Rachel Blount: Brewster's insults were all the spur Bison needed

It's been a year of learning experiences for Tim Brewster, which is perfectly understandable given his status as a first-year head coach. Some things, though, should be self-evident. For instance, don't refer to a No. 1-ranked opponent as "the little guys in green." And don't go into said opponent's back yard and imply its presence on your schedule doesn't help your recruiting.

North Dakotans are used to being overlooked and underestimated. They don't need any inflammatory words to fuel their righteous indignation, but the Gophers coach handed them a chip for each shoulder to carry into the Metrodome on Saturday. Truth is, North Dakota State required no bulletin-board material to finish the job it should have polished off last year.

Bison coach Craig Bohl fumed after last October's 10-9 loss at the Dome, saying his team "is not about moral victories."

He was holding out for the real thing.

After Bohl got it Saturday by beating the Gophers 27-21, he celebrated with North Dakota Governor John Hoeven, NDSU President Joe Chapman, athletic director Gene Taylor and a horde of guys in green who suddenly felt larger than life.

For those of you keeping score, the Bison now are 3-1 against the big boys of college football in the past two years, with victories over I-A opponents Ball State, Central Michigan and the woeful Gophers. They would have run the table save for the blocked field goal that ended last fall's loss at the Dome. Saturday, they showed Gophers fans what happens when savvy long-term planning meets preparation and confidence -- with a point to prove for good measure.

"This didn't happen by chance," said Bohl, who interviewed for the job Brewster got. "This was no fluke. This is the result of a predetermined plan started five years ago, thanks to our president and our athletic director and our administration.

"Any time you get a win over a Big Ten team, that's a statement. This is another step for us. People are starting to recognize we're a good football team."

While the Gophers' hype machine busied itself with Rose Bowl pipe dreams, Bohl and company quietly reinforced the idea that the Bison had a very good chance to win the rematch. A smart coach and perceptive motivator, Bohl used the underdog angle to a point, but he didn't allow his team to become too wrapped up in it.

He didn't need to. That five-year plan has been carefully cultivated every step of the way, paying off with this year's No. 1 ranking in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA). Bohl found West Fargo native Tyler Roehl and believed he had speed to go with his bulk; Saturday, Roehl busted through the Gophers like a plow through a prairie snowdrift, gaining a school-record 263 yards. The coach revamped the conditioning program and credited his players' stamina with enabling them to make critical plays in the fourth quarter.

He was especially proud of the Bison's ability to recover from mistakes. Two of their miscues -- a fumble and a roughing-the-passer penalty -- led to Gophers touchdowns. While Roehl and quarterback Steve Walker steadied the offense, the defense responded by shutting down the Gophers quickly and efficiently as the Bison allowed them only 8 minutes, 17 seconds of possession time in the second half.

"It wasn't perfect by any means," said Walker, whose team's 11-game winning streak is the longest in Division I. "It came down to toughness. We wanted to play hard, and we wanted to win."

A couple of weeks ago, just before the Bison's 58-7 pounding of Mississippi Valley State, an NDSU athletic fundraiser pulled in $32,000. How wide are those wallets going to open now, with a road victory over a Division I neighbor? And how wide will they have to open to keep Bohl, whose attractiveness as a coaching candidate already is causing concern in Fargo?

He got a bigger raise than scheduled after last year's 10-1 season and still makes one-fifth of Brewster's $1 million salary. Saturday wasn't about the Benjamins, though. It was all about the bliss of being ranked No. 1, going to 7-0, and seeing an estimated 20,000 visiting fans turn Gopher Nation into a minor land mass on Bison Planet.

Despite Brewster's feelings, Taylor already is chatting with Gophers athletic director Joel Maturi about another NDSU-Gophers game, possibly in 2010. Until then, the Gophers seem destined to remain in rebuilding purgatory. The little guys in green seem ready to take care of more unfinished business.

"We are craving national attention," Bohl said. "We're doing everything we can to keep showing people that in our division, we're the best in the country."

Rachel Blount • rblount@startribune.com