THURSDAY, JAN. 15, 2015
Section B
Championship Special
PHOTOS BY GABBY HARTZE
Frisco
Four Peat
2B THURSDAY, JAN. 15, 2015
Championship Special
NDSUSPECTRUM.COM
The Spectrum
In his first year as head coach, Chris Klieman leads his team and seniors like Kyle Emanuel (53) out of the tunnel for the last time this season at Toyota Stadium. Klieman’s team overcame doubts for their fourth straight title.
North Dakota State Reshapes Consecutive Championship Narrative Fourth title proves the Bison’s tradition will last Colton Pool Sports Editor
North Dakota State’s senior class was less than two minutes away from being the class that let the football program fall off. Instead, the likes of Kyle Emanuel, Christian Dudzik, Colten Heagle and Carlton Littlejohn are not just making the history books, they’re rewriting them. The No. 2-seeded Bison pulled out a 29-27 heart-stopping victory in the FCS Championship Saturday over No. 5 Illinois State in Frisco, Texas, for a win that reshapes the NDSU football narrative. By pulling out the fourth-consecutive title win, the Bison proved it wasn’t just a single class — or coaching staff — that was responsible for the previous three championships. And the entire NDSU team knew it had pulled off FCS history when Esley Thorton picked off Tre Roberson in the final seconds of the game. “I think if we would have came in here as true freshmen and said that our goal was to win national championships, our goal is to have ‘College GameDay’ come to Fargo two times, people would have laughed at us,” Thorton said. “Before the season, if we would’ve said we would’ve won our fourth national championship after losing 24 seniors, I think people would have laughed at us, too, but that says something about our group of guys, not just seniors all the way down to the bottom. “We had freshmen making huge plays out there today and also the past players that were here at the game, too.” Young talent is going to step in and thrive — it’s the tradition of NDSU football. And now, the 2014 class will graduate with more national titles than losses. “You never dream of coming to college and winning four straight national championships, only losing three games,” Littlejohn, the all-conference linebacker
said. “That’s something you only dream about, something that happens in video games or something like that. But to experience it right now, it’s unbelievable.” It’s fair to say that Carson Wentz has successfully replaced Brock Jensen, the winningest quarterback in FCS history. By absolutely no means did Wentz have an easy task of replacing his predecessor, but Wentz has shined and he was never brighter in the championship. The junior from Bismarck was the team’s leading rusher and passer with more than 300 total yards of offense, a touchdown pass and the gamewinning touchdown run after composing the proceeding drive that covered 83 yards in 61 seconds. Wentz was the first Most Outstanding Player of the game from North Dakota for obvious reason — he is a leader. “That’s really the Bison mentality, even if you’re a rookie coming in,” Wentz said. “You might think it’s all about me. The coaching staff, coach (Jim) Kramer, our strength and conditioning coach, the seniors, the leaders, everyone just always talks about being selfless and playing for the guy next to you, and the tradition ever since I got here, I’ve seen it, and it’s something I don’t think I’ll ever be able to grasp.” Every player on NDSU’s roster talks about “the next man up.” When a player can’t perform for whatever reason, the backup is expected to come in and not miss a beat. “It’s a band of brothers going out there and basically fighting for each other and not wanting to let the other one down,” John Crockett said. “They know that the other one is going to do everything he cannot to let him down.” The class of 2013 not only led NDSU to its first FCS championship in 2011, but also to multiple FBS wins. But this 2014 team took an FBS win of its own, extended the team’s winning streak to 33 games — and mostly importantly — won the fourth title. “What we’ve done this year shows that it wasn’t those 24 seniors that got us three national championships,” Littlejohn said. “It’s everyone around — everyone in the program from coaches to players to even training staff. We’re a whole Bison family. It’s not 24 seniors that’s going to win us a national championship.” By winning the fourth, the Bison proved
John Crockett carried the rushing load for the Bison this year. Crockett and the 17 seniors leave NDSU with more FCS national championship rings (4) than losses (3).
Carson Wentz (11) and RJ Urzendowski (16) were heroes for NDSU, connecting three times in the game’s final minute and game-winning drive against Illinois State.
it’s not about the classes, the coaches, the athletic directors or anyone in particular.
The only thing it’s about is keeping the Bison tradition alive.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR Response to FCS Championship Game As an ISU alumnus who attended the championship game in Frisco this weekend,
ISU faithful were outnumbered at the game is a gross understatement. However, your
who were there for our first championship game. As a sport psychologist and fan, I’ve
fans of NDSU personified that advice beautifully, and you all deserve the title of
I just wanted to express how impressed I was with the fans of NDSU. To say the
fans were, without exception, gracious, friendly, and welcoming to us Redbirds
always liked the phrase “act like you’ve been there before.” The students and other
CHAMPIONS. Go Bison!
Dr. Rich Temple
THE SPECTRUM | CHAMPIONSHIP SPECIAL | THURSDAY, JAN. 15, 2015
3B
Fans Enjoy frisco fun for the fourth time NDSU throws Texas-sized party Benjamin Norman & Pace Maier The fourth-annual Bison reunion in Frisco went off with a Texas-sized bang last weekend. Planning, driving and celebrating all plan an important role in the National-Championship experience. Throw on arguably the greatest Bison game of all time, and a fan has a memorable, communal mini-vacation.
Planning fans
Many students don’t travel to Frisco, TX by themselves; instead opting to take their friends and splitting the costs of a hotel room, gas for transportation and other miscellaneous costs. “I have been to Frisco the past four years and it has been fairly cheap for me,” Spencer Mack, a North Dakota State senior majoring in finance said about his expenses to Texas. “We always pack at least five or six to a vehicle and the hotel room.” Staying at a hotel in the heart of Frisco and close to Toyota Stadium isn’t cheap, and finding lower
end hotel rooms will put space between a fan and the action. Tickets for the game ranged from $45 to $60 for students. “Our tickets for the game were $60,” recent NDSU graduate Graeme Sletten said. “When you also consider that the regular season games are free for students when that isn’t the case for a lot of other schools, I think we still get a pretty good deal.” But for other students like NDSU junior Nolan Meidinger, who bought FCS Championship tickets in advance, his hot ticket was too tempting to sell off. “Between selling the tickets and working, I hope to have made enough to cover the cost of my spring break,” Meidinger said. Meidinger didn’t have friends going to Frisco, and he didn’t want to head down to the exciting game by himself, so he said that played a big part in choosing to put his tickets on the market. “I sold my tickets because I want(ed) to go somewhere over spring break,” Meidinger said. “I figured why not pay for some of my spring break trip by choosing not to go to Frisco and sell my tickets instead.”
Planning Texans Accommodating
the
Traveling Herd is taxing, said Karen Cromwell, director of Allen Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. But it is well worth it at the end of the day, she said, noting how locals were watching the Bison intently. “We have been following the Bison since the initial phone call from the Alumni Association,” Cromwell said of the city officials who were watching the progress. Cromwell and the City of Allen were instrumental in bringing Friday’s pep rally to the Allen Arena. “The night y’all won,” Cromwell said, “We were sending text messages back and forth the arena, saying, ‘The Bison are coming; the Bison are coming!’” Different from prior years’ venues, Cromwell said the decision to move the pep rally into the arena was that of comfort and logistics. “The organizers really were looking for an indoor facility to host the event,” she said of the Alumni Association’s plans. The uniqueness of the pep rally also added a layer of planning. “It’s not a very long event, so that’s a lot of traffic that needs to be managed,” Cromwell said. “... It’s a really big rush in and a big rush out.” It worked out well: with temperatures sitting below
freezing Friday, 6,888 ticket-buying Bison fans enjoyed the pep rally inside. Cromwell said with a laugh the fans got to experience the cold enough during the game at outdoor Toyota Stadium, though she does not blame North Dakotans for bringing the cold air with them. “It was here before you brought it,” she said, “We didn’t put that on you.”
Reaping Benefits
“Everybody in the community was excited to see the pep rally here,” Cromwell said. “Your fans are great.” Bison fans were welcomed not only for their cheery dispositions, but also their wallets. Dana Baird-Hanks, the director of communications and media relations for the City of Frisco, said an independent study recently found Bison fans have brought in $6 million dollars to the region. By Dec. 2, Baird-Hanks said 96 percent of hotels had been booked for the January game. In part to this surplus, construction projects sprung up throughout the area. One such project includes The Star, which will call Frisco home, BairdHanks said. This multiuse event center will be the Dallas Cowboys world headquarters.
4B THURSDAY, JAN. 15, 2015
Championship Special
NDSUSPECTRUM.COM
The Spectrum
To the Haters: The Real Reason NDSU Football’s Run is Special
NDSU fans took over the city of Frisco, Texas, last Saturday for a fourth straight year. Much has been said about Bison fans from outsiders, but their support has been credited by players for NDSU’s success.
The Bison have won the right way Sam Herder
Spectrum Staff
Yeah, I get it. Some North Dakota State football fans are idiots. While the majority of the rabid fan base is made of passionate, but reasonable, human beings, there is that small percentage who think Bison football is the greatest thing to hit this earth and will argue with anyone that disagrees. These sorts of fans and the Internet do not mix. And while these sorts of fans are extremely vocal, the NDSU haters are also vocal. I know several people who dislike the Bison football team along with many others. Some of them even attended this school. And I ask them why.
Their answer is never “I’m a North Dakota fan” or “I think the players are cocky” or “I think their head coach is a piece of crap.” It’s always “Their fans are so damn annoying.” That’s their reason. Well, get ready for a lecture, haters. Because not liking a team because of its fans is like saying “Blank Space” is a bad song just because you don’t like Taylor Swift. Every team has a handful of “that guy” as fans. Everyone knows the numbers. The winning streak, the “College GameDay” visits, the FBS wins and the national titles are what the NDSU football team is known for. But those numbers don’t automatically qualify a team as a first-class program. The Bison do things right on the field and off the field to deserve that label. For those who’ve followed this team closely the last four years, they see these things. But outsiders who don’t recognize the fabric of the program are quick to judge NDSU and what makes it so special. On the field, you don’t see any stupid mistakes. You don’t see Bison players making bone-headed personal fouls or get unsportsmanlike conduct penalties game after game. You don’t see taunting or staring down opposing fans after big plays or touchdowns. The Bison are an old school style team. They play fast, disciplined and team defense. Their offense isn’t some flash-in-the-pants system, but a wear-you-down-with-powerand-conditioning style. They play football the way it should be played. They don’t pick up FBS transfers that screw with the chemistry of the team. They build and reload year after year with high school recruits that develop quickly
into Division I football players, no matter how big of a hometown they come from. Their walk-on program has seen some players become more successful than fullscholarship players. The word “selfless” was used a lot by players after NDSU won its fourth straight FCS national title Saturday. The type of player and person the Bison recruit can be summed up in one name: Esley Thorton. Not many players are willing to go from a highly recruited quarterback on the team and then transition to a backup linebacker for two years until becoming a starter their senior year like Thorton did. But people who don’t like the Bison program don’t acknowledge these things. They focus on the negative. Yes, the Bison faced a couple run-ins with the law a couple years ago. Every football team faces this issue. When you have 100 18-23 year olds, it’s going to happen. When you’re a Bison football player, a simple minor is going to be reported and blown up. But since the summer of 2013, NDSU has avoided these sort of front-page stories. The low number of negative stories since the 2011 season is actually extremely thin for a Division I program. You can’t win four straight national championships without great athletes. But you also can’t go on a run like this without high-character guys who are willing to sacrifice for the greater good of the team. The Bison have created a culture that not many college programs can do with this generation of young adults. From the players to the coaches to the equipment staff to the administrative offices, how this program has been run has been just as impressive as the wins and trophies. This column’s purpose isn’t to convince someone to start cheering for the Bison. But it’s always been a head scratcher for me when someone in the Fargo-Moorhead area, or even extended out to the nation, say they
have no respect for NDSU. People who aren’t familiar with the university will look at a story like December’s graduation commencement ceremony being moved to a smaller venue because of a home playoff game and start trashing the school without knowing the full details. People will read a story about one football player getting into a scuffle and start assuming Bison football players think they’re above the law and run around Fargo doing whatever they want. People will go on social media or online discussion boards, read what some Bison fans say and think all NDSU supporters are arrogant and cocky. But all one has to do to see what this program is really about is watch three games, notice the style of play and then hear what the players and coaches say afterwards in a press conference. Every team, college or professional, has a small contingent of idiot fans. It’s too bad some pay more attention to those fans than the 17,000 fans who travel from North Dakota to Texas to support their team. And that team is able to have this kind of run and say with confidence they did it the right way. It’s pretty respectable.
5B
THE SPECTRUM | CHAMPIONSHIP SPECIAL | THURSDAY, JAN. 15, 2015
An estimated 17,000 Bison fans packed Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, last Saturday in what some would consider the most exciting and suspenseful visit to the Dallas suburb in the last four years.
The FCS Championship Experience Through NDSU Fans’ Eyes
Bison fans comment on their time in the Frisco area Pace Maier
Spectrum Staff
The closest professional sports team to Fargo, N.D., is 233.49 miles away on the dot if you follow Google Map directions. Sports fans from the Peace Garden State only have the North Dakota State football team to cheer for and are willing to travel through any kind of weather to witness the FCS juggernaut beat Illinois State for the FCS National Championship in a 29-27 thriller. The amount of Bison fans that made the long road trip to Frisco, Texas, was over 18,000 and none know exactly why Bison fans travel so well with the team. “They don’t have as many pro big sports around (North Dakota), so that’s all they care about,” said Illinois State University student Ryan Bauer on the Bison fan base. Occupy Frisco was in
full force in the Toyota Stadium tailgating lots Saturday morning and late into the night and even early Sunday morning. Fans were ready to tailgate as the Bison flags whipped back and forth in the brisk Texas wind, grills were started and adult beverages were cracked opened. “It’s fun to have a whole community get together for a (championship) game like this,” NDSU alum Cory Wixo said about his tailgating experience. And then it was game time. “The game was pretty intense, the atmosphere was better than any home game I have ever been to,” NDSU junior Richard Trageton said, who has been to Frisco twice for the FCS championship game. Trageton said that he knew the NDSU seniors on the team weren’t going to let the game slip away. A sea of green and gold filled up Toyota Stadium and after senior linebacker Esley Thorton intercepted ISU quarterback Tre Roberson’s pass with time winding
“When storming the field at the first national championship, I never would have thought I would be doing it three more times.” - Lauren Becker, NDSU junior marketing major down, the fans stormed the field. “When storming the field at the first national championship, I never would have thought I would be doing it three more times,” Lauren Becker, NDSU junior majoring in marketing, said. Becker has gone to almost every Bison football game in the past four years and said it’s unbelievable that the team was able to win four national championships in a row. “From the time I arrived at tailgating to the time I was storming the field, the game and experience was the best I have ever been apart of,” Trageton said. For most Bison fans it wasn’t their first rodeo in Frisco. “After the first (championship game) I
decided I wasn’t going to miss anymore than that,” NDSU junior Tony VanDyke said. “We watched it on TV and my dad turned to me and said we’re not going to miss another one of those.” A Bison championship win meant a late night of drinking and an early morning glass of water for some NDSU fans. A few years ago, Bison fans drank the alcohol well to the dry in the Frisco area, including during the pregame pep fest. This year, restaurants and bars were ready. Scruffy Duffies in Plano, Texas, was the place to be for Bison fans and after the NDSU win, the bar hosted a “Bisonation Block Party.” “The block party was a lot of fun,” Dylan Kopischke said on his first time in Frisco. “It’s a great
way to get all the fans together in the same area to celebrate after a huge win. It was a great experience, and I was very excited to be a part of it.” No matter how many miles away from Fargo the next NDSU football game is, Bison fans will be attending. Fun was had, sleep was limited, the Bison football team claimed a
fourth
consecutive
Championship
and
FCS fans
were there to help the seniors experience their last win.
6B
THE SPECTRUM | CHAMPIONSHIP SPECIAL | THURSDAY, JAN. 15, 2015
THURSDAY, JAN. 15, 2015
NDSUSPECTRUM.COM
Bison Brothers Depend on Wentz in Clutch Carson Wentz (11) showed there would be no drop off this year at the quarterback position after replacing four-year starter Brock Jensen. Wentz shined in big moments, including the game-winning drive for a fourth straight FCS title.
Junior quarterback, North Dakota native wins Most Valuable Player award in FCS title game Colton Pool Sports Editor
Carson Wentz had ups and downs during the 2014 season as North Dakota State’s quarterback, but no moment was as high as the closing minute of the FCS Championship Saturday. Wentz manufactured a Bison drive that ended one of the most exciting, and nervewracking, title games in FCS history . And according to the Bismarck, N.D., native, it didn’t even go as planned. Down by four points and on their own 17-yard line at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, the Bison had 98 seconds to take back the lead from Illinois State and secure a
fourth straight FCS title. Wentz’s first pass went to true freshman R.J. Urzendowski for a 32-yard gain. The quarterback hurried his team to the line and hit Urzendowski again. After a couple incomplete passes to make it third and 10, Wentz threw it up to Urzendowski again on a high, floating pass that made Bison fans hold their breaths. But it was worth it when Urzendowski avoided his defender by running back to the ball and jumping up for the grab to get NDSU within the 10-yard line. “First one, you don’t really draw it up like that, he just went across the middle and it was a big play,” Wentz said with a smile. “The second one, quite frankly it was a terrible throw.” On the very next play from scrimmage, offensive coordinator Tim Polasek called a dual-play for either a quarterback keep for Wentz or a pass. Either way, it was on Wentz to make the winning play with 38 seconds to go. The Bison leader got the snap, ran left, broke a tackle and waltzed into the endzone to prompt the 17,000 NDSU fans present to
scream for joy. “You know, it was really special,” Wentz said. “Right when that clock hit zero, I had so many emotions I couldn’t say anything. I didn’t know whether to cry or to be happy. “It was just unbelievable. But to be a part of this program, growing up in the state, seeing what it became coming from the Division II to the Division I level and the success. It was really a no-brainer for me to come here, and as you can see, I think it was really the right choice.” ISU’s Tre Roberson put those at the stadium and fans watching across the country on the edge of their seats with a 58-yard TD run to put the Redbirds back up after not having a lead since the second quarter. As Wentz warmed up for money time, senior running back John Crockett began to nudge Wentz toward rallying the troops. Crockett said a few words of leadership, but in the end, he knew it had to be his quarterback to take the reins. “I always make sure that Carson is able to be able to sit back and lead the team, and I just support him,” Crockett said. “That’s just my job. I tell him all the time, ‘Look, I’ve
got your back, bud. At the end of the day, you’ve got to lead us, and that’s just that.’” Though the Bison senior class ended their careers with more championships than losses, the seniors ultimately looked to the junior signal caller to lead. And North Dakota’s first Most Outstanding Player of an FCS Championship did exactly that. “He came up big for us,” Bison wide receiver Zach Vraa said. “Airing those balls out during the two-minute drive with just under a minute left, he came up big for us. We have a lot of confidence in him.” Throughout the week leading up to the game, NDSU players spoke of their fellow teammates as brothers who they depend on. The Bison brothers depended on Wentz, and he delivered when they needed him most. “It really comes down to just a lot of preparation and then our tradition of looking at the guy next to you and saying he’s going to get his job done,” Wentz said. “I’m going to get my job done. It’s just a lot of trust in your brothers, and we were able to come out on top today.”
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