North Dakota State wins with smart play

Frisco, TX (SportsNetwork.com) – There’s good reason as to why North Dakota State’s national championship-winning football program doesn’t beat itself on the playing field.

The three-time defending FCS champion Bison, seeking an unprecedented fourth straight title on Saturday, have a roster full of smart players – both on and off the field.

The Missouri Valley Football Conference’s 2014 All-Academic team featured 12 players from 10 schools on the first team, and, incredibly, five of the selections were from North Dakota State, each with a grade point average over 3.5 on a 4.0 scale.

“It’s invaluable. Football is a very, very cerebral game,” said Illinois State coach Brock Spack, whose team will play the Bison in the FCS championship game.

“Obviously, they’re a very talented team. They wouldn’t win three national titles in a row or be here four years if they didn’t have talent. But they’re very well coached, very disciplined and, obviously, very smart.”

North Dakota State’s MVFC All-Academic first-team selections were defensive end Kyle Emanuel (3.66 GPA), who won the 2014 Buck Buchanan Award as the FCS defensive player of the year; center Jesse Hinz (3.71); linebacker Esley Thornton (3.92); wide receiver Zach Vraa (3.51); and quarterback Carson Wentz (4.00). Free safety Christian Dudzik made the second team, and place-kicker Adam Keller and running back Chase Morlock were honorable mention selections.

NDSU has a plus-12 turnover margin and ranks second in the FCS in time of possession. The Bison also rank second nationally in scoring defense and third in total defense.

They have a 14-1 record this season and are 57-3 since the start of the 2011 season.

Categorized in: NCAA Football