Going Medieval Off My Office Floor.... NDSU Bison football – DI-AA football…. It’s sure nice to hear and see those words in the same sentence. And it’s nice to finally write a column again about Bison football. Will August 28th ever get here? So what does JD have to complain about this week?…. Sick and tired… After a year and a half of hearing complaints and gripes about the no tailgating policy set forth by NDSU and the City of Fargo…. The optimistic side of me actually believed that once both the City and University approved tailgating for this year everyone would be jumping for joy. Even with possible stringent regulation of tailgaters, I believed that Bison fans would be dancing in the streets of Fargo and around the world to tip a cold one in the parking lot before a Bison game. Lecture time. For those of you out in this world worried about such things as plastic glasses, limited tailgating time, being inside a fenced area and behaving yourself… Get a frickin’ clue. I don’t care if I have to drink be my beer out of plastic milk jug, an old mountain dew bottle, or a Cool Whip container; it’s going to be great tailgating before a Bison game again. I’ll be the guy with the “Who Farted?” t-shirt….. Pre-game festivities enhanced… If you take a stroll around the Internet of DI college football, you will find one more thing common among pre-game tailgating/parking lot festivities. A Kid’s Zone. A tented area filled with concessions, music and games for the younger generation. Wouldn’t you agree that a kid’s area like this would be one more thing that would get your kids interested in the Bison football experience? You’ll see it at Cornhusker games… You’ll see it at Buckeye games… at Vikings and Twins games…. It’s now time to see it at Bison games. The New and Improved Bison Zone? For $50, Bison fans can get access to Media Blogs, Live Scoring and Game Logs, Weekly Bison News Conferences, Bison Feedback and Game Audio…. What? Did you just write game audio? Yes. At first, I was a little upset about the fact that if I wanted internet game audio…. I would have to fork out some cash. My first thought was… “My wife is going to love this.” I live right on the fringe of the WDAY-970 radio broadcast area so some times the signal is good and some times not so good. So the 50 dollars will be shelled out to Forum Communications. Sure 50 clams is 50 clams, but there is one great thing that every Bison fan has overlooked…. The move to Division I has exploded the fan and support base for NDSU athletics. Forum bandwidth for audio has increased ten fold… The time and effort spent by Forum personnel has increased to the point where any further expansion (Bison Zone) warranted compensation. The demand for Bison information has increased beyond even my expectations. Insider gets dozens of emails from supporters every week; searching information on tickets, players, coaches, NDSU history, and yes, even academic programs available. Every month the number of emails reaching the mailbox continues to increase…. The move to DI-AA just keeps getting better and better. On a side note, the Bison Insider Classic Golf Tournament was held this past weekend…. Results are usually considered confidential but the major butt kicking that took place last Saturday can’t be held in such secrecy. Mr. Trainer shot a 2-over-par 74 at Apple Creek Country Club east of Bismarck to overwhelmingly defeat his Bison Insider cohorts by a pathetically wide margin (10 strokes – Stevens)…. The Offense.... Like their co-champion honoree, San Diego, Valparaiso will need to find a replacement for a nearly irreplaceable player, quarterback David Macchi, who became the Crusader’s all-time total offense and passing leader and shattered just about every record relating to quarterbacks – in just two seasons. Senior Joe Milazzo (5’ 11 195 lb. Sr. – Delafield, WI) earned the chance to be the starting quarterback following spring drills, but completed just 2 passes for 8 yards last season. Macchi was just one-half of a powerful passing attack. The receiving end of that tandem was led by senior wideout Rob Giancola (6’ 0 217 lb. Sr. – Whiting, IN), a second-team I-AA All-America selection, who returns after leading all receivers at all levels of NCAA football with 23 touchdown receptions in 2003. Joining Giancola to make up one of NCAA I-AA's most prolific wide receiver sets is Kevin Knutson, who led the Crusaders with 74 catches and amassed 1,139 yards and six touchdowns…. The Defense.... There are also some prominent holes for the Crusaders to fill defensively in 2004. The Valparaiso coaching staff will look for someone to fill the shoes of leading tackler and middle linebacker Lawrence Canada (49 ST, 63 AT, 9 TFL), as well as strong safety John Tsahas (50 ST, 40 AT, 1 INT), both of whom graduated. Senior Chris Daniels (5’ 11 201 lb. Sr. – Peoria, IL), a first-team I-AA Mid-Major All-America cornerback, returns after finishing as one of the nation's leaders with 6 interceptions. Junior free safety Brad Smeja (5’ 11 200 lb. Jr. – Oak Brook, IL) made the successful transition to defense after playing wide receiver as a freshman. Smeja finished the season with 52 solo and 51 assisted tackles along with a interception, 2 fumble recoveries, and 1 tackle for loss. Defensive end Bill Marshall (6’ 2 230 lb. Jr. – Warwick, NY) returns this season after posting 26 solo and 18 assisted tackles coupled with 5 sacks and 13 tackles last season…. History.... This will be the first ever meeting between the Crusaders and the Bison. Show Me the Keys.... * Okay... Pressure on the Crusaders quarterback will be the main key to a Bison victory over the Crusaders next Saturday in the Fargodome. The Valpo quarterback Joe Milazzo may be a senior in football eligibility but he’s a freshman between the hash marks on gameday. Milazzo has only attempted a few handfuls of passes over his previous four years in the Valpo football program. It’s time for defensive coordinator Jimmy Burrow, Jr. to turn up the heat and take Giancola and Knutson out of the game…. * Stauss must continue to hit the TE's over the middle.... He did a nice job at times last season hitting Wieser and DelaBarre for 10-20 yard gains down the middle… So don't forget about them Tony; after yourself and Kyle Steffes the tight ends (DelaBarre, Cooper, Arndt and Company) may be the most dangerous aspect of the Bison offense. * Time of possession: It wouldn't hurt NDSU's chances if they cranked up the running game against Valporaiso to keep the ball out of the hands of their high power receiving crew. Can we all say dah?… * Sacks, interceptions, fumbles... It's about time for another Bison defensive touchdown. A constant in ‘show me the keys’…. * The Bison defense must limit the Crusader’s big plays. The Valporaiso wide-out tandem of Giancola and Knutson caught passes in excess of 2,500 yards last season, so they are quite worthy of some extra attention from the Bison secondary…. * Score early! The Bison need to remind Valparaiso that there is a new sheriff in DI-AA fooball and it name is “North Dakota State Bison”…. * QB Tony Stauss needs to remain poised and focused. He is the one player that ‘has been there and done it’ in Division I…. Let’s take Tony for a ride…. Leadership will be a key to this season. * One word -- 'Consistency'.... from play to play; from game to game.... Bison are consistency on both offensive and defensive will make the Bison awfully tough to contain. Young players such as LB Joe Mays, FB Tyler Roehl, WR/P Mike Dragosavich, RB Cinque Chapman will play a major factor in the success of the Bison program this year… Jottings.... - The weight in the trenches: Offensive line: NDSU 301, Valparaiso 268 Defensive line: NDSU 268, Valparaiso 252 - Injuries this week: RB Cinque Chapman (knee - doubtful); DE Alex Kingsley (knee – doubtful); C Rob Hunt (ankle – probable); DT Rodney Thompson (knee - doubtful)…. - 2004 Bison Captains - Offense: QB Tony Stauss and C Rob Hunt... Defense: CB Matt Gorman and FS Jared Essler.... - RB Shamen Washington, 5' 7 - 150 lbs. - St. Petersburg, Florida, will not redshirt.... - Valpo WR Rob Giancola was named to Sports Network Preseason All-American Squad…. - Last season, Valporaiso, the defending Pioneer Football League Champion, posted a six-and-a-half game improvement from their 2002 campaign that culminated in a worst-to-first move…. - Roger Thomas is a weenie.... Most of you probably don't know who this is anymore. Let's see if I can trigger some memories? He is an athletic athletic director for a small time college in North Dakota.... - The Crusaders are a young squad, with 43 of 58 letterwinners returning and 18 starters – eight seniors, eight juniors and two sophomores…. - Valporaiso is ranked sixth in the Sports Network 2004 Preseason I-AA Mid-Major College Football Poll…. - Surprisingly, 2003 PFL Champion Valparaiso was picked fourth in the North Division in a preseason poll of the league’s coaches…. - Poll Watch: The Bison are unranked in the Don Hansen Weekly Gazette; the Sports Network Preseason Rankings put NDSU at #68; and the Sagarin Ratings put the Bison at #102 in the ranking of all Division I football programs…