McFeely: The Bisons win, but not nearly as comfortably as it first seemed – InForum

FARGO – What looked like a warm and cozy welcome for OG Bison head coach Craig Bohl and a stroll in the park on homecoming turned into a meat grinder at the Fargodome. It wasn’t quite as crazy as Appalachia a week ago, but stressful enough, and that’s all you need to know about this edition of the North Dakota State football team.

What we have here is an offense that is as efficient as an assembly line when it’s working, led by a quarterback who deserves the Walter Payton Award and a young running back who will endear himself to the masses if he sticks around for a few more years. Cam Miller and Marty Brown are that good.

What we have on defense is far more mysterious. Areas in the secondary that we know pose questions are mixed with areas on the defensive line and at linebacker that also appear to pose questions. A week after suffering 270 yards on the ground at East Tennessee State in a game that took a miracle comeback to win, the Bison defense allowed 205 yards to Towson, including a 72-yard touchdown run that saw Tigers running back Tyrell Greene Jr. see nothing but rumors of NDSU defenders.

Greene’s sprint made the score 31-24 with 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter, a surprising turn of events as NDSU led 31-10 late in the third quarter and was looking to enter the Missouri Valley Football Conference schedule with a good feeling. About a third of the announced crowd of 17,185 had already left the building by the time of Greene’s hit, apparently looking for better entertainment than another NDSU loss.

However, we’re not sure this particular Bison team has a lot of old-fashioned punches up its sleeve.

David Samson/The Forum

The final score on Saturday was a comfortable 41-24 in favor of the home team, with the Bison adding a late point that angered Towson head coach Pete Shinnick, but it felt much closer than it had to be.

“A win is a win and we are happy about it,” said NDSU head coach Tim Polasek at the beginning of his post-game press conference.

On the sidelines of that contest was former Bison coach and longtime Polasek mentor Bohl, who coached NDSU from 2003 to 2013 and raised expectations here from victories in FCS games to national championships. Bohl, who was inducted into the school’s athletic team Hall of Fame this weekend, received two warm standing ovations from the appreciative crowd for winning three straight national titles in 2011, 2012 and 2013 before heading to Wyoming.

It seemed like old times at times, as the Bison ran 19 straight running plays during one stretch of the first half and the NDSU defense stifled the seemingly limited Towson offense. NDSU led 24-3 at halftime, thanks largely to the remarkable right arm and brain of quarterback Miller.

The senior is playing at an elite level and has done so in four straight games. Even at this very early stage, he should be the favorite for the Payton Award, given to the subdivision’s best offensive player. Miller started on his first 14 attempts on Saturday and completed 17 of 19 for 219 yards and a touchdown.

David Samson/The Forum

“You’re almost surprised when he doesn’t complete a pass,” Shinnick said.

The Bison also had a blocked punt, a punt return for a touchdown and an interception – more than enough to get the blowout train rolling.

Maybe we’re just remembering the old days wrong, but it seems like a Bohl-coached team from 2011-2013 with those advantages would blow a non-conference opponent out of the water in the stadium.

The difference between those teams and the current one, of course, is that the Bisons had a strong defense that brought their opponents to their knees. No one could overcome NDSU’s defense. No one. Just ask Zach Zenner.

This year’s team, like the last two, is not quite up to the race.

NDSU’s defensive line is said to be one of the best in FCS, but there are gaps that opposing defenders can run through. The linebackers are experienced, but Travis Beck has long since returned to the field and Carlton Littlejohn and Grant Olson coach the Bison on the sidelines. And the safeties, well, the transfer portal and a serious injury to All-American Cole Wisniewski have left them short-handed. The opposing offense takes advantage.

Chris Flynn / The Forum

“They demand a lot from their security people,” Shinnick said.

The Bison are the ones who want to go to the Valley, where they’ll face a lot of teams that can run the rock. North Dakota, South Dakota State, South Dakota and others… they all can run.

The next two months promise to be exciting. Bison fans have been saying for years that they’re tired of 40-point wins. Folks, you might want to pay attention this season. NDSU remains the second-ranked team in the country and it’s well deserved. The Bison are good. They’re entertaining.

But they are not perfect if the last two weeks are any indication.

This should be very interesting for the next eight games.

Mike McFeely is a columnist for The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead. He began working for The Forum in the 1980s while studying journalism at Minnesota State University Moorhead. He has been with The Forum full-time since 1990, except for a six-year hiatus when he hosted a local radio talk show.