman Dillon Radunz and linebacker Jabril Cox (who transferred to LSU for his senior season), played in the game.

► Mofor, not Undercuffler, was named to the Walter Payton Award watch list, the honor that goes to the best offensive player in the FCS.

► Indiana State’s 26-21 win last week over Eastern Illinois gave the Missouri Valley Football Conference a 3-1 record in “week zero” games. The only defeat was NDSU’s loss at Montana.

► The Missouri Valley and Big Sky conferences will once again have their “Challenge Series” with nonconference games. There are six games scheduled between the leagues starting on Saturday with the University of North Dakota at Idaho State. Perhaps the marquee matchup is Northern Iowa at Sacramento State on Sept. 11.

Albany heading to ‘a rock concert and a football game breaks out’

By Mark Singelais Albany Times Union

Fargo

The University at Albany football team hasn’t played in front of a crowd in 21 months since losing an NCAA playoff contest at Montana State on Dec. 7, 2019. All four games last spring were closed to the public because of COVID-19. The silence is about to be broken — in a deafening way. The Great Danes head west again to play at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at eight-time Football Championship

Subdivision champion North Dakota State in the Fargodome, which the Bison hail as “one of the loudest environments to play college football.”

How loud, exactly? One of my best explanations of what it’s like is the same one I tell a lot of recruits who have never been here before,” North Dakota State head coach Matt Entz said Monday. “It’s very similar to a rock concert and a football game breaks out as far as the volume and all that.”

Delaware head coach Danny Rocco, whose team is a Colonial Athletic Association rival of UAlbany, has twice lost games at the Fargodome.”

I coached in the Sugar Bowl when I was (an assistant) at Texas, we played Virginia Tech, and I always remembered that as being the loudest moment of my career as a coach,” Rocco

said. “When we went up to Fargo, I’ll tell you what, I just felt that environment

was plus-one when it came to the kind of noise, kind of energy they had in the

Fargodome. I’m assuming things are the same there.”

They should be back to normal now that the 18,700seat Fargodome has no seating capacity restrictions this fall. The capacity was limited to 50 percent during the pandemic last spring.

North Dakota State’s website says the decibel level routinely goes over 100 decibels. It reached 115 during a 2013 game, according to the school, the equivalent of a turbo-fan aircraft at close range.

That kind of noise could badly interfere with UAlbany quarterback Jeff Undercuffler’s ability to communicate with his offense, so the Great Danes have piped crowd noise into practice.

“We have a really nice sound system at Casey Stadium, so we’ve utilized that,” Great Danes coach Greg Gattuso said. “Some of the neighbors have been very patient with us in our early-morning practices. We’re doing everything we can to prepare. We have a couple of coaches who have coached in the (Fargo)dome and it’s always an advantage for a team to play at home, especially when they have a crazy, wild fan base.”

The crowd is only part of the reason the Bison had a 32-game home winning streak before it was snapped by South Dakota State last spring.

North Dakota State is also an exceptional program that

has won eight of the past 10 national titles. The Bison had a down season, by their standards, with a 7-3 record in the spring and a loss to Sam Houston State in the NCAA quarterfinals.

The Bison had star quarterback Trey Lance for only one game last fall before he left the program to train for the NFL draft. He was taken third overall by the San Francisco 49ers, following in the footsteps of former North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz, the No. 2 overall pick to the Eagles in 2016.Entz has already named Virginia Tech transfer Quincy Patterson as his starter for Saturday against UAlbany.

The Great Danes are getting a $250,000 guarantee for traveling to Fargo, just two weeks before UAlbany faces Syracuse of the Atlantic Coast Conference in the Carrier Dome on Sept. 18.

“It’s a really difficult start to the season, but it’s just fun,” Gattuso said.

“It’s what we want to do. It’s why we scheduled Pitt (in 2018), Syracuse and people like that. It’s a great experience. There’s always that thing you want to compete against the best people out there and North Dakota State is obviously one of the top (FCS) programs in the country, if not the top program.”

The Times Union, Albany, N.Y., (www. timesunion.com) is distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

David Samson / The Forum

North Dakota State’s Spencer Waege hits Missouri State quarterback Jaden Johnson to force a fumble at Plaster Field in Springfield, Missouri, on Saturday, March 6.

Charles LeClaire / USA Today Sports Albany will play in difficult conditions in the Fargodome against North Dakota State on Saturday, but the Great Danes have played tough opponents on the road before. Albany running back Karl Mofor (21) is tackled by Pittsburgh linebacker Anthony McKee Jr. (28) and linebacker Saleem Brightwell (9) during the third quarter of a Sept. 1, 2018, game at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh won 33-7.

Predicting the outcome of the 2021 FCS fall season

By Craig Haley Stats Perform

ESPN’s “College GameDay” making a 10th all-time appearance at an FCS game site on Aug. 28 — the MEACSWAC Challenge between Alcorn State vs. North Carolina Central — was, indeed, perfect.

The 44th season in the NCAA Division I subdivision couldn’t be more anticipated because all schools are returning to the playing field following a 2020-21 school year that was deeply impacted by the pandemic. Some schools didn’t have a season and most played only partial schedules.

As the 2021 season embarks, though, veteran rosters and reloaded juggernauts abound across the 128-school, 15-conference FCS.

Who’s going to rise to the top? Here are fearless predictions for the 2021 season:

Conference champions

AQ7 — Sam Houston: The defending national champ’s goal extends way beyond the one-year partnership between the ASUN and Western Athletic Conference as the Bearkats seek to continue the rich history of FCS repeats (a program has captured at least two straight national titles seven different times).

Big Sky — Weber State: While capturing four straight Big Sky titles, the Wildcats have paced the conference in scoring defense in each season.

Big South — Monmouth: The Hawks, who return 21 of 22 spring starters, have won 10 straight conference games, all by double figures and on average by 26.7 points.

CAA — James Madison: The Dukes have won 38 of their last 40 matchups against CAA opponents, including three playoff victories.

Ivy — Princeton: Ivy schools didn’t have a season last year, so the Tigers return off their winningest two-year stretch (18-2 over the 2018 and ‘19 seasons) since backto-back 9-0 campaigns in 1950 and ‘51.

MEAC — South Carolina State: In a conference that is down to six teams after it lost a key trio of schools this summer, the Bulldogs still have the most all-time titles (15) heading into coach Buddy Pough’s 20th season.

Missouri Valley — North Dakota State: A 7-3 record and quarterfinal-round playoff appearance in the spring don’t sound too bad, but consider the Bison’s previous nine seasons: a 128-8 mark, nine MVFC titles and eight FCS championships.

Northeast — Central Connecticut State: In what’s perceived as a three-team title race, the Blue Devils have the toughest schedule, but they can take solace in having wins in their last three visits to defending champ Sacred

Heart and two in a row to Duquesne.

Ohio Valley — Austin Peay: The Governors’ 21-9 conference mark since 2017 represents the best four-year stretch in program history.

Patriot — Holy Cross: A difficult road schedule awaits the Crusaders, but they’ve won two straight Patriot titles and 12 of their last 13 games against league opponents (including in the one-time spring championship game).

Pioneer — San Diego: The 11-time PFL champ - one shy of Dayton’s record 12 titles - has won its last 71 games when leading after three quarters (since 2012).

Southern — Chattanooga: In a SoCon full of legitimate contenders, you will have to sweat out any preseason pick. Keeping with that theme, the Mocs’ last 10 conference games have been one-score affairs in the fourth quarter.

Southland — Southeastern Louisiana: As the Lions seek their third all-time Southland title, quarterback Cole

Kelley seeks to become the third two-time Walter Payton Award recipient.

SWAC — Florida A&M: The Rattlers were ineligible for the MEAC title in 2019 when they posted the best record within conference games. They enter their new conference seeking their first title since 2010.

Walter Payton Award

Julius Chestnut, RB, Sacred Heart — Coming from a Northeast Conference that’s never boasted the FCS offensive player of the year, Chestnut will need one big performance after another. It’s conceivable considering the consensus All-American has been over 100 rushing yards in nine straight games and 17 of his last 21.

Buck Buchanan Award

Isaiah Chambers, DE, McNeese — If the second-year transfer from the University of Houston continues to live in opposing backfields - 14 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks in seven spring games - he may find himself on the receiving end of the FCS defensive player of the year award.

Eddie Robinson Award

K.C. Keeler, Sam Houston — The only head coach to lead two different programs to the FCS national title (Delaware and Sam Houston) would seem positioned for a second FCS coach of the year award if the Bearkats post another unbeaten regular season.

FCS playoff qualifiers

Automatic: Austin Peay (Ohio Valley), Central Connecticut State (Northeast), Chattanooga (Southern), Holy Cross (Patriot), James Madison (CAA), Monmouth (Big South), North Dakota State (Missouri Valley), Sam Hous-

ton (AQ7), San Diego (Pioneer), Southeastern Louisiana (Southland) and Weber State (Big Sky)

At-Large: Central Arkansas (AQ7), Delaware (CAA), Jacksonville State (AQ7), Montana (Big Sky), Montana State (Big Sky), New Hampshire (CAA), North Dakota (Missouri Valley), Northern Iowa (Missouri Valley), South Dakota State (Missouri Valley), Southern Illinois (Missouri Valley), UC Davis (Big Sky), Villanova (CAA) and VMI (Southern) National championship game

James Madison over North Dakota State — There’s not a better way for the Dukes to cap their 50th season of football than with a third alltime FCS championship. An All-American-laden lineup could get third-year coach Curt Cignetti’s squad to the finish line.

Celebration Bowl

Florida A&M over South Carolina State — Four of the first five de facto HBCU national title games have gone to the MEAC thanks to North Carolina A&T, but the SWAC has taken over as the power conference, including with the addition of FAMU from the MEAC.

Final prediction

Since 2008, only one participant in the FCS championship game has come from outside the Big Sky, CAA and MVFC or three-time finalist Sam Houston (2015 runner-up Jacksonville State, then from the OVC). In some order, the top four teams going into the season should be Sam Houston, James Madison, South Dakota State and North Dakota State, and the national champion is going to come from that quartet.

A T C H the Bison!CA TC

Alyssa Goelzer / The Forum

North Dakota State players celebrate a touchdown against Eastern Washington during their 2021 first-round FCS football playoff game in the Fargodome.