Fargo - North Dakota State senior quarterback Easton Stick capped his career with a 46-yard touchdown run that sealed a 38-24 victory against Eastern Washington last Saturday for the NCAA Division I FCS championship at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.
The scoring run proved to be an exclamation point on a remarkable career, which proved to be one of the best in Football Championship Subdivision history.
Stick ended his career with a 49-3 record as a starter, setting an FCS record for quarterback wins. Former Bison quarterback Brock Jensen (2010-2013) held the previous mark with 48 wins, helping lead NDSU to three national crowns.
Bison quarterback coach Randy Hedberg has watched the 6-foot-2, 221-pound Stick journey to making FCS history the past four seasons.
“It’s unbelievable,” Hedberg said. “I contend that he’s the best player in FCS football, no question about it. He has a will to win. He competes, he’s detailed. He’s just a tremendous competitor.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Here is a year-by-year look at Stick’s record as a starting QB:
- During his redshirt freshman season, Stick went 8-0 as a starter after starting quarterback Carson Wentz went down with a wrist injury. Wentz returned to the lineup for the FCS title game, which NDSU rolled to a 37-10 victory against Jacksonville State.
- During his sophomore season, Stick went 12-2 as a starter, including and FBS win at No. 11-ranked Iowa. The Bison lost in the FCS semifinals against James Madison that season.
- As a junior, Stick went 14-1 and the Bison knocked off James Madison in the national title game for the program’s sixth FCS title in seven seasons.
- In his final season, Stick went 15-0 to lead the Bison to an FCS record seventh national championship. In the title game, he passed for 198 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 121 yards and three touchdowns.
“Anybody that wins 49 times over a career is the best player in college football at the FCS level,” Bison head coach Chris Klieman said after the FCS title game against Eastern Washington. “That’s my opinion. That’s a hands-down, no-brainer for me.”
Here are career statistical totals for Stick:
- In 55 games, Stick rushed for 2,523 yards and 41 touchdowns on 427 attempts, averaging 5.9 yards per carry. He rushed for more than 1,300 yards and 29 scores over his final two seasons.
- Stick completed 598 of 980 passes for 8,693 yards and 88 touchdowns with 28 interceptions over four seasons. He passed for 2,466 yards and 28 touchdowns with eight interceptions as a junior. As a senior, he passed for 2,752 yards and 28 touchdowns with seven interceptions.
- Stick finished his career with 11,216 total yards from scrimmage, averaging 203.9 yards per game.
“Once I take this uniform off, it’s going to be real emotional,” Stick said after his final game last Saturday in Frisco, Texas. “But I look forward to coming back as alumni to see this place continue to have success.”
Stick is set to play in the East-West Shrine Game, which is scheduled for Jan. 19 in St. Petersburg, Fla. The all-star college football game will be televised on the NFL Network.
The Trust Project
