An Unconventional Spark
How a bus crash spurred Trystin Voss and Northwestern Football to chase the Red Raider standard
Before the 2025 season began, Trystin Voss made a deliberate choice: to delay starting a full-time job at Principal Financial Group, where he had interned during the summer of 2024, and return to Northwestern for one final season. The Red Raiders’ 2025 campaign did not begin as expected. Sitting at 2-3 ahead of a road game at Briar Cliff, the team had fallen short of the standard typically associated with the midwestern powerhouse.
Before departing for Briar Cliff, head coach Matt McCarty emphasized the importance of momentum, showing a clip of a stolen base from the 2004 ALCS that propelled the Boston Red Sox to a comeback win en route to the World Series.
“Coach McCarty, our head coach, was doing our team meeting before we did walk-throughs, and what he talked about was just having a spark.”
The catalyst came during the team’s 45-minute bus ride to Sioux City, Iowa. Just as the buses were pulling into the stadium, the Red Raiders’ offensive bus crashed into a pole. From the base of the fender to the top of the windshield, the vehicle was completely cracked. Voss recalled the moment as he and his teammates, some of whom had been on the bus, gathered in the locker room.
“I was like, holy crap…,” Voss said. “Just a bunch of guys bleeding from hitting their heads.”
As kickoff approached, it became clear that several offensive linemen had been injured in the crash and would be unable to play. Offensive coordinator Josh Fakkema approached Voss and asked if he could step in on the offensive line for the game. During a brief pregame warm-up, he was quickly taught footwork for inside zone, outside zone, and other critical responsibilities.
“There had been doubts, and then with the bus crash and having me play a different position, it was just kind of this ‘we have nothing to lose’ mentality,” Voss said.
The Red Raiders went on to win the game 28-0.
With 15 offensive players sidelined, Voss became a legitimate option on both sides of the ball in the weeks that followed, playing a combined 309 snaps with 195 on the offensive line. Next on the schedule was powerhouse Morningside, a matchup that prior to this season had determined the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) champion 10 years in a row. That week, Voss spent most of his time with the offensive unit, noting that playing defense would be like riding a bike.
“In a week, I’m not going to forget how to do it, just hop back on and do it.”
The Raiders’ momentum continued as a blocked extra point sealed a 14-13 victory over the Mustangs, signaling a turning point in the season.
“We talked about it after the fact, for the rest of the year, that the spark was crashing into a pole,” Voss said, reflecting on Coach McCarty’s pregame speech before the Briar Cliff game. The bus crash served as the Raiders’ stolen base moment, the spark that shifted the direction of their season.
Voss went on to have a season unlike any other. Accolades followed one after another, including First Team All-American, GPAC Defensive Player of the Year, and William V. Campbell Trophy Semifinalist. When asked to reflect on a season that coincided with some of the biggest moments of his life, including marrying his wife Evyn last June and delaying the start of his professional career, Voss pointed to what mattered most.
“When I look back on the season, not even the individual accolades, just the relationships built and the memories that were made… those will last a lifetime” Voss said.
As he moves forward, Voss has traded the locker room for an office, beginning his career as an actuary at Principal Financial Group. The routine is different, but the approach remains the same. For him, success now comes down to perspective and purpose.
“Finding enjoyment in my work and doing the best that I can,” Voss said.
Even away from the team, Voss stays connected, checking in with former teammates and sharing the same message that carried the Raiders through the 2025 season. He reminds them that the spark does not disappear when the games end, especially during the grind of the offseason. Early mornings, cold temperatures, and cold weight rooms are part of the process.
Going to lift at 5:45 a.m. in five-degree weather “isn’t fun,” Voss said. But the question remains the same: “How can they light a spark in the weight room to get everyone to lift a little bit harder?”