Go ahead, tell me it’s the FCS so it doesn’t count. Tell me the FCS doesn’t have any legitimate tier-one talent, because that is one of the great misconceptions of the Football Championship Subdivision. Apparently, if you’re playing there – one rung below the FBS level, who’s national champion will be decided Monday night in Phoenix – you’re a no-talent hack. Never mind the litany of NFL stars who became famous professionals out of the FCS, the most recent example being Baltimore Ravens Super Bowl-winning quarterback Joe Flacco.
On Saturday afternoon, a cold and chilly one in Frisco, Texas, we saw perhaps the greatest dynasty in college sports write one more page of history. For the fifth straight year, an NCAA record, if you don’t mind, the North Dakota State University Bison won the FCS national championship, doing so in dominating fashion against a Jacksonville State squad who nearly beat Auburn – and probably should have; they missed some key field goals – earlier in the season were tipped to give the Bison some trouble.
Instead, it was the Gamecocks who gave themselves trouble. They were in a 24-0 hole before hitting the scoreboard, and a lot of the damage was self-inflicted: two turnovers were converted into Bison touchdowns. Nick DeLuca’s diving interception was one of the highlights of the game – the junior linebacker still has one year left in Fargo, North Dakota, and will be pushing for FCS All American selection next year, after having quite a day in the championship game, making nine tackles, and forcing one fumble in addition to his acrobatic pick. You had a feeling the game was going to get worse for the Jacksonville State when DeLuca was performing circus tricks on the football field.
Even when they were able to hold onto the football, the NDSU defense absolutely mauled the Gamecock offense, led by FCS All American quarterback Eli Jenkins. In the first half, Jacksonville State, out of the Ohio Valley Conference, had just one play of more than twenty yards, and ran a paltry twenty-two plays in the first half.
In total, the Gamecocks, who compiled a season record of 13-2 looked, managed just 201 total yards at just four yards per play. Coming in, they’d been rolling up more than 500 yards per game, second-best in the FCS. They were 325 yards below their season average on Saturday, because the Bison defense suffocated and suffocated and suffocated some more.
Much has been written and will continue to be written about the return of quarterback Carson Wentz in time to play a starring role in the 37-10 demolition job. Wentz hadn’t played since October when he suffered a wrist injury. Wentz, who will attract a lot of attention from NFL scouts in the lead-up to April’s draft, looked like he’d been out there all season rather than coming off an eight-week sabbatical, was 16-29 for one passing and two rushing touchdowns. It was a triumphant return for the quarterback who stepped in for graduating three-time championship winner Brock Jensen at the beginning of 2014, and is now a two-time national champion.
What makes this year’s championship so big is the way that North Dakota State reached Frisco to lift the trophy. After a first-up loss to Montana, the Bison lost once more in mid-October against rivals South Dakota, and with Wentz on the sideline for a length period, the keys to the NDSU offense were handed to freshman Easton Stick.
In many cases, putting a freshman signal-caller in signals the end of a program’s championship aspirations for that year, but not in North Dakota. Not where the incredible run has sportswriters running out of superlatives and adjectives to describe the run this program is on, despite the change of head coaches, from Craig Bohl to Chris Klieman after Bohl had coached the Bison to three straight FCS titles.
In eight starts, Stick looked every bit the seasoned starter rather than a wide-eyed rookie, leading the Bison through the bulk of their Missouri Valley Conference schedule to eight straight wins. Indeed, many thought he was unlucky to not get the start in the championship game. He deserved it, but Klieman, who has two National Championship rings in two seasons in charge of the Bison, wisely went with the most experienced guy, and that is undoubtedly Wentz. Stick will likely be consoling himself with the fact that, the way NDSU’s program operates, he’ll have a pretty good shot at leading a Bison squad to championship glory.
Really, though, it was the Bison defense that won this championship. Consider their four playoff opponents – Montana, Northern Iowa, Richmond and then Jacksonville State – were held to season-low total yardage. Because of guys like Nick DeLuca and M.J. Stump, these teams were stoned when they tried to run the ball, and their ball-hawking secondary, led by Jordan Champion made the passing game an adventure every single time. It’s a pleasure to watch a group that good at their craft.
Whilst the NDSU offense was, at times, uneven this year, the defense was playing at an incredibly high level pretty much from the outset, and seemed to raise the bar even higher when the playoffs came around. For that reason, Matt Entz’s squad will deservedly be celebrated as one of NDSU’s greatest ever.
It was a dominating performance in every single way, and now the big question is 2016, and whether the Bison can make it six straight? You’d be a brave man to bet against NDSU returning to Frisco in twelve months’ time and winning it all. What a time to be alive for Bison fans, and what a dynasty!
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