Congrats to the Dynasty that is NDSU

[UIWWildthing]

What more can I say. Your guys beat us down and never took the foot off the accelerator. Hats off to you and your team and all of your traveling up from Frisco, be safe on your travels. See you next season, and hopefully we get some revenge next January :)

[darell1976]

I too agree that congratulations is in order for NDSU 3-peating. You guys set the bar extremely high for the rest of the Dakota schools. I offer you guys good luck in the future with your new coaching staff, as for Bohl, good luck with Wyoming and maybe they can become the next Boise State. Again congrats Bison!!

[Drblankstare]

I truly hope all Bison fans soak this in and appreciate it. The likely hood of this happening again is very small.

I know I will

[Laker]

I truly hope all Bison fans soak this in and appreciate it. The likely hood of this happening again is very small.

I know I will

Yes. It is a great accomplishment and something to treasure. Never get to the point where you take it for granted, this is something unique.

[Mattymc727]

NDSU is literally one of the 20 best college football teams in the country, period. Truly an amazing feat in FCS football, one of the best FCS teams of all time. Congrats to NDSU and way to represent.

I only see the FBS from here for NDSU, seems like a no brainer.

[darell1976]

Yes. It is a great accomplishment and something to treasure. Never get to the point where you take it for granted, this is something unique.

Especially when they did this just being playoff eligible since 2008, they rose to the top quickly and stayed there for 3 years and counting...remarkable.

[Cleets]

I said this about 5 years ago on this forum.... (during the probation period)
when they get here NDSU will be the best thing to happen to FCS in a long time

It was a joy to watch / thanks NDSU

[centennial]

I said this about 5 years ago on this forum.... (during the probation period)
when they get here NDSU will be the best thing to happen to FCS in a long time

It was a joy to watch / thanks NDSU
Thanks. The FCS has been good to us, I hope we can keep on dominating. Either way this was a really special group of players. Outside of top 15 all college football they could give anyone a game with 63 scholarships.

[knucklehead]

Indeed Congrats Bison! Wow, just Wow!

[Seawolf97]

Congratulations to the Bison on their 3 Peat!

[dudeitsaid]

Absolutely! Congrats to NDSU team, coaches, fans!

I wish my team would have been in championship game to lose to you guys rather than Towson! I think we were just waiting to go the NC till Brock Jensen was gone. Bring on next season!

In all seriousness, it must be a great day to be a Bison fan! As an outsider, it has been truly impressive to watch history being made. This three year run is the most impressive thing I've seen as a fan of the FCS.

[Bronco]

Saw this great picture on another site and thought it was excellent for the sign double meaning and seeing the crowd in the back

https://scontent-a-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/150488_598938823511090_773724587_n.jpg

[Lehigh'98]

Simply incredible. You could just tell after Kansas St and UNI games that they were untouchable at this level.

[skinny_uncle]

Congrats, Bison.

[Pard4Life]

Kudos to NDSU and winning the title! The only way to stop the Bison is to hold a victory parade in downtown Fargo on Monday (-25 degree high).

[SDFS]

Congrats - nice season.

[BisonHype!]

Kudos to NDSU and winning the title! The only way to stop the Bison is to hold a victory parade in downtown Fargo on Monday (-25 degree high).

Monday will be cold. Gross... I just got frostbite thinking about it.:eek:

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

[dewey]

The run NDSU has had is incredible and as a fan am very thankful to have seen and been a part of it.

Dewey

[1984]

Kudos to NDSU and winning the title! The only way to stop the Bison is to hold a victory parade in downtown Fargo on Monday (-25 degree high).
Even those temps wont stop a BISON. We sunbath on a day like that if it is sunny.

[spdram]

Great job Bison, well deserved.

[Mfergy4]

I want to thank all the other people who posted on this thread. This run by NDSU was fantastic. We have all of teams we have played in the last five years to thank for this. One of the motto's (coach slogan's) posted on the locker room wall is "bring on the competition" because great competition makes a great team. The better the competition the more you learn about what a team has, where a team needs growth, and develops a team character. MVC, thanks for allowing us (NDSU) to play in your conference. Thanks FCS for the play-off system which brings together all the great teams. IMO this is truly the best college football level because the FCS proves it through head-to-head competition. That is what the FBS lacks; competition. Let the players play and decide the champ not some chump sports writers who have never banged heads on the grid iron. The FCS must never be afraid of competition for it breeds success, strong conferences, and true champions.

[underdawg]

FBS? Don't think so.And probably only Lakes does think so--seriouslyxlolx Anyway congrats! Stay in the MVFC and we'll all prosper together--that is, we will if the Committe ever gets it together with their picks.

[thebootfitter]

Thanks. The FCS has been good to us, I hope we can keep on dominating. Either way this was a really special group of players. Outside of top 15 all college football they could give anyone a game with 63 scholarships.
Fans on the Coastal Carolina message board would laugh at your face. I even complimented their team, but they didn't think NDSU would even come close to beating K-State again. They even balked at the thought that we'd be competitive in the MAC with this team.

[Bison56]

Fans on the Coastal Carolina message board would laugh at your face. I even complimented their team, but they didn't think NDSU would even come close to beating K-State again. They even balked at the thought that we'd be competitive in the MAC with this team.


They also said this

"We will hang 35 on ya before you can figure out the game has started."
"We are going to run the (expletive) out of the ball."

[Wallace]

http://www.collegesportingnews.com/images/misc/vbulletin4_logo.png

[deez_na]

They also said this

"We will hang 35 on ya before you can figure out the game has started."
"We are going to run the (expletive) out of the ball."

They apparently aren't a very bright fan base.

[maristdb89]

Congrats to NDSU. Great run. Onto FBS??

[caribbeanhen]

I only see the FBS from here for NDSU, seems like a no brainer.

They already seem like an FBS team to me, kind of spoiled the playoffs, if I had an AP Vote I would surely use it on the Bison for being a top 20 team.

[ngineer]

NDSU is literally one of the 20 best college football teams in the country, period. Truly an amazing feat in FCS football, one of the best FCS teams of all time. Congrats to NDSU and way to represent.

I only see the FBS from here for NDSU, seems like a no brainer.


I agree that major kudos due to the Bison for this amazing run. But let's see what develops now that Bohl is leaving, as well as a good number of graduations. There have been some other great runs in the past, i.e. Georgia Southern, Youngstown State, and Appalachian State, but generally things run in cycles and I suspect some other MVC teams are itching to make a run for the top next year. Again, congrats to NDSU on a great season. Truly one of the best I-AA/FCS teams ever put together.

[dewey]

Onto FBS??

God I hope not!!!

Dewey

[NDSUSR]

Congrats to NDSU. Great run. Onto FBS??

No, and its not even worth discussing.

[centennial]

They also said this

"We will hang 35 on ya before you can figure out the game has started."
"We are going to run the (expletive) out of the ball."
The MEAC and some other fan boards already think its unfair they have to play in the same division as us. Cue for more fan bases calling us a FBS team pretending to be a FCS team. FBS is not happening any time soon for NDSU.

[BisonBacker]

Pretty amazing stat in that NDSU has more national championships than losses in the last three years!

[Bisonoline]

Pretty amazing stat in that NDSU has more national championships than losses in the last three years!

WTF??? WOW

[AshevilleApp2]

I truly hope all Bison fans soak this in and appreciate it. The likely hood of this happening again is very small.

I know I will

xnodx Enjoy every one of them.

Congratulations to a great program!

[maristdb89]

No, and its not even worth discussing.

Not trying to incite anything, just trying to understand the rationale. Can you point to a previous thread? Thanks.

[Hammerhead]

Reasons for NDSU not moving up include:
We'd need a conference to invite us. We are geographically isolated and would probably need a bigger stadium.
Most people also don't think we can raise the extra money to compete in a BCS conference.

[tjamz]

The short answer is that while a very vocal number of or fans are making noise about moving up, we lack the money and geography to do it in a proper manner at this time. We need an ipf, larger stadium, a ton more budget (fb scholarships + title 9 scholarships), etc... We flat out don't get the funding that most universities get and our state legislature is comprised of lawyers with UN_ roots who would like nothing more than to watch us fail/struggle. Being a pretty conservative state we always have a battle with the state board of higher education as they want to reduce funding even though the state has a massive budget surplus.

Then we have the geography problem. We are located most closely to the big 10/12 footprint, but lack the tv market to get an invite. We are closer in size/budget to MAC & MWC but are outside of their typical geography.

Once the bcs & fbs go their different ways we'll be positioning ourselves as a 2nd tier team.

[Bison56]

That's what I'm beginning to love about NDSU fans......you think your team is the best thing since sliced bread. You've had a very nice run over the past 2 years....good for you. But hit me up in 2021, when you have a decade that includes 4 National Championships and 2 Runners-up....and yes, that equals 6 Championship games. Then, talk all the **** you want. As my friend ValleyTalk said above, if our Head Coach and OC come out to win, you all may be in for a rude awakening. See ya Saturday!!!!

Wont have to wait that long.xlolx

[NoDak 4 Ever]

Wont have to wait that long.xlolx

and will be able to do it with different coaches who play by the rules.

- - - Updated - - -


Wont have to wait that long.xlolx

and will be able to do it with different coaches who play by the rules.

[BisonBacker]

The short answer is that while a very vocal number of or fans are making noise about moving up, we lack the money and geography to do it in a proper manner at this time. We need an ipf, larger stadium, a ton more budget (fb scholarships + title 9 scholarships), etc... We flat out don't get the funding that most universities get and our state legislature is comprised of lawyers with UN_ roots who would like nothing more than to watch us fail/struggle. Being a pretty conservative state we always have a battle with the state board of higher education as they want to reduce funding even though the state has a massive budget surplus.

Then we have the geography problem. We are located most closely to the big 10/12 footprint, but lack the tv market to get an invite. We are closer in size/budget to MAC & MWC but are outside of their typical geography.

Once the bcs & fbs go their different ways we'll be positioning ourselves as a 2nd tier team.

Between the bolded part and the fact that North Dakota has 11 universities that receive state funding which is insane for a state with a population of a little over 700k it's just nuts.

[FCS_pwns_FBS]

Dear NDSU,

Congrats on the 3-peat and 15-0. Wish I was old enough to remember GSC's 15-0 season way back in 1989. Your fan base is awesome and passionate and the FCS is lucky to have your program.

P.S. I'm still bitter about last year's semi-final.xflamemadx

[OL FU]

I will add my congrats. A very impressive run!!!!!!!!

[Wallace]

I will add my congrats. A very impressive run!!!!!!!!

super impressive, proud to be an FCS fanatic with teams like this

[maristdb89]

Not trying to incite anything, just trying to understand the rationale. Can you point to a previous thread? Thanks.

Got it. Thanks - Hammerhead and tjamz. Again congrats!!!

[DoubleH]

After flying back from Dallas on Sunday and catching up in the office yesterday after a week off, I figured I'd post my rehash of the game in this thread, as my hat is off to the Bison as well. Beware, LONG POST ALERT, but it's somewhat cathartic, and I figured I'd give a fairly comprehensive breakdown of my first trip to Frisco and the Dallas area.

Thoughts on Frisco/NDSU Fans/Towson Fans

1) The God-Awful Field - Like everyone else, I was appalled at the condition of the field. An absolute disgrace. If you wait to lay turf until only a few weeks before the game, you better be damn sure the weather will cooperate, or have a contingency plan (such as tarps and space heaters). But enough, this has been beaten to death already, and I take my shots below. xdeadhorsex The field was a disaster.

2) Bison Faithful - I met several NDSU fans at the game, and they were all very friendly, and all Bison die-hards. I'm not sure there is such a thing as a non-die-hard Bison fan, at least by what I saw. The fan support that team gets is the envy of the FCS outside of maybe 1 or 2 other schools. When we pulled up to the stadium, the tailgating lots were a sea of green and yellow, with NDSU flags everywhere. It was unreal. There were so many, it took us almost half an hour to even find the Towson tailgate. Which leads me to...

3) Towson Fan Support - I was told it didn't play well on TV, but I thought, all things considered, we brought a pretty decent group to Texas. If the stadium holds 19.5k (which is what they announced as the attendance), I would estimate Towson support to be between 2k and 3k fans. I also know for a fact that the weather impacted many people, as a bunch in our group trying to fly out of Philly couldn't get out at all, and the NY area was a crapshoot too. Considering our home games draw 7-10k, 2500 in Frisco, TX on a weekend when travel was severely impacted by the weather is not too bad. Maybe one day we can draw like the Bison, but all in all I thought we did OK.

Thoughts on the Game

1) Bison - Well, let me just put it this way: the Bison were exactly as advertised. Very well coached, extremely disciplined and fundamentally sound, and they simply did not make any mistakes. Like, none. When I'm wracking my brain to come up with NDSU mistakes over the course of an entire football game, and all I can come up with is a dropped pass on 3rd down in the second quarter by a reasonably open receiver, suffice to say that my chosen adjectives - well-coached, disciplined, fundamentally sound - are very apropos. I was highly impressed with how well the defense played as a unit; always in position, funneling runners/receivers to their help, and by and large sound tacklers (except, on occasion, when dealing with the beast known as T. West, but they weren't the first nor will they be the last).

2) Talent Gap? - I was very confident that Towson would not simply get outclassed personnel-wise in this game, and I was correct. I can't honestly say any players other than LT Turner, #69 on the d-line (don't know his name), and to an extent Ojuri and Jensen, jumped out at me during the game. Don't get me wrong, that's not to say I wasn't impressed with the Bison as a team, but that's just it: the whole is stronger than the sum of its parts. To put it another way, other than a few players, The Bison are a bunch of 7s out of 10: well above-average players, but not superstars. The problem is, every damn one of them is a 7. There are no weak links. Every player is good, well coached, does his job, and perhaps most importantly, doesn't make mistakes that hurt the team.

That said, Turner was very impressive, I don't think we had a pass rusher within 3 yards of the QB when rushing his side all game. That may partially be a function of our season-long lack of a consistent rush outside of Delaire, but I digress. Player for player, athlete for athlete, NDSU did not have better personnel than Towson (and quite frankly we may have had more talent), they just played better together, made zero mistakes, and consistently executed with a cold precision on both sides of the ball.

4) Towson Mistakes - Towson made many, as they have all year. NDSU made none. Not only that, and more importantly, the Bison capitalized on all the big Towson mistakes. They turned turnovers into scores, and penalties that put the Tigers behind the chains into punts. They turned blown coverages into first downs, and 1 guy out of his gap into long runs. The Bison kept a firm grip on the game, and stepped on our neck when the finally seized the upper hand.

3) The Kick and The Pick: I think anyone who watched the game would agree that up until about 5 minutes left in the first half, Towson was not only matching NDSU blow for blow, they were outplaying them. Which leads me to, not the fateful, game-changing blocked kick, but two plays prior to that, on 2nd and 10 from the NDSU 27, when we ran a sweep left with our backup RB, Darius Victor. Our LT Pike pinned the edge, and we had a fullback and a guard leading out in front, and for a second it looked like Victor would not only rumble for 10+, he may have a chance to break off a real long run, maybe even a score. For that split second, it looked like a huge play... until Victor planted his left foot to cut upfield, and a 3-foot swath of turf gave way and he dropped to the ground untouched for a loss of 3. I know both teams had to deal with the turf, but considering that the play was flat-out going to be a big gainer, and considering what came next, I cannot give a pass on the complete and utter failure of the NCAA, and/or the stadium grounds crew, to put out a playable field for a goddamn NATIONAL TITLE GAME. So **** you NCAA. Of course, 3rd-and-13 against the Bison might as well be 4th down, and I've heard the second-guessers saying we should have gone for it, but in a game where points would be at a premium, I still think kicking it was the right call. It was a makeable FG, and had we executed, it's 10-7 Tigers with all the momentum, kicking off with 5 minutes to play before the half and putting a jacked-up D playing very well back out there with a lead. But of course, we completely blow a block, they block the kick, and off they go. A 10-point swing in a matter of seconds, and a play that completely changed momentum and the game.

What followed seemed like deja vu from the Villanova game, where bad thing after bad thing just kept happening and everyone just felt helpless to stop it. So despite the horrible swing in the game, West rips off 20 on the first play of the next drive, and we drive back into NDSU territory, 1st-and-10 at their 45 or so, and... we take a shot up top, and the perfect trifecta of Athens overthrowing the ball, the WR giving up on the route, and the Bison CB making a sensational pick stops another drive, and the ensuing return back into Towson territory just seemed, emotionally, to put the team on the brink. Then Jensen put together what I felt was his own personal best drive of the game, evading a tough 3rd-down pass rush and converting on 3rd-and-long, then fitting a tight pass into an impossibly small window for the TD a few plays later. The whole sequence, starting with the block, just killed the energy on the Tiger sideline. I even told my buddies at halftime that we needed to, at the very least, put together a long drive and at a minimum get 3 on the opening drive on the second half, or we were in deep trouble. So West rips off 20 on the first carry, and we think, here we go, we can get back into this thing. But credit NDSUs defense. They just firmed up in an instant, we couldn't move the ball at all after that first run, and as we lined up to punt it was, in my mind, down to a big play on defense for us to have a chance. Instead, the D seemed completely drained of energy, or will, or whatever, a long run and a couple of way-too-open receivers ended in a TD and that was that.

Epilogue

Congrats again to the Bison on the 3-peat. It is truly a remarkable feat, and it was truly a dominant season by NDSU. Although we lost, I am not bitter. The better team won the game, even though we may have had better players. NDSU plays so damn well as a team, so disciplined, you really can't come to any other conclusion. Additionally, I think NDSU is great for the FCS. The national press, GameDay, the K-State win, all of it is great publicity for 1-AA and I'm actually glad NDSU and it's rabid fan base is around. Now, I sure as hell would have liked to beat them, but outside of that, you can't help but admire what NDSU has built.

Anyway, it was such an exciting, fun season for Towson fans, and I have a strong feeling we'll be seeing more success on a national level in the very near future. Even though West is off to the League, I'm pretty confident in saying that we won't have to rebuild, merely reload.

And of yeah - sorry for the WALL OF TEXT. xlmaox

[RabidRabbit]

Congrats to our move-up partner and archrival. This level of domination is what we dislike but admire about the Bison. Jacks have been the best EVER in football, since moving up. However, Jacks continue to get overshadowed by our Dakota Marker rival, and until SDSU can break through AGAINST THE BISON, we'll be Avis to Hertz in Fargo.

DoubleH captures well the fervent (Rabid? xrolleyesx) fan base of the Bison. No where in FCS is the fan base as dominant and mistake creating as the Bison faithful in the FargoDome.

Congrats to a truly SUPERIOUR 2013 team. Truly, there should be no doubt in NDSU discussions as to which team is the best in NDSU illustrious history than the 2013 team. NDSU deserves their Sagarin/RPI computer ratings into the top 25, they were that dominant this year. What a super TEAM effort and accomplishment. xbowxxbowxxbowx

[kingranch]

After flying back from Dallas on Sunday and catching up in the office yesterday after a week off, I figured I'd post my rehash of the game in this thread, as my hat is off to the Bison as well. Beware, LONG POST ALERT, but it's somewhat cathartic, and I figured I'd give a fairly comprehensive breakdown of my first trip to Frisco and the Dallas area.

Thoughts on Frisco/NDSU Fans/Towson Fans

1) The God-Awful Field - Like everyone else, I was appalled at the condition of the field. An absolute disgrace. If you wait to lay turf until only a few weeks before the game, you better be damn sure the weather will cooperate, or have a contingency plan (such as tarps and space heaters). But enough, this has been beaten to death already, and I take my shots below. xdeadhorsex The field was a disaster.

2) Bison Faithful - I met several NDSU fans at the game, and they were all very friendly, and all Bison die-hards. I'm not sure there is such a thing as a non-die-hard Bison fan, at least by what I saw. The fan support that team gets is the envy of the FCS outside of maybe 1 or 2 other schools. When we pulled up to the stadium, the tailgating lots were a sea of green and yellow, with NDSU flags everywhere. It was unreal. There were so many, it took us almost half an hour to even find the Towson tailgate. Which leads me to...

3) Towson Fan Support - I was told it didn't play well on TV, but I thought, all things considered, we brought a pretty decent group to Texas. If the stadium holds 19.5k (which is what they announced as the attendance), I would estimate Towson support to be between 2k and 3k fans. I also know for a fact that the weather impacted many people, as a bunch in our group trying to fly out of Philly couldn't get out at all, and the NY area was a crapshoot too. Considering our home games draw 7-10k, 2500 in Frisco, TX on a weekend when travel was severely impacted by the weather is not too bad. Maybe one day we can draw like the Bison, but all in all I thought we did OK.

Thoughts on the Game

1) Bison - Well, let me just put it this way: the Bison were exactly as advertised. Very well coached, extremely disciplined and fundamentally sound, and they simply did not make any mistakes. Like, none. When I'm wracking my brain to come up with NDSU mistakes over the course of an entire football game, and all I can come up with is a dropped pass on 3rd down in the second quarter by a reasonably open receiver, suffice to say that my chosen adjectives - well-coached, disciplined, fundamentally sound - are very apropos. I was highly impressed with how well the defense played as a unit; always in position, funneling runners/receivers to their help, and by and large sound tacklers (except, on occasion, when dealing with the beast known as T. West, but they weren't the first nor will they be the last).

2) Talent Gap? - I was very confident that Towson would not simply get outclassed personnel-wise in this game, and I was correct. I can't honestly say any players other than LT Turner, #69 on the d-line (don't know his name), and to an extent Ojuri and Jensen, jumped out at me during the game. Don't get me wrong, that's not to say I wasn't impressed with the Bison as a team, but that's just it: the whole is stronger than the sum of its parts. To put it another way, other than a few players, The Bison are a bunch of 7s out of 10: well above-average players, but not superstars. The problem is, every damn one of them is a 7. There are no weak links. Every player is good, well coached, does his job, and perhaps most importantly, doesn't make mistakes that hurt the team.

That said, Turner was very impressive, I don't think we had a pass rusher within 3 yards of the QB when rushing his side all game. That may partially be a function of our season-long lack of a consistent rush outside of Delaire, but I digress. Player for player, athlete for athlete, NDSU did not have better personnel than Towson (and quite frankly we may have had more talent), they just played better together, made zero mistakes, and consistently executed with a cold precision on both sides of the ball.

4) Towson Mistakes - Towson made many, as they have all year. NDSU made none. Not only that, and more importantly, the Bison capitalized on all the big Towson mistakes. They turned turnovers into scores, and penalties that put the Tigers behind the chains into punts. They turned blown coverages into first downs, and 1 guy out of his gap into long runs. The Bison kept a firm grip on the game, and stepped on our neck when the finally seized the upper hand.

3) The Kick and The Pick: I think anyone who watched the game would agree that up until about 5 minutes left in the first half, Towson was not only matching NDSU blow for blow, they were outplaying them. Which leads me to, not the fateful, game-changing blocked kick, but two plays prior to that, on 2nd and 10 from the NDSU 27, when we ran a sweep left with our backup RB, Darius Victor. Our LT Pike pinned the edge, and we had a fullback and a guard leading out in front, and for a second it looked like Victor would not only rumble for 10+, he may have a chance to break off a real long run, maybe even a score. For that split second, it looked like a huge play... until Victor planted his left foot to cut upfield, and a 3-foot swath of turf gave way and he dropped to the ground untouched for a loss of 3. I know both teams had to deal with the turf, but considering that the play was flat-out going to be a big gainer, and considering what came next, I cannot give a pass on the complete and utter failure of the NCAA, and/or the stadium grounds crew, to put out a playable field for a goddamn NATIONAL TITLE GAME. So **** you NCAA. Of course, 3rd-and-13 against the Bison might as well be 4th down, and I've heard the second-guessers saying we should have gone for it, but in a game where points would be at a premium, I still think kicking it was the right call. It was a makeable FG, and had we executed, it's 10-7 Tigers with all the momentum, kicking off with 5 minutes to play before the half and putting a jacked-up D playing very well back out there with a lead. But of course, we completely blow a block, they block the kick, and off they go. A 10-point swing in a matter of seconds, and a play that completely changed momentum and the game.

What followed seemed like deja vu from the Villanova game, where bad thing after bad thing just kept happening and everyone just felt helpless to stop it. So despite the horrible swing in the game, West rips off 20 on the first play of the next drive, and we drive back into NDSU territory, 1st-and-10 at their 45 or so, and... we take a shot up top, and the perfect trifecta of Athens overthrowing the ball, the WR giving up on the route, and the Bison CB making a sensational pick stops another drive, and the ensuing return back into Towson territory just seemed, emotionally, to put the team on the brink. Then Jensen put together what I felt was his own personal best drive of the game, evading a tough 3rd-down pass rush and converting on 3rd-and-long, then fitting a tight pass into an impossibly small window for the TD a few plays later. The whole sequence, starting with the block, just killed the energy on the Tiger sideline. I even told my buddies at halftime that we needed to, at the very least, put together a long drive and at a minimum get 3 on the opening drive on the second half, or we were in deep trouble. So West rips off 20 on the first carry, and we think, here we go, we can get back into this thing. But credit NDSUs defense. They just firmed up in an instant, we couldn't move the ball at all after that first run, and as we lined up to punt it was, in my mind, down to a big play on defense for us to have a chance. Instead, the D seemed completely drained of energy, or will, or whatever, a long run and a couple of way-too-open receivers ended in a TD and that was that.

Epilogue

Congrats again to the Bison on the 3-peat. It is truly a remarkable feat, and it was truly a dominant season by NDSU. Although we lost, I am not bitter. The better team won the game, even though we may have had better players. NDSU plays so damn well as a team, so disciplined, you really can't come to any other conclusion. Additionally, I think NDSU is great for the FCS. The national press, GameDay, the K-State win, all of it is great publicity for 1-AA and I'm actually glad NDSU and it's rabid fan base is around. Now, I sure as hell would have liked to beat them, but outside of that, you can't help but admire what NDSU has built.

Anyway, it was such an exciting, fun season for Towson fans, and I have a strong feeling we'll be seeing more success on a national level in the very near future. Even though West is off to the League, I'm pretty confident in saying that we won't have to rebuild, merely reload.

And of yeah - sorry for the WALL OF TEXT. xlmaox

Excellent post, though there were some points a lot of bison fans would disagree on, I will just leave them alone. However, and I don't know if it is true or not, again not going to argue, but if towson did indeed have better athletes on the field overall, than towson has some serious coaching issues.

[Da Herd]

Excellent post, though there were some points a lot of bison fans would disagree on, I will just leave them alone. However, and I don't know if it is true or not, again not going to argue, but if towson did indeed have better athletes on the field overall, than towson has some serious coaching issues.

I think NDSU prepares more thoroughly than anyone else at their level. With the bison coaching situation and all, I doubt the Towson staff and players had an understanding of their opponent and what was neccessary for success like the bison squad did.

Great post DoubleH

[BisonBacker]

I think NDSU prepares more thoroughly than anyone else at their level. With the bison coaching situation and all, I doubt the Towson staff and players had an understanding of their opponent and what was neccessary for success like the bison squad did.

Great post DoubleH


Excellent post, though there were some points a lot of bison fans would disagree on, I will just leave them alone. However, and I don't know if it is true or not, again not going to argue, but if towson did indeed have better athletes on the field overall, than towson has some serious coaching issues.


After all the talk about how Towson had the best coaches based on the previous posters comments something doesn't jive. I argued they didn't have the better coaching staff and I would also debate the quality of the athletes being superior. Either way it's just a discussion but the point brought up by kingranch is a good one.

[BisonBacker]

Looks like were going to need a bigger table!!!!

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t114/bri4878/NDSUtrophys_zps9b7c06ce.jpg

[Darlinikki150]

I think NDSU prepares more thoroughly than anyone else at their level. With the bison coaching situation and all, I doubt the Towson staff and players had an understanding of their opponent and what was neccessary for success like the bison squad did.

Great post DoubleH

Agree with preparing thoroughly for games. Not sure if any e else heard Heagle talk About the blocked fg, but he said they say the gap while watching tape on Towson and remembered that before the kick and shot the gap to get to the ball, not only is that good prep by coaching staff, its great football knowledge by a player.

[DoubleH]

Excellent post, though there were some points a lot of bison fans would disagree on, I will just leave them alone. However, and I don't know if it is true or not, again not going to argue, but if towson did indeed have better athletes on the field overall, than towson has some serious coaching issues.


I think NDSU prepares more thoroughly than anyone else at their level. With the bison coaching situation and all, I doubt the Towson staff and players had an understanding of their opponent and what was neccessary for success like the bison squad did.

Great post DoubleH


After all the talk about how Towson had the best coaches based on the previous posters comments something doesn't jive. I argued they didn't have the better coaching staff and I would also debate the quality of the athletes being superior. Either way it's just a discussion but the point brought up by kingranch is a good one.

Two points:

1) It's impossible to definitively say which team has the overall better athletes or the overall better individual players, because it's purely subjective and a matter of opinion. However, I'd be willing to wager that 4 years from now, in the time period covering the 2013-2016 seasons (which would encompass any player who possibly could have played in this title game), Towson will have more All-Americans and more players in NFL camps than NDSU. That would generally be a pretty good measure of the level of individual talent on each team. It is not debatable which team made fewer errors and played better together, and thus was the better team.

One other point on athletes: there are SWAC/MEAC teams every year that have a ton of athletes and put a lot of players in NFL camps, but these same teams would get annihilated by a NDSU or a Towson. Don't take it the wrong ay when I say I think Towson probably had more talent on the roster. By no means do I think Towson was the better team.

2) Most people connected to the program have a pretty high opinion of Rob Ambrose as a coach, and I think most of the CAA teams we see every year would agree. That said, Rob comes from the offensive side of the ball, and that's where his expertise lies. I was frustrated at times this season with what I saw as schematic weaknesses on defense. There were games where I thought we were simply outcoached on D. So, do I think Rob is as good or better a head coach as anyone in the FCS? Yes. Do I think, offensively, Towson was coached at a level as good or better than anyone in the FCS? Also yes. Do I think the same, only for our defense? I do not. I felt, with the talent we had on D, we should have been much better on that side of the ball. Whether or not my opinion on the overall level of coaching on the Tigers clarifies what some posters were saying about the coaching match-up, I don't know, but there's my $0.02.

[Bisonator]

So, do I think Rob is as good or better a head coach as anyone in the FCS? Yes.

If that's the case please explain his teams poor special teams, defense at times, numerous penalties and his decision to use his backup QB to punt out of his own endzone at a critical point in the NC game? After all as the HC he is responsible for all of those.

[BisonBacker]

Two points:

1) It's impossible to definitively say which team has the overall better athletes or the overall better individual players, because it's purely subjective and a matter of opinion. However, I'd be willing to wager that 4 years from now, in the time period covering the 2013-2016 seasons (which would encompass any player who possibly could have played in this title game), Towson will have more All-Americans and more players in NFL camps than NDSU. That would generally be a pretty good measure of the level of individual talent on each team. It is not debatable which team made fewer errors and played better together, and thus was the better team.

One other point on athletes: there are SWAC/MEAC teams every year that have a ton of athletes and put a lot of players in NFL camps, but these same teams would get annihilated by a NDSU or a Towson. Don't take it the wrong ay when I say I think Towson probably had more talent on the roster. By no means do I think Towson was the better team.

2) Most people connected to the program have a pretty high opinion of Rob Ambrose as a coach, and I think most of the CAA teams we see every year would agree. That said, Rob comes from the offensive side of the ball, and that's where his expertise lies. I was frustrated at times this season with what I saw as schematic weaknesses on defense. There were games where I thought we were simply outcoached on D. So, do I think Rob is as good or better a head coach as anyone in the FCS? Yes. Do I think, offensively, Towson was coached at a level as good or better than anyone in the FCS? Also yes. Do I think the same, only for our defense? I do not. I felt, with the talent we had on D, we should have been much better on that side of the ball. Whether or not my opinion on the overall level of coaching on the Tigers clarifies what some posters were saying about the coaching match-up, I don't know, but there's my $0.02.

My comments maybe somewhat off given that from what I read you had two players who were suspended. How much of an impact that had on the Towson offense and what difference it made is all subjective as well. But with that said given what I saw from the Towson offense the problem I have/had with the comment of Ambrose being the "better" coach was this. Towson's offense last weekend was a one trick pony. Stop West and you guys were dead in the water. A good coach puts his players in a position to succeed. I didn't see that on Saturday. West was being shut down but Ambrose kept doing pretty much the same thing. Run West over and over and over again. Not saying you completely abandon that gameplan but if something's clearly not working it would seem to me you would attempt a new angle and it didn't seem to me Towson's coaching staff did that. Also agree with Bisonator above that those calls he points out were clearly bad coaching decisions. Not the sign of a great coach.

[buffalobill]

Two points:

1) It's impossible to definitively say which team has the overall better athletes or the overall better individual players, because it's purely subjective and a matter of opinion. However, I'd be willing to wager that 4 years from now, in the time period covering the 2013-2016 seasons (which would encompass any player who possibly could have played in this title game), Towson will have more All-Americans and more players in NFL camps than NDSU. That would generally be a pretty good measure of the level of individual talent on each team. It is not debatable which team made fewer errors and played better together, and thus was the better team.

One other point on athletes: there are SWAC/MEAC teams every year that have a ton of athletes and put a lot of players in NFL camps, but these same teams would get annihilated by a NDSU or a Towson. Don't take it the wrong ay when I say I think Towson probably had more talent on the roster. By no means do I think Towson was the better team.

2) Most people connected to the program have a pretty high opinion of Rob Ambrose as a coach, and I think most of the CAA teams we see every year would agree. That said, Rob comes from the offensive side of the ball, and that's where his expertise lies. I was frustrated at times this season with what I saw as schematic weaknesses on defense. There were games where I thought we were simply outcoached on D. So, do I think Rob is as good or better a head coach as anyone in the FCS? Yes. Do I think, offensively, Towson was coached at a level as good or better than anyone in the FCS? Also yes. Do I think the same, only for our defense? I do not. I felt, with the talent we had on D, we should have been much better on that side of the ball. Whether or not my opinion on the overall level of coaching on the Tigers clarifies what some posters were saying about the coaching match-up, I don't know, but there's my $0.02.

This sounds ironically and very similar to 1965 when THE NDSU BISON beat Grambling/Eddie Robinson in the Pecan Bowl 20-7. Grambling was supposedly a team laden with NFL talent, but the best team won capping an undefeated 11-0 season and a national championship at the second level of NCAA football then referred to as the college division. NDSU had great success in that Mudra/Erhardt era and might have pulled off a three peat in '68 '69 and '70 but that final year even though it was an unbeaten season topped off with a 31-16 mauling of Montana in the Camellia Bowl it was marred by an early season tie with Eastern Michigan and with a bowl game but no playoff we ended the year second in a poll to Arkansas State. At least today it can be proven on the field as '11 '12 and '13 can attest with the legendary work of Bohl and Co.

Slide down to the present after additional Championship in D-II in 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1990! Under the leadership Morton, Solomonson, and Hager!

















My ultimate point in the first statement is that NDSU has been at a similar crossroads before and due to a lack of vision, fear of taking the next step. or diminished leadership we did not make that move. Here we are 40 plus years later and it's back to the future. As a Great State we feed the world, power the nation and have a fiscal situation that is the envy of most if not all states, yet we have stumbled historically in that final ascent to compete at the highest level of football specifically, yet ironically all other sports really have no other choice now as we have moved to Division I. Will it be a lead pipe cinch, probably not. Will it be easy, no, it usually never is. Do we deserve to lock horns at the highest level in football I ask why not? Are we less than Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska, or our younger sibling Wyoming. They have all found a way to get it done with varying degrees of success. As a State we are a leader in many areas. I fail to understand why any long-held practice or belief should stand in our way of achieving that goal. If there is a will, believe strongly, there will be a way. Time will tell, but it is my opinion that even though we have substantial obstacles, we have the right ingredients and hopefully the right leadership in place. If I am wrong then so be it, because it is not pre-ordained that we always get a chance to do it right the second time. If you always take a dollar, divide it into two fifty cent pieces and then fight like the dickens over the results, ending up with a dollar is far more difficult than it needs to be.

My compliments to all the players, coaches, donors, fans, administrators and anyone else that contributed to past success, but like the old cheer states two bits, four bits, six bits a dollar/All who choose to compete at the highest level stand up and holler.

[Bisonator]

My ultimate point in the first statement is that NDSU has been at a similar crossroads before and due to a lack of vision, fear of taking the next step. or diminished leadership we did not make that move. Here we are 40 plus years later and it's back to the future. As a Great State we feed the world, power the nation and have a fiscal situation that is the envy of most if not all states, yet we have stumbled historically in that final ascent to compete at the highest level of football specifically, yet ironically all other sports really have no other choice now as we have moved to Division I. Will it be a lead pipe cinch, probably not. Will it be easy, no, it usually never is. Do we deserve to lock horns at the highest level in football I ask why not? Are we less than Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska, or our younger sibling Wyoming. They have all found a way to get it done with varying degrees of success. As a State we are a leader in many areas. I fail to understand why any long-held practice or belief should stand in our way of achieving that goal. If there is a will, believe strongly, there will be a way. Time will tell, but it is my opinion that even though we have substantial obstacles, we have the right ingredients and hopefully the right leadership in place. If I am wrong then so be it, because it is not pre-ordained that we always get a chance to do it right the second time. If you always take a dollar, divide it into two fifty cent pieces and then fight like the dickens over the results, ending up with a dollar is far more difficult than it needs to be.

My compliments to all the players, coaches, donors, fans, administrators and anyone else that contributed to past success, but like the old cheer states two bits, four bits, six bits a dollar/All who choose to compete at the highest level stand up and holler.

So you are willing to give up playoff games and championships for a MAC title in Detroit and a GoDaddy.com bowl game in Mobile? You want NDSU to play in a 2-bit FBS conference and fight over scraps from the BCS conferences all while spending twice as much money for what maybe a game or 3 on ESPN tuesday nights. Are you friggin nuts???

Tell me who is going to fund the additional schollies for FB AND the additional women's sports to comply with Title IX? Which FBS conference is going to be sending NDSU an invite?

[NoDak 4 Ever]

So you are willing to give up playoff games and championships for a MAC title in Detroit and a GoDaddy.com bowl game in Mobile? You want NDSU to play in a 2-bit FBS conference and fight over scraps from the BCS conferences all while spending twice as much money for what maybe a game or 3 on ESPN tuesday nights. Are you friggin nuts???

Tell me who is going to fund the additional schollies for FB AND the additional women's sports to comply with Title IX? Which FBS conference is going to be sending NDSU an invite?

Oh boy. This again. We are clearly not getting enough of the 3 or 4 threads on Bisonville :D

[BisonBacker]

The thing is you are going to get no more respect being in the MAC than you will be in the MVFC if you are looking for the recognition from the Bigs. The Bigs don't view them any differently. To them they are no different than us in they take $$$ away from the Bigs or at least in their eyes they see it that way.

[Eightyfourbison]

[QUOTE=DoubleH;2085459]After flying back from Dallas on Sunday and catching up in the office yesterday after a week off, I figured I'd post my rehash of the game in this thread, as my hat is off to the Bison as well. Beware, LONG POST ALERT, but it's somewhat cathartic, and I figured I'd give a fairly comprehensive breakdown of my first trip to Frisco and the Dallas area.


Thoughts on the Game

1) Bison - Well, let me just put it this way: the Bison were exactly as advertised. Very well coached, extremely disciplined and fundamentally sound, and they simply did not make any mistakes. Like, none. When I'm wracking my brain to come up with NDSU mistakes over the course of an entire football game, and all I can come up with is a dropped pass on 3rd down in the second quarter by a reasonably open receiver, suffice to say that my chosen adjectives - well-coached, disciplined, fundamentally sound - are very apropos. I was highly impressed with how well the defense played as a unit; always in position, funneling runners/receivers to their help, and by and large sound tacklers (except, on occasion, when dealing with the beast known as T. West, but they weren't the first nor will they be the last).

2) Talent Gap? - I was very confident that Towson would not simply get outclassed personnel-wise in this game, and I was correct. I can't honestly say any players other than LT Turner, #69 on the d-line (don't know his name), and to an extent Ojuri and Jensen, jumped out at me during the game. Don't get me wrong, that's not to say I wasn't impressed with the Bison as a team, but that's just it: the whole is stronger than the sum of its parts. To put it another way, other than a few players, The Bison are a bunch of 7s out of 10: well above-average players, but not superstars. The problem is, every damn one of them is a 7. There are no weak links. Every player is good, well coached, does his job, and perhaps most importantly, doesn't make mistakes that hurt the team.

That said, Turner was very impressive, I don't think we had a pass rusher within 3 yards of the QB when rushing his side all game. That may partially be a function of our season-long lack of a consistent rush outside of Delaire, but I digress. Player for player, athlete for athlete, NDSU did not have better personnel than Towson (and quite frankly we may have had more talent), they just played better together, made zero mistakes, and consistently executed with a cold precision on both sides of the ball.









There is a mantra at NDSU that goes as follows: The Strength of the Herd is the Bison, and the Strength of the Bison is the Herd! You have probably seen it on Bison faithful signature lines on here. This team's selfless execution of plays shows that they bought in.

[bisonguy]

So you are willing to give up playoff games and championships for a MAC title in Detroit and a GoDaddy.com bowl game in Mobile? You want NDSU to play in a 2-bit FBS conference and fight over scraps from the BCS conferences all while spending twice as much money for what maybe a game or 3 on ESPN tuesday nights. Are you friggin nuts???

Tell me who is going to fund the additional schollies for FB AND the additional women's sports to comply with Title IX? Which FBS conference is going to be sending NDSU an invite?




Whoa, whoa, whoa! Slow down and read his post again. If you think he is just talking about a move to FBS for NDSU, you're not understanding the dead horse that he's beating.

One dollar split into two fifty cent pieces?

How are the athletic programs different in the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Wyoming than North Dakota?

The dead horse that he's beating here involves bullet trains and a 75k seat stadium in Hillsboro.............





Sent from my RM-820_nam_att_100 using Tapatalk

[srgrizizen]

I'll just add my congratulations to the Bison. They are clearly a team without a weakness, save for the inability or unwillingness to correctly pronounce the name of their mascot.xthumbsupx

[Bisonwinagn]

I'll just add my congratulations to the Bison. They are clearly a team without a weakness, save for the inability or unwillingness to correctly pronounce the name of their mascot.xthumbsupx

Websters dictionary shows it pronounced either way.
bi·son noun \ˈbī-sən, -zən\ : a large, hairy wild animal that has a big head and short horns


plural bison

[dewey]

Looks like were going to need a bigger table!!!!

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t114/bri4878/NDSUtrophys_zps9b7c06ce.jpg

It has certainly been an amazing three years!

Go Bison!

Dewey

[IBleedYellow]

Dewey, Congrats on Newbie of the year!

[dewey]

Dewey, Congrats on Newbie of the year!

Thanks! Hard to believe I have made 250 posts since July of 2013.

Dewey

[ursus arctos horribilis]

Thanks! Hard to believe I have made 250 posts since July of 2013.

Dewey

Being a good sport and signing your posts so we know who it is helps. xlolx

Seriously though, congrats on doing things right on the forum. Being a decent guy goes a long, long way with folks. Both guys in the running for it fall into that category. xthumbsupx

[centennial]

Thanks! Hard to believe I have made 250 posts since July of 2013.

Dewey
I've never seen this guy get in an argument. Other than signing his name,which is odd, he is always positive. Well done sir!

[Bisonator]

I've never seen this guy get in an argument. Other than signing his name,which is odd, he is always positive. Well done sir!

Well to be fair he has only been here for 6 months. xlolx

Congrats Dewey!

[ursus arctos horribilis]

I've never seen this guy get in an argument. Other than signing his name,which is odd, he is always positive. Well done sir!

At first I was kinda wondering why he did it but now it just brings a smile when I see it. Hope he never stops now cuz it's a good shtick. Agree with your take on his style. Good feller from all evidence on the board.

[Bisonoline]

At first I was kinda wondering why he did it but now it just brings a smile when I see it. Hope he never stops now cuz it's a good shtick. Agree with your take on his style. Good feller from all evidence on the board.

There was a time 1999 when I got my first computer(Gateway 650 Preformance) that when you were on an internet message board you signed of with your initials of your moniker. When I first started on BV everyone was asking why I put initials at the end of my posts so I stopped doing it.

[dewey]

Hopefully I can meet up with some of the other AGS'ers next fall in the tailgating lots in Fargo for some stories and beer.

Ursus I know it is a long time away yet but are you making the trip to Fargo for the MT-NDSU game?

I already have the wifey on board for a long vacation to Missoula for the NDSU-MT game in 2015.


Well to be fair he has only been here for 6 months. xlolx

Dang it Bisonator it has been 7 months. There my first argument:-)

If my wifey ever hacks into my account and tries to post more intelligent thoughts than me but forgets to sign the "Dewey" at the end you guys will know that something is up.

Dewey

[BisonBacker]

Hopefully I can meet up with some of the other AGS'ers next fall in the tailgating lots in Fargo for some stories and beer.

Ursus I know it is a long time away yet but are you making the trip to Fargo for the MT-NDSU game?

I already have the wifey on board for a long vacation to Missoula for the NDSU-MT game in 2015.



Dang it Bisonator it has been 7 months. There my first argument:-)

If my wifey ever hacks into my account and tries to post more intelligent thoughts than me but forgets to sing the "Dewey" at the end you guys will know that something is up.

Dewey

Do you have this recorded somewhere so we can hear it ;)

Congats on the NOOB award xthumbsupx

[dewey]

Good catch, LOL!!! If my wife ever sang a song about me it would probably involve numerous 4 letter words.

Dewey

[ursus arctos horribilis]

Hopefully I can meet up with some of the other AGS'ers next fall in the tailgating lots in Fargo for some stories and beer.

Ursus I know it is a long time away yet but are you making the trip to Fargo for the MT-NDSU game?

I already have the wifey on board for a long vacation to Missoula for the NDSU-MT game in 2015.



Dang it Bisonator it has been 7 months. There my first argument:-)

If my wifey ever hacks into my account and tries to post more intelligent thoughts than me but forgets to sign the "Dewey" at the end you guys will know that something is up.

Dewey

Yes, me and the rest of the pack will be making the trip and this trip we will have intro music.

[Bisonoline]

Yes, me and the rest of the pack will be making the trip and this trip we will have intro music.

Its going to be fun. You can make your HQ at out tailgate.

[NoDak 4 Ever]

Yes, me and the rest of the pack will be making the trip and this trip we will have intro music.

DAMMIT! After all the traveling I did this year, I was going to slow down next season. Guess I'm making the trip to Fargo for that one.

[ursus arctos horribilis]

Its going to be fun. You can make your HQ at out tailgate.

I'd love to do that and pitch in somehow and make it a big AGS get together. Will be getting together and making a plan for it in the coming months for sure.


DAMMIT! After all the traveling I did this year, I was going to slow down next season. Guess I'm making the trip to Fargo for that one.

That's great news NoDak. I, and the crew of ne'er -do-well's that made the App trip last year are targeting this as another event for the ages as Boone was.

[BisonFan02]

Montana @ NDSU Week/Weekend will be a complete gong show...likewise for the return trip.

[centennial]

Good catch, LOL!!! If my wife ever sang a song about me it would probably involve numerous 4 letter words.

Dewey
Now don't let her read this.