Carson Wentz under center against Montana in 2014
Football

Walker’s Word – Attaining Excellence

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Vince Lombardi famously said, “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.”

This quote is applicable to many members of the 2015 Bison Football team, but possibly no one more than senior quarterback Carson Wentz.

 

Wentz came into an extremely difficult situation last season. The then the junior, and the rest of the Bison chased perfection and caught excellence by making it four championships in a row in Frisco, Texas. How do you follow that up as a first-year starter?

One of the great things about Bison football is that the team comes before everything, no matter who you ask. Hence, Bison Pride. The only statistic that matters is wins and losses. But, being that this is a magazine article getting us fans ready for another great season of Bison football, let’s have some fun and talk a little bit about the preseason hype that is surrounding Bismarck native, Mr. Wentz.

The list of honors and accolades goes on and on for Wentz, and he definitely has the measurables that NFL scouts are looking for to go along with his physical abilities on the football field. When you get mentioned in the spotlight of ESPN’s Mel Kiper, it is easy to see that football in Fargo continues to take giant strides forward.

Wentz is a clear leader for the Thundering Herd, being elected captain by his teammates as a junior and senior and displaying that leadership day in and day out both on the field and off. I would have to imagine that all the accolades and praise are great in Wentz’s mind, but having the respect and trust of his teammates is probably the biggest compliment he’s received.[/text_output]

[image type=”none” float=”none” link=”true” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” src=”3816″ alt=”Quarterback Carson Wentz North Dakota State University Bison football team”]

[text_output]One of the big questions on Bison Nation’s mind is: How can Wentz improve from last year?

It is not easy to set records and win a national championship one year and then duplicate it the next …let alone improve on it. One thing that is easy to see, as an avid Bison fan, is that Wentz is preparing himself to get better for this coming year and will take it day by day. He is not a guy that is going to get flustered, but rather takes things as they come.

Wentz is a student of the game, and will have a lot of flexibility at the line of scrimmage since he has an uncanny ability to understand what the defense is doing. His preparation and experience has composed him to take this responsibility and run with it.

Opening the season with Montana is no easy task, but it will set the tone for the entire year. Follow that up with big time games against Northern Iowa, the Dakota Marker game against South Dakota State, and the rest of the daunting schedule that the Bison face each week in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, there will be plenty of chances for Wentz and the rest of the Bison to answer the bell.

Having an experienced wide receiver in Zach Vraa coming back for a sixth year will definitely help Wentz and the entire offense be explosive. Then having sophomore RJ Urzendowski playing opposite of Vraa will bring nightmares for defenses in the passing game.

Like Lombardi said, the 2015 Bison will chase perfection, and No. 11 Wentz will help the entire team catch excellence.

Take a minute to reflect and be thankful to have not only a great player to watch at quarterback, but an entire program filled with guys that deserve as much recognition for playing as a team as any school in the nation.[/text_output]

Walker’s Word – Attaining Excellence
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