The Mike McFeely Mess

Former North Dakota State linebacker Esley Thorton joins podcast host Mike McFeely to visit about the Bison's national title game victory over Illinois State following the 2014 season.

Thorton made a key play near the end of the game to seal the victory, after missing a big play earlier.

The Bison won the game 29-27, coming back from a late deficit behind the arm of Carson Wentz and the receptions of R.J. Urzendowski.

Former North Dakota State quarterback Tony Stauss joins podcast host Mike McFeely to talk about the last time the Bison played in Grand Forks against UND. NDSU will play at UND this week for the first time since 2003.

The Bison lost a tough contest 18 years ago, 28-21 in overtime, but the game was wildly entertaining and Stauss brings us back to remember.

Former North Dakota State punter Ben LeCompte joins podcast host Mike McFeely to discuss a couple of Bison victories over Northern Iowa in 2015. The Panthers visit the Fargodome this weekend.

LeCompte played a major role in NDSU's playoff win over UNI in 2015, big enough that he was named the game's most valuable player by national and local media.

Former North Dakota State defensive end Kyle Emanuel joins podcast host Mike McFeely to recount the last time the Bison played Towson. NDSU plays at the Maryland school Saturday, Sept. 18.

The teams played in the FCS national title game after the 2013 season. Emanuel remembers how terrible the turf at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, was for the game; the awkward coaching change that took place on the Bison staff during that playoff run; and a key play he made during the 35-7 NDSU victory.

Former North Dakota State running back Kyle Steffes joins podcast host Mike McFeely to talk about the Bison's first-ever game in Division I. It was in 2004 against Valparaiso, the Indiana school that will play NDSU this weekend at the Fargodome.

Steffes had a big game against Valpo, as did the Bison. NDSU ushered in a wildly successful Division I era with a shutout victor in front of a capacity crowd.

(Editor's note: There is an unusual amount of background noise when Kyle is speaking because of operator error on the part of Mike. Hopefully it's not too distracting because Kyle has some great stuff to day.)

Ben Portnoy, who covers the South Carolina football program for The State newspaper in Columbia, S.C., joins podcast host Mike McFeely to discuss the wonderfully bizarre story that former North Dakota State quarterback Zeb Noland will be starting for the Gamecocks in their season opener Saturday.

Noland had apparently quit playing football when he left NDSU to be a graduate assistant coach at South Carolina, but "bizarre circumstances" led to him becoming the starter.

It's become a fun national story.

Former North Dakota State star running back Tony Satter joins Bison Glory Days podcast host Mike McFeely to talk about the 1987 and 1988 seasons, when NDSU followed an underachieving season (1987) with a perfect national championship season (1988).

The parallels are far from perfect because NDSU's 2020/21 was a marred spring season thrown together to salvage a year for FCS, but could Bison fans see a repeat of the old days this fall?

Satter also chats about his freshman season of 1987 from a personal standpoint, comments on NDSU's upcoming season, gives an opinion about the Bison moving up to FBS ... and a lot more.

Mit Winter, a Kansas City-based attorney specializing in sports law, joins podcast host Mike McFeely to analyze this week's monumental U.S. Supreme Court ruling that is sure to shake up the NCAA.

Winter says that in the long-term, the ruling means college athletes will likely start getting paid and that it could happen as soon as five years from now.

North Dakota scholar and author Clay Jenkinson joins podcast host Mike McFeely to discuss the state's attempt to shore up its coal industry with hundreds of millions of dollars of state money.

North Dakota lawmakers recently OK'd a $250 million loan to help augment carbon-capture technology, meant to save coal-mining jobs and perhaps position the state to be a world leader in the technology.

Minnesota fishing expert Tony Mariotti joins podcast host Mike McFeely to preview the weekend fishing scene.

The story in Minnesota (and elsewhere) is that water temperatures have shot up with the string of 90+ and even 100-degree days. How is that affecting the bite?