North Dakota State is no ordinary FCS program. The Bison are just 86th in the FCS against the pass. Beathard’s numbers aren’t gaudy because of how much the Hawkeyes depend on the run, but he’s one of the top quarterbacks in the Big Ten.
Advertisement
MJ Stumpf, whose 21-yard interception return for a touchdown gave the Bison their first points in the 23-21 game, was named the defensive player of the week and kicker Cam Pedersen was named the special teams player of the week after kicking a 37-yard field goal as time expired. But North Dakota State has made such a habit of stepping up a weight class and delivering knockout blows, the true testament of the strength of that program is that the 23-21 win over the Iowa Hawkeyes hardly qualifies as a shocker. “I’m so proud of our guys”.
Coach Craig Bohl left North Dakota State after his third national championship in 2013, but Chris Klieman has kept the dynasty going. “The perimeter guys block really well, so they put a lot of pressure on you”. We belonged in the game.
NDSU had closed within 21-20 on Stick’s 7-yard touchdown pass to Chase Morlock with 3:41 left in the game, and rather than try for the extra point to tie it, the Bison went for the two-point conversion but a pass failed. The Bison armed with two time outs opted not to onside-kick the ball.
“It still hasn’t sunk in yet, but what a win, ” said Pedersen, who had missed a 50-yard attempt earlier in the fourth quarter.
“It still hasn’t sunk in for me yet, it was just a great team effort, and give credit to Iowa, they were a great team too”. “We came here to win and if we didn’t make it, I thought we could stop them”. Danny Etling is the man for now, we think, but as long as the ball is moving forward in the hands of Leonard Fournette LSU fans should feel good. Turn off the internet, ESPN and Colin Cowherd if you don’t want to hear the storm of invective that will camp over the Hawkeyes’ heads going into Saturday’s Big Ten opener at Rutgers (2-1).
North Dakota State has now won six consecutive games against FBS teams, dating back to 2010. “It’s as simple as that”, Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said. “They’re a good football team”. “We’ve got to be a hungrier team”.
Both offenses got off to sluggish starts. Frazier ended the game with 99 yards as the Bison out-gained the Hawkeyes by 205 yards. Tough, blue collar. That’s something we practice all the time and that’s something as an offense as a unit we preach.
NDSU senior Pierre Gee-Tucker drilled Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard in the back as Beathard was throwing the ball. The huge holes that Iowa’s backs had to run through in its first two games were largely non-existent.Iowa began the second half with a 62-yard run by LeShun Daniels Jr. that put it at NDSU’s 3 up 14-7.
The minute he went to Iowa, he should have told athletics director Gary Barta to stay away. Iowa would respond, though, later in the quarter when Beathard tossed his second touchdown pass to VandeBerg on a play originally intended for Kittle. He finished 11 of 22 passing for 152 yards. Ferentz suggests that from a style standpoint they are similar in many respects to the Michigan State and Stanford teams which defeated Iowa at the end of the 2015 season.
Advertisement
McCarron set career-highs with four receptions for 31 yards in last week’s 42-3 victory over Iowa State. “Then you’ve got to bring the rest of your teammates along and say, ‘Hey, it’s not the end of our season'”.
