Frisco Memories: North Dakota State's best FCS championship game moments By - Joshua A. Swanson
It’s been another
memorable year for North Dakota State football in 2018. We, the Bison faithful, have plenty
of reasons to celebrate as NDSU seeks a record seventh Football Championship
Subdivision national championship this week, the most in FCS history. The Bison are currently tied with Georgia Southern, each team with six FCS titles. Heading into this
Saturday's game against Eastern Washington in Frisco,
Texas, NDSU has fourteen national championships in program history with previous titles coming in '65, '68, '69, '83, '85, '86, '88, '90, '11, '12, '13, '14, '15, and '17.
Highlights on this year's Road To Frisco include two wins over rival South Dakota State, Easton Stick breaking numerous school records on his way
to becoming NDSU’s first Walter Payton award finalist, and a coaching change
during the playoffs that saw Chris Klieman take the Kansas State job to be
succeeded here by defensive coordinator Matt Entz. All these storylines collide in full force as the Bison look to put an exclamation point on an undefeated season when they face the Eagles.
Before
we look ahead to the matchup with EWU, though, here’s a look at the Top 14 moments from NDSU’s last six FCS title games in Frisco.
No. 14
– Crockett's Jump Pass
While the final
score may have been a lopsided 39-13 in North Dakota State’s second straight
national championship win over Sam Houston State, there was still plenty of
game left after Bearkats kicker Miguel Antonio nailed a 32-yard field goal to
cut NDSU’s lead to 25-13 with 13:20 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Bison
responded with a signature, six-play drive covering 65 yards capped by a
one-yard touchdown plunge by quarterback Brock Jensen. But it was a pass from
an unlikely source that leads off our Top 14 championship moments.
NDSU faced a
crucial 3rd-and-1 from the Bearkats 31-yard line. Not surprisingly, the
Bison gave the ball to future NFL running back John Crockett. What surprised
everyone in the stadium was that, after taking the handoff, Crockett pulled up
short of the line of scrimmage, leaped in the air and floated a picturesque
jump pass to tight end Kevin Vaadeland. Vaadeland went 26 yards before being
tackled at SHSU's 5-yard line setting up Jensen’s third touchdown of
the game.
No. 13 – Smith's Interception Caps Huge Sequence
For the first time,
North Dakota State faced someone other than Sam Houston State for the FCS
championship. Towson would attempt to do something no other team had done to
the Bison that year, including defending Big XII champion Kansas State, beat
the back-to-back champs. Early on, it looked like NDSU was in for all it could
handle. That is, until the Bison launched a sequence of plays late in the
second quarter that the Tigers never recovered from.
After Colten Heagle
blocked a Towson field goal that led to a Ryan Smith touchdown and 14-7
lead, the Bison defense jumped aboard the big-play wagon. On their ensuing
possession, Towson managed to drive to NDSU’s 45. With a 1st-and-10, and less
than three minutes left in the half, the Tigers looked for their own big play. Instead, quarterback Peter Athens was picked
off by C.J. Smith at NDSU’s 25-yard line. Smith, then a sophomore, weaved his
way through would-be tacklers for 32 yards before being corralled at the Towson
43-yard line.
The mistake proved
costly. Jensen completed two passes, including a third-down conversion to
Vaadeland to put the Bison in scoring position, before delivering a 12-yard
strike to Zach Vraa, giving NDSU a commanding 21-7 lead with a minute left in
the first half. A back-and-forth contest turned into a blowout. “It totally
swung the momentum in our favor,” said senior nose guard Ryan Drevlow,
describing the sequence of plays. “I mean, there was a 10-point swing right
there after we blocked the field goal, and then to get out there right away and
get that interception and then get that 14-point lead was huge. It got the ball
rolling our way and it sprung us.”
No. 12 - The Emanuel-Slam
Several big defensive
plays at critical junctures, including a clutch fourth-down stop towards the
latter part of the third quarter, was the difference in North Dakota State’s
title defense against Sam Houston State in 2012. With under five minutes left
in the third quarter, although the Bison led 17-10, the Bearkats were driving
towards what would have been the game-tying touchdown. The NDSU defense
tightened up, ultimately forcing SHSU into a 4th-and-1 from NDSU’s 35.
Brian Bell, the Bearkats quarterback, rolled to his left and had future Buck
Buchanan Award winner Kyle Emanuel staring down his face.
Forced to hurry his
pass, Emanuel picked up Bell and drove him hard into the field at Toyota
Stadium. Bell’s pass fell harmlessly incomplete and NDSU had the ball back.
ESPN’s cameras showed Bell crumpled up, lying flat on his back, with a look of
anguish after the Emanuel-slam. Two plays later, Jensen found Vraa for a
31-yard completion to SHSU’s 11-yard line. The drive culminated with a Sam
Ojuri touchdown run that gave the Bison a two-touchdown lead that proved
insurmountable for the Bearkats.
No. 11 - Heagle Blocks Towson Field Goal
The first of several
special teams plays makes its way onto the list at No. 11. With the sun
shining on a beautiful Texas day, the Bison were attempting a perfect season
and three-peat against Towson. The teams were tied 7-7 with just over five
minutes remaining in the first half when the Tigers lined up for a 41-yard
field goal attempt that would have given them a 10-7 lead. Enter Colten Heagle.
Timing the snap perfectly, Heagle sliced through a gap on the left side of the
Towson line and smothered the kick.
The ball deflected
nearly 10 yards away from the holder where it was scooped up by Emanuel, who
was off to the races, returning the ball all the way to Towson’s 5-yard line.
The next play, Smith, going in motion from left to right in the slot
position, took a handoff from Jensen and finished what the Bison special teams started.
Smith’s touchdown gave NDSU a 14-7 lead, with under five minutes left in the
second quarter. It was the closest the Tigers got to scoring for the rest of
the day as the Bison notched the trifecta with a 35-7 win.
“I thought it was
huge,” said linebacker Carlton Littlejohn about the blocked field goal that
swung the game’s momentum. “We knew in the midst of this game someone would
have to make a play, and for them to make those plays was just great for us,
great for the whole team. It got the offense going and gave the defense more
confidence.” The ensuing Towson
possession, Smith intercepted Athens, which led to another Bison score and a
21-7 halftime lead.
No. 10 - A Bizarre Two-Point Conversion
It was a moment where
Sam Houston State knew it just wasn’t their day. Several plays after the
Emanuel-slam, NDSU scored on Ojuri’s two-yard touchdown run, putting the Bison
up 23-10. On the extra-point attempt, though, the snap was botched. Adam
Keller, NDSU’s kicker, picked up the ball and ran for his life in what looked
like a busted play. With his back mostly facing the end zone, Keller tossed a
desperation heave, grenade-style, towards the back of the end zone.
Going up like a
basketball player for a rebound, Bison defensive end Mike Hardie, who also
played special teams, came down with the football and the two-point conversion.
“Sometimes there’s plays that happen in the game when you think, ‘You know
what, this is probably going to be our day,’” said then-Bison head coach Craig
Bohl. “A play that we had never planned or designed turned out to work
extremely well.”
No.
9 – Return of the Wentz
The big storyline
headed into 2015 national championship against Jacksonville State was who would
start at quarterback for NDSU. Carson Wentz
had been sidelined with a wrist injury since October. In Wentz’s absence, freshman Easton Stick led
the Bison to an 8 – 0 record and three playoff wins against Montana, Northern
Iowa, and Richmond. Wentz, who would be
drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles with the No. 2 pick in that year’s NFL
Draft, got the nod and showed little signs of rust. The Bismarck, ND, native completed 16-of-29
passes for 197 yards and a touchdown, and rushed for another 79 yards and two
scores in his first action in over two months in being named the game's MVP.
“The
rust people might have wanted to talk about it, that didn’t show. I was fired
up all day to be out there. It was just a lot of fun,” said Wentz. Klieman knew Wentz would be ready. “I didn’t question it at all. I know what
kind of competitor he is. I know what kind of player he is.” After going ahead 10 – 0, Bison linebacker
Nick DeLuca made a diving interception to give NDSU the ball back at JSU’s 28. The
Bison capitalized on Wentz’s memorable 11-yard touchdown where he left his feet
around the 2-yard line and dove for the end zone, his entire body parallel to the
ground. Wentz’s touchdown gave the Bison
a 17-0 lead and the party was on. “I
can’t put it into words. It’s remarkable what these guys have done. We meet
every January and talk about staying hungry,” said Klieman.
No. 8 – Shepherd's Home Run Ball
It was the champs versus the challengers. Or, depending on how you look at it, vice versa.
James Madison ended North Dakota State’s run of five straight national
championships by beating the Bison a year earlier in the 2016 semifinals at the
Fargodome. The two powerhouses met in
Frisco before a rocking, standing room only crowd at Toyota Stadium. It was a defensive battle where one big play
could, and ultimately did, make the difference.
Nearing halftime, the Bison led 7 – 3, but faced a 3rd-and-17 from
midfield, with four minutes and change left in the half. Enter one of the best receivers in program
history, Darrius Shepherd. In a career
of big receptions, this may have been his biggest to date. Stick uncorked a home run ball down the left
sideline as Shepherd split the corner and safety, hauling in the ball at JMU’s
16-yard line. Shepherd sprinted in from
there for a 50-yard touchdown and 14-3 lead. “It's hard to put into
words, but this culture is amazing, the fans, the coaches, the players ... it's
so special," said Shepherd. “It's so amazing to be a part of this program.
It's the best thing I've been a part of.”
The Bison beat the Dukes 17 – 13 for their sixth national championship
in seven years.
No. 7 – Thorton Preserves the Dakota Dynasty
In one of the best FCS
championship games ever played, the Bison faced Missouri Valley Football
Conference foe Illinois State. The teams did not play during the regular
season, and tied for the MVFC title with identical 7-1 conference marks. The
game was billed as a contest to determine the “one true champion” of the MVFC.
It lived up to the hype. The fourth quarter saw several late lead changes
before a Carson Wentz touchdown run gave the Bison a 29-27 lead with 37 seconds
left standing between NDSU and their fourth straight national championship.
The 12th national
championship in school history was very much undecided as Redbirds quarterback
Tre Roberson had, only moments earlier, rushed untouched through the Bison
defense for a 58-yard touchdown and 27-23 lead. Starting at the ISU 27, Roberson led the Redbirds to their own 44-yard line with 13 seconds left on the clock.
The NDSU defense wasn’t about to let Roberson beat them twice. Dropping back to
pass from the left hash mark, Roberson looked towards midfield for his tight
end, Joe Farmer. Roberson threw a dart. Somehow, Esley Thorton was able to pry
the ball away from Farmer for an interception that sealed the four-peat.
Thorton began his career at NDSU as a quarterback before moving to
linebacker prior to his junior season.
“With our guys, you
never saw any doubt in their mind,” said first-year Bison head coach Chris
Klieman. Klieman served as an assistant coach and defensive coordinator on the
previous three national title teams. “You never saw panic in their eyes.
We’ve obviously been in this situation before, even in the playoffs, and our
guys just know that, hey, it’s our time. When you have the success that we’ve
had over the past four years now, guys just know how to win, and when you know
how to win, you just always feel you have that chance if you can get that last
possession.”
No. 6 – Urzendowski sets up game winner with three big catches
Only seconds before
Esley Thorton’s interception, it looked like NDSU’s quest for a fourth straight
national championships was in serious jeopardy. The Bison had no room for error
after Roberson’s 58-yard run put Illinois State ahead 27-23 with 1:38 left in
an epic title matchup. Outside of Travis Beck, no freshman has shined brighter
on the championship stage than wide receiver R.J. Urzendowski. The Bison started
the game-winning drive backed up at their own 17-yard line, needing 83 yards
and a touchdown.
No problem. On the
first play, Urzendowski found separation from his defender streaking across the
middle of the field and Wentz tattooed him in stride with a
bullet good for 32 yards to the NDSU 49. Suddenly, the Bison were back in
business. The very next play, Wentz again went to Urzendowski for another first
down, this time a 13-yard pickup to Illinois State’s 38-yard line. After two
incomplete passes, NDSU faced a must have
3rd-and-10.
The Redbirds brought a safety blitz, leaving Urzendowski with man coverage. John Crockett picked up
a key block and Wentz had just enough time to find Urzendowski down the left
sideline on a vertical route for a huge 33-yard gain to the ISU 5. “We’ve got a lot of weapons, but obviously when they were
blitzing us, we had RJ in slot and we thought we had a really good matchup,” Klieman said. Wentz, the NFL quarterback prospect, trusted the freshman
to make a play. “Carson threw it up there, and RJ made some plays.”
While the Bison needed
a final five yards to finish their drive, Urzendowski’s three catches for 78
yards put NDSU in position for what would come next.
No. 5 – The Epic Stand
It came down to one big
defensive stand for the 2017 national championship. The Bison had a chance to extend their 17-13
lead to a full touchdown with a field goal in the closing minutes of their
heavyweight bout against James Madison. Instead,
the Dukes blocked the field goal try and gained the momentum. Several plays after that big special teams
play, facing a 4th-and-9 from their own 47-yard line, the Dukes tried a fake
punt. It worked as Harry O’Kelly ran for
24 yards to the NDSU 29.
The Bison
defensive stiffened with the game in the balance. Two big stops by the future Baltimore Raven, Chris Board, and an
incomplete pass on a Derrek Tuszka hurry set up a 4th-and-11
from NDSU’s 25. With Jabril Cox barreling down on him, Dukes quarterback
Brian Schor threw a desperation heave high into the air towards the goal
line as everyone in the stadium held its collective breath as a championship hung in the balance. A host of players jumped into the
air, but it was Tre Dempsey that got a hand on the ball and knocked it
down. The defensive stand preserved the Bison
lead, but it would take a few more plays from the NDSU offense to clinch the
championship.
No. 4 – The Best Minus-27 Yard Run In NDSU History
After the epic defensive
stand against James Madison, the Bison took over with 58 seconds between them and another championship. The Dukes burned their final
two time outs and the stage was set.
With only four seconds left in the game, on a fourth down from his own
34-yard line, Easton Stick lined up under center. Taking the snap, Stick sprinted backwards
until seeing the clock hit 0:00, then started the celebration by sliding down to the turf and launching the ball in
celebration towards the heavens.
“He and I went back and forth on what to do with that four
seconds," said Klieman of the game’s final play and Stick. "He just
said 'Coach, don't worry, there will be no time left on the clock. Trust me:
There will be no time left on the clock.’” Stick was right. There wasn’t any time left on the clock and
NDSU was champions once again.
No. 3 – The Fake Punt
Arguably, no other play
changed the momentum of a national championship like the fake punt early in the
third quarter of NDSU’s first FCS title game against Sam Houston State. The
Bison trailed 6-3 at halftime in a defensive struggle. Heading into the opening
drive of the second half, the Bison had not picked up a first down in their
previous four possessions. Taking the ball to start the half, it was more of
the same, as NDSU couldn't move the ball, looking at another three-and-out.
With a fourth down at their own 34-yard line, NDSU called for the fake and
executed it to perfection.
Former running back
turned punter Matt Voigtlander took the snap and took off sprinting through a
wide-open lane on the left side of the line for 27 yards to the SHSU 39.
“It was a momentum changer,” said Bearkats head coach Willie Fritz. “We’re not a team that’s used to
playing from behind.” Fritz was referencing the next play after the fake punt
where D.J. McNorton took a Brock Jensen screen pass 39 yards to pay dirt for
NDSU’s first touchdown in an FCS title game, giving the Bison a 10-6 lead.
No. 2 - Beck's Interception
Before Esley Thorton’s
interception, there was another memorable interception that propelled NDSU to a
national championship. Travis Beck emerged onto the scene in 2011 and would
ultimately become one of the greatest ever to play linebacker for NDSU. A
native son of North Dakota, Beck cemented his place in Bison football history
with nine minutes and change left in NDSU’s first FCS title game
against Sam Houston State. The Bison clung to a razor-thin 10-6 lead as the
Bearkats marched into NDSU territory. On a 3rd-and-13 from NDSU’s 48, Bell
dropped back to pass. Beck slipped back into coverage and picked off Bell’s
pass at NDSU’s 36 and sprinted down the right sideline.
With the stadium in a frenzy and a caravan of players trying to catch him, Beck launched himself
towards the end zone pylon, but was ruled out of bounds one yard short of the
end zone. The next play, Jensen’s quarterback sneak gave NDSU the decisive
touchdown as the Bison would go on to win their first FCS championship 17-6.
“It hit me right in the chest,” said Beck. “I said, ‘I better catch this one.’
I did what I could, but I couldn’t get in. Luckily, the offense finished it
off.” Beck was named the game’s MVP for one of the biggest plays in school history.
No. 1 – Touchdown Wentz!
Among the Bison
faithful, there was little doubt who would get the ball with NDSU needing five
yards for the game-winning score against Illinois State.
Starting at their own 17-yard line, trailing 27-23 and needing 83 yards, like
they had done so many times before, the Bison started a drive that would go
down as one of the most iconic in school history, right up there with "
The Drive
" against Kansas State. The Wentz to Urzendowski combination
connected for the first 78 of the 83 yards NDSU needed through the air. The ground game and Wentz
would bring the Bison home.
“When we lined up in
the formation, upstairs, Tim (Polasek, the team’s offensive coordinator) says,
‘Guys, it’s a touchdown. We got the look we want. It’s a touchdown,’” explained
Klieman of Wentz’s game-winner. Wentz found daylight, slashing through the left
side of the NDSU line, evading Redbird defenders, before tumbling into the end
zone, sending Toyota Stadium into pandemonium. "I think we just saw on that
drive what the heart of a champion looks like," said ESPN announcer Kelly
Stouffer.
I hope you've enjoyed these Top Frisco Moments. Let us know what you think, and what plays you remember from six unforgettable trips to the FCS Championship. Be sure to listen to The Fan and KFGO's all day coverage Friday January 4 from Frisco at
Wild Pitch Sports Bar and Grill
. For more great Bison content, check out the
Bison Illustrated Podcas
where we preview NDSU's game against EWU.
