2011 North Dakota State Bison football team

The 2011 North Dakota State Bison football team represented North Dakota State University in the 2011 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Bison were led by ninth year head coach Craig Bohl and played their home games at the Fargodome. They are a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. They finished the season 14–1, 7–1 in MVFC play to share the conference title with Northern Iowa.^[1]

2011 North Dakota State Bison football
NCAA Division I champion MVFC co-champion
NCAA Division I Championship, W 17–6 vs. Sam Houston State
Conference	Missouri Valley Football Conference
Ranking
Sports Network	No. 1
FCS Coaches	No. 1
Record	14–1 (7–1 MVFC)
Head coach	Craig Bohl (9th season)
Offensive coordinator	Brent Vigen (3rd season)
Offensive scheme	Pro-style
Defensive coordinator	Scottie Hazelton (2nd season)
Base defense	3–4
Home stadium	Fargodome
Seasons ← 2010 2012 →

2011 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 1 North Dakota State +^		7	–	1					14	–	1
No. 6 Northern Iowa +^		7	–	1					10	–	3
No. 20 Illinois State		5	–	3					7	–	4
Indiana State		4	–	4					6	–	5
Youngstown State		4	–	4					6	–	5
South Dakota State		4	–	4					5	–	6
Southern Illinois		2	–	6					4	–	7
Missouri State		2	–	6					2	–	9
Western Illinois		1	–	7					2	–	9
+ – Conference co-champions ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network poll

The Bison received the conference's automatic bid into the FCS playoffs, their second FCS playoff bid in school history, where they advanced to the National Championship Game and defeated Sam Houston State to win their first FCS National Championship and their first national championship since 1990 when they won the Division II championship.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 3	6:00 pm	Lafayette*	No. 11	Fargodome Fargo, ND		W 42–6	17,023	[2]
September 10	6:00 pm	Saint Francis (PA)*	No. 11	Fargodome Fargo, ND	ND-NBC	W 56–3	18,341	[3]
September 24	6:00 pm	at Minnesota*	No. 8	TCF Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN	BTN	W 37–24	48,802	[4]
October 1	1:00 pm	Illinois State	No. 5	Fargodome Fargo, ND	CSNC	W 20–10	18,904	[5]
October 8	2:00 pm	at No. 20 Southern Illinois	No. 4	Saluki Stadium Carbondale, IL	ESPN3	W 9–3	9,059	[6]
October 15	6:00 pm	Missouri State	No. 4	Fargodome Fargo, ND	MSN	W 51–21	18,029	[7]
October 22	2:00 pm	at South Dakota State	No. 3	Coughlin–Alumni Stadium Brookings, SD (Dakota Marker)	MSN	W 38–14	14,823	[8]
October 29	3:00 pm	No. 2 Northern Iowa	No. 3	Fargodome Fargo, ND	FCS Central	W 27–19	18,886	[9]
November 5	1:00 pm	at No. 21 Indiana State	No. 1	Memorial Stadium Terre Haute, IN	ESPN3	W 27–16	6,412	[10]
November 12	3:00 pm	Youngstown State	No. 1	Fargodome Fargo, ND	ND-NBC	L 24–27	18,450	[11]
November 19	1:00 pm	at Western Illinois	No. 5	Hanson Field Macomb, IL	KXJB-TV	W 37–21	3,560	[12]
December 3	3:00 pm	No. 17 James Madison*	No. 4	Fargodome Fargo, ND (FCS Second Round)	ESPN3	W 26–14	17,432	[13]
December 10	3:00 pm	No. 6 Lehigh*	No. 4	Fargodome Fargo, ND (FCS Quarterfinals)	ESPN3	W 24–0	18,111	[14]
December 17	1:00 pm	No. 3 Georgia Southern*	No. 4	Fargodome Fargo, ND (FCS Semifinals)	ESPNU	W 35–7	18,108	[15]
January 7	12:00 pm	No. 1 Sam Houston State*	No. 4	Pizza Hut Park Frisco, TX (FCS National Championship Game)	ESPN2	W 17–6	20,586	[16]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from The Sports Network Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

Rankings

See also: 2011 NCAA Division I FCS football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
т = Tied with team above or below ( ) = First-place votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Final
Sports Network	11	11	8 (1)	8 (1)	5 (5)	4 (7)	4 (6)	3 (9)	3 (10)	1 (133)	1 (143)	5 (1)	5 (1)	1
Coaches	11	8	6	12	6 т	5	5	5	3	1 (22)	1 (26)	5	4 (1)	1

Personnel

2011 North Dakota State Bison football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class WR 3 Trevor Gebhart  Fr WR 4 Ryan Smith So QB 5 Dante Perez Sr RB 8 D. J. McNorton Sr QB 9 Esley Thornton  Fr QB 11 Carson Wentz Fr WR 12 Cooper Wahlo So WR 15 Dylan Dunn Fr QB 16 Brock Jensen So QB 18 Ryan Stanford Fr RB 22 Sam Ojuri So RB 23 Matt Voigtlander Sr FB 30 Jedre Cyr Fr RB 31 Amos Buehner Jr RB 33 Matt Jones Fr FB 37 Berkley Grimm Fr FB 39 Brennan Cable Fr FB 40 Andrew Grothmann So RB 42 Derrick Lang So FB 46 Andrew Bonnet Fr TE 47 Garrett Bruhn Jr TE 49 Derek Lee Fr G 57 Boen Andersen Sr OT 59 Joe Haeg Fr OL 61 Will Britt Sr G 62 Jacob Lesar Fr G 63 Austin Richard Sr OL 64 Josh Colville Fr G 65 Adam Schueller  Fr G 68 Ty Beckius Jr G 71 Tyler Gimmestad So OL 72 Jeff Jerve So C 73 Joe Lund Jr OL 74 Andrew Nack So OT 75 Jason Pomerenke  Fr C 76 Jesse Hinz So OT 77 Billy Turner So OT 78 Paul Cornick Sr WR 80 Nate Moody Fr WR 81 Warren Holloway Sr TE 82 Matt Veldman Sr WR 83 Brady Hansen Sr TE 85 Kevin Vaadeland So TE 86 Taylor Nelson So WR 87 Andrew Okland Fr TE 88 Luke Albers Fr WR 89 Zach Vraa  Fr	Defense Pos. # Name Class CB 1 Marcus Williams So CB 2 Brendan Pierre Jr FS 7 Daniel Evans Sr SS 10 Bobby Ollman Jr CB 13 Aireal Boyd Jr SS 14 Brock Gion Jr DB 15 John Pike Sr SS 20 Colten Heagle So SS 21 Frank Veldman Fr CB 24 Bryan Shepherd So DB 26 Joey Blackmore So CB 27 Zach Colvin  Fr CB 28 C. J. Smith Fr SS 29 A. J. Van Voorhis So CB 32 Jordan Champion Fr LB 34 Grant Olson So CB 35 Christian Dudzik  Fr FS 36 Joey Sonnenfeld Fr LB 38 Carlton Littlejohn  Fr S 41 Michael Wiest Fr LB 43 Don Carter So LB 44 Preston Evans Sr LB 45 Chad Wilson Sr LB 48 Logan Hushka So LB 49 Codee Lee Fr LB 51 DeShawn Dinwiddie Fr LB 52 Travis Beck  Fr DE 53 Kyle Emanuel  Fr LB 54 Tyler Gefroh  Fr LB 55 Nick Scoliere Fr LB 56 Brandon Jemison Jr LB 58 Alex Yaggie Sr LB 59 Alex LaVoy Fr NG 60 Ryan Drevlow So DL 61 Brian Schaetz Fr DT 66 Josh Liseneby Fr DE 67 Leighton Talmadge Fr DT 69 Leevon Perry So DE 70 Lyle Norman Fr DL 90 Anthony LaVoy So DE 91 Mike Hardie  Fr DE 92 Coulter Boyer Sr DE 93 Cole Jirik So DT 94 Danny Luecke So DT 95 Dan Wood Fr DE 96 Ricky Hagen Jr NG 97 Justin Juckem So DE 98 Scott Stoczynski Sr DT 99 Joe Horvath Fr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class PK 17 Adam Keller  Fr P 19 Ben LeCompte Fr P 23 Matt Voigtlander Sr PK 30 Ryan Jastram Sr LS 50 Michael Murphy So	Head coach Craig Bohl Coordinators/assistant coaches Brent Vigen Offensive coordinator Quarterbacks Scottie Hazelton Defensive coordinator Linebackers Kenni Burns Wide receivers A. J. Cooper Defensive ends Scott Fuchs Offensive line Nick Goeser Defensive tackles Chris Klieman Defensive backs Tim Polasek Special teams coordinator Running backs Recruiting coordinator Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster Last update: January 6, 2024

Game summaries

Lafayette

See also: 2011 Lafayette Leopards football team

Lafayette Leopards at No. 11 North Dakota State Bison – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Leopards	0	0	0	6	6
No. 11 Bison	0	14	14	14	42

at Fargodome, Fargo, North Dakota

• Date: September 3
• Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: None (played indoors)
• Game attendance: 17,023
• Referee: Greg Blum
• Box score, Recap

Game information

First quarter No scoring plays Second quarter NDSU – Warren Holloway 67-yard pass from Brock Jensen (Ryan Jastram kick), 14:49. Bison 7–0. Drive: 5 plays, 77 yards, 1:46. NDSU – D. J. McNorton 1-yard run (Ryan Jastram kick), 0:08. Bison 14–0. Drive: 13 plays, 74 yards, 4:51. Third quarter NDSU – D. J. McNorton 21-yard run (Ryan Jastram kick), 12:25. Bison 21–0. Drive: 5 plays, 63 yards, 2:27. NDSU – D. J. McNorton 2-yard run (Ryan Jastram kick), 4:49. Bison 28–0. Drive: 10 plays, 44 yards, 5:49. Fourth quarter LAF – Mitch Bennett 6-yard pass from Ryan O'Neil (kick failed), 14:52. Bison 28–6. Drive: 10 plays, 83 yards, 4:52. NDSU – Warren Holloway 57-yard pass from Brock Jensen (Ryan Jastram kick), 9:04. Bison 35–6. Drive: 2 plays, 63 yards, 0:54. NDSU – Derrick Lang 9-yard run (Ryan Jastram kick), 1:37. Bison 42–6. Drive: 10 plays, 63 yards, 5:01.

Statistics	LAF	NDSU
First downs	8	18
Total yards	198	416
Rushing yards	54	180
Passing yards	144	236
Turnovers	0	0
Time of possession	27:55	32:05

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Lafayette	Passing	Ryan O'Neil	15/20, 144 yards, TD
	Rushing	Ross Scheuerman	8 rushes, 46 yards
	Receiving	Mitchell Bennett	3 receptions, 45 yards, TD
North Dakota State	Passing	Brock Jensen	15/22, 197 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	D. J. McNorton	13 rushes, 80 yards, 3 TD
	Receiving	Warren Holloway	6 receptions, 147 yards, 2 TD

Saint Francis (PA)

See also: 2011 Saint Francis Red Flash football team

Saint Francis Red Flash at No. 11 North Dakota State Bison – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Red Flash	0	0	0	3	3
No. 11 Bison	7	21	28	0	56

at Fargodome, Fargo, North Dakota

• Date: September 10
• Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: None (played indoors)
• Game attendance: 18,341
• Referee: Tom Stapleton
• TV: ND-NBC
• Box score, Recap

Game information

First quarter NDSU – Sam Ojuri 95-yard run (Ryan Jastram kick), 2:45. Bison 7–0. Drive: 2 plays, 99 yards, 0:55. Second quarter NDSU – Cooper Wahlo 12-yard punt return (Ryan Jastram kick), 11:24. Bison 14–0. NDSU – Brock Jensen 8-yard run (Ryan Jastram kick), 7:42. Bison 21–0. Drive: 6 plays, 54 yards, 2:31. NDSU – Warren Holloway 22-yard pass from Brock Jensen (Ryan Jastram kick), 0:18. Bison 28–0. Drive: 7 plays, 66 yards, 2:50. Third quarter NDSU – Wes Hudson 10-yard run (Ryan Jastram kick), 12:51. Bison 35–0. Drive: 4 plays, 57 yards, 2:01. NDSU – Matt Veldman 18-yard pass from Brock Jensen (Ryan Jastram kick), 7:44. Bison 42–0. Drive: 5 plays, 55 yards, 2:41. NDSU – Carlton Littlejohn 37-yard interception return (Ryan Jastram kick), 6:37. Bison 49–0. NDSU – Wes Hudson 1-yard run (Ryan Jastram kick), 2:17. Bison 56–0. Drive: 6 plays, 44 yards, 3:02. Fourth quarter STF – Josh Thiel 26-yard field goal, 10:42. Bison 56–3. Drive: 11 plays, 71 yards, 6:29.

Statistics	STF	NDSU
First downs	15	17
Total yards	182	394
Rushing yards	66	233
Passing yards	116	161
Turnovers	3	0
Time of possession	37:31	22:29

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Saint Francis	Passing	John Kelly	8/17, 62 yards, 2 INT
	Rushing	Kyle Harbridge	14 rushes, 41 yards
	Receiving	Ryan Laduke	5 receptions, 42 yards
North Dakota State	Passing	Brock Jensen	11/13, 139 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Sam Ojuri	12 rushes, 165 yards, TD
	Receiving	Warren Holloway	4 receptions, 73 yards, TD

At Minnesota

See also: 2011 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team

No. 8 North Dakota State Bison at Minnesota Golden Gophers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 8 Bison	0	28	3	6	37
Golden Gophers	7	7	3	7	24

at TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota

• Date: September 24
• Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: Clear, 59 °F (15 °C)
• Game attendance: 48,802
• Referee: John O'Neill
• TV: BTN
• Box score, Recap

Game information

First quarter MINN – Donnell Kirkwood 4-yard run (Chris Hawthorne kick), 8:39. Golden Gophers 7–0. Drive: 13 plays, 68 yards, 6:21. Second quarter NDSU – Brock Jensen 1-yard run (Ryan Jastram kick), 14:57. Tied 7–7. Drive: 11 plays, 65 yards, 8:42. NDSU – Sam Ojuri 3-yard run (Ryan Jastram kick), 7:30. Bison 14–7. Drive: 8 plays, 83 yards, 3:47. MINN – Donnell Kirkwood 30-yard run (Chris Hawthorne kick), 2:11. Tied 14–14. Drive: 10 plays, 95 yards, 5:19. NDSU – D. J. McNorton 2-yard run (Ryan Jastram kick), 0:24. Bison 21–14. Drive: 5 plays, 71 yards, 1:47. NDSU – Marcus Williams 52-yard interception return (Ryan Jastram kick), 0:00. Bison 28–14. Third quarter NDSU – Ryan Jastram 49-yard field goal, 6:25. Bison 31–14. Drive: 12 plays, 55 yards, 8:35. MINN – Chris Hawthorne 36-yard field goal, 1:12. Bison 31–17. Drive: 10 plays, 53 yards, 5:13. Fourth quarter MINN – Eric Lair 20-yard pass from Max Shortell (Chris Hawthorne kick), 9:05. Bison 31–24. Drive: 10 plays, 46 yards, 5:41. NDSU – Marcus Williams 40-yard interception return (kick failed), 2:36. Bison 37–24.

Statistics	NDSU	MINN
First downs	17	18
Total yards	336	292
Rushing yards	139	168
Passing yards	197	124
Turnovers	0	2
Time of possession	31:21	28:39

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
North Dakota State	Passing	Brock Jensen	16/21, 197 yards
	Rushing	D. J. McNorton	13 rushes, 92 yards, TD
	Receiving	Ryan Smith	4 receptions, 74 yards
Minnesota	Passing	Max Shortell	4/8, 71 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	Duane Bennett	13 rushes, 74 yards
	Receiving	Eric Lair	2 receptions, 41 yards, TD

Illinois State

See also: 2011 Illinois State Redbirds football team

Illinois State Redbirds at No. 5 North Dakota State Bison – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Redbirds	0	3	0	7	10
No. 5 Bison	0	7	13	0	20

at Fargodome, Fargo, North Dakota

• Date: October 1
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: None (played indoors)
• Game attendance: 18,904
• Referee: Jerry Frump
• TV: CSNC
• Box score, Recap

Game information

First quarter No scoring plays Second quarter NDSU – D. J. McNorton 36-yard pass from Brock Jensen (Ryan Jastram kick), 8:19. Bison 7–0. Drive: 6 plays, 73 yards, 2:51. ILST – Nick Aussieker 27-yard field goal, 2:57. Bison 7–3. Drive: 11 plays, 71 yards, 5:16. Third quarter NDSU – D. J. McNorton 15-yard run (Ryan Jastram kick), 7:39. Bison 14–3. Drive: 5 plays, 45 yards, 2:08. NDSU – Bobby Ollman 82-yard interception return (kick blocked), 4:46. Bison 20–3. Fourth quarter ILST – Milton Cobert 43-yard pass from Matt Brown (Nick Aussieker kick), 3:07. Bison 20–10. Drive: 4 plays, 41 yards, 1:27.

Statistics	ILST	NDSU
First downs	21	16
Total yards	397	331
Rushing yards	127	124
Passing yards	270	207
Turnovers	3	2
Time of possession	30:44	29:16

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Illinois State	Passing	Matt Brown	31/48, 270 yards, TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Ashton Leggett	16 rushes, 73 yards
	Receiving	Lechein Neblett	9 receptions, 78 yards
North Dakota State	Passing	Brock Jensen	15/22, 207 yards, TD
	Rushing	D. J. McNorton	17 rushes, 56 yards, TD
	Receiving	Warren Holloway	6 receptions, 70 yards

At No. 20 Southern Illinois

See also: 2011 Southern Illinois Salukis football team

No. 8 North Dakota State Bison at No. 20 Southern Illinois Salukis – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 8 Bison	0	0	3	6	9
No. 20 Salukis	0	3	0	0	3

at Saluki Stadium, Carbondale, Illinois

• Date: October 8
• Game time: 2:00 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: Clear, 75 °F (24 °C)
• Game attendance: 9,059
• Referee: Bill Etzler
• TV: ESPN3
• Box score, Recap

Game information
First quarter No scoring plays Second quarter SIU – Jackson MacLachlan 31-yard field goal, 3:26. Salukis 3–0. Drive: 7 plays, 53 yards, 3:09. Third quarter NDSU – Ryan Jastram 36-yard field goal, 3:25. Tied 3–3. Drive: 7 plays, 71 yards, 2:21. Fourth quarter NDSU – Matt Veldman 10-yard pass from Brock Jensen (kick failed), 6:51. Bison 9–3. Drive: 7 plays, 50 yards, 3:59.

Statistics	NDSU	SIU
First downs	9	17
Total yards	210	297
Rushing yards	60	128
Passing yards	150	169
Turnovers	1	3
Time of possession	28:28	31:32

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
North Dakota State	Passing	Brock Jensen	13/23, 150 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	D. J. McNorton	13 rushes, 31 yards
	Receiving	Ryan Smith	3 receptions, 70 yards
Southern Illinois	Passing	Kory Faulkner	16/28, 169 yards, 3 INT
	Rushing	Jewel Hampton	23 rushes, 120 yards
	Receiving	Cam Fuller	2 receptions, 59 yards

Missouri State

See also: 2011 Missouri State Bears football team

Missouri State Bears at No. 4 North Dakota State Bison – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bears	7	7	7	0	21
No. 4 Bison	10	14	17	10	51

at Fargodome, Fargo, North Dakota

• Date: October 15
• Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: None (played indoors)
• Game attendance: 18,029
• Referee: Wally Righton
• TV: MSN
• Box score, Recap

Game information

First quarter NDSU – Ryan Jastram 34-yard field goal, 9:47. Bison 3–0. Drive: 7 plays, 31 yards, 3:32. MOST – Ian Starnes 29-yard pass from Trevor Wooden (Austin Witmer kick), 5:50. Bears 7–3. Drive: 9 plays, 84 yards, 3:51. NDSU – Warren Holloway 31-yard pass from Brock Jensen (Ryan Jastram kick), 1:37. Bison 10–7. Drive: 8 plays, 74 yards, 4:08. Second quarter MOST – Chris Douglas 19-yard pass from Trevor Wooden (Austin Witmer kick), 14:31. Bears 14–10. Drive: 7 plays, 69 yards, 2:00. NDSU – Warren Holloway 47-yard pass from Brock Jensen (Ryan Jastram kick), 11:06. Bison 17–14. Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 3:19. NDSU – D. J. McNorton 20-yard run (Ryan Jastram kick), 2:11. Bison 24–14. Drive: 10 plays, 96 yards, 5:31. Third quarter NDSU – Marcus Williams 90-yard kickoff return (Ryan Jastram kick), 14:49. Bison 31–14. NDSU – Ryan Jastram 33-yard field goal, 9:08. Bison 34–14. Drive: 10 plays, 14 yards, 5:38. NDSU – Matt Veldman 10-yard pass from Brock Jensen (Ryan Jastram kick), 6:48. Bison 41–14. Drive: 5 plays, 28 yards, 2:09. MOST – Trevor Wooden 1-yard run (Austin Witmer kick), 2:22. Bison 41–21. Drive: 9 plays, 78 yards, 4:20. Fourth quarter NDSU – Ryan Jastram 35-yard field goal, 12:45. Bison 44–21. Drive: 9 plays, 72 yards, 4:32. NDSU – D. J. McNorton 9-yard run (Ryan Jastram kick), 11:27. Bison 51–21. Drive: 1 play, 9 yards, 0:07.

Statistics	MOST	NDSU
First downs	19	26
Total yards	363	428
Rushing yards	141	212
Passing yards	222	216
Turnovers	3	0
Time of possession	22:30	37:30

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Missouri State	Passing	Trevor Wooden	18/25, 222 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Vernon Scott	13 rushes, 66 yards
	Receiving	Ian Starnes	5 receptions, 79 yards, TD
North Dakota State	Passing	Brock Jensen	19/23, 211 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	D. J. McNorton	14 rushes, 92 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Warren Holloway	6 receptions, 109 yards, 2 TD

At South Dakota State

See also: 2011 South Dakota State Jackrabbits football team

No. 3 North Dakota State Bison at South Dakota State Jackrabbits – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 3 Bison	7	3	7	21	38
Jackrabbits	0	0	7	7	14

at Coughlin–Alumni Stadium, Brookings, South Dakota

• Date: October 22
• Game time: 2:00 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: Sunny, 62 °F (17 °C)
• Game attendance: 14,823
• Referee: Greg Blum
• TV: MSN
• Box score, Recap

Statistics	NDSU	SDSU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
North Dakota State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
South Dakota State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

No. 2 Northern Iowa

See also: 2011 Northern Iowa Panthers football team

No. 2 Northern Iowa Panthers at No. 3 North Dakota State Bison – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 2 Panthers	3	10	0	6	19
No. 3 Bison	7	10	7	3	27

at Fargodome, Fargo, North Dakota

• Date: October 29
• Game time: 3:00 p.m. CDT
• Game weather: None (played indoors)
• Game attendance: 18,886
• Referee: Bill Etzler
• TV: FCS Central
• Box score, Recap

Statistics	UNI	NDSU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Northern Iowa	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
North Dakota State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At No. 21 Indiana State

See also: 2011 Indiana State Sycamores football team

No. 1 North Dakota State Bison at No. 21 Indiana State Sycamores – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 1 Bison	10	7	0	10	27
No. 21 Sycamores	3	7	0	6	16

at Memorial Stadium, Terre Haute, Indiana

• Date: November 5
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. CDT/2:00 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: Sunny, 48 °F (9 °C)
• Game attendance: 6,412
• Referee: Wally Righton
• TV: ESPN3
• Box score, Recap

Statistics	NDSU	INST
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
North Dakota State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Indiana State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Youngstown State

See also: 2011 Youngstown State Penguins football team

Youngstown State at No. 1 North Dakota State Bison – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Penguins	3	14	10	0	27
No. 1 Bison	7	14	3	0	24

at Fargodome, Fargo, North Dakota

• Date: November 12
• Game time: 3:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: None (played indoors)
• Game attendance: 18,450
• Referee: Justin Ingalls
• TV: ND-NBC
• Box score, Recap

Statistics	YSU	NDSU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Youngstown State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
North Dakota State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At Western Illinois

See also: 2011 Western Illinois Leathernecks football team

No. 5 North Dakota State Bison at Western Illinois Leathernecks – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 5 Bison	7	14	16	0	37
Leathernecks	0	0	7	14	21

at Hanson Field, Macomb, Illinois

• Date: November 19
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: Cloudy, 59 °F (15 °C)
• Game attendance: 3,560
• Referee: Tom Stapleton
• TV: KXJB-TV
• Box score, Recap

Statistics	NDSU	WIU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
North Dakota State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Western Illinois	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

No. 17 James Madison (FCS Second Round)

See also: 2011 James Madison Dukes football team

No. 17 James Madison Dukes at No. 4 North Dakota State Bison (FCS Second Round) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 17 Dukes	0	7	0	7	14
No. 4 Bison	0	10	6	10	26

at Fargodome, Fargo, North Dakota

• Date: December 3
• Game time: 3:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: None (played indoors)
• Game attendance: 17,432
• Referee: Ross Smith
• TV: ESPN3
• Box score, Recap

Statistics	JMU	NDSU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
James Madison	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
North Dakota State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

No. 6 Lehigh (FCS Quarterfinals)

See also: 2011 Lehigh Mountain Hawks football team

No. 6 Lehigh Mountain Hawks at No. 4 North Dakota State Bison (FCS Quarterfinals) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 6 Mountain Hawks	0	0	0	0	0
No. 4 Bison	0	17	0	7	24

at Fargodome, Fargo, North Dakota

• Date: December 10
• Game time: 3:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: None (played indoors)
• Game attendance: 18,111
• Referee: Kelly Hollman
• TV: ESPN3
• Box score, Recap

Statistics	LEH	NDSU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Lehigh	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
North Dakota State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

No. 3 Georgia Southern (FCS Semifinals)

See also: 2011 Georgia Southern Eagles football team

No. 3 Georgia Southern Eagles at No. 4 North Dakota State Bison (FCS Semifinals) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 3 Eagles	0	7	0	0	7
No. 4 Bison	7	7	6	15	35

at Fargodome, Fargo, North Dakota

• Date: December 17
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: None (played indoors)
• Game attendance: 18,108
• Referee: William Boyd
• TV: ESPNU
• Box score, Recap

Statistics	GASO	NDSU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Georgia Southern	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
North Dakota State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Vs. Sam Houston State (FCS Championship Game)

See also: 2011 Sam Houston State Bearkats football team and 2012 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game

No. 1 Sam Houston State Bearkats vs. No. 4 North Dakota State Bison (FCS Championship Game) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 1 Bearkats	0	6	0	0	6
No. 4 Bison	3	0	7	7	17

at Pizza Hut Park, Frisco, Texas

• Date: January 7, 2012
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: Overcast, 50 °F (10 °C)
• Game attendance: 20,586
• Referee: Tony Marcella
• TV announcers (ESPN2): Dave Neal, David Diaz-Infante, and Allison Williams
• Box score, Recap

Game information

First quarter NDSU – Ryan Jastram 19-yard field goal, 0:03. Bison 3–0. Drive: 10 plays, 67 yards, 5:56. Second quarter SHSU – Craig Alaniz 24-yard field goal, 2:18. Tied 3–3. Drive: 9 plays, 41 yards, 4:11. SHSU – Craig Alaniz 31-yard field goal, 0:40. Bearkats 6–3. Drive: 7 plays, 25 yards, 1:04. Third quarter NDSU – D. J. McNorton 39-yard pass from Brock Jensen (Ryan Jastram kick), 12:47. Bison 10–6. Drive: 5 plays, 72 yards, 2:13. Fourth quarter NDSU – Brock Jensen 1-yard run (Ryan Jastram kick), 8:45. Bison 17–6. Drive: 1 play, 1 yard, 0:03.

Statistics	SHSU	NDSU
First downs	12	9
Total yards	210	235
Rushing yards	95	115
Passing yards	115	120
Turnovers	2	2
Time of possession	33:05	26:55

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Sam Houston State	Passing	Brian Bell	12/31, 115 yards, 2 INT
	Rushing	Tim Flanders	21 rushes, 84 yards
	Receiving	Torrance Williams	3 receptions, 53 yards
North Dakota State	Passing	Brock Jensen	10/20, 120 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	D. J. McNorton	14 rushes, 39 yards
	Receiving	D. J. McNorton	2 receptions, 35 yards, TD