First, this place is electric. Shoutout to North Dakota State for having me. Truly an experience I will never forget! The Fargodome is truly the epitome of college football, a passionate atmosphere that gets as loud as it possibly can. To be able to have my first college football game I cover in the box be between Montana and North Dakota State was so fun! 

The pregame entrance for the Bison was absolutely insane, making the entire dome bounce and make me wish I brought earplugs (not really, it was super fun!). The game began with some great defense by both sides, including a great PBU by Corbin Walker for Montana. On the Bison’s second offensive possession, Kobe Johnson made an impact on the ground to set up this ABSOLUTE MOSS from Zach Mathis!

The Bison would score a few plays later to put Montana down early for the second straight week in these FCS playoffs. Montana responded by going three-and-out, which caused an ensuing Bison drive where Cam Miller scored a 68-yard rushing touchdown.

We saw Montana go down big early last week to a Southeast Missouri State team that entered the playoffs via a coin flip. The Grizzlies came back with stellar special teams play in this game thanks to two return touchdowns and great defense. In this game, the Grizz responded with a 13-play, 66-yard touchdown drive led by Lucas Johnson through the air and on the ground. It took until they were down 14-0, but there was finally some life from this Montana team. This drive sparked something. The defense got into the backfield, the team had more juice, and the run game caught some steam, mainly from Johnson. In a blink, it was 14-10 and Montana strip-sacked Miller, just for it to be called back for holding…

With about a minute left in the half, the first turnover of the game resulted in a Bison touchdown. Johnson fumbled the ball on a sack and Cole Wisniewski jumped on it in the end zone. NDSU had looked like the better team all half, but Montana stood tall. A great return set up a Montana field goal before the half expired, giving us a halftime score of 21-13. The Bison didn’t really perform very well on offense in that second quarter, but forcing Montana to two field goals instead of touchdowns was big for them. 

The second half kicked off and it didn’t take long for the literal fireworks in the dome to explode. North Dakota State began the half by forcing a three-and-out, but the sound in the dome would soon silence. Miller threw a pick-six to Corbin Walker, who had a great return to make sure the offense didn’t need to trot on the field!

But long before the silence became deafening, the Bison answered. Kobe Johnson took a handoff on the first play of the drive, and the middle of the field parted like Moses parted the Red Sea. At this point, my eardrums joined the Fargodome in exploding. The run defense for Montana just wasn’t performing; guys are breaking tackles and gaps are being taken. Want a guess on what happened on the next Bison drive? Well, TaMerik Williams took one 68 yards to the crib on the second play of the drive. It was getting ugly for Montana. One thing the Bison did very well was since Montana had to bring in backup quarterback Daniel Britt, NDSU sent a few more blitzes the Grizzlies’ way. It seemed to make Montana scared to throw while trailing by 15 in the fourth quarter because Britt never had much of a pocket. When Britt was able to throw, he wasn’t great. Speaking of not great, let me get back to that Montana run defense… 

This was pretty much the dagger. Montana had been penalized for a blatantly late hit the play prior, and an interception that began the Bison drive led to a Grizzlies player committing an absolutely uncalled for and dirty hit on a down Bison player. The vibes on Montana’s sideline could not be lower. The same could not be said for the Bison fans, as every big play caused a small earthquake. This is a fan base that truly loves their team. The entire city is in green and yellow whenever its beloved Bison are on the prowl. NDSU would end up winning 49-26.

Players That Impressed Me

NDSU DL Spencer Waege

Spencer Waege made a lot of noise on the defensive line. There was a play in the first quarter where he did a nice job reading the play action, getting off the blocker (granted, it was a running back), and containing the mobile Lucas Johnson to force a throw-away. He caused a ruckus in the second half when the Bison sent more complicated blitzes at the backup quarterback. He is a sneaky-athletic player who can work his way to the perimeter if he is on contain duty.

NDSU RB Kobe Johnson

I mean, the stats speak for themselves. 206 rushing yards and two touchdowns on just 12 carries. What a day! Johnson took the holes the offensive line gave him, hit them with power, and had breakaway speed where Montana players could only watch him strolling into the end zone. When you think of Bison, you think of pounding the rock. Today epitomized this with a team total of 455 rushing yards!

NDSU OT Cody Mauch

I genuinely think you can make a case that Cody Mauch is the best run-blocking tackle in the entire country, not just FCS. He has the strength to move guys so easily, but he also has the IQ to get up to the second level to create a true lane for the back. He is able to maneuver guys with his extreme leverage and turn guys around like a tilt-a-whirl. He is an NFL tackle who any run-game coordinator is jumping on top of the table for his team to draft him come April.

Montana CB Corbin Walker

While the score was not in favor of Montana, the Griz do have some things to have happiness about. Justin Ford is a stellar corner who I could see making his way in the NFL, but I want to focus on Corbin Walker. I thought Walker was outstanding today. He made some great plays on the ball, always kept up with his receivers, and of course had the pick-six. It is sometimes tough to highlight a cornerback when you play a run-heavy team, but you could see the impact Walker had on this game when the ball was in the air. I’m going to be keeping my eye on him, as should you.