McFeely: Calm and cool Cam Miller gets animated as he cements Bison legacy – InForum

FARGO — Cam Miller knelt to mark the final seconds of game time, and while most of his teammates sprinted down the field from the North Dakota State sideline to the student section to celebrate, the Bison quarterback ran all the way to the 15-yard line at the south end of the Fargodome and yelled at the fans behind the end zone.

NDSU had defeated arch-rival South Dakota State to earn an 11th trip back to Frisco, Texas. Emotional first-year head coach Tim Polasek broke down in tears. The Bison fans were beside themselves, waiting for the Football Championship Subdivision anthem – “If You’re Gonna Play in Texas” – to blast over the stadium speakers.

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The Bison won 28-21 in another thriller, another playoff semifinal ever, proving that every time you think NDSU’s dome magic can’t possibly top what has already been accomplished, it is surpassed. The end not only of SDSU’s season, but also of the careers of a group of Jackrabbits seniors who defeated the Bison five straight times while also erasing their miniature two-year run atop the FCS? Oh, that’s juicy.

And there was Miller, the quarterback who had played in the shadow of SDSU’s Mark Gronowski and taken way too much heat for it, celebrating in his own way before giving an interview on ABC. Pretty.

What he said will live for eternity. And will likely hang on the locker room wall at SDSU in Brookings.

“I can say it now. I hate them. I hate the Jackrabbits,” Miller told a national television audience.

There was likely some pent-up frustration that Miller was able to take out and the fresh memory of a high, late goal delivered by former high school teammate Adam Bock on the sideline in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game. Add to that a leg twist that same SDSU senior linebacker gave Miller in NDSU’s 13-9 win in October, and Cam was feeling a little lively.

“It was really personal, especially at the end. I thought there was a respect between both teams, but it didn’t show, and that’s very disappointing,” Miller said. “I don’t have many words to say about her. I’m just so happy for the guys in our locker room, and you can be sure that I’ll be at the game next year when we play these guys and I’ll be loud.

By the way, Bock’s late score was a huge penalty after Miller ripped off a 25-yard run. That put the Bison at the SDSU 35. Seven plays later, Bryce Lance’s one-handed grab of Miller’s pass in the right corner of the end zone gave the Bison a 28-21 lead, which the defense secured a few minutes later with a fourth-down sack of Gronowski.

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Another game-winning drive in the fourth quarter against the Jackrabbits. Another perfect pass for a touchdown when it counted most.

The bison are on their way to Frisco and the jackrabbits are not.

Miller’s legacy as one of NDSU’s all-time great quarterbacks is assured.

It seems strange to have to say that considering what he has accomplished in his five-year career. He won a national championship in 2021. He brought the Bison back to Frisco in 2022. He led them to the semi-finals in 2023. He ranks fourth on the all-time list of wins by an FCS quarterback, only three wins by all-time greats in NDSU’s Easton Stick, Gronowski and NDSU’s Brock Jensen.

And earlier this year, he finally beat SDSU with that late touchdown drive for the ages.

But for some reason, it’s only now time to put him on the mound with the other Bison greats of the Division I era. Stick, Carson Wentz, Brock Jensen, Trey Lance.

And Cam Miller.

“I don’t think we have to hide from it anymore,” said Polasek. “I think Cam needed that for his legacy to be up there.

David Samson/The Forum

“Cam has put himself in a position to play well, and that should make him one of the three best college quarterbacks to ever play here,” Polasek continued. “And that says a lot. Cam played a lot of good football here.”

The Bison coaches gave Miller perhaps the ultimate compliment by putting him on the field in the biggest playoff game in this area in years. Like Stick and Lance before him, Miller earned a reputation as NDSU’s top threat. His 15 carries for 93 yards was his performance of the year. He was 13 of 19 for 179 yards and three touchdowns.

He was the best quarterback on the field in the SDSU game. For the second time this season.

“Cam Miller is an exceptional player,” said SDSU head coach Jimmy Rogers. “He deserves the Walter Payton Award. He is currently the best player in the FCS.”

It took us a while to get to this point. Miller was unfairly thrust into the starting lineup as a true freshman in the 2021 spring season. During the fall 2021 season, he lost an overly public battle for the starting job to Quincy Patterson before taking over midway through the schedule and leading the Bison to a national championship.

A 1-12 game against Incarnate Word in the 2022 semifinals, followed by a big loss in Frisco to SDSU, fueled the narrative that he hadn’t played his best in big games. And of course the five straight losses to the Gronowski and Jackrabbits before this season.

There were questions about Miller’s place in Bison history.

David Samson/The Forum

No longer. No matter the outcome in Frisco in two weeks, his face will fit with Jensen, Wentz, Stick and Lance on the Mount Rushmore of Bison quarterbacks.

“I don’t have time for that. And honestly, I think I’m humble enough to really put these guys before myself,” Miller said. “Those are guys that I go after every day through my efforts and my work, I try to go after those guys and what they did. I never want to compare myself to any of them. I have a lot of respect for them people, and they are a big part of why this program is what it is today.”

You are too, Cam. You too.

And your quote to ABC could make you No. 1 in the hearts of Bison fans.