The 2016 North Dakota State Bison football team represented North Dakota State University in the 2016 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by third-year head coach Chris Klieman. The team played their 24th season in the Fargodome, entering the season as the five-time defending national champions and five-time Missouri Valley Football Conference Champions. The Bison have been members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference since the 2008 season.
They were one of very few FCS teams who ever beat a highly ranked FBS team (in this case, No. 13 Iowa). After that win, for four weeks they received votes in the AP's poll of the best football teams in the country (including FBS teams). Their 74 votes in week 3 (barely missing out on a Top 25 ranking) were the most votes ever earned by an FCS program in the AP Poll.
The Bison went 12–2 on the season and won their sixth straight conference title with their lone loss coming on a last-second touchdown versus rival SDSU. The Bison received an at-large bid to the FCS Playoffs where they defeated San Diego and South Dakota State in the second round and quarterfinals before losing to James Madison in the semifinals, ending their five-year championship run.
Schedule
Source: STATS Poll ** Second-most watched FCS Game of all time – 1.98m viewers on ESPN
Roster
2016 North Dakota State Bison FootballQuarterback 6 James Hendricks – Freshman 7 Cole Davis – Junior 12 Easton Stick – Sophomore 14 Henry Van Delle – Freshman
Tailback 8 Bruce Anderson – Sophomore 10 Lance Dunn – Sophomore 22 King Frazier – Senior 24 Demaris Purifoy – Freshman 25 Chase Morlock – Senior 28 Ty Brooks – Freshman 30 Adam Cofield – Freshman
Fullback 34 Brock Robbins – Freshman 39 Garrett Malstrom – Freshman 40 Dan Sargeant – Junior 41 Zak Kuntz – Freshman
Wide receiver 1 Cole Jacob – Freshman 2 Kiwanne Durant – Freshman 4 Dimitri Williams – Sophomore 9 Marquise Bridges – Freshman 13 Eric Perkins – Senior 15 Daniel Polanski – Junior 16 RJ Urzendowski – Junior 18 Khayvon Hawkins – Sophomore 20 Darrius Shepherd – Sophomore 31 Bennett RIndy – Freshman 80 Sean Engel – Freshman 81 Isaiah Frandsen – Junior 83 Dallas Freeman – Sophomore 84 Trevor Heit – Freshman
Tight end 45 Beau Pauly – Freshman 46 Braydon Lund – Freshman 49 Matt Biegler – Freshman 82 Ben Ellefson – Freshman 85 Nate Jenson – Sophomore 86 Jeff Illies – Junior 87 Connor Wentz – Junior 88 Matt Anderson – Freshman 89 Isaac Lashua – Sophomore
Offensive lineman 54 Dillon Radunz – OT – Freshman 58 Josh Howieson – OT – Freshman 59 Karson Schoening – C – Freshman 60 Max Polson – C – Junior 63 Zach Kubas – OL – Freshman 64 Colin Conner – OT – Sophomore 65 Jack Albrecht – OG – Freshman 66 Zack Johnson – OG – Senior 67 Cordell Volson – OT – Freshman 68 Zack Johnson – OT – Freshman 70 Jack Plankers – OL – Senior 71 Luke Bacon – OG – Sophomore 72 Erik Olson – OT – Junior 73 Zack Ziemer – OG – Junior 74 Tanner Volson – C – Sophomore 75 Austin Kuhnert – C – Junior 76 Ben Hecht – OG – Freshman 77 Christian Triplett – C – Sophomore 78 Landon Lechler – OT – Senior
Defensive tackle 57 Bryan Carlton – Freshman 61 Cameron Hackl – Freshman 62 Bryce Messner – Junior 63 Aaron Steidl – Sophomore 66 Quinn Alo – Freshman 69 Blake Williams – Sophomore 90 Grant Morgan – Junior 92 Jack Darnell – Freshman 95 Connor Hubbs – Freshman 99 Nate Tanguay – Junior
Defensive end 53 Cole Karcz – Freshman 91 Derrek Tuszka – Freshman 93 Jarrod Tuszka – Junior 94 Stanley Jones – Sophomore 95 Caleb Butler – Sophomore 96 Greg Menard – Junior 97 Brad Ambrosius – Senior Linebacker 1 Chris Board – Junior 41 MJ Stumpf – Senior 42 Jabril Cox – Freshman 43 Kurt Mattox – Junior 44 Matt Plank – Junior 45 Levi Jordheim – Sophomore 47 Pierre Gee-Tucker – Senior 48 Dan Marlette – Sophomore 49 Nick DeLuca – Senior 50 Ross Kennelly – Freshman 52 Jake Brinkman – Freshman 55 Aaron Mercadel – Freshman
Defensive backs 2 Quinten McCoy – CB – Senior 3 Tre Dempsey – FS – Junior 5 Robbie Grimsley – SS – Sophomore 11 Darren Kelley – SS – Junior 13 Ross Godfrey – CB – Freshman 17 Felix Dixon – CB – Freshman 21 Jalen Allison – CB – Sophomore 23 Jaylaan Wimbush – CB – Sophomore 26 Keenan Hodenfield – CB – Junior 27 Isaac Cenescar – SS – Sophomore 29 Eric Bachmeier – FS – Sophomore 30 Bryce Bennot – CB – Sophomore 31 Victor Kizewski – FS – Freshman 32 Dakota Reid – CB – Sophomore 33 Moses Nyangacha – SS- Freshman 35 Dom Davis – CB – Freshman 37 Tre Fort – CB – Freshman 38 Jaxon Brown – SS – Freshman 42 Ross Effertz – CB – Freshman
Placekicker 21 Garret Wegner – Freshman 36 Cam Pedersen – Sophomore
Punter 19 Jackson Koonce – Junior
Long snappers 51 James Fisher – Junior 56 Peder Olson – Sophomore (+LB)
Recruiting class
Coaching staff Name Position Year atNorth Dakota State Alma mater (Year) Chris Klieman Head coach 6th Northern Iowa (1990) Matt Entz Defensive coordinatorLinebackers 3rd Wayne State (NE) (1995) Tim Polasek Offensive coordinatorRunning backs 10th Concordia (WI) (2002) Atif Austin Special teams coordinatorWide receiver coach 3rd Iowa State (2003) Jamar Cain Defensive ends coach 3rd New Mexico State (2002) Nick Goeser Defensive tackles coach 7th Wisconsin–Eau Claire (2003) Randy Hedberg Quarterbacks coach 3rd Minot State (1977) Joe Klanderman Defensive backs coach 3rd Minnesota State Mankato (2001) Conor Riley Offensive line coach 4th Nebraska–Omaha (2002) Tyler Roehl Tight endsFullbacks 3rd North Dakota State (2009) Bryan Shepherd Defensive assistant 1st North Dakota State (2013) Jake Otten Video coordinator 3rd Cal Poly (2013)
Game summaries Polls are based on the FCS STATS Poll
Charleston Southern
(Q2, 9:44) CSU – Jacob Smoak 46 yard field goal – CSU 3–0 (Q2, 0:00) NDSU – #36 Cam Pedersen 52 yard field goal – TIED 3–3 (Q3, 13:07) CSU – Mike Holloway 47 yard run (Tyler Tekac kick) – CSU 10–3 (Q3, 10:02) NDSU – #20 Darrius Shepherd 23 yard pass from #12 Easton Stick (#36 Cam Pedersen kick) – TIED 10–10 (Q4, 10:34) NDSU – #16 RJ Urzendowski 47 yard pass from #12 Easton Stick (#36 Cam Pedersen kick) – NDSU 17–10 (Q4, 2:59) CSU – Mike Holloway 6 yard run (Tyler Tekac kick) – TIED 17–17 (OT) NDSU – #22 King Frazier 25 yard run (#36 Cam Pedersen kick) – NDSU 24–17
Eastern Washington
(Q1, 6:19) NDSU – #22 King Frazier 8 yard run (#36 Cam Pedersen kick) – NDSU 7–0 (Q2, 12:54) EWU – Cooper Kupp 20 yard pass from Gage Gubrud (Roldan Alcobendas kick) – TIED 7–7 (Q2, 11:01) NDSU – #12 Easton Stick 1 yard run (#36 Cam Pedersen kick) – NDSU 14–7 (Q2, 6:12) NDSU – #86 Jeff Illies 33 yard pass from #12 Easton Stick (#36 Cam Pedersen kick) – NDSU 21–7 (Q2, 5:05) EWU – Cooper Kupp 8 yard pass from Gage Gubrud (Roldan Alcobendas kick) – NDSU 21–14 (Q3, 10:58) EWU – Roldan Alcobendas 37 yard field goal – NDSU 21–17 (Q3, 7:05) NDSU – #20 Darrius Shepherd 37 yard pass from #12 Easton Stick (#36 Cam Pedersen kick) – NDSU 28–17 (Q3, 4:06) EWU – Gage Gubrud 13 yard run (Roldan Alcobendas kick) – NDSU 28–24 (Q4, 14:53) NDSU – #10 Lance Dunn 41 yard run (#36 Cam Pedersen kick) – NDSU 35–24 (Q4, 12:05) EWU – Nsimba Webster 35 yard pass from Gage Gubrud (Roldan Alcobendas kick) – NDSU 35–31 (Q4, 9:29) NDSU – #49 Nick DeLuca 40 yard interception return – NDSU 41–31 (Q4, 7:49) EWU – Stu Stiles 34 yard pass from Gage Gubrud – NDSU 41–37 (Q3, 4:32) EWU – Tamarick Pierce 1 yard run (Roldan Alcobendas kick) – EWU 44–41 (Q4, 0:42) NDSU – #36 Cam Pedersen 28 yard field goal – TIED 44–44 (OT) NDSU – #10 Lance Dunn 25 yard run (#36 Cam Pedersen kick) – NDSU 50–44
At Iowa
(Q1, 2:26) NDSU – #41 MJ Stumpf 21 yard interception return (#36 Cam Pedersen kick) – NDSU 7–0 (Q2, 13:03) IOWA – Riley McCarron 30 yard pass from C. J. Beathard (Keith Duncan kick) – TIED 7–7 (Q2, 8:05) IOWA – Matt VandeBerg 14 yard pass from C.J. Beathard (Keith Duncan kick) – IOWA 14–7 (Q3, 8:06) NDSU – #22 King Frazier 1 yard run (#36 Cam Pedersen kick) – TIED 14–14 (Q3, 2:12) IOWA – Matt VandeBerg 9 yard pass from C.J. Beathard (Keith Duncan kick) – IOWA 21–14 (Q4, 3:41) NDSU – #25 Chase Morlock 7 yard pass from #12 Easton Stick – IOWA 21–20 (Q4, 0:00) NDSU – #36 Cam Pedersen 37 yard field goal – NDSU 23–21
Illinois State
(Q1, 8:12) ILST – Sean Slattery 23 yard field goal – ILST 3–0 (Q1, 1:14) NDSU – #20 Darrius Shepherd 31 yard run (#36 Cam Pedersen kick) – NDSU 7–3 (Q2, 13:06) ILST – Anthony Fowler 18 yard pass from Jake Kolbe (Sean Slattery kick) – ILST 10–7 (Q2, 12:48) NDSU – #16 RJ Urzendowski 65 yard pass from #12 Easton Stick (#36 Cam Pedersen kick) – NDSU 14–10 (Q2, 8:43) NDSU – #10 Lance Dunn 38 yard pass from #12 Easton Stick (#36 Cam Pedersen kick) – NDSU 21–10 (Q2, 0:27) NDSU – #85 Nate Jenson 35 yard pass from #12 Easton Stick (#36 Cam Pedersen kick) – NDSU 28–10 (Q3, 0:39) NDSU – #36 Cam Pedersen 47 yard field goal – NDSU 31–10
At Missouri State
(Q1, 9:43) MOST – Zach Drake 50 yard field goal – MOST 3–0 (Q2, 8:14) NDSU – #36 Cam Pedersen 38 yard field goal – TIED 3–3 (Q2, 5:45) NDSU – #20 Darrius Shepherd 21 yard pass from #12 Easton Stick (#36 Cam Pedersen kick) – NDSU 10–3 (Q2, 0:27) NDSU – #36 Cam Pedersen 21 yard field goal – NDSU 13–3 (Q4, 13:08) NDSU – #22 King Frazier 22 yard run (#36 Cam Pedersen kick) – NDSU 20–3 (Q4, 4:51) NDSU – #22 King Frazier 4 yard run (#36 Cam Pedersen kick) – NDSU 27–3
South Dakota State
(Q2, 13:49) NDSU – #12 Easton Stick 1 yard run (#36 Cam Pedersen kick) – NDSU 7–0 (Q2, 2:13) SDSU – Chase Vinatieri 38 yard field goal – NDSU 7–3 (Q2, 0:00) NDSU – #36 Cam Pedersen 49 yard field goal – NDSU 10–3 (Q3, 10:16) NDSU – #12 Easton Stick 26 yard run (#36 Cam Pedersen kick) – NDSU 17–3 (Q3, 5:26) SDSU – Dallas Goedert 12 yard pass from Taryn Christion (Chase Vinatieri kick) – NDSU 17–10 (Q4, 11:04) SDSU – Chase Vinatieri 42 yard field goal – NDSU 17–13 (Q4, 0:01) SDSU – Jake Wieneke 2 yard pass from Taryn Christion – SDSU 19–17
At Western Illinois
(Q1, 10:00) NDSU – #22 King Frazier 3 yard run (#36 Cam Pedersen kick) – NDSU 7–0 (Q1, 0:19) WIU – Nathan Knuffman 29 yard field goal – NDSU 7–3 (Q2, 11:16) WIU – Nathan Knuffman 28 yard field goal – NDSU 7–6 (Q2, 3:25) NDSU – #22 King Frazier 1 yard run (#36 Cam Pedersen kick) – NDSU 14–6 (Q2, 0:45) NDSU – #86 Jeff Illies 17 yard pass from #12 Easton Stick (#36 Cam Pedersen kick) – NDSU 21–6 (Q3, 8:56) WIU – Jamie Gilmore 3 yard run (Nathan Knuffman kick) – NDSU 21–13
At Northern Iowa
(Q1, 4:42) NDSU – #22 King Frazier 1 yard run (#36 Cam Pedersen kick) – NDSU 7–0 (Q2, 13:12) UNI – Austin Errthum 30 yard field goal – NDSU 7–3 (Q2, 1:22) NDSU – #86 Jeff Illies 31 yard pass from #12 Easton Stick (#36 Cam Pedersen kick) – NDSU 14–3 (Q2, 0:00) UNI – Austin Errthum 25 yard field goal – NDSU 14–6 (Q3, 7:19) NDSU – #25 Chase Morlock 8 yard run (#36 Cam Pedersen kick) – NDSU 21–6 (Q3, 2:52) UNI – Jaylin James 17 yard pass from Eli Dunne (Austin Errthum kick) – NDSU 21–13 (Q4, 14:53) NDSU – #36 Cam Pedersen 25 yard field goal – NDSU 24–13 (Q4, 12:10) UNI – Briley Moore 4 yard pass from Eli Dunne (Austin Errthum kick) – NDSU 24–20
Youngstown State
(Q1, 7:34) NDSU – #25 Chase Morlock 71 yard run (#36 Cam Pedersen kick) – NDSU 7–0 (Q1, 3:54) NDSU – #36 Cam Pedersen 36 yard field goal – NDSU 10–0 (Q1, 1:51) NDSU – #86 Jeff Illies 15 yard pass from #12 Easton Stick (#36 Cam Pedersen kick) – NDSU 17–0 (Q2, 8:28) YSU – Zak Kennedy 32 yard field goal – NDSU 17–3 (Q4, 12:39) NDSU – #10 Lance Dunn 7 yard run (#36 Cam Pedersen kick) – NDSU 24–3
Indiana State
(Q1, 12:03) NDSU – #20 Darrius Shepherd 84 yard punt return (#36 Cam Pedersen kick) – NDSU 7–0 (Q1, 6:42) NDSU – #12 Easton Stick 16 yard run (#36 Cam Pedersen kick) – NDSU 14–0 (Q1, 2:04) NDSU – #12 Easton Stick 42 yard run (#36 Cam Pedersen kick) – NDSU 21–0 (Q2, 8:23) NDSU – #36 Cam Pedersen 29 yard field goal – NDSU 24–0 (Q2, 5:09) NDSU – #22 King Frazier 2 yard run (#36 Cam Pedersen kick) – NDSU 31–0