Five things to watch for in the Missouri State-Bison game – InForum

FARGO — When the announcement of an upcoming concert by a major band is called a farewell tour, your favorite Five Things columnist usually rolls his eyes more often than a bowling ball rumbling down the driveway. Removing the rock star’s ego from performing in front of thousands of people is almost impossible.

Elton John once did a farewell tour in 1977, claiming he was done with performing concerts, citing burnout and drugs. Well, Sir Elton got clean and continued doing his thing for several more years.

He played the Fargodome in 2022 in what was billed as his “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road Tour” and confirmed to Vanity Fair last summer that the tour was his last. We’ll see.

Well, here’s Missouri State at the dome on Saturday, a place where Elton has played four times, including two with Billy Joel. It’s the Bears’ swan song this year in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, with the school moving to the FBS Conference USA next season.

It’s been a standing O season and a lot of good Saturday nights for the Bears, who are 8-2 and 6-0 in the Valley.

“I have the utmost respect for everyone in the Valley,” MSU head coach Ryan Beard said, “but it’s a good feeling knowing we were able to go on a farewell tour decent so far and the work is not yet finished.

It’s a weekend of farewell touring in the region. On Saturday, Valley City State will play at the University of Jamestown for what will be the 78th and final battle for the foreseeable future for The Paint Bucket, a traveling trophy that began in 1961. Jamestown advances to NCAA Division II this season next.

On that note, Five Things warns, just like on Elton’s 1977 tour, don’t close the door on NDSU against Mo State just yet. The Bison may be considering joining the Bears in FBS. Here are five things to watch for in the Bears at Bison:

A Springfield-area media member at Beard’s weekly news conference earlier this week prefaced his question with a quote from famed professional wrestler Ric Flair: “To be the man, you have to beat the man.”

Wow.

The Bears are having one of their greatest runs in program history, winning eight in a row after losing their first two to Montana and Ball State.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re in junior high football or Pop Warner, it’s a heck of a ride,” Beard said. “I believe in the men in this locker room and I believe they’re going to put their hearts and souls on the line and believe in each other and it’s time to take care of it.”

Flair’s comment came up later when Beard was asked if it was personally satisfying to be in position for a title shot.

“This is what you want, this is why you train year after year,” he said. “You said it earlier, if you want to be the best, you have to beat the best. The best thing about this football match is that we have nothing to lose. They have everything to lose. They are the best. They have the trophies. They have a $100 million facility.

Together, these teams enter this game with a 17-game winning streak. The Bison have won nine in a row following a season-opening 31-26 loss to Colorado. The Bears put together eight in a row after losing 29-24 at Montana and 42-34 at FBS Ball State to open the season.

MSU’s streak is the school’s longest since 1989. A Bears victory would spark a history of “firsts” for the program, such as the first victory against a top team. The winner would earn at least a share of the conference title.

“If I were those guys right now, I would be focused on winning a conference championship, really selling recruiting that we’re taking the next step,” the NDSU head coach said , Tim Polasek. “(They) need to position this program to compete with X, Y and Z.”

NDSU knows a thing or two about winning streaks. The Bison hold the FCS record of 39 consecutive victories from late 2017 until spring 2021.

This matchup could turn out to be downright offensive, if the stats are true. The Bears are second in the FCS at 38.8 points per game while the Bison are fourth at 37.8 points per game. This could make for an interesting over/under betting line at kickoff.

Mo State has scored at least 38 points in its six games in the Valley, a staggering number that threatens NDSU’s improving defense over that span. The Bears come in having scored in 21 straight quarters.

But MSU has yet to face the league’s top three defenses, starting with NDSU this weekend and South Dakota State to close the regular season. The Bears will not play South Dakota this season due to the rotating schedule.

Five Things is allergic to clichés and the old adage that it’s not so much how you start as how you end that doesn’t necessarily apply here. The Bison were impressive from the start, scoring touchdowns on their first drive of the game in seven of their 10 games.

They ended their first drive in two other games with field goals and only once did they come away with nothing — a punt against South Dakota State after reaching midfield. NDSU outscored its opponents 104-27 in the first 15 minutes.

The Bears took a slower path to their highest-scoring offense, outscoring their opponents 83-41 in the first quarter. They threw five times on their first drive, scored four touchdowns and made a field goal.

Not only will it be a battle between two of the best teams in the FCS, but it will also be a matchup between two of the subdivision’s best quarterbacks, NDSU’s Cam Miller and Mo State’s Jacob Clark. Both are senior veterans and both are in discussion for the Walter Payton Award given to the best offensive player in the FCS.

Miller set the school record for completion percentage last year by completing 208 of 289 passes for a rate of 72 percent. He’s ahead of that pace this season with 163 of 210 for 77%, which leads the FCS.

“I talk a lot about Jacob’s vision, (Miller) sees the field the same way,” Beard said. “He does a good job running his offense and understanding where the ball needs to go and when it needs to go.”

Clark is third in the FCS in completion percentage and passing yards per game, and fourth in passing touchdowns with 25.

Jeff would like to dispel the notion that he was around when Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press, but he’s in his third decade reporting for Forum Communications. The son of a reporter and an English teacher, and the brother of a reporter, Jeff has worked at the Jamestown Sun, the Bismarck Tribune and since 1990 at the Forum, where he covers Dakota State athletics. North since 1995.
Jeff has covered all nine of NDSU’s Division I FCS national football titles and has written three books: “Horns Up,” “North Dakota Tough” and “Covid Kids.” He is the radio host of “The Golf Show with Jeff Kolpack” from April to August.