By - Joshua A. Swanson

Ain't nothing sexy about playing in cold weather and rain, but man alive, it's football weather, brother! North Dakota State brings its punishing grinder of a rushing attack to the plains of Western Illinois for a pivotal Missouri Valley Football Conference showdown against the Leathernecks. Your good buddy Swany is joined by Bison senior running back, play-maker, and All-American Bruce Anderson, to talk shop on the NDSU philosophy of grounding teams into the turf. 

The FCS Face the Nation round table of Swany, Nolan P. Schmidt, and Chase Miller give their cutting edge analysis of a make or break weekend in the FCS. Oh, the questions! Can James Madison, Weber State, and Montana rebound from unexpected losses to Elon, Northern Arizona, and Portland State? Will South Dakota State show it deserves the No. 2 national ranking against Bo Pelini's disgruntled Youngstown State Penguins. And does North Dakota notch a big one against the same Montana team looking for a big bounce back. Nothing comes easy in the FCS during these dogs days of the fall where seeds are made and playoff dreams crushed! Live the FCS dream, with Herd It Hear With Swany!

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By - Joshua A. Swanson

Another week, another Herculean matchup stares the Bison down from the Olympus they call the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls. The Bison and Panthers both look to continue their opening week Missouri Valley Football Conference success. The key for each team? Slaying a salty opposing defense. Swany is joined by NDSU senior strong safety and team captain Robbie Grimsley to recap the Dakota Marker victory and preview the dastardly cat-like foe prowling in the shadows of north Iowa cornfields. Grimsley says the veteran Bison know they have to play well to return with a win.

Swany goes Meet The Press & Face The Nation for a high-brow roundtable discussion with trusted talking heads  Nolan P. Schmidt and Chase Miller. The brain trust analyzes a Bison team that's starting to take shape as we dive deeper into Missouri Valley play. The guys talk about NDSU's passing attack, a rejuvenated punting game -- that's right, punting and field position will be crucial today -- and a running game looking to hit the ground running on the road. 

Take the advice of Ma & Pa Swany and start your BISON weekend with your good pal Swany right here, on Herd It Hear! 

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By - Joshua A. Swanson 

The Bison. The Jacks. The rivalry has taken a turn down intensity boulevard since the teams moved to Division I. North Dakota State has won six of the last seven national championships, and seven straight Missouri Valley Football Conference titles, while South Dakota State has been forced to watch the Bison success from down I-29. It's made for some slobberknocker, heavy weight bouts, and today will be no different as the teams battle for the Dakota Marker.

Dan Marlette, senior Bison linebacker from Sioux Falls, SD, joins the show to talk about how important it is to start conference play with a win, and what the Dakota Marker game means to the team. 

Swany, Nolan P. Schmidt, and Chase Miller have a round table discussion telling you the keys to the game for each team.

1. Easton Stick v. Taryn Christion, two of the best QBs in the FCS, go head to head.

2. What defensive front will be able to pressure the other team's QB. 

3. Turnovers, momentum swings, and big plays always loom larger in rivalry games. Which team can capitalize and the Big Mo.

Kick up your feet, crack a can of Joose, and get ready for the Game of the Week in FCS Football, the Battle for the Dakota Marker, on Herd it Hear with Swany!

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By - Joshua A. Swanson

It's power on power as North Dakota State faces Delaware, a former FCS power themselves looking to return to glory against the Kings of the FCS. Swany is joined by Bison linebacker Jabril Cox and NDSU defensive coordinator, Matt Entz, to talk about how the Herd plans to bag the Blue Hens. Speculation swirls in the autumn winds this Homecoming with rumors of ESPN's landmark show, College GameDay, making a return trip to Fargo next week for the Dakota Marker showdown between the Bison and Jacks. But first things first, the Bison have to get by their toughest challenge of the young season against an experienced opponent looking to make their own statement. 

Nolan P. Schmidt and Chase Miller stop by to preview headlines and the keys for a Bison win. 

Start your Homecoming Saturday the way the other cool kids do, with Herd It Hear With Swany. The podcast is free, but the hot ham and cheese sandwiches are extra!

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By - Joshua A. Swanson

The glory will rain precipitously from the heavens for North Dakota State in today's nonconference showdown with upstart North Alabama. Swany is joined by Bison defensive tackles coach Nick Goeser, who details how critical it will be for the defensive front to contain the Lions dual threat quarterback, Christian Lopez. Luke Bacon, the senior starting guard for the Herd, is fresh off his bye-week hauling bails and working on the family farm back in Granville, North Dakota. Bacon explains how important it is for the rams to communicate before, during, and after each play. The show rounds out with Nolan Schmidt, the editor of  Bison Illustrated , previewing the keys to the matchup , and Chase Miller and Swany taking a lap around the FCS and making their game predictions. It's all here, this week, on Herd it Hear with Swany! 

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By - Joshua A. Swanson

North Alabama is in its first year of Division I football. So far, the going’s been good. The Lions upset defending Big Sky co-champion Southern Utah 34 – 30 in the season opener, and hung on for another win last weekend against rival Alabama A&M, 25 – 20. The Lions are not lacking in confidence in anticipation of their trip to the Fargodome this weekend. For what it’s worth, the Bison are 36.5 point favorites after their bye week.

UNA is led by junior JUCO transfer quarterback Christian Lopez. The 6’1”, 200 pound Lopez is a dual threat QB that exploded in the season opener against the Thunderbirds for 350 yards passing, 3 passing TDs, while adding another 105 yards on the ground to go along with a rushing TD. At his Monday press conference, North Dakota State head coach Chris Klieman noted that SUU had trouble lining up on defense and accounting for Lopez, who was making his first start for the Lions. Taking nothing away from the Lions win, SUU may have been surprised by the up-tempo nature of UNA’s offense having not seen Lopez on film in their system. The Bison can sympathize with SUU in that regard. The Herd faced a similar challenge in the 2015 season opener at Montana where the Grizzlies had a new head coach and offensive scheme, beating the Herd in Missoula. The playoffs, though, were another story. NDSU “adjusted” to the new look Griz and blew their doors off 37 – 6.

Swany’s Notes from Coach Klieman’s presser:

• 1.Christian Watson, the redshirt freshman wide receiver from Tampa, Fla., wearing the No. 1 jersey, will likely make his Bison debut. After sitting out the opener with an injury, Klieman said Watson practiced last week. Watson is 6’3”, 193 pounds, and was on NDSU’s two-deep depth chart this week along with Desmond Cain.
• 2.The Bison spent a lot of time during the bye-week practices following the Cal Poly game working on their passing game, and doing a lot of 7-on-7 drills. It’s not because the Bison are concerned with the passing numbers in the opener. It’s because the Bison didn’t need to pass the ball against the Mustangs as they rushed for 458 yards, notched 7 rushing TDs, and averaged 10.2 yards per carry. Coach noted that whether the Bison go to the passing attack this week will be dictated by the flow of the game, but I expect some shots in the play-action passing game from Easton Stick driving the ball downfield.

• 3.On Lions QB Lopez, Coach described him as a dual threat guy that can beat you with his legs and arm. Lopez extended a lot of plays with his legs against SUU and when pressure came, was “elusive,” and has “moxy,” according to Coach.

• 4.The biggest series of the Cal Poly game was the second half defensive stand by the NDSU reserves after the Herd turned the ball over deep in their own territory. Coach praised the effort of defensive ends Spencer Waege, a redshirt freshman from South Shore, S.D., and Logan McCormick, from Appleton, Wisc. Even with an already deep defensive front, Coach said the Bison need to find a way to get those guys on the field they’re that good. Talk about champagne problems. All kidding aside, NDSU’s depth on the defensive, and offensive, fronts will be a big advantage against the Lions and other opponents during the weekly grind that is the Missouri Valley Football Conference.

• 5.Coach was excited for former Bison linebacker Chris Board, who, as an undrafted free agent, made the Baltimore Ravens 53-man regular season roster. The Ravens special teams coordinator/associate head coach, Jerry Rosburg, is a North Dakota State graduate and was an All-American for the Bison. Board had a tackle in the Ravens opening game win against Buffalo. Coach explained that it was Board’s body of work on special teams during his time with NDSU that helped him make the Ravens after a strong senior season at linebacker. Klieman said Board played his best football during last season’s FCS playoffs, where he made three or four critical plays in the championship game against James Madison that were the difference against the Dukes. Go back and watch JMU’s final offensive drive and NDSU’s defensive stand in the shadow of the end zone. Board knifed through blockers on a first down run to drop the Dukes running back for a loss, and on second down, blew up a swing pass to drop the JMU runner at the line of scrimmage.

Tune in this Saturday morning from 8:00 – 9:00 for Herd it Hear with Swany on 740AM The Fan and 107.3fm to kick-start your Bison Game Day!  You can check out last Saturday's show here ! Follow me on  Twitter @swany8 , and let me know what you think of NDSU’s match-up against UNA.

As always, remember, the Strength of the Herd is the Bison, and the Strength of the Bison, is the Herd!  

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By - Joshua A. Swanson

I got those bye-week blues! Those no good, ain't no Bison game on today, don't know what I'm gonna do blues ... 

I hear you. A bye in Week 2 is as natural as a two-dollar bill or six legged elephant. No fear, friends. I've got you covered. We still had a show, and it's the perfect elixir to get you through the only Saturday between now and early January without Bison football (not counting a bye in the first round of the playoffs around Thanksgiving). Okay, maybe we're getting a bit ahead of ourselves, but you know what I mean.

On this week's show, I had a chance to visit with NDSU offensive line coach Conor Riley. His group, the "rams," paved the way for 458 rushing yards in a 49-3 route of Cal Poly. The "machines," a/k/a, our running backs, toted the rock for an average 10.2 yards per carry and scored 7 touchdowns! We asked Coach Riley about the offensive line, the depth at the group, and what the coaches are looking for headed into next week's game against North Alabama. 

Nolan P. Schmidt, the editor-in-chief of Bison Illustrated, stopped by for his weekly cup of coffee and to relive a tough week in the Missouri Valley with Northern Iowa and Western Illinois both falling in Montana last week, and a HUGE game tonight in Brookings as the Jacks square off against Montana State. Chase Miller talks about NDSU's next opponent, North Alabama, and their dual threat QB, Christian Lopez, who had 456 total yards and 4 TDs in an upset win against defending Big Sky champ Southern Utah in Week 1.  

Wash away those bye-week blues with a tall glass of Herd it Hear with Swany, and check out my  Bison Illustrated Podcast with Nolan for more great content! 

And, as always, remember, the  Strength of the Herd is the Bison, and the Strength of the Bison is the Herd ! 

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By - Joshua A. Swanson

Last week, I announced the formation of the  SWAN-COMM , a highly selective "intelligence" organization patterned on JFK's EX-COMM. The purpose of the group is to offer me key insights on what fans, a/k/a, BisoNation, are talking about with regards to the Herd.  To borrow a line from the current POTUS, only "the best" find spots on the SWAN-COMM. They delivered in their Week 1 insight. 

You can join the SWAN-COMM and chime in with your thoughts by hitting me on Twitter @swany8 or texting 35270 during the show on Saturday mornings from 8:00-9:00a. Earlier today, I joined Dan Michaels and Doug Leier on KFGO to give my recap of NDSU's Week 1 performance.  You can listen here . 

For Week 2, I asked the SWAN-COMM the following question: what impressed you most from North Dakota State's 49-3 demolition of Cal Poly at the Fargodome. Seven of them answered: 

1. The Music Man: "Dan Marlette was all over the field. Good size, good speed, sure tackler, and able to diagnose plays quickly." 

2. Mr. Tailgating: "I thought it was a great overall team performance, was a little concerned going into it about some of the rookies and sophomores getting out over their skis a bit. But I think the veterans and returning starters really helped them out and made it a great first tailgate. The football team played a very complete game as well." 

3. Tecmo Legend: "Agreed on the running game. We could run at will and just chew up huge chunks every time we wanted." 

4. The Rookie: "Offensive line and running game looked like they were playing game seven, gelled and dominated, might be the best rushing attack in school history." 

5. Old Ball Coach: "The defensive line ate up blocks and made plays. North Dakota native Stanley Jones probably played his best game as a Bison and they are full of playmakers at tackle and end." 

6. Bismarck Bison: "Offensive line was ridiculously strong. I thought Stick made some nice throws, too. We need someone to step-up and make those RJ [Urzendowski]-type catches across the middle and deep outs. ... I felt like we didn't really want to put any of our real good plays on film, a lot of bread and butter stuff." 

7. Stripes: "Offensive line. Bruce and Lance having days wasn't by accident." 

As you can obviously see, I've assembled an excellent SWAN-COMM. You can join the committee and let me know what you think on Twitter @swany8, or text 35270 this Saturday morning from 8:00-9:00a. I'm interested in what you thought of NDSU's performance against Cal Poly. You can comment here, or let me know on Twitter @swany8. 

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Everybody up for the kickoff, the march is on! Herd it Hear with Swany comes strong out of the gates talking North Dakota State Football, the expectations for this team, and what you can expect to see at the Fargodome today from the Herd! 

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Swany joined  Joel Heitkamp on News & Views this morning to discuss the debut of his show, Herd It Hear with Swany, on 740AM and 107.3 fm this Saturday morning from 8:00-9:00a. The guys talk about Friday Night Lights, Saturday tailgating and the pageantry of college football, and North Dakota State's dynasty. The march is on! 

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