Powered by a stifling defense, the North Dakota State Bison held the top-scoring offense in FCS football to a pair of field goals to defeat the Sam Houston State Bearkats, 17-6, on Saturday afternoon at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco to earn the school’s first FCS football championship.
Sam Houston State entered the game averaging 424 yards and 39 points per game. But the Bison defense smothered the Bearkat offense all afternoon and held them to 210 offensive yards, their lowest offensive output of the season.
Senior kicker and Deer Park graduate Craig Alaniz connected on field goals of 24 and 31 yards in the second quarter to provide the only scoring that SHSU could muster in the game.
But the Bearkat defense was just as stingy, and the game hinged on a pair of big plays that ultimately swung the outcome in NDSU’s favor.
The first one came early in the third quarter.
Trailing 6-3 at halftime, the Bison took the second-half kickoff but were held to six yards on their first three plays and set up in punt formation at their own 34 yard line. But punter Matt Voigtlander faked a punt and carried instead for a 27-yard gain to pick up a first down at the Sam Houston State 39 yard line.
NDSU followed that play with a screen pass from quarterback Brock Jensen to former Channelview Falcon D.J. McNorton that the senior running back turned into a 39-yard touchdown play. Ryan Jastram’s extra point gave the Bison a 10-6 lead.
“I looked to the outside,” said Voigtlander of the fake punt after the game. “We got out of the box, came down, blocking down like we were expecting, hoping, and got good blocking there.”
“It was wide open, he added, “so my eyes were wide open seeing the open field and I did what I could.”
Bison head coach Craig Bohl said Voigtlander’s background factored into the decision to call the play.
“Matt Voigtlander has been a running back for us for a lot of years, but we had not used a fake at all,” Bohl said. “We kind of kept it in our hip pocket, felt like there'd be a game that we'd need it, and this was the game we needed it in.”
And the coach felt like the game turned at that point.
“As soon as I think we had the fake punt and scored on the very next play,” Bohl said in the postgame press conference, “it certainly changed the momentum in the football game.”
On the following drive, the Bison defense managed a critical stop of Bearkat leading rusher Tim Flanders on a fourth-and-one play at the NDSU 29 yard line to keep SHSU off the scoreboard.
The teams then traded possessions until the Bison’s second big play sealed the Bearkats’ fate.
With Sam Houston State moving the ball in the fourth quarter, linebacker Travis Beck, who would be named the Most Outstanding Player of the game, intercepted a Brian Bell pass at the NDSU 36 yard line and returned the ball 63 yards to the SHSU one.
“It was an exceptional play by Travis,” Bohl said. “He showed some great athleticism and great instincts picking off the football.”
Bison quarterback Brock Jensen carried the ball in one the following play to increase the lead to 17-6 with 8:45 remaining in the game.
From there, NDSU held the Bearkat offense to one net yard and picked off another Bell pass as time wound down.
McNorton, who led the Bison offense with 75 total yards, said the victory was especially sweet for he and his senior teammate Warren Holloway, who played for Galena Park before going to North Dakota State.
“It’s special for both of us to get our family and friends here,” the senior running back said after the game. “They haven't been able to make a lot of games, so it was really special.”
“And for me and (Warren Holloway), it's the end of the road for us at NDSU playing football. So to go out on top like this, we couldn't ask for nothing more.”
Holloway became the second NDSU receiver to reach the 1,000-yard season receiving mark and added to his season receptions mark with two for a total of 77.
He finishes his college career in fourth place in both school career catches with 161 and in career receiving yards with 2,234 yards.
In the loss, Sam Houston State (14-1) was unable to get needed production from the duo of Flanders and Galveston Ball grad Richard Sincere.
Flanders was held to 84 yards rushing—nearly 30 yards below his season average—and 10 yards receiving. Sincere, the Southland Conference player of the year, was limited to 14 yards on the ground and one catch for 36 yards.
“Just a great job by North Dakota State University,” Sam Houston State head coach Willie Fritz said following the game. “I don't think we played great, but probably a lot of that has to do with North Dakota State.”
But Fritz, whose record at SHSU after two seasons is 20-6, took some consolation in the fact the nucleus of his team will return next year.
“We're going to go back and regroup and see everything that's transpired this season,” the coach told reporters. “But we are a very young football team, without question.”
“It’s difficult, because you've got guys (that) this is their last crack at it,” he added, “but the future's very bright for the Bearkats.”
In spite of the defeat, SHSU established a school season record for victories (14). The previous mark was 11 wins in 2004.
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