# 2012 North Dakota State Bison football team

The 2012 North Dakota State Bison football team represented North Dakota State University in the 2012 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by tenth-year head coach Craig Bohl and played their home games at the Fargodome in Fargo, North Dakota. North Dakota State entered the season as the defending NCAA Division I Football and Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) champions. In 2012, the Bison won their second straight MVFC title posting, a 7–1 conference record and 10–1 overall mark in the regular season. In the FCS playoffs they defeated South Dakota State, Wofford, Georgia Southern, and Sam Houston State to finish the season 14–1 and win their second consecutive national title.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 1 | 6:00 pm | Robert Morris* | No. 2 | FargodomeFargo, ND | NBC ND/ESPN3 | W 52–0 | 18,769 |
| September 8 | 6:00 pm | at Colorado State* | No. 2 | Hughes StadiumFort Collins, CO | NBC ND/KTVD | W 22–7 | 23,567 |
| September 22 | 3:00 pm | Prairie View A&M* | No. 1 | FargodomeFargo, ND | NBC ND/ESPN3 | W 66–7 | 18,623 |
| September 29 | 6:00 pm | at No. 14 Northern Iowa | No. 1 | UNI-DomeCedar Falls, IA | KVLY/Panther Sports Network/ KWWL-TV | W 33–21 | 16,008 |
| October 6 | 1:00 pm | No. 3 Youngstown State | No. 1 | FargodomeFargo, ND | NBC ND/ESPN3/ MVFC TV | W 48–7 | 19,065 |
| October 13 | 3:00 pm | Indiana State | No. 1 | FargodomeFargo, ND | NBC ND/ESPN3 | L 14–17 | 18,164 |
| October 20 | 6:00 pm | at South Dakota | No. 4 | Howard Wood FieldSioux Falls, SD | Midco SN | W 54–0 | 9,269 |
| October 27 | 3:00 pm | Southern Illinois | No. 3 | FargodomeFargo, ND (Harvest Bowl) | NBC ND/FCS | W 23–17 | 18,066 |
| November 3 | 1:00 pm | at Missouri State | No. 1 | Plaster Sports ComplexSpringfield, MO | NBC ND/Mediacom | W 21–17 | 6,253 |
| November 10 | 3:00 pm | No. 16 South Dakota State | No. 1 | FargodomeFargo, ND (Dakota Marker) | NBC ND/FCS | W 20–17 | 18,721 |
| November 17 | 1:00 pm | at No. 11 Illinois State | No. 1 | Hancock StadiumNormal, IL | NBC ND | W 38–20 | 6,793 |
| December 1 | 3:00 pm | No. 19 South Dakota State* | No. 1 | FargodomeFargo, ND (FCS Playoffs Second Round) | ESPN3 | W 28–3 | 18,482 |
| December 8 | 2:00 pm | No. 9 Wofford* | No. 1 | FargodomeFargo, ND (FCS Playoffs Quarterfinals) | ESPN3 | W 14–7 | 18,267 |
| December 14 | 7:00 pm | No. 6 Georgia Southern* | No. 1 | FargodomeFargo, ND (FCS Playoffs Semifinals) | ESPN2 | W 23–20 | 18,484 |
| January 5 | 12:00 pm | vs. No. 5 Sam Houston State* | No. 1 | FC Dallas StadiumFrisco, TX (FCS Playoffs National Championship Game) | ESPN2 | W 39–13 | 21,411 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from The Sports Network Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Central time |||||||||

## Ranking movements

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Final |
| Sports Network | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Coaches | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |

## Coaching staff

| Name | Position | Year at North Dakota State | Alma mater (year) |
| Craig Bohl | Head coach | 10th | Nebraska (1982) |
| Brent Vigen | Offensive coordinator Quarterbacks | 15th | North Dakota State (1998) |
| Chris Klieman | Defensive coordinator Defensive backs | 2nd | Northern Iowa (1990) |
| Kenni Burns | Recruiting coordinator Wide receivers coach | 3rd | Indiana (2006) |
| A. J. Cooper | Defensive ends coach | 7th | North Dakota State (2006) |
| Scott Fuchs | Offensive line | 4th | North Dakota State (1995) |
| Nick Goeser | Defensive tackles coach | 3rd | Wisconsin–Eau Claire (2003) |
| Tim Polasek | Special teams coordinator Tight ends Fullbacks Backs | 6th | Concordia (WI) (2002) |
| Steve Stanard | Linebackers | 1st | Nebraska (1989) |
| Gordie Haug | Offensive assistant | 1st | Bemidji State (2009) |
| John Richardson | Defensive assistant | 2nd | North Dakota State (2010) |