FARGO — The term “Chief Ram” isn’t thrown around loosely among the North Dakota State locker room. The likes of Joe Haeg, Dillon Radunz, Cody Mauch and Grey Zabel have held that title at one point or another.

Griffin Empey may be the most unlikely to have that moniker bestowed upon him. A former walk-on (much like Mauch), but at 6-foot-3, 298-pounds, perhaps not the most imposing figure. It hasn’t bugged Empey, who in less than two years of playing, has earned the nickname.

“It means a lot,” Empey said earlier this week. “When I was just a freshman, it was, you're not going to just come in and just play right guard or left guard, or center. I always just took it as if I want to play as fast as possible, or if I want to contribute as fast as possible, it's got to be that I got to know all

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