McFeely: If Bison want Marker back, bucking 9-0 turnover trend would help – InForum

FARGO — The last time North Dakota State took the ball from South Dakota State, Cam Miller and Mark Gronowski were still quarterbacks at their respective high schools in Iowa and Illinois. It was October 26, 2019 in Brookings, South Dakota. Both are now grizzled starters for the Bison and Jackrabbits.

With a 16-1 tie in a thrilling Dakota Marker game at packed Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium on a sunny and windy 62-degree day five years ago, Bison cornerback Josh Hayes dove and intercepted a pass from Keaton Heide, the Jackrabbits’ true freshman quarterback, at the NDSU 15-yard line with 5:58 left in the fourth quarter.

How massive was Hayes’ interception of Heide’s unfortunate throw, which failed just before heavy coverage on third-and-9 at the Bison 31?

Well, an incompletion or scramble would have given SDSU a chance to attempt a long field goal from standout kicker Chase Vinatieri to take the lead.

Also erased was an interception thrown by Bison running back Dimitri Williams on a trick play deep in NDSU territory on the previous series.

And most importantly to the rivalry’s rich history, four plays and two timeouts later, it led directly to Adam Cofield’s 71-yard touchdown run following a four-and-1 gamble by head coach Matt Entz from the Bison 29.

Final score: NDSU 23, SDSU 16.

Heide’s pick was one of two Jackrabbits turnovers on the day, the other being a fumble by backup QB Kanin Nelson, who was replacing injured starter J’Bore Gibbs.

Phew. There’s a lot going on this day. The key to our goal is that it was the last time the Bison had a takeaway against the Jacks. In the following five games – four marker games and the 2022 FCS national title game – NDSU failed to produce any takeaways.

None. Zippo. Nada. Nothing.

SDSU now has nine against the Bison. Six interceptions, three fumbles.

Want an interesting statistical clue as to why the Jackrabbits have won the last five Dakota Marker games? A 9-0 turnover advantage would be one of them.

A win in the turnover battle wouldn’t guarantee a Bison win Saturday night when the teams meet at the Fargodome, but it wouldn’t hurt.

It’s not like you can look a child in the face and scream, “Don’t turn it over!” Things happen. So how do the Bison deal with this discrepancy, Tim Polasek?

“On January 8th or 9th, whenever we came back, I brought it up,” the Bison’s first-year head coach said. “I said, ‘Do you want to know the difference? It’s about playing good, clean football and the fundamentals will play a role here.’ …Right now we’re just rocking, we’re not throwing interceptions, we’re not turning the ball over, there’s going to be a moment somewhere in this game, right? Make the play or not, and then there’s going to be a turnover or two that just gets this thing going.

There’s certainly more to SDSU’s dominance in this series than just turnovers. The Jacks have outscored the Bison 94-37 in the last 10 quarters between the teams since NDSU took a 21-7 lead at halftime of the 2022 regular season game at the Dome. Third downs were also a significant factor, as NDSU’s defense was unable to get off the field and the offense was unable to sustain enough attacks.

But there seemed to be one or two crucial turnovers in every game. Backup quarterback Cole Payton’s interception in the second quarter of the 2022 game at the Dome as the Bison tried to build a two-touchdown lead. Running back Kobe Johnson’s fumble in the second quarter in the national title game that opened the floodgates. Running back TaMerik Williams’ fumble in the second quarter at Brookings last season.

None of these games resulted in a losing game for NDSU. The Jackrabbits have simply been the better team in recent seasons. But they helped grease the skids.

“Turnovers are one of those things you always talk about on Monday after the game, no matter what game you’re playing. Turnover margin and stuff like that,” Bison tight end Joe Stoffel said. “I just think that the most important thing for us on Saturday is to play clean football.”

If this has been a focus under Polasek since he replaced Matt Entz, it’s working. With two to seven games, the Bison are in first place nationally with the fewest turnovers. Payton threw an interception in mop-up time against Tennessee State and Miller lost a fumble against Illinois State.

Gronowksi had five interceptions in the first four games, including two against NCAA Division II Augustana, but none in the last two. The Jackrabbits forced 10 turnovers, as did the Bison.

“I think turnovers are important in every single game,” SDSU head coach Jimmy Rogers said. “It is crucial in any close game and this will be a 60-minute game. … It’s going to be as much of a priority this week as it is every other week.”

It might be a bigger priority for the Bison given the trend in the last five games against the Jacks. If you clean it up, you’ll have a chance to keep the Dakota Marker trophy in Fargo.

Mike McFeely is a columnist for The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead. He began working for The Forum in the 1980s while studying journalism at Minnesota State University Moorhead. He has been at the Forum full-time since 1990, except for a six-year hiatus when he hosted a local radio talk show.