Josh Swanson knows sports. During his time at NDSU he was the sports editor of NDSU’s student newspaper, “The Spectrum,” and writes a monthly column for Bison Illustrated called “Swany Says.”
Steve Walker was the starting quarterback for the Bison from 2004 to 2007. During his time he was a finalist for The Sports Network Walter Payton award, was recently named to the All-Time Great West Football Team and is the color analyst during football games this year for KFGO Radio.
Best part of Frisco last year?
Swany: Steve, you’re wrong! Taking over the community. For that entire weekend we owned the town. We had one school that was 1,100 miles away that had a greater turnout, than a school that was two hours away. No other program in the country could have done that.
Walker: What are you talking about?!?! As a former player I think the best part, besides winning, was seeing a lot of guys I haven’t seen in a while, or seeing people who I’ve heard their names, but have never met. I saw guys from my rookie year who were seniors at the time … It’s almost like you reconnect and there’s that instant brotherhood. You have that ultimate connection with Bison pride.
Impact of new turf on gameplay?
Swany: Don’t be stupid. As a fan there’s a lot of pride. It shows how we do things at North Dakota State. We’re a first rate team. We have facilities that measure up with any program in the country. To have that turf is just another piece to the puzzle.
Walker: Swany, it’s huge for players. The old turf was never bad, it was just never ideal. Getting that field turf is going to be huge by being able to move around with a little more ease, you’ll be able to use cleats and dig in a bit. It’s a softer landing surface. It will also help out with recruiting, which will be HUGE.
Preseason picks for MVP?
Offensive MVP: Sam Ojuri
Defensive MVP: Marcus Williams
Surprise: Cooper Wahlo
Offensive MVP: Brock Jensen
Defensive MVP: Colten Heagle
Surprise: Trevor Gebhart
