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FRISCO, Texas – There is the “The Pitch” that is saturated in Bison football lore, the famous horizontal option flip in 1985 from quarterback Jeff Bentrim. Cornerback Destin Talbert did his best with a one-handed interception in the FCS semifinal against James Madison with a “Pick of Destiny.”
Now we may have “The Slide.”
The last one is more of the comical nature when North Dakota State left tackle Cody Mauch, in trailing a first down run by quarterback Cam Miller, slid on the wet grass of Toyota Stadium and did his signature first down call. It came on NDSU’s opening drive in the 38-10 title game victory over Montana State.
“They just come to me as they happen,” Mauch said, “and I guess that’s why they’re so cool, I guess.”
Mauch’s slide was picked up by ESPN and shown on its “SportsCenter” show Sunday morning. NDSU football in its Twitter account went a step further by showing multiple angles of it, including a slow-motion shot.
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The moment @CodyTud slid into hearts across the country, from every angle we have. pic.twitter.com/S7dWHT1TfV
— NDSU Football (@NDSUfootball) January 9, 2022
The mocking of ball carriers or receivers doing the referee first down signal has became a fan favorite.
“That’s the way it’s supposed to be played,” said Bison head coach Matt Entz. “If you ain’t having fun, then why are you doing it? It’s serious at times. There’s a lot of standards, expectations are unbelievably high. But it’s OK to smile and laugh and be a character at times.”
The play was a third-and-8 scramble by Miller for 14 yards on NDSU’s first possession. NDSU eventually scored on an eight-yard run from running back Hunter Luepke for a 7-0 lead it would not surrender.
“I don’t know if you can get much better than that,” said offensive tackle Cordell Volson.
Cody Mauch’s grandma. pic.twitter.com/WXsGYERHTh
— Mike McFeely (@McFeely_Inforum) January 8, 2022
