By: Andrew Zimmel
The North Dakota State Bison ended their season a lot earlier than they were used to last year. For the first time in five years, the Bison and their fans weren’t holding up the trophy at the end of the season, but instead were heading home after a disappointing 24-20 loss to the eventual champion Sam Houston State Bearkats.
Which might have been for the best. The best stories don’t have the hero beating every monster or the team winning every game. The best stories have conflict, struggle and adversity. Bison fans for a generation have been spoiled- which is why according to Mike McFeely the game Saturday maybe 2,000 fans short of a sell out.
Part of the attendance problem could stem from the Bison’s unprecedented string of success, part of it could be COVID-19 which caused headaches and pain across college athletics last year and part of it could be the fact that Albany, the team NDSU faces Saturday, isn’t very good.
Saturday will be the first time the two teams will face each other, which could make for some interesting match ups if not for the fact that the Danes have been mediocre the past decade with only one winning since 2017.
When I think of Bison football, I always think one step away from trying to make the jump to FBS level and joining a Group of Five conference or at the least scheduling neighboring opponents that might cause some buzz to come to Fargo and face off against one of the longest dynasties in college football history. I don’t think of matchups against a team that has made the playoff twice since 2010.
Silver lining: Albany will give Virginia Tech transfer Quincy Patterson a chance to get his feet wet as the starting QB. Last Friday he was officially named the starter by Head Coach Matt Entz. Patterson is 6’3 and has the potential to be a huge step up from Zeb Nolan, the most frustrating college quarterback from last season for me.
There was not a more athletic looking player on the field who just didn’t have it than Nolan. It didn’t help that he took over after Trey Lance committed to the NFL. A smart play by Lance, but you can’t help but think that if the Bison were able to have one more season with the 49ers future star, that last season might have ended a little differently.
Patterson will be facing a team that only played four games last season, winning only one of them. The wil also have the benefit of playing by an offensive line that has multiple pre-season award selections including Cordell Volson and Cody Mauch- both who could be making the leap to the pros after this season. However, I wasn’t in love with Coach Entz talking about the size and strength of Patterson before mentioning his arm.
If someone is trying to sell you a car, and they mention how cool the car looks before mentioning the practicality- that’s a red flag. If you are telling me about how big your quarterback is before telling me if he can get the ball out quick- that too is a red flag.
The Bison were picked to finish second in the conference this season behind rival South Dakota State in pre season polls. Saturday’s game has a chance to correct some of that doubt.
In front of a potential underwhelming crowd, the Bison have a chance to reassert their dominance. I would put my money on North Dakota State to open the season with a bang.
Prediction: North Dakota State 30 Albany 7
