NDSU Spectrum | Jan. 14, 2016 by NDSU Spectrum

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DIVISION I

FOOTBALL

CHAMPIONSHIP

THE SPECTRUM | CHAMPIONSHIP SPECIAL EDITION

ONE FOR THE

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No other team in college football history has won five straight national championships until now.

inside

Winning Best Supporting Role: Redshirt freshman Easton Stick

Adversity makes for the best Bison football season yet

Dunn: Stampede for Six? Underclassmen primed for another title

2 THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 2016

Championship Special

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Carson Wentz hands the ball off to King Frazier in his last game in the green and gold, as Jacksonville State defender looks on.

There Must be Something in the Gatorade NDSU’s old-school mentality helps win five straight titles, ‘attack process’ will continue

Pace Maier Sports Editor

North Dakota State’s football team is not flashy. You won’t see the Bison throw it 48 times per game like, Murray State’s KD Humphries, who attempted 532 passes in 11 games this season. You will see the Bison stick to its game plan, game in and game out. Playing tough defense, run the football down its opponent’s esophagus and control the time of possession. NDSU’s head coach Chris Klieman hit it on the head:

“It’s not that difficult to play defense when you know you’re only going to be out there for three to five plays, get off the field and go drink Gatorade for six, seven, eight, nine minutes,” Klieman said after the Bison won its fifth straight national championship Saturday. “Time of possession is not an underrated statistic. The more you can wear a defense down, the better it is for your offense, but the better it is for your defense because you’re always staying fresh.” It seems so absurd that a team can hold the football for an average 36 minutes per game.

NDSU finished first in the FCS for time of possession, flaunting its stat in the title game. The Herd held the football for 40:51 against Jacksonville State University. JSU led the FCS in points per game. The team was held to just 10 points, all of which came in the third quarter. You can’t score if you don’t have the football. You’d think that other programs would try to copy NDSU’s game plan. The green and gold became the first team in modern college football history to win five straight titles, and in those five championship games,

NDSU has outscored its opponents 157-63. The champs have beaten their opponents by double-digits all but once. But season in and season out teams continue to try light up the scoreboard. “That’s the nature of everything is fast-pace and no-huddle, and I get it,” Klieman said about other offenses in college football. “But for us, this works for us and we’re not going to change.” And for obvious reasons, NDSU doesn’t need to change. The Herd has shown the college football world that playing a fullback, having your quarterback set up

under center and running the play clock under five seconds before snapping the football works. Will the college football world listen? Most likely not, because it isn’t sexy running the football six straight times to start a title game, but it sure as hell works. One title is exciting, two titles is impressive, three titles is a universitychanger, four titles is a dynasty and five straight titles is just scary, because no one knows when the streak will end. NDSU will of course enjoy this historic moment, but the team will meet later in January about, “staying

humble and hungry,” as its head coach preaches. Championship teams enjoy their success, but they are never satisfied. Strength and conditioning coach Jim Kramer won’t even let the Bison wear their championship clothing in the weight room. And Klieman said, “We don’t talk about that stuff. It’s just attack the process. “We’re going to attack the process, which is the off-season, and get guys better and better and win the day next year and keep winning plays. It’s coach Kramer and it’s our assistant coaches. It’s the culture.”

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THE SPECTRUM | CHAMPIONSHIP | THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 2016

Easton Stick walks through the tunnel made of NDSU fans and the Gold Star Marching Band after the team buses arrived at Toyota Stadium.

Winning Best Supporting Role: Easton Stick While Wentz cut the ribbon in Frisco, Stick got NDSU to finish line Pace Maier Sports Editor

There was no rust. There was no doubt. There wasn’t a missed beat. It’s Carson Freakin’ Wentz for goodness sake. Head coach Chris Klieman called Wentz the “best quarterback in college football, not FCS, in college football.” Jacksonville State University head coach John Grass commended Wentz Saturday after the championship game in Frisco, Texas. “He played phenomenal,” Grass said about Wentz’s final college football game. “He made every throw he needed to make, and he was on the money. So for a guy that hasn’t played in 10-11 weeks, he came out there

like he was right in sink and played really well.” He’s by far the best quarterback in North Dakota State football history. All the passing touchdowns (45), all the passing yards (5,115) and all the dazzling throws. No NDSU football player has ever been drafted in the first round of the NFL draft, but Wentz will. Imagine, National Football League commissioner Roger Goodell on draft night (April 28), “With our next pick in the NFL draft, the Houston Texans select, North Dakota State quarterback … Easton Stick.” Wait what? The redshirt-freshman, that took over when Wentz went down? The dude that hasn’t lost a game in his collegiate career, that guy that isn’t

“His number one goal was to give Carson (Wentz) a chance to play again. And that tells you all you need to know about Easton Stick.” – Chris Klieman, head coach from North Dakota? The 6-foot-2-inch chap from Nebraska, are you serious? That’s who you’re talking about? Yes, that’s who I’m talking about and no, Stick will not get drafted in the 2016 NFL Draft, but Stick saved NDSU’s season and deserves recognition. “We wouldn’t be here without Easton Stick,” Klieman said Saturday after the championship game. No kidding. NDSU was coming off an unpredictable loss to the University of South Dakota,

Stick went 8-0 in his first career eight games as the starting quarterback for NDSU.

and the very next week a freshman quarterback was to make his first ever start against a Top 25 FCS team on the road. But it all worked out. Stick didn’t statistical his best throwing game, but he did have two rushing touchdowns and 127 rushing yards on 17 carries in Terre Haute, Indiana. And he finished his eight game season with 14 passing touchdowns and just four interceptions. His completion percentage wasn’t very high, but there is plenty

of time for improvement. And there is plenty of time for thanks. After NDSU won its fifth straight title, Wentz thanked Stick for getting the Bison to the finish line. “I owe (Stick) so much,” Wentz said. “He prepared all year long as if he was a starter, and he just took it and ran with it. He did a tremendous job.” I can’t give all the credit to Stick during Wentz’s absence; NDSU’s defense continued to make strides in the right direction when Wentz was injured, and the offensive line had no problems protecting a young quarterback. Heck, in Stick’s first eight games, NDSU’s opponents only scored 20-plus points twice and in the final three games Stick started (the first three playoff games) the Bison defense gave up

just an average of 8.6 points per game. But Stick stuck with the game plan and rattled off win after win and NDSU found itself in Frisco, yet again. And it was a storybook ending. Backup quarterback has major success, but in the end star quarterback steals the show right at the final scene. Klieman said this is how Stick wanted it to be. “His number one goal was to give Carson a chance to play again,” Klieman said. “And that tells you all you need to know about Easton Stick.” Ultimately, Wentz crossed the finish line for the Bison, but the 2015 season was a relay race between teammates Stick and Wentz. Now, Stick will get his own personal race in 2016.

KATIE ANDERSON | the spectrum

THE SPECTRUM | CHAMPIONSHIP | THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 2016

Carson Wentz made his debut after missng about two months of football, and he went out on top in his final college football game .

Adversity Makes for Best Bison Season The 2015 campaign read like a Telemundo telenova script Column

Benjamin Norman Spectrum Staff

Google Maps coordinates: The Memorial Union of North Dakota State, Fargo: 96°48’ W. Toyota Stadium, Frisco, Texas: 96°50’ W. If my eighth grade geography knowledge still holds true, Fargo and Frisco will always share the same degree and are mere minutes apart — on an atlas at least. Bison fans in town could theoretically travel straight down for 950 miles (as the crow flies) and their coolers would end up in “South Fargo,” blocks away from Toyota Stadium. The road to Frisco is a straight one. The drive for five, however, was not. This 2015 campaign and its bruising bumps and unexpected turns led to the most impressive season the latest Bison dynasty has had. Memory remembers drama, and this year had

enough for a Telemundo telenova. The first four seasons had tension, too, but they resembled the tamer American soap operas. The first championship season in 2011, which included the victory at the University of Minnesota, will be as cherished as a first-born child. The 2012 campaign featured the Georgia Southern semifinal showdown that busted eardrums. In 2013, Brock Jensen and the gang were perfect, beating Kansas State in Manhattan, hosting “College GameDay” and weathering the fallout of Craig Bohl’s looming exit before the championship game. The drama was there, though sporadic. Was there ever any doubt? Last year there was. Chris Klieman and Carson Wentz took over the budding dynasty in 2014, beating Iowa State and hosting “GameDay” again. That season’s playoffs proved more challenging, too. While everyone will remember the aneurism-

causing championship victory over Illinois State, my brain also remembers RJ Urzendowski catching a late touchdown to beat South Dakota State in a secondround game. Anxiety was there, but this season had palpable tension from start to finish. On my 21st birthday, I stared, jaw slacked, as No. 13 University of Montana Grizzlies stunned No. 1 Bison with a last-second touchdown. Herd historians have to go back to 2009 to find an NDSU team that had lost a season-opener and owned a losing record. People whispered if this deflating defeat would foreshadow the season. “It’s the first time they’ve had some adversity in five years right out of the gate,” head coach Chris Klieman said after the game. “I know the guys will respond.” And they did, sedating BisoNation back into its blowout-induced complacency. The heart rate went up a tic when the University of North Dakota came down to

Chase Morlock receives the handoff from Carson Wentz in NDSU’s fifth straight title game.

“This 2015 campaign and its bruising bumps and unexpected turns led to the most impressive season the latest Bison dynasty has had.” Fargo for the first time since 2002. Remember, the Bison and the not-Fighting Sioux were tied at 3 after the first quarter. Somebody may have been worried. Then the Bison scored 21 points in the second quarter, the crowd had a good laugh and the student section dispersed before the start of the fourth. That’s the devastatingly calm Bison Way we know and love. And then Homecoming happened. University of Northern Iowa quarterback Aaron Bailey took an almost-game winning keeper up the middle to take the lead in the fourth. His scamper was eerily reminiscent of ISU’s Tre Roberson running in the almost-game-winner in

2015. Almosts are bad for those with heart ailments but good for drama. King Carson Wentz found Darrius Shepherd in the end zone with :35 left to ensure the Herd would win its fifth straight Homecoming game. It again seemed NDSU’s dynasty was fate. Until it wasn’t. The world stopped. The Fargodome caved in. NDSU dropped out of the Top 108 research university list. Our quarterback’s throwing hand was completely severed or something. Abandon ship. Go Bison? No Bison. The University of South Dakota, a team that hadn’t beaten NDSU at home since 1978, snapped this Herd’s 26-game home winning

streak and Wentz’s wrist. Our NFL-bound, 4.0-GPAearning superstar was broken for the foreseeable future. The team lost two games in a season for the first time since 2010. And a redshirt freshman was tasked to right the ship. Finally, some suspense worthy of popping your Orville Redenbacher’s. I don’t know about you, but I enjoyed my popcorn as Easton Stick calmed the stormy seas and overcame the season and ominous playoff seeding. And then the dilemma of whom to start once Wentz became better? Adversity makes the story. The bigger the struggle, the better the outcome. We remember David, Rocky and the 1980 Miracle on Ice because they endured hardship and persevered. NDSU lost games and a star this season before winning the championship it earned. The road to Frisco was hellish, but team stayed on course. And I’ll forever remember this season for that.

Jeremy Kelly congratulates King Frazier on his only rushing touchdown of the title game.

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Many Bison fans took advantage of making Frisco reservations early, and it paid off.

Five-Time Frisco Travelers Enjoy

Trek to Texas

For some, booking hotels in August again proves successful

Casey McCarty Co-News Editor

The North Dakota State football team has as many FCS titles as loses in the past five seasons. While the trip to Frisco, Texas is never a guarantee, this has not stop die-hard Bison fans. Frisco also sees a group of unwavering attendees,

those who have ventured to the town for every NDSU championship. Trudy Eide, a loyal Bison fan and five-time Frisco-goer, booked her trip to the championship game in the end of August, well in advance of the start of a possible Bison playoff run. “I guess at this point, it’s kinda like going back to see old friends,” Eide said, adding, “It doesn’t get old.

We love it.” Eide explained she bought her tickets well in advance of a possible Bison playoff drive as a postChristmas getaway. “We hoped and prayed the team would come with us, but we were gonna go anyways,” Eide said. Another five-time Frisco traveler is Lauren Becker. Becker, a self-described daughter of a die-hard

Bison football fan, went to Frisco the first time because of her father wanting to go. “It’s just super exciting to go to Frisco. I mean how many people get to watch their team play in the national championship?” Becker said. Becker booked her trip to Frisco in December, before the semifinal game. In years past however, she had purchased tickets when

they first went on sale. “It’s better to have the tickets than not any at all,” Becker said. Trista Heiser, an alto saxophone in the Gold Star Marching Band, has also gone to Frisco every year. She said her role as a band member is much more different than going as an average fan. GSMB members have more responsibilities.

Heiser said she has played at the pep rally every year, an event that has been held at baseball fields and hockey arenas. The band is tasked with firing the crowd up at these pre-parties, along with smaller gigs before the football game itself. Eide, Becker, and Heiser all said that the Frisco community is very welcoming to BisoNation.

THE SPECTRUM | NORTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY | THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 2016

As NDSU enjoys a fifth straight FCS national championship, it’s never to early to start thinking about number six.

The Stampede for Six? Senior class goes out on top, underclassmen primed for another FCS title

OPINION

Connor Dunn Spectrum Staff

From Brock Jensen to Carson Wentz to Easton Stick, it’s become a tradition on a mild, overcast Saturday in January in a soccer stadium in Frisco, Texas. North Dakota State quarterback takes the snap under victory formation, touches his knee to the ground, and chaos ensues, as thousands clad in green and yellow stampede onto the field after their Bison win an FCS National Championship. LeBron James can help us on the counting with “not one, not two, not three, not four” but five consecutive national championships for NDSU after the No. 3 Bison took down No. 1 Jacksonville State University at Toyota Stadium.

And while the streak was just extended one more year to an unprecedented five, further smashing Georgia Southern’s three straight titles, NDSU will be no slouch to defend its title yet again next year. On offense, gone are NFL prospects Wentz and Joe Haeg, bruisers Andrew Bonnet and Jedre Cyr and the bionic man Zach Vraa, among others, like Nate Moody. Defensively and on special teams, Brian Schaetz on the interior, CJ Smith and Jordan Champion at the corners, and the latest in NDSU’s string of booming punters Ben LeCompte will all be moving on from their roles. Before looking at the future, this class of seniors has something special to show from the past. Since most of them entered the program in 2011 as redshirt freshmen, the Bison have gone a combined 71-5,

“Next up is the streak for six, and NDSU will have a healthy complementary of familiar faces back in action.” outscoring opponents 2597988 during the five-year stretch. That’s pure and utter domination with an average score of around 34 to a measly 13. The Bison beat JSU 37-10. Moreover, these games aren’t against scrub teams, with four wins over FBS opponents on the road and a combined 42-4 in all games against teams in Missouri Valley, the perennial power conference in FCS football. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention a perfect 20-0 in the FCS playoffs and a ring for every finger of one hand and the drive for five complete. Next up is the streak for

six, and NDSU will have a healthy complementary of familiar faces back in action. Six of eleven starters will return next year on the offensive side of the ball. This number does not include backup redshirt freshman Easton Stick, who started eight games for the Bison, and wide receiver Darrius Shepherd, who made crucial catches throughout the season behind Vraa and sophomore RJ Urzendowski. Junior linemen Jack Plankers and Landon Lechler both have starting experience to replace Haeg and senior Jeremy Kelly, and all four running backs — King Frazier, Chase

Morlock, Lance Dunn and Bruce Anderson — are set to return next year. On the other side of the ball, junior Nick DeLuca and seven other starters will be returning for a defense that ranked No. 2 in the FCS for third down defensive efficiency and No. 3 in total defense. Looking back at the first year the Bison won the FCS National Championship in 2011, the defense ranked 20th in total defense and 49th in third down defensive efficiency. Progressing through the last four years after the first title, it becomes apparent how NDSU has achieved so much success at the FCS level with the adage “defense wins championships.” The Bison vaulted up to the No. 1 total defense in 2012 and has remained in the top five ever since. The latest example of that came Saturday against

what was considered to be the toughest test for the Bison defense in an FCS title game, a high-powered Gamecock offense, which averaged 529 yards of offense per game and 625 yards per game in the playoffs. NDSU stymied JSU for only 204 yards, forced five turnovers and held the Gamecocks to 25 percent on third down conversions. The Bison offense did its thing too, converting 65 percent on third down and holding the ball for over 40 minutes of the game, a statistic the Herd has dominated during the consecutive championship stretch. It sure seems NDSU has found the formula for winning championships at the FCS level, and the team has the players coming back who can use that formula to stampede to Frisco for six consecutive national championships.