FRISCO, Texas -- Forget about the records, winning streaks, victories over the big boys, TV show visits, all that stuff. The most amazing accomplishment of the past four years for North Dakota State's football team might have happened Saturday in chilly north Texas.
They came back from the dead.
Somebody being resurrected hasn't happened since well, you know.
And if you think the Bison have been blessed by some entity with a greater power than is possessed on this Earth, well, who can blame you?
Bison Nation is, after all, a nation of true believers.
When Tre Roberson gashed the middle of the Bison's floundering defense for an electric 58-yard touchdown run with 1:38 left in the fourth quarter Saturday at NDSU's home-away-from-home, Toyota Stadium, you had to believe had to the magical run that began at the beginning of the 2011 season was about end with a disappointing final chapter.
The score gave Illinois State a 27-23 lead and looked like it was going to give the dynamic Roberson, a quarterback unlike any the Bison have seen this or any other recent season, the player-of-the-game accolades.
There was only a 1:38 left.
Dead.
Right?
"With our guys, you never saw any doubt in their mind. You never saw any panic in their eyes," Bison first-year coach Chris Klieman said. "We've obviously been in this situation before, even in the playoffs, and our guys just know it's our time. When you have the success that we've had over the past four years, guys just know how to win."
And how.
Carson Wentz, RJ Urzendowski and Esley Thorton etched their names into Bison football history forever, maybe longer, by rallying NDSU in perhaps the most unforgettable 98 seconds in the program's 100-plus years.
Wentz, the quarterback, coolly led the Bison 78 yards in 1:01 to score the game-winning touchdown on a 5-yard burst into the end zone that set off a roar from the 17,000 true believers in attendance that could be heard in Fargo.
Leading up to that, Wentz hit the true freshman Urzendowski for passes of 32, 13 and 33 yards on the drive. The 33-yarder was a wobbly, under thrown toss the quarterback himself described as "terrible," but he was saved when Urzendowski battled with (pushed off?) ISU's DraShane Glass and came down with the catch.
After Wentz's TD, Thorton intercepted a Roberson pass over the middle with 8 seconds left to set off another title celebration.
From dead to partying again. Just like that.
"It just says a lot about the program," Urzendowski said. "Again, I think coming into the season everyone looked at us like our backs were against the wall, and I think we really proved to people that this is a special program. Not just for these few years, but for years to come, and to lose what we did and reload how we did and to show people that were competing at the highest level is huge for the program."
Indeed, you could make the argument many people believed (or hoped) NDSU was dead after last season. How could it overcome the loss of 24 seniors and its popular head coach and much of his staff?
There's no way the Bison could win another title, right?
"Before the season, if we would've said we were going to win our fourth national championship after losing 24 seniors, I think people would have laughed at us," Thorton said. "But that says something about our group of guys. Not just seniors, but all the way down."
From dead to partying.
The Bison are the first FCS team to win consecutive national titles. They've gone 58-3 over the past four seasons. They've defeated four FBS ... oh, you know it all.
And it was capped by a wild, woolly affair that ended with a remarkable touchdown drive in the final minute.
You couldn't script it. No way.
Wentz, by the way, was awarded player of the game.
"It's an amazing accomplishment," said senior linebacker Carlton Littlejohn. "You never dream of coming to college and winning four straight national championships, only losing three games. That's something you only dream about, something that happens in video games or something like that."
There's one difference. People die in video games.
This team doesn't.
(Mike McFeely is a talk-show host on 790 KFGO. He can be heard from 2-5 p.m. weekdays. Follow him on Twitter @MikeMcFeelyKFGO.)