The state of North Dakota has been on my bucket list for a long time for several reasons. First, I’ve been enamored with the North Dakota State Bison football program—they’ve utterly dominated the FCS level for the past 14 years, winning ten national championships in that span. Second, despite all my travels, North Dakota was one of only two states where I had never spent any real time. (Airports and drive-throughs don’t count!)
This past weekend, I finally checked both items off the list. And I’ll admit it: I also kind of dig the movie Fargo with Steve Buscemi and William H. Macy.
I was joined by my old Army buddy, Colonel John “Bourbon Boy” Holter. We scouted out downtown Broadway on Friday night to get a good recon of the locals we’d be amongst on game day. We even connected with the ESPN crew calling Saturday’s game for a beer.
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| Charles "Buck" Arbuckle and his ESPN Crew having a beer with me and the Colonel. |
With Saturday morning temperatures below zero and a noon kickoff, we were up early and at a very hearty tailgate by 9:30 a.m. We joined the famous Herd Attack Tailgate, one of the original Tailgate Connect partners, and their partner tailgate the Silent Z, Tim Hagar, Moonshine Mandy, Bear, Pyle the Marine and Andy the unofficial Mayor of Fargo were just a few of the characters who took great care of us and ensured we had an amazing time. They have a tricked out ambulance as the centerpiece of their set up,
With the Arctic chill, the tents were fully flapped, heated, and sitting at a toasty 75 degrees inside. Shots of all kinds of concoctions were served on a communion tray—with crackers in the middle—so naturally we had to indulge in this religious experience. Great stories were shared on how this group came together and some of their epic tales.
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| The Herd Attack and Silent Z tailgate crews |
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| The Frozen Tundra, we come bearing gifts and the Silent Z crew |
Inside the FargoDome
Once inside the FargoDome, the elements were no longer a threat. The Mighty Bison faced Illinois State in the second round of the FCS playoffs. The Bison were favored by 22.5 points, and because of that, many fans didn’t bother showing up—the Dome was maybe 65% full.
On their opening drive, NDSU connected on an unreal 78-yard touchdown pass. I turned to the Colonel and said, “Sheez, I hope this isn’t going to be a blowout.”
Well… I got more than I bargained for.
Illinois State ended up statistically dominating the game on offense, and defensively shutting down the Bison after that opening drive. What kept things close was that the Redbirds QB threw five interceptions, two of which resulted in Bison touchdowns. Redbird star wide receiver, Daniel Sobkowics, scored three touchdowns—I even met his dad Sunday morning at the airport and discussed the game.
With NDSU ahead 28–21 and one minute left, Illinois State scored. In the gutsiest move since Maverick wowed Viper, they went for two and the win. They converted, took a 29–28 lead, and held on—stunning Bison Nation.
Illinois State now moves on to face UC Davis in the next round.
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| The venerable Fargo Dome, the final statistics and the Redbirds celebrating their biggest victory in school history |
Conveniently, after the game we crossed the street and posted up at Buffalo Wild Wings to watch the SEC Championship and the rest of the action around the country.
Around the Country
ACC Championship
Duke shocked the conference and beat Virginia in OT 27-20, knocking the Cavs out of playoff contention. With five losses, Duke did not qualify for the playoff.
SEC Championship
Georgia physically dominated Alabama in the Mercedes-Benz Dome, winning 28–7, getting revenge for the loss they suffered early in the season in Athens,.
Big 12 Championship
Texas Tech went full “Guns Up” and blasted BYU 34–7 proving they are one of the best teams in the country.
Big Ten Championship
Curt Cignetti just wins—Google it. Ryan Day and the Ohio State Buckeyes found this out firsthand as Indiana knocked off the No. 1 team in the country, 13–10, in a bruising contest.
American Athletic Conference Championship
Tulane topped North Texas, securing the Group of Five playoff spot.
Sun Belt Championship
James Madison defeated Troy on Friday night and secured their spot in the 12-team playoff.
College Football Playoff – First Round (Dec. 19–20)
Alabama at Oklahoma
Miami at Texas A&M
Tulane at Ole Miss
James Madison at Oregon
First round Byes - Indiana, UGA, Texas Tech and Ohio State
Bieber Award – Penn State Coaching Search
Penn State fired James Franklin back in October, just one season after he took the Nittany Lions to the Final Four of the College Football Playoff. You’d think they had a replacement lined up. If they did, it didn’t go well.
While other big programs were locking up top candidates, Penn State stalled. National Signing Day arrived and they still had no head coach. They ranked 150th in recruiting—behind 14 FCS programs, for crying out loud.
It became a full-blown soap opera as the Penn State faithful demanded to know what the administration was doing.
Ultimately, they lucked into Matt Campbell from Iowa State, who has done an excellent job during his decade in Ames. It’s safe to say he was not their top choice—the very public rejection by BYU’s Kalani Sitake said enough.
So now in Happy Valley, PA, we can hear the chant "We Are!" Bieeeeeeberrr!
Ginger Award
Easy one. I give it to myself for being crazy enough to come to Fargo in the winter with temps below zero for a football game. I humbly accept this honor for such an act of bravery, courage and stupidity!
Next Up
I’ll be heading back to Baltimore for the annual Army–Navy weekend festivities, joined by 75–100 of my closest Frostburg State friends. We’ll be pregaming at the famous TailGoat tailgate at the Horseshoe Casino parking garage.
Happy Tailgating!
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