FARGO — They’re good buddies, now, Owen Johnson and his left knee brace. The North Dakota State running back even gave it a name: Oscar the Grouch after the "Sesame Street" character.
Oscar in the ensuing days after returning to the field felt big and bulky to Johnson, but the fact Oscar is a safeguard to keep the senior in the lineup mix makes him an OK dude. And the Bison are more than OK in having him part of the backfield rotation.
“If this thing is going to help me stay healthy and stuff, I feel great in it,” Johnson said, looking down at his brace.
Johnson hurt his knee halfway through the 2023 season at the University of North Dakota. It was no ordinary issue, not only tearing his ACL but lateral collateral ligament and popliteus muscle on the backside of the knee. The first surgery dealt with the LCL and popliteus, which required the use of donated tissue, which he calls Bert and Ernie after the "Sesame Street" characters.
The ACL wasn’t addressed until a couple of months later, which pushed his recovery timeline back later than hoped.
ACL rehabilitation is typically around nine months for football players. Johnson said his hope was to be back by the season opener at the University of Colorado, but the reality of the severity of the injuries set in and that wasn’t going to happen. So he sat out the rest of the season.
The subject with doctors of giving up the game may have not been directly addressed, Johnson said, but there was talk of health beyond the game. The NDSU training staff did its job.
“And then I have the best friends, best roommates — adversity like this will really show you the people who you can lean on,” Johnson said. “I’ve got the best friends, the best family, and that really helped me keep a positive mentality through it all.”
Before his injury, he had his moments averaging 8.8 yards per carry on just 17 attempts in 2023. He had one touchdown, a one-yard run against the University of Maine.
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Now back for spring football, he’s working himself back into a role. Bison running backs coach Sam Ojuri, who came from Illinois State after the season, said he never would have guessed Johnson had a knee issue if he didn't know.
"I was curious to see," Ojuri said. "But I find it surprising he's moving the way he is. He's been able to come back without a hitch in his step."
There’s further motivation also: Johnson has two FCS national title rings, but felt like he wasn’t a contributor in either. He redshirted in the 2021 title season and watched from the sidelines last January.
“It’s hard, I love my guys, I love supporting them, they’re fun to watch,” he said. “But each game day was hard and that’s what motivated me to come back and play again.”
Meanwhile, Johnson was the motivational upperclassmen in the weight training room last fall. Bison redshirt players, almost all of them freshmen, work out on a different schedule during the season lifting four days a week.
“I feel like that helped me build a leadership role with those guys,” Johnson said. “And it also helped me get physically ready and I feel like more mentally ready than I ever have. This injury has taught me not to take anything for granted.”
That probably also describes middle linebacker Nathaniel Staehling, who missed a chunk of last season with a shoulder injury. With the graduation of sixth-year linebackers Nick Kubitz and Luke Weerts, the job is open, with junior Austin Altepeter also expected to play.
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The 6-2 Staehling at 235 pounds will be bigger than previous Bison linebackers in the middle.
“He’s moving around at a really good rate,” said head coach Tim Polasek.
Staehling agreed with that assessment, saying he feels more athletic at 235 than he ever did before. He was injured in the Missouri Valley Football Conference opener at Illinois State at a time when he was just getting into the flow of playing his role.
He had shoulder problems prior, but he knew at halftime that this injury felt different.
“That’s what sent it over the edge,” Staehling said.
He underwent surgery and is expected to be cleared for full contact sometime this week.
“I’m ready to go, been here for three years gaining experience,” Staehling said. “I want the defense to trust me and I want to bring a fire to the defense.”
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The Trust Project
