NDSU and the new FCS landscape

[BleedingBLue]

I have been saying all spring NDSU is a different team. What I'm not saying is they are done and gone. They are still one of the best teams in the country, and will continue to be I'm sure. I'm of the belief however that other teams are finally catching up. JMU has been right up there for 5+ years, but nobody else has been quite at that level. I do believe that is changing. And I'm not chalking it up to the spring season. The NDSU team that played this spring was outplayed in about half their games. They won a couple of those games still because they were more physical and more talented. The games they lost they were outplayed and less physical. SDSU man handled them on both sides at the line of scrimmage. SIU did the same thing. Sam Houston was more physical on both sides and overcame some huge special teams plays from NDSU to win. That wouldn't have happened in the past. The MVFC is also becoming better from top to bottom, which is going to threaten their dominance.

[Cataholic]

I'm not digging NDSU's grave yet, but I would be more than happy to attend any funeral of theirs in the future.

I agree....I think it's a bit premature to declare the NDSU dynasty as having ended. Even the greatest sports dynasties don't necessarily win the championship every single year. They lost to JMU in the semi-finals in 2016, then came right back and won three consecutive titles after that. Plus, I'm just not sure that many conclusions can be drawn about anything, based on this weird spring season. Holy Cross got into the playoffs, having played only 3 games and a couple other playoff teams only played 4 games. I'm so glad MSU took a pass on playing this spring.

On a side note, besides Trey Lance being drafted number 3 overall, NDSU also had a player picked in the 2nd round. That's pretty remarkable for an FCS program to have two players picked that high in the same year. Northern Iowa players got drafted in the 3rd and 4th rounds, so those two schools combined had 4 players drafted in the first 4 rounds. The MVFC accounted for 4 of the 5 FCS players that were drafted this year. This was the 2nd consecutive year that no players were drafted from the BSC. Before 2020, it had been 20 years since the BSC didn't have a single draft pick. I presume a few players have signed free agent deals though?


https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/arti ... -nfl-draft

And don’t forget that Jabril Cox who played 3 years at NDSU before transferring to LSU. He was drafted in the 4th round by the Cowboys. That NDSU team we played in the semifinals had three NFL guys who were drafted in rounds 1, 2 and 4. Then they still had Christian Watson who will probably play on Sundays as well.

[Cat Grad]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_D ... n_football

[BleedingBLue]

SDSU is going to be tough to beat for the next few years. They have been anyway, but they're better now. They have a great D and a fantastic O line. Their QB is a freshman and was MVFC player of the year. Teams like them, SIU and UND are going to change the MVFC and the FCS.

[Helcat72]

They all seem to have what is needed to make it...money!

[bobcatfan123]

Sam Houston State defeated South Dakota State 23-21. Looks like plenty of teams were better than NDSU this spring season. That's telling in that many teams didn't even participate this spring.

[Montanabob]

Sam Houston State defeated South Dakota State 23-21. Looks like plenty of teams were better than NDSU this spring season. That's telling in that many teams didn't even participate this spring.

You forgot to include that SDSU lost their All conference QB on the first drive due to knee injury.

[bobcatfan123]

Sam Houston State defeated South Dakota State 23-21. Looks like plenty of teams were better than NDSU this spring season. That's telling in that many teams didn't even participate this spring.

You forgot to include that SDSU lost their All conference QB on the first drive due to knee injury.

Well I didn't know that . Was really impressed with the freshmen in the previous games I was able to watch. Sounds like SDSU was likely the best team in the country, just didn't pan out in the championship game.

[catatac]

Sam Houston State defeated South Dakota State 23-21. Looks like plenty of teams were better than NDSU this spring season. That's telling in that many teams didn't even participate this spring.

You forgot to include that SDSU lost their All conference QB on the first drive due to knee injury.

Well I didn't know that . Was really impressed with the freshmen in the previous games I was able to watch. Sounds like SDSU was likely the best team in the country, just didn't pan out in the championship game.

Ya, I believe they would have won if the QB wouldn't have gotten knocked out in the first series. They couldn't pass. Also, that true Frosh RB for SDSU is incredible. He might be as good as Ifanse. Similar running style in that he's low center of gravity, tough to bring down, and deceptively fast.