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Can it really be ten years since North Dakota State fans were treated to "UNI loud?"
Ten years since the first showdown with Georgia Southern, ten years since the Bison beat down at TCF Bank Stadium.
It was a memorable team filled with memorable players. Players that lived thru a 3-8 season in 2009 and two years later, won a national championship in Frisco, Texas.
Over the next three months, WDAY Sports Director Dom Izzo will visit with players and coaches from that team and look back at some of the biggest games and most memorable moments.
September 24, 2011 is a magical night for Bison football fans. North Dakota State returned to the Twin Cities for the third time in six years to match up against the University of Minnesota.
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The Bison had defeated the Gophers 27-21 in 2007, which proceeded a 10-9 loss in 2006. Jerry Kill was in his first year as head coach at Minnesota after leaving Northern Illinois and had warned his team about how talented a squad they were about to face.
For Minneapolis native Marcus Williams, this was a game that he had circled on his calendar since arriving in Fargo in 2009. The former Hopkins standout had been recruited by Minnesota, much like his teammates Grant Olson, Billy Turner, Leevon Perry and Cole Jirik, but did not receive a scholarship.
Williams had already established himself as a great player in his redshirt freshman season, registering four interceptions, one returned for a touchdown. He became a Bison legend on this night.
With NDSU leading 21-14 late in the first half, Gopher quarterback MarQueis Gray threw a ball into double coverage and was intercepted by Bison safety Colten Heagle. As Heagle was about to be tackled he dropped the ball into the waiting hands of Williams. Williams scooped it up and returned it 52 yards for a touchdown to end the half, stunning the crowd.
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Williams joins Dom Izzo to look back at the win and what it did for the Bison football program in the Twin Cities and beyond.
