Bison capture 3rd title in row
Coach Bohl leaves for Wyoming after perfect ending
FRISCO, Texas – From Fargo to Frisco again, and a perfect championship ending for senior quarterback Brock Jensen and coach Craig Bohl at North Dakota State.
Jensen threw a touchdown pass and ran for another score in his FCS-quarterback record 48th victory, and the Bison capped a 15-0 season with a 35-7 victory over Towson on Saturday to claim their third consecutive FCS title in Bohl’s final game at the school.
“It hasn’t (set in) right now, but I think in a couple of months it’s going to,” said Bohl, who stayed with the Bison for their playoff run after accepting the job as Wyoming’s coach. “This team was possessed with perfection. And they relentlessly pursued it. … It’s pretty remarkable.”
The Bison joined Appalachian State (2005-07) as the only FCS teams to win three consecutive championships. They are the first undefeated champs at that level since Marshall in 1996.
“It gets better every time. Definitely,” Jensen said. “That was the last time I’ll put on a Bison jersey but man, it’s been a fun ride.”
Bohl was 104-32 in 11 seasons at North Dakota State, which has won 24 consecutive games to match the FCS record.
The Bison went ahead to stay on Ryan Smith’s 5-yard TD run in the second quarter that snapped a 7-7 tie. That came one play after Colten Heagle blocked a field goal try that was scooped up by defensive end Kyle Emanuel and returned 59 yards. It was the first of three consecutive possessions when NDSU scored touchdowns.
“We made a mistake, and they made us pay for it,” Towson coach Rob Ambrose said. “I think we all knew what kind of game it was at that point. … Things were moving in the right direction, at least for us, head to head, pretty even.”
Towson (13-3), the first school to play in championship games at the FCS and NCAA Division III levels, was 1-10 only three years ago in Ambrose’s second season. But the Tigers had their lowest scoring total since a 28-3 loss at Maryland four games into the 2011 season.
Terrance West ran 3 yards on the final play of the first quarter for Towson’s only touchdown, his 41st TD rushing and 42nd overall this season. The junior finished with 22 carries for 99 yards, pushing his season total to 2,509 – most by an FCS player.