MINOT — The activists pushing for President Joe Biden to sign, in the closing days of his administration, a sweeping executive order creating a new national monument out of roughly 140,000 acres of western North Dakota tell us their initiative

is led by our state’s tribes.

They also talk a lot about the importance of tribal sovereignty.

Let’s explore this.

I’m not sure all of the tribes knew they were leading this project. That’s certainly not the impression I got after a discussion with Chairman Mark Fox of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation. “When the entities came before to request support for a national monument, we just thought that would be nice without considering any possible impacts in terms of policy,”

he told me.

“We’re going to reconsider,” he added.

Fox stressed that he and his fellow tribal leaders aren’t necessarily against the national monument concept. He expressed enthusiasm for the new opportunities for preservation and tourism. Fox is concerned about the possibility that the monument could inhibit land use in the area — specifically, energy development, which is of vital importance to the MHA Nation.

“Depending on how large the designation is, it could impact some of our drilling. That’s where we lack clarity,” Fox told me. “We really didn’t have any of that information.”

That’s not a great look for a coalition that has marketed this proposal as a tribal initiative.

What’s also unseemly are aspersions cast at Fox because of his diligence. State Rep. Lisa Finley-DeVille, a Democrat from Mandaree, a member of the MHA Nation, and a spokesperson for the national monument campaign,

told reporter Jeff Beach

“that misinformation is undermining the monument effort, including among tribal leaders.”

“They need to read the proposal,” Finley-DeVille said. “We’re not trying to take anybody’s rights away. We’re not trying to stop oil and gas.”

That’s a tough claim to swallow when your coalition includes the Sierra Club, an organization committed to stopping oil and gas production, but the jab at Fox is what’s notable.

Finley-DeVille often talks about the importance of tribal sovereignty, and I agree with the sentiment, but I’d note that sovereignty is a two-way street. If you only respect tribal sovereignty when tribal leaders take positions you agree with, you’re not respecting tribal sovereignty.

I don’t think Chairman Fox is misinformed. I think his concerns are valid.

“Some entities have used this national monument declaration to stop drilling and stop energy production,” he said, and he’s right. The Biden administration has used these declarations to block or inhibit development around Spirit Mountain, in Nevada, and Bear Ears National Monument in Utah. “We don’t want it stopped at all either for ourselves or the state,” Fox told me.

Finley-Deville says Fox has been misled, but who has been misleading him? Finley-Deville is pursuing a new land declaration of the sort that has been used to block energy development elsewhere while working side-by-side with a deep-pocketed national organization that sees blocking oil and gas development as its mission but expects us to believe that she and her partners are “not trying to stop oil and gas.”

Fox is skeptical. Can we blame him?

Kansas State added another defensive player to their roster Friday.

Former Ohio State LB Gabe Powers signed with the Wildcats. Powers was anticipated to be a solid contributor to the Buckeyes’ defense but hasn’t had much playing time. He logged five tackles and a pick-six last season.

KANSAS STATE’S CHRIS KLIEMAN RAVES ABOUT DYLAN EDWARDS’ POTENTIAL AS PREMIERE RUNNING BACK

Kansas State star DJ Giddens will forego his senior season after declaring for the 2025 NFL Draft.

Is it time for Dylan Edwards to take over the position? Wildcats coach Chris Klieman believes so. When asked about what Edwards can do as a premiere back, Klieman raved about the diversity he brings to the position.

“He’s so versatile,” Klieman said. “He can line up as a single back by himself. He can line up in a two-back set, flex out and be a receiver, or take jet sweeps. He can run really good routes. That’s what’s important for us.”

Edwards had 56 carries for 350 yards and three touchdowns last season, along with 17 receptions for 156 yards and a receiving touchdown. He transferred from Colorado after totaling over 600 total yards and five touchdowns his freshman year.

Edwards has big shoes to fill as Giddens exits as one of the top rushers in school history. Nevertheless, Klieman is excited for him and Joe Jackson to get acclimated and start producing as the likely running back duo next year. Klieman says this begins with the Rate Bowl against Rutgers.

“I’m excited for those guys,” Klieman said. “It’s their chance to get established. We know a lot of the things that Dylan can do and we’re excited to be able to showcase a lot of those things for him. And then with Joe, we’ve seen some really good glimpses of him in the early part of the season.”

Jayden Armant is a graduate of the Howard University School of Communications and a contributor to Kansas State Wildcats on SI. He can be reached at jaydenshome14@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.

FARGO, North Dakota – The second-seeded North Dakota State Bison will battle the third-seeded South Dakota State Jackrabbits today – Saturday, Dec. 21– at the Fargo Dome in Fargo, North Dakota. This game is available on multiple streaming services for free.

This game will broadcast live on ABC at 12 p.m. Eastern. (11 a.m. Central). Fans without cable can catch the game at no cost via FuboTV or DirecTV Stream, which both offer free trials. Another option is SlingTV, which has promotional offers for new customers.

This game will also stream on ESPN Plus. You can get a subscription to ESPN Plus for $11.99 per month. Another option is to sign up for an annual subscription for $119.99, which saves about 17% off compared to the monthly route.

Watch North Dakota State vs. South Dakota State on FuboTV for free

Watch North Dakota State vs. South Dakota State for free on DirecTV Stream

Who is announcing North Dakota State vs. South Dakota State?

Roy Philpott (play-by-play) and Sam Acho (analyst) will be the announcers while Taylor Davis reports from the sidelines.

What are the latest odds for North Dakota State vs. South Dakota State?

Spread: NDSU: (+3.5), SDSU: (-3.5)

Moneyline: NDSU: (+136), SDSU: (-162)

Point total: 48.5

Odds from DraftKings

Here’s more information on how to watch this game on TV and streaming services.

What: College football FBS national semifinal: North Dakota State vs. South Dakota State

When: Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024

Time: 12 p.m. Eastern (11 a.m. Central)

Where: Fargo Dome | Fargo, North Dakota

Channel: ABC

Best streaming options: FuboTV (free trial and $30 off first month), DirecTV Stream (free trial), Sling TV (half off first month and ESPN Plus

Cable Channel Finder: AT&T U-Verse, Comcast Xfinity, Spectrum/Charter, Optimum/Altice, Cox, DIRECTV, Dish, Verizon Fios

Here is more information on North Dakota State’s performance in the quarterfinals from the AP:

FARGO, N.D. (AP) — Cam Miller threw three touchdown passes, ran for another and second-seeded North Dakota State blew past a 14-point deficit to beat 15th-seeded Abilene Christian 51-31 on Saturday in the second round of the FCS playoffs.

The Bison (11-2), in the FCS playoffs for a 15th straight season and winner of nine FCS titles, will host seventh-seeded Mercer in the quarterfinals.

Abilene Christian (9-5) took a 17-3 lead on a 13-yard TD pass from Maverick McIvor to J.J. Henry, a 90-yard run by Sam Hicks and a Ritse Vaes 29-yard field goal early in the second quarter.

The Bison then took over, starting with Jackson Williams’ 100-yard kickoff return to start a run of 31 consecutive points, 17 coming in the second quarter for a 20-17 halftime lead.

The scoring streak ended when Nehemiah Martinez’s 53-yard return helped set up Hicks’ 3-yard score to get the Wildcats within 34-24. But the Bison matched that TD on their ensuing drive on Miller’s 36-yard connection with Bryce Lance to cap their 21-point third quarter.

Again, the Wildcats got within 10 early in the fourth quarter on Rovaughn Banks Jr.’s 2-yard TD run. But NDSU’s Marcus Gulley returned an interception 37 yards to the ACU 9 and the Crosa kicked a field goal and Logan Kopp followed with a 31-yard pick-6.

Miller was 20 of 29 for 274 yards passing.

McIvor threw for 153 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Hicks ran for 153 yards on 16 carries.

ACU, champion of the United Athletic Conference, was in its first FCS playoffs since joining the classification in 2013, and beat Northern Arizona in its first-round game.

Crosa has made his 262nd career PAT to pass NDSU’s Cam Pederson (2015-18) and set an FCS record.