An EPIC Bison Battle At Missoula, Montana

Earlier in this 2023 North Dakota State Bison season some "Die Hard" fans leaped off the wagon

The BANDWAGON is what I am referring to. That's a term in sports that describes some fans who root for their team when all is good, but minutes after a loss, they are quick to abandon them. To be fair, North Dakota State fans have been used to winning championships for years - 17 National Championships as a matter of fact ( 9 of those as a member of Division 1 FCS ) according to Wikipedia.org. I do want to point this out, it is also human "Sports" nature to root AGAINST a highly successful team.

October 14, 2023 - The cracks were showing

In Grand Forks, UND handed NDSU their lunch - whipping them 49-24. You could hear people talking "Hey, what's up with the Bison? Is this the end of their dynasty?" I heard that chatter AGAIN just a couple of weeks later when South Dakota State kicked them around all game, winning 33-16. One of the big questions was - can this team rally and perform in the playoffs - if this truly was going to happen, they had a long road ahead of them.

"Let's see what this team is made of..."

That is one encouraging statement I overheard from a fan who was STILL wearing his NDSU jacket. The first game of the post-season - in their friendly Fargodome - Bison thundered over Drake 66-3 - NOW it was time to hit the road. A thrilling 35-34 win at Montana St, then just last weekend not much drama as their momentum continued with a 45-17 victory at South Dakota.

Semifinals Time

This Afternoon with just one win away from another Championship game, North Dakota State took on the 12-1 Montana Grizzlies, once again on the road. Would the Bison continue its late-season magic? With just 51 seconds left to play in the game,  NDSU scored a touchdown to pull within one point - 16-15. NOW what would you do here? If you went for a two-point conversion and made it, you would be out of there with w WIN. Of course, the smart thing is to kick the extra point and send it into OT.

The Missoula thriller continued

The Good News - Bison scores -The Bad News - Montana answered with a touchdown as well. Nail biting continues - we are off to the 2nd OT.

A loss is a loss, but this game will be remembered for a long time

This time the Grizzlies scored first and went for a successful two-point conversion. Now the will and drive of this Bison team shined, as they marched down the field and answered back with a touchdown - with a roaring crowd, could the Bison send this game into a 3rd OT?

The real story here is that NDSU never quit, they fought hard until the very last play. So remember this game as you climb back on the Bison bandwagon - for all of you who NEVER left, be proud of the Bison - always.