Cam Miller has thrived in return for final season with North Dakota State football program

Cam Miller had options.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in marketing from North Dakota State in May, Miller had offers to transfer to a Football Bowl Series program for his final season of eligibility, move on from college football altogether or give it one last run with the Bison.

The choice was relatively easy for the fifth-year senior and former Solon All-state quarterback.

“My teammates and coaches have poured so much time and energy into me,” Miller said in a phone interview Tuesday with The Gazette. “I wanted to come back.”

Miller’s return has resulted in a memorable campaign that yielded Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Player of the Year honors and placed him in the top three finalists for the Walter Payton Award given to the top Football Championship Series player.

Miller has also helped North Dakota State advance to the Football Championship Series semifinals against rival South Dakota State on Saturday at the Fargodome.

“There were still things I had done,” Miller said. “I wanted to win the conference and a national title. The dominoes have started to fall.”

Miller’s father and high school coach, Kevin Miller, said his son wanted to honor his original commitment to the program. Kevin said Cam wanted to leave an indelible mark on the program and transferring would have diminished what he had already accomplished. It was important to honor the relationships he had cultivated over the previous four years.

“He’s where he needs to be,” Kevin said. “Obviously, in that system, he has such a deep understanding of what is needed and what's required of him. It was great for him to obviously experience the success that he has this year.”

The focus for this season was leadership. Cam said he worked hard in that department, looking to hold teammates accountable and holding everyone (including himself) to the same standards.

“That is evident with the way he conducts himself on the field,” Kevin said. “I’m most proud of that development. He has grown in different areas of his personal life more in his performance.”

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Cam has led the Bison to a 12-2 record and the No. 2 seed in the FCS playoffs. He has started all 14 games this season, extending his streak to 52 straight starts and posting a 43-11 overall mark as a Bison starter.

Kevin and his wife, Nichole, have traveled to every game. They flew to the season opener against Colorado. They have driven to games in Kentucky and Tennessee, in addition to the eight-hour rides to home games.

“It’s been a fun journey,” Kevin said. “The entire process has been enjoyable for my wife and I and (Cam’s sister) McKenna. Our entire family for that matter. His grandparents, aunts and uncles, everyone have really enjoyed watching him perform, but I think even more importantly, how he’s grown tremendously as a man.”

Cam, who entered the season fourth on the all-time passing list and has his named written all over the Bison record book, has passed for 2,873 yards and 28 touchdowns, completing 72.9 percent of his passes. He has added 417 yards and nine TDs rushing. He led the MVFC in completion percentage and pass efficiency and was second in passing and passing TDs throughout the regular season.

The all-conference, all-American honors pale to team feats. Cam has been asked about his excitement surrounding the Payton Award, but he is more focused on the team right now. He will take time to look back on that later.

“It’s an honor but I’m more concerned with team goals,” Cam said. “I don’t care about personal goals. After the season, I’ll think about that more.”

NDSU tied SDSU and national semifinalist South Dakota atop of the MVFC standings. The Bison topped the Jackrabbits in the regular season and Cam returned to his home state for a victory over Northern Iowa.

One of the biggest highlights was the 31-26 loss at Colorado, facing Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter and head coach Deion Sanders. Cam passed for 277 yards and a TD on 18-of-22 passing without an interception. He added 81 yards and two scores on the ground.

“I gained a lot of confidence from that game,” Cam said. “If I could play like that against an FBS team I could play well against anyone.”

His performance drew comment from Sanders in the postgame news conference.

“The kid was lighting it up,” Sanders said of Miller. “He did a great job of getting the ball to the necessary receivers.”

Attention has been fixed solely on the upcoming game against SDSU. The two programs have combined for 11 of the last 13 national titles. NDSU accounts for nine of them; however, SDSU has won the last two. A trip to the championship game in Frisco, Texas, is at stake, but the intent is to treat it like any other game.

“We have a familiar opponent,” Cam said. “We know it’s going to be a fun and violent game.”

The opponent is even more familiar. SDSU linebacker Adam Bock was also a standout for Solon, playing with and for the Millers. The Class 3A school will have two players taking the field on national television with one assured of playing for another title.

“I’m super proud of both of them,” Kevin said. “They are tremendous ambassadors of not only the football program but the community. They are even better men than football players because they embody those qualities that are successful both on and off to field.

“Adam's a great football player but he's an upstanding young man, too. He's going to make an impact wherever he goes in life. and I hope the same hope is true for Cam.”

Comments: kj.pilcher@thegazette.com