True Studs Of Bison Football     Kudos… Hats off… Let’s all give a big hurrah for the Bison male cheerleaders this past weekend. Did ya’ see it? These guys actually attempted to do push-ups for the total points scored by the Bison after each score. Now if Thundar and the rest of the cheerleading crew would leave them alone and not save their behind so we could see these gentlemen finish their 56 push-ups. Although, next I want to see the gals stand on their backs while cranking out 50 plus push-ups (just kidding)…. Good effort men.     Now a lot of you may ask, “What’s with Rich and these cheerleaders?” To tell you the truth it’s more than just a fetish, the cheerleaders are an important part of the Bison football experience…. Just like the band, the public address announcer, Bison fans, Fargodome video screens, pre-game tailgating, Thundar and, of course, the Bison football team. I know I’m not the only one who gets chills up and down my spine when looking up at the video boards prior to the game and seeing the Bison crash through their locker room doors.     So what would I change about the Bison football experience? I feel a story coming on…. The night prior to the Bison playing their first 2004 home game against Valporaiso; JD, Jeff, and I attended the Vikings exhibition game versus San Francisco. The Vikings are announced and there some fireworks action, but nothing overwhelming where I’d turn to my buddies next to me and yell, “That was frickin’ cool!” Then the next night, the Bison through a pre-game party with fireworks, the Gold Star Marching Band, spotlights, loud music, a video board presentation of the Bison players emerging out of the locker room, and more. I know JD, Jeff and I each had the same thought…. “Now this is how it’s supposed to be done.” So what would I change to make Bison football the total experience? I’ll be the first one to tell you that the Gold Star Marching Band is the cat’s meow? But the halftime break needs a kick in the pants…. The essential function of the halftime festivities is to carry first half energy and excitement over into the second half. This fan energy and excitement will become very important as the Bison play better competition in latter half of this season and in football seasons of the future. I propose… Getting rid of that God forsaken football toss into the hot tub…. Fans probably have a better chance of winning the Powerball. But games of chance are good if a Bison fan (especially kids) truly has a chance of winning something. Punt, pass and kick or a 30 yard field goal or rolling a tire through an obstacle course or….. And what ever happened to the Mini-blimp? Don’t fire the free T-shirts all in one section…. spread it out over several sections to keep the younger people involved in the activities. I think it’s a nice benefit for people (such as myself) who sit in the Team Makers and student sections to get all the free stuff, but what about the General Admissions sections on the north and south ends of the Fargodome? These are the fans NDSU needs to convince to come back to Bison football games. It’s definitely not the fans with a Team Makers membership. The NDSU athletic department needs to find a way to keep these so-so Bison fans coming back. And one last thing, put highlights of ‘plays of the past’ on the video boards…. I know it would keep me pumped up to see highlights of Bison greats such as Jeff Bentrim, Tony Satter, Chris Simdorn, Lamar Gordon, Chad Stark, etc….     For the second straight week, a Great West Conference team travels to meet a NCAA Division I-AA Top 10 opponent as the Cal Poly Mustangs travel to Bozeman, Montana to face # 8 Montana State Bobcats…. Last week, Northern Colorado was shutout 38-0 by #10 Maine Black Bears. Will this week’s result hold true or will the Mustangs beat their Big Sky Conference foe and blast their way into the BI Top 20? The ‘great god of football’ says this one will be a defense battle with both offenses struggling to find their respective rhythm. The intangibles are on the side of the Bobcats; home field advantage, the swagger and size… Will these intangible be enough? This week they will…. Montana State 24, Cal Poly 13.     The cream of the Division II crop, Carson-Newman, visits the Fargodome this Saturday to do battle with the mighty Bison. This game reeks of an upset. The Eagles coming to town with something to prove, while the Bison spirits are sky high after a slaughtering of Montana Tech 56-3. But hopefully NDSU learned something in the first quarter last week against the Orediggers… The NDSU football team can’t simply show up and beat a lower division opponent! Until the Bison are awarded a membership card into the top echelon of Division I-AA football, they best be watching their back. A victory over the Eagles will go along way into leaving the present world of Division II football behind…. So what’s the key; the Bison linebackers Kole Zimmerman and Joe Mays versus Eagles quarterback Shane Kelley. The winner of this battle, most likely will propel their team to victory. It’s time for the Bison D to shine again…. And chances are they will do just that…. North Dakota State 37, Carson-Newman 18.