2017 North Dakota State Bison football team

2017 North Dakota State Bison football
2017 North Dakota State Bison football
NCAA Division I champion; MVFC champion
NCAA Division I Championship, W 17–13 vs. James Madison
Conference	Missouri Valley Football Conference
Ranking
STATS	No. 1
FCS Coaches	No. 1
Record	14–1 (7–1 MVFC)
Head coach	Chris Klieman (4th season);
Offensive coordinator	Courtney Messingham (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Pro-style
Defensive coordinator	Matt Entz (4th season)
Base defense	3–4
Home stadium	Fargodome
	Seasons ← 2016 2018 →

The 2017 North Dakota State Bison football team represented North Dakota State University in the 2017 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by fourth-year head coach Chris Klieman. The team played their 25th season in the Fargodome in Fargo, North Dakota as members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. The Bison finished the season 14–1, 7–1 in MVFC play to win the MVFC championship for the seventh consecutive year.^[1]^[2] As a result, the Bison received the conference's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs as the No. 2 seed.^[3]^[4] In the playoffs, they defeated San Diego,^[5]^[6] Wofford,^[7]^[8]^[9] and Sam Houston State to advance to the National Championship game.^[10]^[11]^[12] There they defeated James Madison 17–13 to win the school's sixth National Championship in seven years.^[13]^[14]^[15] The September 30 game against Missouri State was the 700th victory since the team's founding in 1894.

2017 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 1 North Dakota State $^	7	–	1	14	–	1
No. 3 South Dakota State ^	6	–	2	11	–	3
No. 19 Northern Iowa ^	6	–	2	8	–	5
No. 13 Western Illinois ^	5	–	3	8	–	4
No. 15 South Dakota ^	4	–	4	8	–	5
Illinois State	4	–	4	6	–	5
Youngstown State	4	–	4	6	–	5
Southern Illinois	2	–	6	4	–	7
Missouri State	2	–	6	3	–	8
Indiana State	0	–	8	0	–	11

$ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from STATS Poll

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 2	2:30 p.m.	Mississippi Valley State*	No. 2	Fargodome Fargo, ND	NBC ND ESPN3	W 72–7	18,502
September 9	3:00 p.m.	at No. 7 Eastern Washington*	No. 2	Roos Field Cheney, WA	NBC ND ESPN3	W 40–13	10,231
September 23	2:30 p.m.	Robert Morris*	No. 2	Fargodome Fargo, ND (Trees Bowl)	NBC ND ESPN3	W 56–0	18,308
September 30	1:00 p.m.	Missouri State	No. 2	Fargodome Fargo, ND	NBC ND ESPN3	W 38–11	18,892
October 7	12:00 p.m.	at Indiana State	No. 2	Memorial Stadium Terre Haute, IN	NBC ND ESPN3	W 52–0	4,743
October 14	6:00 p.m.	at No. 8 Youngstown State	No. 2	Stambaugh Stadium Youngstown, OH	ESPN3	W 27–24 ^OT	16,408
October 21	2:30 p.m.	No. 10 Western Illinois	No. 2	Fargodome Fargo, ND	NBC ND ESPN3	W 24–12	18,630
October 28	2:30 p.m.	Northern Iowa	No. 2	Fargodome Fargo, ND	NBC ND ESPN3	W 30–14	18,687
November 4	2:00 p.m.	at No. 8 South Dakota State	No. 2	Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium Brookings, SD (Dakota Marker)	NBC ND ESPN3	L 21–33	18,130
November 11	2:30 p.m.	No. 10 South Dakota	No. 5	Fargodome Fargo, ND (Harvest Bowl)	NBC ND ESPN3	W 49–14	18,623
November 18	12:00 p.m.	at No. 21 Illinois State	No. 4	Hancock Stadium Normal, IL	NBC ND ESPN3	W 20–7	7,664
December 2	2:30 p.m.	San Diego*	No. 4	Fargodome Fargo, ND (FCS Playoffs Second Round)	NBC ND ESPN3	W 38–3	18,067
December 9	11:00 a.m.	No. 8 Wofford*	No. 4	Fargodome Fargo, ND (FCS Playoffs Quarterfinals)	ESPN2	W 42–10	17,008
December 15	7:00 p.m.	No. 5 Sam Houston State*	No. 4	Fargodome Fargo, ND (FCS Playoffs Semifinals)	ESPN2	W 55–13	18,279
January 6	11:00 a.m.	No. 1 James Madison*	No. 4	Toyota Stadium Frisco, TX (FCS National Championship)	ESPN2	W 17–13	19,090
*Non-conference game Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

Roster

^[16]

2017 North Dakota State Bison Football

Quarterback

7 Cole Davis – Senior (6′3, 215)
12 Easton Stick – Junior (6′2, 221)
15 Holden Hotchkiss – Freshman (6′3, 191)
16 Noah Sanders – Freshman (6′2, 210)

Tailback

8 Bruce Anderson – Junior (5′11, 216)
10 Lance Dunn – Junior (5′9, 211)
18 Adam Cofield – Freshman (5′11, 205)
24 Demaris Purifoy – Sophomore (6′1, 197)
28 Ty Brooks – Sophomore (5′9, 180)
30 Seth Wilson – Freshman (5′10, 189)

Wide receiver

1 Christian Watson – Freshman (6′3, 186)
2 Cordell Pimienta – Sophomore (6′0, 177)
4 Dimitri Williams – Junior (5′11, 191)
5 Andy Voyen – Freshman (6′2, 196)
7 Peter Isais – Freshman (5′11, 170)
13 Desmond Cain – Junior (5′10, 185)
15 Daniel Polansky – Senior (6′0, 190)
16 RJ Urzendowski – Senior (6′0, 200)
17 Carson Yaggie – Freshman (6′2, 196)
19 Brant Bohmert – Freshman (5′11, 179)
20 Darrius Shepherd – Junior (5′11, 186)
31 Victor Kizewski – Freshman (6′0, 192)
83 Dallas Freeman – Junior (6′1, 197)
84 Trevor Heit – Freshman (5′9, 177)
89 Cole Jacob – Freshman (6′1, 193)

Tight end

33 Austin Avery – Freshman (6′3, 241) (+FB)
40 Costner Ching – Freshman (6′3, 249) (+FB)
44 Cody Mauch – Freshman (6′4, 234)
46 Noah Gindorff – Freshman (6′6, 249)
81 Josh Babicz – Freshman (6′6, 225)
82 Ben Ellefson – Sophomore (6′3, 250)
85 Nate Jenson – Junior (6′6, 246)
86 Jeff Illies – Senior (6′3, 235)
87 Connor Wentz – Senior (6′3, 250)
88 Matt Anderson – Sophomore (6′4, 247)

Fullback

32 Zak Kuntz – Freshman (6′2, 249)
34 Brock Robbins – Sophomore (6′1, 246)
39 Garrett Malstrom – Sophomore (6′0, 250)

Offensive lineman

54 Dillon Radunz - OT – Freshman (6′6, 287)
57 Zach Willis - C – Freshman (6′4, 305)
58 Josh Howieson - OT – Freshman (6′5, 293)
59 Karson Schoening - C – Freshman (6′5, 297)
61 Zach Kubas - OG – Freshman (6′4, 283)
62 Bryce Messner - OG – Senior (6′3, 291)
64 Colin Conner - OT – Junior (6′5, 309)
65 Jack Albrecht - OG – Sophomore (6′5, 278)
66 Nash Jensen - OG – Freshman (6′4, 349)
67 Cordell Volson - OT – Freshman (6′6, 299)
68 Zack Johnson - OT – Sophomore (6′6, 312)
71 Luke Bacon - OT – Junior (6′5, 299)
72 Erik Olson - OT – Senior (6′5, 277)
73 Zack Ziemer - OG – Senior (6′4, 299)
74 Tanner Volson - C – Junior (6′4, 301)
75 Austin Kuhnert - OG – Senior (6′4, 304)
76 Ben Hecht - OG – Freshman (6′5, 277)

Defensive tackle

53 Cole Karcz – Sophomore (6′4, 262)
60 Lane Tucker – Freshman (6′4, 261)
63 Aaron Steidl – Junior (6′2, 288)
69 Blake Williams – Junior (6′3, 290)
78 Michael Kelly – Freshman (6′1, 302)
90 Grant Morgan – Senior (6′4, 283)
92 Jack Darnell – Sophomore (6′2, 292)
97 Quinn Alo – Freshman (6′2, 296)
98 Matt Biegler – Freshman (6′3, 272)
99 Nate Tanguay – Senior (6′4, 291)

Defensive end

56 Justice Kelly – Freshman (6′3, 193)
56 Tanner Sundt – Freshman (6′4, 232)
70 Spencer Waege – Freshman (6′4, 245)
77 Logan McCormick – Freshman (6′2, 232)
91 Derrek Tuszka – Sophomore (6′5, 245)
93 Jarrod Tuszka – Senior (6′3, 255)
94 Stanley Jones – Junior (6′3, 245)
95 Caleb Butler – Junior (6′3, 244)
96 Greg Menard – Senior (6′2, 241)

Linebacker

1 Chris Board – Senior (6′1, 230)
3 Mason Hofstedt – Freshman (6′0, 193) (+TB)
41 Jack Begley – Freshman (6′3, 218)
42 Jabril Cox – Freshman (6′3, 227)
43 Beau Pauly – Freshman (6′2, 216)
44 Matt Plank – Senior (6′0, 219)
45 Levi Jordheim – Junior (6′2, 220)
47 Max Bautch – Freshman (6′0, 219)
48 Dan Marlette – Junior (6′1, 225)
49 Nick DeLuca – Senior (6′3, 245)
50 Ross Kennelly – Freshman (5′11, 212)
52 Jackson Hankey – Freshman (6′1, 217)
55 Aaron Mercadel – Sophomore (5′11, 206)

Cornerbacks

2 Dom Davis – Sophomore (5′11, 182)
9 Marquise Bridges – Sophomore (5′11, 182)
17 Felix Dixon – Freshman (5′11, 166)
21 Jalen Allison – Junior (6′0, 184)
23 Jaylaan Wimbush – Junior (6′0, 192)
27 Ross Godfrey – Freshman (5′9, 166)
33 Bryce Bennot – Junior (5′8, 174)
35 Josh Hayes – Freshman (5′11, 178)
37 Tre Fort – Sophomore (5′8, 185)
46 Ross Effertz – Sophomore (5′11, 200)

Safeties

3 Tre Dempsey - FS – Senior (5′10, 184)
5 Robbie Grimsley - SS – Junior (6′0, 191)
6 James Hendricks - SS – Sophomore (6′1, 205)
25 Michael Tutsie - SS – Freshman (5′10, 188)
26 Keenan Hodenfield - FS – Senior (5′11, 182)
29 Eric Bachmeier - SS – Junior (6′2, 202)
35 Dawson Weber - FS – Freshman (6′2, 193)
38 Jaxon Brown - FS – Sophomore (6′2, 203)

Placekicker

25 Jake Reinholz – Freshman (6′3, 198)
36 Cam Pedersen – Junior (6′2, 199)

Punter

19 Jackson Koonce – Senior (6′1, 197)
22 Garret Wegner – Freshman (6′0, 184) (+K)

Long Snappers

51 James Fisher – Senior (6′2, 225)

Recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2017 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Holden Hotchkiss QB-Pro	Lakeland, Florida	Lakeland High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	February 1, 2017 (Signed) / July 6, 2016 (Committed)
Holden Hotchkiss QB-Pro	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: N/A
Noah Sanders QB-Pro	Lakeville, Minnesota	Apple Valley High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Walk-On / January 4, 2017 (Committed)
Noah Sanders QB-Pro	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: N/A
Seth Wilson TB	Holmen, Wisconsin	Holmen High School	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	February 1, 2017 (Signed) / November 14, 2016 (Committed)
Seth Wilson TB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A
Christian Watson WR	Tampa, Florida	Plant High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	February 1, 2017 (Signed) / July 27, 2016 (Committed)
Christian Watson WR	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A
Brant Bohmert WR	Fargo, North Dakota	Northern Cass High School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Walk-On / December 26, 2016 (Committed)
Brant Bohmert WR	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A
Andy Voyen WR	Stillwater, Minnesota	Mahtomedi Senior High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Walk-On / January 26, 2017 (Committed)
Andy Voyen WR	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A
Costner Ching FB / TE	Castlewood, South Dakota	Castlewood High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	250 lb (110 kg)	Walk-On / January 11, 2017 (Committed)
Costner Ching FB / TE	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A
Austin Avery TE / FB	Yorkville, Illinois	Yorkville High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	February 1, 2017 (Signed) / January 29, 2017 (Committed)
Austin Avery TE / FB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A
Josh Babicz TE	Barrington, Illinois	Barrington High School	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	228 lb (103 kg)	February 1, 2017 (Signed) / August 8, 2016 (Committed)
Josh Babicz TE	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A
Noah Gindorff TE	Crosby, Minnesota	Crosby-ironton Secondary High School	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	February 1, 2017 (Signed) / July 26, 2016 (Committed)
Noah Gindorff TE	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: N/A
Cody Mauch TE	Hankinson, North Dakota	Hankinson High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	221 lb (100 kg)	Walk-On / January 13, 2017 (Committed)
Cody Mauch TE	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A
Nash Jensen OT	Maple Grove, Minnesota	Osseo Senior High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	350 lb (160 kg)	February 1, 2017 (Signed) / June 25, 2016 (Committed)
Nash Jensen OT	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: N/A
Zach Willis OG	West Fargo, North Dakota	West Fargo High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	315 lb (143 kg)	February 1, 2017 (Signed) / July 4, 2016 (Committed)
Zach Willis OG	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: N/A
Logan McCormick DE	Appleton, Wisconsin	Kimberly High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	February 1, 2017 (Signed) / June 27, 2016 (Committed)
Logan McCormick DE	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: N/A
Tanner Sundt DE	Farmington, Minnesota	Farmington Senior High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	237 lb (108 kg)	February 1, 2017 (Signed) / June 22, 2016 (Committed)
Tanner Sundt DE	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: N/A
Spencer Waege DE	South Shore, South Dakota	Watertown High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	232 lb (105 kg)	February 1, 2017 (Signed) / June 6, 2016 (Committed)
Spencer Waege DE	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: N/A
Lane Tucker DT	Gillette, Wyoming	Campbell County High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	255 lb (116 kg)	February 1, 2017 (Signed) / July 14, 2016 (Committed)
Lane Tucker DT	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: N/A
Max Bautch OLB	Ham Lake, Minnesota	Blaine Senior High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Walk-On / December 21, 2016 (Committed)
Max Bautch OLB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A
Jack Begley OLB	Omaha, Nebraska	Millard North High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	February 1, 2017 (Signed) / July 29, 2016 (Committed)
Jack Begley OLB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: N/A
Dawson Weber CB	Elk Grove, California	Pleasant Grove High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	189 lb (86 kg)	February 1, 2017 (Signed) / January 15, 2017 (Committed)
Dawson Weber CB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: N/A
Josh Hayes S	Lakeland, Florida	Lake Gibson High School	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	February 1, 2017 (Signed) / January 15, 2017 (Committed)
Josh Hayes S	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A
Michael Tutsie S	Indianapolis, Indiana	Warren Central High School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	February 1, 2017 (Signed) / January 30, 2017 (Committed)
Michael Tutsie S	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A
Mason Hofstedt ATH OLB / TB	Cannon Falls, Minnesota	Cannon Falls High School	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Walk-On / January 5, 2017 (Committed)
Mason Hofstedt ATH OLB / TB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A
Carson Yaggie ATH CB / QB	Breckenridge, Minnesota	Breckenridge High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	181 lb (82 kg)	Walk-On / January 12, 2017 (Committed)
Carson Yaggie ATH CB / QB	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A
Jake Reinholz K	Fargo, North Dakota	Shanley High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Walk-On / December 2, 2016 (Committed)
Jake Reinholz K	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A
Desmond Cain WR	Delray Beach, Florida	University of Illinois	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	2017 (Transfer)
Desmond Cain WR	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: #- 247Sports: #138 ESPN: #-
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved May 28, 2017.

Coaching staff

Name	Position	Year at North Dakota State	Alma mater (Year)
Chris Klieman	Head coach	7th	Northern Iowa (1990)
Matt Entz	Defensive coordinator Linebackers	4th	Wayne State (NE) (1995)
Courtney Messingham	Offensive coordinator Running backs	1st	Northern Iowa (1990)
Atif Austin	Special teams coordinator Wide receiver coach	4th	Iowa State (2003)
Conor Riley	Running game coordinator Offensive line coach	5th	Nebraska–Omaha (2002)
Nick Goeser	Defensive tackles coach	8th	Wisconsin–Eau Claire (2003)
Randy Hedberg	Quarterbacks coach	4th	Minot State (1977)
Joe Klanderman	Defensive backs coach	4th	Minnesota State Mankato (2001)
Tyler Roehl	Tight ends Fullbacks	4th	North Dakota State (2009)
Bryan Shepherd	Cornerbacks coach	2nd	North Dakota State (2013)
LeDominique Williams	Defensive ends coach	1st	University of Charleston (2009)
Jake Otten	Video coordinator	4th	Cal Poly (2013)

^[17]

Game summaries

Polls are based on the FCS STATS Poll

Mississippi Valley State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Delta Devils	0	7	0	0	7
No. 2 Bison	30	14	21	7	72

2017 North Dakota State Bison football

NCAA Division I champion MVFC champion
NCAA Division I Championship, W 17–13 vs. James Madison
Conference	Missouri Valley Football Conference
Ranking
STATS	No. 1
FCS Coaches	No. 1
Record	14–1 (7–1 MVFC)
Head coach	Chris Klieman (4th season)
Offensive coordinator	Courtney Messingham (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Pro-style
Defensive coordinator	Matt Entz (4th season)
Base defense	3–4
Home stadium	Fargodome
Seasons ← 2016 2018 →

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Final
STATS FCS	2 (19)	2 (8)	2 (10)	2 (5)	2 (5)	2 (8)	2 (8)	2 (7)	2 (9)	2 (6)	5	4	4	1
Coaches	2	2	2	2 (1)	2 (1)	2 (1)	2 (1)	2	2	2	6	6	4	1

2017 North Dakota State Bison football team

Schedule

Roster

Recruiting class

Coaching staff

Game summaries

Mississippi Valley State

At Eastern Washington

Robert Morris

Missouri State

At Indiana State

At Youngstown State

Western Illinois

Northern Iowa

At South Dakota State

South Dakota

At Illinois State

FCS Playoffs

San Diego–Second Round

Wofford–Quarterfinals

Sam Houston State–Semifinals

James Madison–Championship

Ranking movements

References