2018 North Dakota State Bison football team

Last updated

2018 North Dakota State Bison football
North Dakota State Bison wordmark.svg
NCAA Division I champion
MVFC champion
Conference Missouri Valley Football Conference
Ranking
STATSNo. 1
FCS CoachesNo. 1
Record15–0 (8–0 MVFC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinator Courtney Messingham (2nd season)
Offensive scheme Pro-style
Defensive coordinator Matt Entz (5th season)
Base defense 3–4
Home stadium Fargodome
Seasons
←  2017
2019  →
2018 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
No. 1 North Dakota State $^  8 –0   15 –0  
No. 3 South Dakota State ^  6 –2   10 –3  
No. 23 Northern Iowa ^  5 –3   7 –6  
Indiana State  5 –3   7 –4  
Western Illinois  4 –4   5 –6  
Illinois State  3 –5   6 –5  
Youngstown State  3 –5   4 –7  
South Dakota  3 –5   4 –7  
Missouri State  2 –6   4 –7  
Southern Illinois  1 –7   2 –9  
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – FCS playoff participant
Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2018 North Dakota State Bison football team represented North Dakota State University in the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by fifth-year head coach Chris Klieman, who also coached his final season with the Bison before heading off to take over for the retiring Bill Snyder at Kansas State. The team played their 26th season in the Fargodome in Fargo, North Dakota as members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. They entered the season as defending National Champions and had won six of the last seven FCS titles. In 2018, the Bison finished the regular season 11–0, the first undefeated Bison season since the 2013 campaign, and won their eighth consecutive MVFC title. They received an automatic qualifying bid to the FCS playoff tournament and were seeded as the No. 1 team. The Bison then went 4–0 in the FCS playoffs to finish 15–0 and FCS champions.

Contents

Preseason

Award watch lists

AwardPlayerPositionYear
Walter Payton Award [1] Bruce AndersonRBSR
Easton Stick QBSR
Buck Buchanan Award [2] Greg MenardDESR

Preseason MVFC poll

The MVFC released their preseason poll on July 29, 2018, with the Bison predicted unanimously to win the MVFC championship. [3]

Predicted finishTeamVotes (1st place)
1North Dakota State390 (39)
2South Dakota State270
3Northern Iowa258
4Youngstown State248
5Illinois State248
6South Dakota206
7Western Illinois163
8Southern Illinois139
9Missouri State90
10Indiana State41

Preseason All-MVFC Teams

The Bison placed eleven players on the preseason all-MVFC teams. [4]

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
September 12:30 p.m. Cal Poly *No. 1
 NBC ND/ESPN+ W 49–318,483
September 152:30 p.m. North Alabama *No. 1
  • Fargodome
  • Fargo, ND
NBC ND/ESPN+W 38–718,557
September 221:00 p.m. Delaware *Dagger-14-plain.pngNo. 1
  • Fargodome
  • Fargo, ND
NBC ND/ESPN+W 38–1018,883
September 292:30 p.m.No. 3 South Dakota State No. 1
NBC ND/ESPN+W 21–1718,846
October 61:00 p.m.at No. 22 Northern Iowa No. 1
NBC ND/ESPN+W 56–319,899
October 136:00 p.m.at Western Illinois No. 1
NBC ND/ESPN+W 34–72,709
October 202:30 p.m.No. 8 Illinois State No. 1
  • Fargodome
  • Fargo, ND
NBC ND/ESPN+W 28–1418,553
October 272:00 p.m.at South Dakota No. 1
NBC ND/ESPN+W 59–149,589
November 32:30 p.m. Youngstown State No. 1
  • Fargodome
  • Fargo, ND (Harvest Bowl)
NBC ND/ESPN+W 17–718,028
November 102:00 p.m.at Missouri State No. 1
ESPN+W 48–75,224
November 172:30 p.m. Southern Illinois No. 1
  • Fargodome
  • Fargo, ND
NBC ND/ESPN+W 65–1718,008
December 12:00 p.m. No. 23 Montana State *No. 1
NBC ND/ESPN3 W 52–1017,005
December 811:00 a.m.No. 8 Colgate *No. 1
NBC ND/ESPN W 35–016,404
December 147:00 p.m.No. 5 South Dakota State*No. 1
 ESPN2 W 44–2118,286
January 511:00 a.m.No. 3 Eastern Washington *No. 1
 ESPN2 W 38–24 17,802
  • *Non-conference game
  • Dagger-14-plain.pngHomecoming
  • Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game
  • All times are in Central time

Game summaries

Polls are based on the FCS STATS Poll

Cal Poly

1234Total
Mustangs30003
No. 1 Bison72114749

North Alabama

1234Total
Lions00077
No. 1 Bison71071438

Delaware

1234Total
Fightin' Blue Hens0001010
No. 1 Bison2873038

South Dakota State

1234Total
No. 3 Jackrabbits7010017
No. 1 Bison0140721

At Northern Iowa

1234Total
No. 1 Bison71472856
No. 22 Panthers14107031

At Western Illinois

1234Total
No.1 Bison31471034
Leathernecks07007

Illinois State

1234Total
No. 8 Redbirds007714
No. 1 Bison7147028

At South Dakota

1234Total
No. 1 Bison211471759
Coyotes077014

Youngstown State

1234Total
Penguins00707
No. 1 Bison0701017

At Missouri State

1234Total
No. 1 Bison201414048
Bears00707

[5]

Southern Illinois

1234Total
Salukis1403017
No. 1 Bison281671465

FCS Playoffs

Montana State–Second Round

1234Total
No. 23 Bobcats307010
No. 1 Bison21177752

Colgate–Quarterfinals

1234Total
No. 9 Raiders00000
No. 1 Bison7714735

South Dakota State–Semifinals

1234Total
No. 5 Jackrabbits7014021
No. 1 Bison7721944

Eastern Washington–Championship

1234Total
No. 4 Eagles0107724
No. 1 Bison10714738

Ranking movements

Ranking movements
Legend: ( ) = First-place votes
Week
PollPre123456789101112Final
STATS FCS 1 (151)1 (157)1 (154)1 (152)1 (152)1 (155)1 (160)1 (160)1 (163)1 (160)1 (158)1 (155)1 (155)1 (156)
Coaches 1 (23)1 (26)1 (25)1 (26)1 (26)1 (26)1 (26)1 (26)1 (26)1 (26)1 (26)1 (26)1 (26)1 (26)

Players drafted into the NFL

RoundPickPlayerPositionNFL Club
5166 Easton Stick QB Los Angeles Chargers

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Dakota Fighting Hawks football</span> Football team for the University of North Dakota

The North Dakota Fighting Hawks represent the University of North Dakota, competing as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) in the NCAA Division I's Football Championship Subdivision. From 1973 to 2008, they played in the NCAA's NCAA Division II, winning the national championship in 2001. From 1955 to 1972, they competed in the NCAA's College Division where they participated in and won three bowl games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Dakota State Bison football</span> College Football team of North Dakota State University

The North Dakota State Bison football program represents North Dakota State University in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision level and competes in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. The Bison play in the 19,000-seat Fargodome located in Fargo. The Bison have won 19 national championships and 38 conference championships. They have won 10 NCAA Division I AA FCS National Championships between 2011 and 2024. The Bison hold the record for most overall NCAA national championships and the record for the most consecutive championships with five titles between 2011 and 2015 for Division I FCS.

The South Dakota State Jackrabbits football team represents South Dakota State University in college football. The program competes at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level as member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC). The Jackrabbits play their home games at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium on South Dakota State's campus in Brookings, South Dakota.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 North Dakota State Bison football team</span> In the 2013 NCAA Division I FCS football season

The 2013 North Dakota State Bison football team represented North Dakota State University in the 2013 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by head coach Craig Bohl, in his 11th and ultimately final season, as he left to become the head coach at Wyoming after the season. The team, which played their 21st season in the Fargodome, entered the season as the two-time defending national champions. The Bison have been members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference since the 2008 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 North Dakota State Bison football team</span> American college football season

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. As a result, the Bison received the conference's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs as the No. 2 seed. In the playoffs, they defeated San Diego, Wofford, and Sam Houston State to advance to the National Championship game. There they defeated James Madison 17–13 to win the school's sixth National Championship in seven years. The September 30 game against Missouri State was the 700th victory since the team's founding in 1894.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Indiana State Sycamores football team</span> American college football season

The 2018 Indiana State Sycamores football team represented Indiana State University in the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by second-year head coach Curt Mallory and played their home games at Memorial Stadium. They were a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. They finished the season 7–4, 5–3 in MVFC play to finish in a tie for third place. Despite being ranked in the top 25 at the end of the regular season, they were not selected to participate in the FCS Playoffs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 South Dakota Coyotes football team</span> American college football season

The 2018 South Dakota Coyotes football team represented the University of South Dakota in the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by third-year head coach Bob Nielson and played their home games in the DakotaDome. They were a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. They finished the season 4–7, 3–5 in MVFC play to finish in a three-way tie for sixth place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Northern Iowa Panthers football team</span> American college football season

The 2018 Northern Iowa Panthers football team represented the University of Northern Iowa in the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The team was led by Mark Farley in his 18th season and played their home games in the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. They finished the season 7–6, 5–3 in MVFC play to finish in a tie for third place. They received an at-large bid to the FCS Playoffs, where they defeated Lamar in the first round before losing to UC Davis in the second round.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 South Dakota State Jackrabbits football team</span> American college football season

The 2018 South Dakota State Jackrabbits football team represented South Dakota State University as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) during the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by 22nd-year head coach John Stiegelmeier, the Jackrabbits compiled an overall record of 10–3 with a mark of 6–2 in conference play, placing second in the MVFC. South Dakota State received an at-large bid to the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs, where, after a first round bye, the Jackrabbits defeated Duquesne in the second round and Kennesaw State in the quarterfinals before falling to fellow MVFC member and eventual national champion, North Dakota State, in the semifinals. The team played home games on campus at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings, South Dakota.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Western Illinois Leathernecks football team</span> American college football season

The 2018 Western Illinois Leathernecks football team represented Western Illinois University in the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by first-year head coach Jared Elliott and played their home games at Hanson Field. They were a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC). They finished the season 5–6, 4–4 in MVFC play to finish in fifth place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Youngstown State Penguins football team</span> American college football season

The 2018 Youngstown State Penguins football team represented Youngstown State University in the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by third-year head coach Bo Pelini and played their home games at Stambaugh Stadium. They were a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. They finished the season 4–7, 3–5 in MVFC play to finish in a three-way tie for sixth place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 South Dakota State Jackrabbits football team</span> American college football season

The 2019 South Dakota State Jackrabbits football team represented South Dakota State University as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) during the 2019 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by 23rd-year head coach John Stiegelmeier, the Jackrabbits compiled an overall record of 8–5 with a mark of 5–3 in conference play, placing in a three-way tie for third in the MVFC. South Dakota State received an at-large bid to the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs, where, after a first round bye, the Jackrabbits lost to Northern Iowa in the second round. The team played home games on campus at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings, South Dakota.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Illinois State Redbirds football team</span> American college football season

The 2019 Illinois State Redbirds football team represented Illinois State University as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) during the 2019 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by 11th-year head coach Brock Spack, the Redbirds compiled an overall record of 10–5 with a mark of 5–3 in conference play, placing in a three-way tie for third in the MVFC. Illinois State received an at-large bid to the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs, where the Redbirds beat Southeast Missouri State in the first round and Central Arkansas in the second round before losing to the eventual national champion, North Dakota State, in the quarterfinals. The team played home games at Hancock Stadium in Normal, Illinois.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 North Dakota State Bison football team</span> American college football season

The 2019 North Dakota State Bison football team represented North Dakota State University in the 2019 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by first-year head coach Matt Entz. The team played in the Fargodome in Fargo, North Dakota, for the 27th season as members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC). They entered the season as defending national champions, having won seven of the prior eight FCS titles. In 2019, the Bison finished the regular season 12–0, the second consecutive undefeated Bison season, and won their ninth consecutive MVFC title. They received an automatic qualifying bid to the FCS playoff tournament and were seeded as the No. 1 team. The Bison then went 4–0 in the FCS playoffs to finish 16–0 as FCS champions, becoming the first team at any level of college football to finish a season 16–0 since Yale in 1894. They also extended their FCS-record winning streak to 37 games.

The 2022 Missouri Valley Football Conference football season was the 37th season of college football play for the Missouri Valley Football Conference and part of the 2022 NCAA Division I FCS football season. This was the MVFC's 3rd straight season with 11 teams, and was the last as the conference added a 12th team for the 2023 season.

The 2023 Missouri Valley Football Conference football season was the 38th season of college football play for the Missouri Valley Football Conference and part of the 2023 NCAA Division I FCS football season. This was the MVFC's first season with 12 teams, as the conference added Murray State over the offseason. It was also the last season with 12 teams for now, as it was announced in May 2023 that Western Illinois would be leaving the MVFC after the 2023 season for the Ohio Valley Conference.

The 2021 Missouri Valley Football Conference football season was the 36th season of college football play for the Missouri Valley Football Conference and part of the 2021 NCAA Division I FCS football season. This was the MVFC's 2nd straight season with 11 teams.
North Dakota State made it to the National Championship and won their 9th FCS title in program history. South Dakota State made the playoffs unseeded, and won their way into the semifinals where they lost to 8th seeded Montana State. Southern Illinois also made it to the playoffs, and beat fellow MVFC member South Dakota in the first round, but would fall to eventual champion North Dakota State in the second round. Northern Iowa also made it to the playoffs, but lost to Eastern Washington in the first round.

The 2020 Missouri Valley Football Conference season was the 35th season of college football play for the Missouri Valley Football Conference and part of the 2020-21 NCAA Division I FCS football season. This was the MVFC's first season with 11 teams, as they added North Dakota in the offseason. Although, the conference technically only had 10 of their members play the season, since Indiana State opted out of the Spring season.

The 2019 Missouri Valley Football Conference season was the 34th season of college football play for the Missouri Valley Football Conference and part of the 2019 NCAA Division I FCS football season. This was the MVFC's 8th consecutive season with 10 teams, and would be their last for now as they added North Dakota in the following offseason.

The 2024 Missouri Valley Football Conference season was the 39th season of college football play for the Missouri Valley Football Conference and part of the 2024 NCAA Division I FCS football season. This was the MVFC's first season returning to 11 teams, and its fourth in the last 5 seasons. It was also the conference's last at the time as Missouri State announced before the season that they would be joining Conference USA starting in the 2025–26 academic year. The Bears were ineligible for the FCS playoffs and the conference title during the 2024 season.

References

  1. ↑ "FCS football: 2018 Walter Payton Award watch list". August 1, 2018. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
  2. ↑ "FCS football: 2018 Buck Buchanan Award watch list announced". August 2, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  3. ↑ "North Dakota State Picked to Win 2018 MVFC Title".
  4. ↑ "Preseason All-Conf and Team (PDF) - Missouri Valley Football Conference" (PDF).
  5. ↑ "North Dakota State vs. Missouri State - Box Score - November 10, 2018 - ESPN".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.