2015 North Dakota State Bison football team

2015 North Dakota State Bison football

NCAA Division I FCS national champion MVFC co-champion
FCS Championship Game, W 37–10 vs. Jacksonville State
Conference	Missouri Valley Football Conference
Ranking
STATS	No. 1
FCS Coaches	No. 1
2015 record	13–2 (7–1 MVFC)
Head coach	Chris Klieman (2nd year)
Offensive coordinator	Tim Polasek (2nd year)
Defensive coordinator	Matt Entz (2nd year)
Home stadium	Fargodome (Capacity: 19,000)

2015 MVFC football standings
	Conf				Overall
Team		W		L		W		L
#1 North Dakota State +^		7	–	1		13	–	2
#5 Illinois State +^		7	–	1		10	–	3
#8 Northern Iowa ^		5	–	3		9	–	5
#15 South Dakota State ^		5	–	3		8	–	4
Western Illinois ^		5	–	3		7	–	6
Indiana State		3	–	5		5	–	6
Youngstown State		3	–	5		5	–	6
South Dakota		3	–	5		5	–	6
Southern Illinois		2	–	6		3	–	8
Missouri State		0	–	8		1	–	10

+ – Conference co-champions ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from STATS FCS Poll

The 2015 North Dakota State Bison football team represented North Dakota State University in the 2015 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by second-year head coach Chris Klieman. The team, which played its 23rd season in the Fargodome, entered the season as the four-time defending national champions. The Bison have been members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) since the 2008 season.

The Bison went 13–2 on the season, won their fifth straight MVFC title, and their fifth consecutive NCAA Division I Football Championship, becoming the first-ever NCAA football team to win five straight championships at any level. Yale won six straight college football national championships from 1879 to 1884, before the NCAA was formed.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent^#	Rank^#	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 29	2:30 PM	at No. 13 Montana*	No. 1	Washington–Grizzly Stadium • Missoula, MT (FCS Kickoff)	ESPN	L 35–38	26,472 (R)^[1]
September 12	2:30 PM	Weber State*	No. 2	Fargodome • Fargo, ND	NBC ND/ESPN3	W 41–14	18,801^[2]
September 19	2:30 PM	North Dakota*	No. 4	Fargodome • Fargo, ND (Rivalry)	NBC ND/ESPN3	W 34–9	19,044^[3]
October 3	6:00 PM	at No. 5 South Dakota State	No. 3	Coughlin–Alumni Stadium • Brookings, SD (Dakota Marker)	Midco/NBC ND/ESPN3	W 28–7	17,348 (R) ^[4]
October 10	6:00 PM	No. 10 Northern Iowa	No. 3	Fargodome • Fargo, ND	NBC ND/ESPN3	W 31–28	18,954
October 17	2:30 PM	South Dakota	No. 2	Fargodome • Fargo, ND	Midco/NBC ND/ESPN3	L 21–24	18,420
October 24	12:00 PM	at No. 18 Indiana State	No. 8	Memorial Stadium • Terre Haute, IN	MVC TV/ESPN3	W 28–14	6,524
October 31	2:00 PM	at Southern Illinois	No. 7	Saluki Stadium • Carbondale, IL	NBC ND/ESPN3	W 35–29	6,508
November 7	2:30 PM	Western Illinois	No. 6	Fargodome • Fargo, ND (Harvest Bowl)	NBC ND/ESPN3	W 59–7	18,251
November 14	1:00 PM	at No. 20 Youngstown State	No. 2	Stambaugh Stadium • Youngstown, OH	NBC ND/ESPN3	W 27–24	11,309
November 21	2:00 PM	Missouri State	No. 2	Fargodome • Fargo, ND	NBC ND/ESPN3	W 55–0	18,624
December 5	2:30 PM	No. 16 Montana*	No. 2	Fargodome • Fargo, ND (FCS Playoffs Second Round)	ESPN3	W 37–6	18,232
December 12	11:00 AM	No. 15 Northern Iowa*	No. 2	Fargodome • Fargo, ND (FCS Playoffs Quarterfinals)	ESPN2	W 23–13	18,041
December 18	7:00 PM	No. 12 Richmond*	No. 2	Fargodome • Fargo, ND (FCS Playoffs Semifinals)	ESPN2	W 33–7	18,105
January 9, 2016	11:00 AM	vs. No. 1 Jacksonville State*	No. 2	Toyota Stadium • Frisco, TX (FCS National Championship Game)	ESPN2	W 37–10	21,836
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. ^#Rankings from STATS FCS Poll released prior to game. All times are in Central Time.

Source: (R) indicates record attendance.

Roster

2015 North Dakota State Bison Football

Quarterback

5 Michael Veldman - Freshman
7 Cole Davis - Sophomore
11 Carson Wentz - Senior
12 Easton Stick - Freshman
17 James Hendricks - Freshman *

Tailback

8 Darius Anderson - Senior (+WR)
10 Lance Dunn - Freshman
22 King Frazier - Junior
24 Demaris Purifoy - Freshman *
25 Chase Morlock - Junior
37 Garrett Malstrom - Freshman
42 Bruce Anderson - Freshman *

Fullback

30 Jedre Cyr - Senior
34 Brock Robbins - Freshman *
40 Dan Sargeant - Sophomore
46 Andrew Bonnet - Senior (+TE)

Wide Receiver

4 Dimitri Williams - Freshman *
9 Colter Pritchard - Sophomore
13 Eric Perkins - Junior
15 Daniel Polanski - Sophomore
16 RJ Urzendowski - Sophomore
18 Khayvon Hawkins - Freshman
20 Darrius Shepherd - Freshman
33 Marquise Bridges - Freshman *
80 Nate Moody - Senior
81 Isaiah Frandsen - Sophomore
82 Zach Vraa - Senior
83 Dallas Freeman - Freshman

Tight End

39 Ben Ellefson - Freshman *
49 Matt Anderson - Freshman *
85 Nate Jenson - Freshman
86 Jeff Illies - Sophomore
87 Connor Wentz - Sophomore
88 Luke Albers - Senior
89 Isaac Lashua - Freshman

Offensive Lineman

53 Max Haskins - OL - Freshman
54 Jeremy Kelly - OG - Senior
58 Andrew Trzebiatowski - OT - Freshman
59 Joe Haeg - OT - Senior
60 Max Polson - C - Sophomore
64 Colin Conner - OT - Freshman
65 Jack Albrecht - OG - Freshman *
66 Zack Johnson - OG - Junior
67 Brock Russell - OG - Senior
68 Zack J. Johnson - OT - Freshman *
70 Jack Plankers - OT - Junior
71 Luke Bacon - OT - Freshman
72 Erik Olson - OT - Sophomore
73 Zack Ziemer - OG - Sophomore
74 Tanner Volson - OG - Freshman
75 Austin Kuhnert - C - Sophomore
76 Trent Mooney - OG - Freshman *
77 Christian Triplett - C - Freshman
78 Landon Lechler - OT - Junior

Defensive Tackle

57 Bryan Carlton - Freshman *
61 Brian Schaetz - Senior
62 Bryce Messner - Sophomore
63 Aaron Steidl - Freshman
69 Blake Williams - Freshman
90 Grant Morgan - Sophomore
92 Jack Darnell - Freshman *
95 Connor Hubbs - Freshman *
98 Austin Farnlof - Junior
99 Nate Tanguay - Sophomore

Defensive End

53 Cole Karcz - Freshman *
56 Caleb Butler - Freshman
91 Derrek Tuszka - Freshman *
93 Jarrod Tuszka - Sophomore
94 Stanley Jones - Freshman
96 Greg Menard - Sophomore
97 Brad Ambrosius - Junior

Placekicker

36 Cam Pedersen - Freshman

Linebacker

1 Chris Board - Sophomore
14 Bo Liekhus - Junior
41 MJ Stumpf - Junior
43 Kurt Mattox - Sophomore
44 Matt Plank - Sophomore
45 Levi Jordheim - Freshman
47 Pierre Gee-Tucker - Junior
48 Dan Marlette - Freshman
49 Nick DeLuca - Junior
50 Gray Gochenour - Freshman
52 Jake Brinkman - Freshman *
55 Aaron Mercadel - Freshman *

Cornerback

2 Quinten McCoy - Junior
5 Jordan Champion - Senior
6 CJ Smith - Senior
19 Dom Davis - Freshman *
21 Jalen Allison - Freshman
29 Eric Bachmeier - Freshman
31 Bryce Bennot - Freshman
31 Ty Brooks - Freshman *
32 Dakota Reid - Freshman
34 Ross Effertz - Freshman
37 Tre Fort - Freshman

Safety

3 Tre Dempsey - FS - Sophomore
8 Braden Sikes - SS - Freshman *
23 Jaylaan Wimbush - SS - Freshman
26 Keenan Hodenfield - FS - Sophomore
27 Isaac Cenescar - SS - Freshman
28 Andrew Smith - FS - Junior
35 Robbie Grimsley - SS - Freshman *
38 Jaxon Brown - SS - Freshman *

Punter

9 Ian Gallagher - Freshman
19 Ben LeCompte - Senior (+K)

Long Snappers

51 James Fisher - Sophomore
95 Peder Olson - Freshman (+LB)

* : 2015 NDSU Bison Football Commits (02/04/2015)

Recruiting Class

2015 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Ben Ellefson #76 TE	Hawley, MN	Hawley Secondary	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	243 lb (110 kg)	February 04, 2015 (Signed)
Ben Ellefson #76 TE	Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports:
Aaron Mercadel #113 MLB	Oakland, CA	Saint Mary's College High School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	196 lb (89 kg)	February 04, 2015 (Signed)
Aaron Mercadel #113 MLB	Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports:
Jack Darnell #190 DT	Champlin, MN	Champlin Park High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	277 lb (126 kg)	February 04, 2015 (Signed)
Jack Darnell #190 DT	Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports:
Bryan Carlton #145 DE	Chanhassen, MN	Minnetonka High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	246 lb (112 kg)	February 04, 2015 (Signed)
Bryan Carlton #145 DE	Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports:
Derrek Tuszka #136 DE	Warner, SD	Warner High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	226 lb (103 kg)	February 04, 2015 (Signed)
Derrek Tuszka #136 DE	Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports:
Matt Anderson #133 TE	Lakeland, MN	Stillwater High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	228 lb (103 kg)	February 04, 2015 (Signed)
Matt Anderson #133 TE	Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports:
Trent Mooney #226 OT	Lamar, MO	Lamar High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	269 lb (122 kg)	February 04, 2015 (Signed)
Trent Mooney #226 OT	Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports:
Robbie Grimsley #221 ATH (S)	Hutchinson, MN	Hutchinson High School	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	181 lb (82 kg)	February 04, 2015 (Signed)
Robbie Grimsley #221 ATH (S)	Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports:
Connor Hubbs #201 DT	White Bear Lake, MN	White Bear Lake High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	283 lb (128 kg)	February 04, 2015 (Signed)
Connor Hubbs #201 DT	Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports:
Braden Sikes #230 ATH (S)	Excelsior, MN	Minnetonka High School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	192 lb (87 kg)	February 04, 2015 (Signed)
Braden Sikes #230 ATH (S)	Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports:
Dimitri Williams #232 ATH (WR)	Lakeville, MN	Rosemount High School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	174 lb (79 kg)	February 04, 2015 (Signed)
Dimitri Williams #232 ATH (WR)	Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports:
James Hendricks #243 ATH (QB)	Laporte, MN	Bemidji High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	189 lb (86 kg)	February 04, 2015 (Signed)
James Hendricks #243 ATH (QB)	Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports:
Marquise Bridges #327 WR	Brooklyn Park, MN	DeLaSalle High School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	February 04, 2015 (Signed)
Marquise Bridges #327 WR	Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports:
Zack J. Johnson #324 OT	Blaine, MN	Spring Lake Park High School	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	276 lb (125 kg)	February 04, 2015 (Signed)
Zack J. Johnson #324 OT	Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports:
Ty Brooks CB	Fargo, ND	Fargo South High School	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	161 lb (73 kg)	February 04, 2015 (Signed)
Ty Brooks CB	Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A
Jaxon Brown S	Eau Claire, WI	Regis High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	189 lb (86 kg)	February 04, 2015 (Signed)
Jaxon Brown S	Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A
Demaris Purifoy RB	Wauwatosa, WI	Wauwatosa West High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	188 lb (85 kg)	February 04, 2015 (Signed)
Demaris Purifoy RB	Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A
Brock Robbins FB	Cavalier, ND	Cavalier High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	230 lb (100 kg)	February 04, 2015 (Signed)
Brock Robbins FB	Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A
Cole Karcz TE -> DE	Germantown, MN	Germantown High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	233 lb (106 kg)	February 04, 2015 (Signed)
Cole Karcz TE -> DE	Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A
Bruce Anderson RB	Ruskin, FL	Newsome High School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	202 lb (92 kg)	February 04, 2015 (Signed)
Bruce Anderson RB	Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A
Jake Brinkman OLB	North Liberty, IA	Regina High School	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	February 04, 2015 (Signed)
Jake Brinkman OLB	Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A
Dominic Davis ATH (CB)	Belleville, IL	Belleville West High School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	February 04, 2015 (Signed)
Dominic Davis ATH (CB)	Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A
Jack Albrecht OG	Rolling Meadows, IL	Fremd High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	276 lb (125 kg)	February 04, 2015 (Signed)
Jack Albrecht OG	Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: - 247Sports: #131 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: "2015 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved 1 September 2016.

Game summaries

at Montana

	1	2	3	4	Total
#1 Bison	7	21	0	7	35
#13 Grizzlies	10	11	7	10	38

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
4–3	2014	NDSU, 22–10

Weber State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats	7	0	0	7	14
#2 Bison	7	21	3	10	41

Overall record	Previous meeting	Result
5–0	2014	NDSU, 24–7

North Dakota

	1	2	3	4	Total
North Dakota	3	0	6	0	9
#4 Bison	3	21	10	0	34

Overall record	Previous meeting	Result
46–62–3	2003	UND, 28–21

at South Dakota State

	1	2	3	4	Total
#3 Bison	7	14	7	0	28
#5 Jackrabbits	0	0	7	0	7

Overall record	Previous meeting	Result
58–40–5	2014	NDSU, 37–17

Northern Iowa

	1	2	3	4	Total
#10 Panthers	7	7	0	14	28
#3 Bison	3	7	0	21	31

Overall record	Previous meeting	Result
22–26	2014	UNI, 23–3

South Dakota

	1	2	3	4	Total
Coyotes	0	14	0	10	24
#2 Bison	14	7	0	0	21

Overall record	Previous meeting	Result
52–25–3	2014	NDSU, 47–7

at Indiana State

	1	2	3	4	Total
#8 Bison	7	7	14	0	28
#18 Sycamores	0	7	7	0	14

Overall record	Previous meeting	Result
6–1	2014	NDSU, 34–17

at Southern Illinois

	1	2	3	4	Total
#7 Bison	7	7	7	14	35
Salukis	3	7	9	10	29

Overall record	Previous meeting	Result
6–3	2014	NDSU, 38–10

Western Illinois

	1	2	3	4	Total
Leathernecks	0	0	7	0	7
#6 Bison	17	21	7	14	59

Overall record	Previous meeting	Result
4–2	2014	NDSU, 17–10

at Youngstown State

	1	2	3	4	Total
#2 Bison	0	3	7	17	27
#20 Penguins	7	7	10	0	24

Overall record	Previous meeting	Result
5–4	2014	NDSU, 38–14

Missouri State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bears	0	0	0	0	0
#2 Bison	14	27	14	0	55

Overall record	Previous meeting	Result
5–2	2014	NDSU, 45–10

FCS Playoffs

Second Round–Montana

	1	2	3	4	Total
#16 Grizzlies	0	0	6	0	6
#2 Bison	7	14	10	6	37

Overall record	Previous meeting	Result
4–4	8/29/2015	MONT, 38–35

Quarterfinals–Northern Iowa

	1	2	3	4	Total
#15 Panthers	7	3	0	3	13
#2 Bison	7	0	7	9	23

Overall record	Previous meeting	Result
23–26	10/10/2015	NDSU, 31–28

Semifinals–Richmond

	1	2	3	4	Total
#12 Spiders	0	0	7	0	7
#2 Bison	13	13	0	7	33

Overall record	Previous meeting	Result
First meeting

Championship–Jacksonville State

	1	2	3	4	Total
#2 Bison	3	21	3	10	37
#1 Gamecocks	0	0	10	0	10

Overall record	Previous meeting	Result
0–2	1989 NCAA Division II Playoffs	JSU, 21–17

Ranking movements

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. ( ) = First place votes.
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Final
STATS FCS	1 (144)	2 (22)	4 (23)	3 (17)	3 (16)	3 (20)	2 (27)	8	7	6	2	2	2 (2)	1 (150)
Coaches	1 (24)	2–T (6)	2	2 (4)	2 (4)	2 (6)	2 (5)	8	6	5–T	3	3	3 (5)	1 (24)

2016 NFL draftees

Player	Round	Pick	Position	NFL Club
Joe Haeg	5	155	Guard	Indianapolis Colts

^[5]

References

↑ "North Dakota State–Montana Game Summary". ESPN. August 29, 2015. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
↑ "North Dakota State–Weber State Game Summary". ESPN. September 12, 2015. Retrieved September 13, 2015.
↑ Schnepf, Kevin (September 19, 2015). "For at Least One Day, NDSU-UND Game Was the Biggest Thing in the State Again". The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
↑ "North Dakota State–South Dakota State Game Summary". ESPN. October 3, 2015. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
↑ "2012 NFL Draft". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 28, 2016.

2015 North Dakota State Bison football—NCAA Division I FCS national champions

6 C. J. Smith 11 Carson Wentz 19 Ben LeCompte 46 Andrew Bonnet 54 Jeremy Kelly 59 Joe Haeg 82 Zach Vraa 88 Luke Albers Head coach: Chris Klieman Assistant coaches: Randy Hedberg Tyler Roehl

North Dakota State Bison football

Venues	Dacotah Field (1910–1992) Fargodome (1993–present)

Bowls & rivalries	Dakota Marker (South Dakota State) Nickel Trophy (North Dakota)

Culture & lore	Thundar "On Bison" Gold Star Marching Band

People	Head coaches NFL draftees

Seasons	1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

National championship seasons in bold

NCAA Division I-AA/FCS football champions

1970s	1978: Florida A&M 1979: Eastern Kentucky

1980s	1980: Boise State 1981: Idaho State 1982: Eastern Kentucky 1983: Southern Illinois 1984: Montana State 1985: Georgia Southern 1986: Georgia Southern 1987: Northeast Louisiana 1988: Furman 1989: Georgia Southern

1990s	1990: Georgia Southern 1991: Youngstown State 1992: Marshall 1993: Youngstown State 1994: Youngstown State 1995: Montana 1996: Marshall 1997: Youngstown State 1998: UMass 1999: Georgia Southern

2000s	2000: Georgia Southern 2001: Montana 2002: Western Kentucky 2003: Delaware 2004: James Madison 2005: Appalachian State 2006: Appalachian State 2007: Appalachian State 2008: Richmond 2009: Villanova

2010s	2010: Eastern Washington 2011: North Dakota State 2012: North Dakota State 2013: North Dakota State 2014: North Dakota State 2015: North Dakota State

2015 NCAA Division I FCS playoff participants

Charleston Southern Chattanooga The Citadel Coastal Carolina Colgate Dayton Duquesne Eastern Illinois Fordham Illinois State Jacksonville State James Madison McNeese State Montana New Hampshire North Dakota State Northern Iowa Portland State Richmond Sam Houston State South Dakota State Southern Utah Western Illinois William & Mary

Champion – North Dakota State

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