Photo courtesy of Michael Vosburg/The Forum North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance escapes a tackle during their Sept. 15, 2018 game against the University of North Alabama.

MARSHALL – Impact over hype.

Those three words are part of the Twitter bio for former Marshall quarterback Trey Lance.

Lance probably won’t need much time to make an impact on today’s season opener for North Dakota State University against Butler University.

The game will be played at Target Field in Minneapolis, with kickoff scheduled for 3 p.m.

Lance was named the starting quarterback for the Bison on Aug. 19. For NDSU football coach Matt Entz, the decision came down to leadership, efficiency and one other more personal aspect for the first-year coach.

“Going back and putting on my defensive coordinator hat, who would cause me the most problems as a quarterback if I were to prepare to have to defend the Bison,” Entz said after naming Lance the starter. “At the end of the day, I thought Trey had an outstanding fall camp and has continued to improve every day.”

When he takes the field today, Lance will be the seventh starting quarterback for NDSU since moving to Division I. Five of the six previous signal-callers won their first start.

In the days since the decision was made, Entz sees Lance putting less pressure on himself in practice.

“He’s making good decisions at practice and just cutting it loose,” Entz said on Monday. “Before, I think he was trying to make everything perfect, just like a potential starting quarterback should. He was trying to be precise in everything he did. But sometimes it’s okay to just tuck it and get down and take off.”

When Lance steps on the field for the first play today, it won’t be a completely new experience for the 6-foot-3, 221-pound quarterback.

Thanks to the NCAA’s new redshirt rule that allows a player to play in up to four football games and retain his redshirt status, the redshirt freshman Lance has already made an impact on the field for the Bison.

Lance made two appearances in 2018, facing the University of North Alabama on Sep. 15, 2018, before playing against the University of South Dakota on Oct. 27, 2018.

On the sixth play of his career, Lance ran for a 44-yard touchdown against UNA, sprinting by six would-be tacklers in the process.

Though Lance was quick to deflect praise for the play after the game, teammates were complimentary of the performance.

“It was fun seeing him run around. We don’t do a lot of live stuff (in practice), so it’s kind of everybody’s first time seeing him run around,” quarterback Easton Stick said following the game. “Trey was able to change the protection and get us into something good and just made a play, so it was impressive to watch.”

Lance would add a second rushing touchdown in his second career game against USD. In two games played in 2018, he was 1 for 1 with 12 yards passing, along with eight carries for 82 yards and two scores on the ground.

Those game and practice experiences last year allowed him to enter the 2019 season with a greater comfort level.

“I think just being able to practice with the (first-team offense) helped me more than anything,” Lance told Bison 1660 on Aug. 20. “The game reps were really cool, but I think the practices were the biggest thing. Fall camp and towards the end of spring ball getting a chance to practice against our defense, I feel really good about having those guys on our sideline.”

Made in Marshall

Lance was highly regarded coming out of Marshall High School. The 2018 graduate had football offers from four Football Bowl Subdivision programs and six Football Championship Subdivision schools before ultimately choosing the Bison.

As a senior for the Tigers, he passed for 1,386 yards and 14 touchdowns while rushing for 641 yards and 10 scores. Lance finished his prep career at MHS second in program history in career passing yards (3,026) with a school record 33 passing touchdowns, while adding 1,177 yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground.

His size and running ability were part of what interested the NDSU coaching staff during the recruitment process.

“He’s a big, strong young man,” NDSU quarterbacks coach Randy Hedberg told Bison 1660 on Aug. 19. “He does have some size to him, and he’s used to running the football. I saw him play in high school and he was an excellent defensive player also, playing the safety spot. I think he plays the quarterback position with somewhat of a defensive mentality, because he’s not going to shy away from contact and I think he’s athletic enough to get out in the open field and make plays also.”

That defensive mentality likely came from his father, Carlton Lance, who played defensive back at Southwest State University from 1988-91. In 38 career games at SSU, Carlton Lance totaled 136 tackles and four interceptions in his career for the Mustangs.

“Trey and I talk about a lot of things and much of it probably does come from my playing and coaching days,” Carlton Lance said. “But the dad role is so different and the best role yet. We are feeling great heading into the season. We are happy for him and he is ready.”

There’s a legacy of success at the quarterback position for NDSU, and Lance is the next in line. The Bison have won 21 consecutive games (sixth-longest streak in FCS history) and seven of the last eight FCS national titles. The last two players to start a game for the Bison are on NFL rosters.

It might be added pressure for Lance, if he wasn’t already used to winning.

In his career with the Tigers, Lance went 20-3 as the starting quarterback, with all three losses coming at the state tournament.

“Athletically, he’s one of the best athletes we’ve ever had, but what stands out is his composure and demeanor on the field and the way he carries himself,” Marshall football coach Terry Bahlmann said when Lance signed his national letter of intent in Dec. 2017. “He always seems calm on the outside and that shows for his teammates. He’s been an all-around great football player.”

At the end of the day, the Bison quarterback will always have his family support system to lean back on an to offer support.

“Don’t get too high or too low,” Carlton Lance said, when asked what words of advice he’s offered his son. “There will be ups and downs, but stay focused on the next play or the next game. Be the best Trey you can be. There will always be comparisons and competition, that’s okay. Don’t listen to the noise, be Trey.”