What if???

[Professor Chaos]

Deep thoughts on a Saturday night (or Sunday morning) from Professor Chaos.... what if some of the pre-cursors to the greatest moments in Bison history had gone differently...

Here's a few examples I could think of:

What if the Bison converted the 2 pt conversion at Iowa with 3:42 left when Stick connected with Morlock to make it 20-21? After the failed conversion the Hawkeyes went into ultra-conservative mode which probably hurt them with a 3-and-out and you know the rest. What if they had to call plays like they needed to score to win? Klieman's (desperation???) decision to go for the lead instead of the tie might've been a win/win because he either got the lead or he tied Ferentz's hands and the latter might've been the ideal result since there was still 3:41 to play (IOW lots of time for Iowa to drive the field with an NFL caliber QB in CJ Beathard).


Another:

What if Carson Wentz never would've gotten hurt in 2015? The run game those first few games of 2015 before Wentz went down was U-G-L-Y (and it ain't got no alibi). I have to think everyone at practice knew the rocket armed ginger would bail them out if it came down to it (like he proved in the homecoming win against UNI that year). When he went down the defense and the O-line took it to a new level. Would Wentz have been able to bail them out time after time had he stayed healthy and that mentality persisted? Would the o-line and defense had improved enough to beat Montana and UNI in the playoffs that year had they not felt the impetus to improve after Wetz was out? I still maintain that the Bison team, led by Wentz, that took the field in Frisco in January 2016 against JSU would've beat any Bison championship team we've seen since this run began. If Carson Wentz never got hurt would've that 2015 team still won a title???

[EC8CH]

What if lakes never started the let's go bison chant?

[Professor Chaos]

My two cents:

I think had that 2 pt conversion worked against Iowa the Bison lose that game.

And had Wentz never got hurt that 2015 team bows out prior to Frisco.

Point being you never know when something that seems bad at the time is good in the long run.

[reformedUNDfan]

What if 2020 NDSU actually got a play, and beat Oregon? Much like the "wentz will bail us out" phenomena, we all saw the 2019 team, which was an unholy monster for the first half of the season, basically check out and let him carry them. What if they have everybody back and a Marque, 1000% effort sort of game to start the season? Beat Oregon and NDSU has an undefeated season, which leaves NDSU on the hunt for the all time winning streak record, likely cracks the AP top 25, and if Trey has a good game, a bonafied Heisman campaign.

[SamsRams]

This is not a what if, but a fact. Had Steven Threet come to Fargo, NDSU wouldve won every game that year and every year after

[Professor Chaos]

What if 2020 NDSU actually got a play, and beat Oregon? Much like the "wentz will bail us out" phenomena, we all saw the 2019 team, which was an unholy monster for the first half of the season, basically check out and let him carry them. What if they have everybody back and a Marque, 1000% effort sort of game to start the season? Beat Oregon and NDSU has an undefeated season, which leaves NDSU on the hunt for the all time winning streak record, likely cracks the AP top 25, and if Trey has a good game, a bonafied Heisman campaign.

Solid points... not sure about Trey being a Heisman candidate (I think too many voters would've turned their noses up at the rest of his opponents that year) but that team could've definitely cracked the big boy top 25 with a week 1 win at Oregon which was certainly doable although i do think the defense would've struggled without Jabril Cox. Looking back on that 2019 team it may have been the most talented team NDSU has fielded to date when you factor in all the NFL talent we already know of (Lance, Watson, Radunz, Volson, Tuzska, Cox, et al), the guys who haven't yet made their NFL marks but will (like Mauch and Leupke), and the guys that were studs but never had NFL careers (like Jimmy Football, Bridges, Schoening, and Hankey).

I don't think there's any doubt that lost 2020 fall season costed NDSU a real good shot at a natty since they damn near beat eventual 2021 spring champ SHSU with a shell of the team they would've had (no Lance, Radunz, Hayes, Schoening, Biegler, and more I can't think of off the top of my head). Oh well, I guess we'll just have to be satisfied with the other 9 championship teams we've enjoyed cheering on in the last decade, haha.

[NDSU92]

Deep thoughts on a Saturday night (or Sunday morning) from Professor Chaos.... what if some of the pre-cursors to the greatest moments in Bison history had gone differently...

Here's a few examples I could think of:

What if the Bison converted the 2 pt conversion at Iowa with 3:42 left when Stick connected with Morlock to make it 20-21? After the failed conversion the Hawkeyes went into ultra-conservative mode which probably hurt them with a 3-and-out and you know the rest. What if they had to call plays like they needed to score to win? Klieman's (desperation???) decision to go for the lead instead of the tie might've been a win/win because he either got the lead or he tied Ferentz's hands and the latter might've been the ideal result since there was still 3:41 to play (IOW lots of time for Iowa to drive the field with an NFL caliber QB in CJ Beathard).


Another:

What if Carson Wentz never would've gotten hurt in 2015? The run game those first few games of 2015 before Wentz went down was U-G-L-Y (and it ain't got no alibi). I have to think everyone at practice knew the rocket armed ginger would bail them out if it came down to it (like he proved in the homecoming win against UNI that year). When he went down the defense and the O-line took it to a new level. Would Wentz have been able to bail them out time after time had he stayed healthy and that mentality persisted? Would the o-line and defense had improved enough to beat Montana and UNI in the playoffs that year had they not felt the impetus to improve after Wetz was out? I still maintain that the Bison team, led by Wentz, that took the field in Frisco in January 2016 against JSU would've beat any Bison championship team we've seen since this run began. If Carson Wentz never got hurt would've that 2015 team still won a title???

I think we still beat Iowa bad we gotten the 2pt conversion. Although I remember at the time thinking that the play we ran was a dumb call. I have no idea how Klieman came up with the 3D chess move of going for 2 and not getting it being better than kicking the XP, yet I was forced to watch him fart around with clock mismanagement at the end of every half…

I still think the most important single play for the effect that it had was against Montana in 2003, when Bohl’s Got Balls called the most obvious fake field goal down 5 with 2 minutes left on the Montana 20 yard line. Rod Malone threads the needle to a diving Mike Wieser in the corner of the end zone to go up a point and the rest is history. All the D1 naysayers are left gasping for air, Tyler Roehl commits the next day, and the prelude to the beginning of the start of the greatest dynasty in sports history was complete.

Also iconic plays from that game were:

Dwight Summerville’s safety
DE Jamel Thomas’ intercepting a bubble screen and rumbling ~30 yards
WR Allen Burrell taking a reverse to the house after a picturesque “olè” block from Tony Stauss

If Wieser doesn’t make that fingertip catch in 2003, are we sitting here in 2022 with 9 championships in 10 years?

[tony]

My two cents:

I think had that 2 pt conversion worked against Iowa the Bison lose that game.

And had Wentz never got hurt that 2015 team bows out prior to Frisco.

Point being you never know when something that seems bad at the time is good in the long run.

I think NDSU still would have probably won at Iowa with a successful two-point conversion - it just would have been that the defense would have taken the ball away from them one way or another.

How good was the defense in the second half? Iowa's complete offensive stats (if my math is right): 64 yards, -7 yards rushing on 14 attempts, 66 yards passing (with 52 of those from George Kittle who had all but two of their receptions), and a net 5 yards gained from a penalty. Iowa didn't have much going in the way of pass protection and their running game was shut down (note: Kittle got called for holding on a very long run to start the second half.) It is hard to exaggerate how much NDSU's defense dominated in that second half.

NDSU's offense, on the other hand, was killing them. NDSU's shortest drive was 43 yards - and that's the only one they didn't score on (missed FG.)

[Professor Chaos]

I think NDSU still would have probably won at Iowa with a successful two-point conversion - it just would have been that the defense would have taken the ball away from them one way or another.

How good was the defense in the second? Iowa had four drives in the second half and 3 of the 4 resulted in -6 yards on 10 plays. The first down was on a 15 yard PF penalty. Their other drive was pretty, but NDSU came so close to keeping them out of the end zone and George Kittle was the guy who kept them moving on that drive.

Iowa's complete offensive stats for the second half if my math is right: 64 yards, -7 yards rushing on 14 attempts, 66 yards passing (with 52 of those from George Kittle who had all but two of their receptions), and a net 5 yards gained from a penalty. Iowa didn't have much going in the way of pass protection and their running game was shut down (note: Kittle got called for holding on a very long run to start the second half.) It is hard to exaggerate how much NDSU's defense dominated in that second half.

You might be right... I just think the entire Iowa team and coaching staff was playing/coaching not to lose and that contributed to the NDSU defensive domination. Beathard also got banged up which I'm sure played into it as well.

I'd totally agree though that the effort by the NDSU defense that day was legendary... even more amazing when you consider they were only one week past getting shredded by Gage Gubrud and Eastern Washington.

[EC8CH]

What if Brock Jensen sat out sick with the flu against Georgia Southern and Wentz got his first start?