# 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.
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 |
| September 3 | 6:00 pm | Lafayette* | No. 11 | FargodomeFargo, ND | | W 42–6 | 17,023 |
| September 10 | 6:00 pm | Saint Francis (PA)* | No. 11 | FargodomeFargo, ND | ND-NBC | W 56–3 | 18,341 |
| September 24 | 6:00 pm | at Minnesota* | No. 8 | TCF Bank StadiumMinneapolis, MN | BTN | W 37–24 | 48,802 |
| October 1 | 1:00 pm | Illinois State | No. 5 | FargodomeFargo, ND | CSNC | W 20–10 | 18,904 |
| October 8 | 2:00 pm | at No. 20 Southern Illinois | No. 4 | Saluki StadiumCarbondale, IL | ESPN3 | W 9–3 | 9,059 |
| October 15 | 6:00 pm | Missouri State | No. 4 | FargodomeFargo, ND | MSN | W 51–21 | 18,029 |
| October 22 | 2:00 pm | at South Dakota State | No. 3 | Coughlin–Alumni StadiumBrookings, SD (Dakota Marker) | MSN | W 38–14 | 14,823 |
| October 29 | 3:00 pm | No. 2 Northern Iowa | No. 3 | FargodomeFargo, ND | FCS Central | W 27–19 | 18,886 |
| November 5 | 1:00 pm | at No. 21 Indiana State | No. 1 | Memorial StadiumTerre Haute, IN | ESPN3 | W 27–16 | 6,412 |
| November 12 | 3:00 pm | Youngstown State | No. 1 | FargodomeFargo, ND | ND-NBC | L 24–27 | 18,450 |
| November 19 | 1:00 pm | at Western Illinois | No. 5 | Hanson FieldMacomb, IL | KXJB-TV | W 37–21 | 3,560 |
| December 3 | 3:00 pm | No. 17 James Madison* | No. 4 | FargodomeFargo, ND (FCS Second Round) | ESPN3 | W 26–14 | 17,432 |
| December 10 | 3:00 pm | No. 6 Lehigh* | No. 4 | FargodomeFargo, ND (FCS Quarterfinals) | ESPN3 | W 24–0 | 18,111 |
| December 17 | 1:00 pm | No. 3 Georgia Southern* | No. 4 | FargodomeFargo, ND (FCS Semifinals) | ESPNU | W 35–7 | 18,108 |
| January 7 | 12:00 pm | No. 1 Sam Houston State* | No. 4 | Pizza Hut ParkFrisco, TX (FCS National Championship Game) | ESPN2 | W 17–6 | 20,586 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from The Sports Network Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Central time |||||||||

## Rankings

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

## Game summaries
### Lafayette

| 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
| 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 |
| Lafayette | Rushing | Ross Scheuerman | 8 rushes, 46 yards |
| Lafayette | Receiving | Mitchell Bennett | 3 receptions, 45 yards, TD |
| North Dakota State | Passing | Brock Jensen | 15/22, 197 yards, 2 TD |
| North Dakota State | Rushing | D. J. McNorton | 13 rushes, 80 yards, 3 TD |
| North Dakota State | Receiving | Warren Holloway | 6 receptions, 147 yards, 2 TD |

### Saint Francis (PA)

| 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
| 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 |
| Saint Francis | Rushing | Kyle Harbridge | 14 rushes, 41 yards |
| Saint Francis | Receiving | Ryan Laduke | 5 receptions, 42 yards |
| North Dakota State | Passing | Brock Jensen | 11/13, 139 yards, 2 TD |
| North Dakota State | Rushing | Sam Ojuri | 12 rushes, 165 yards, TD |
| North Dakota State | Receiving | Warren Holloway | 4 receptions, 73 yards, TD |

### At Minnesota

| 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
| 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 |
| North Dakota State | Rushing | D. J. McNorton | 13 rushes, 92 yards, TD |
| North Dakota State | Receiving | Ryan Smith | 4 receptions, 74 yards |
| Minnesota | Passing | Max Shortell | 4/8, 71 yards, TD, INT |
| Minnesota | Rushing | Duane Bennett | 13 rushes, 74 yards |
| Minnesota | Receiving | Eric Lair | 2 receptions, 41 yards, TD |

### Illinois State

| 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
| 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 |
| Illinois State | Rushing | Ashton Leggett | 16 rushes, 73 yards |
| Illinois State | Receiving | Lechein Neblett | 9 receptions, 78 yards |
| North Dakota State | Passing | Brock Jensen | 15/22, 207 yards, TD |
| North Dakota State | Rushing | D. J. McNorton | 17 rushes, 56 yards, TD |
| North Dakota State | Receiving | Warren Holloway | 6 receptions, 70 yards |

### At No. 20 Southern Illinois

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

### Missouri State

| 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
| 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 |
| Missouri State | Rushing | Vernon Scott | 13 rushes, 66 yards |
| Missouri State | Receiving | Ian Starnes | 5 receptions, 79 yards, TD |
| North Dakota State | Passing | Brock Jensen | 19/23, 211 yards, 3 TD |
| North Dakota State | Rushing | D. J. McNorton | 14 rushes, 92 yards, 2 TD |
| North Dakota State | Receiving | Warren Holloway | 6 receptions, 109 yards, 2 TD |

### At South Dakota State

| 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
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| North Dakota State | Passing |
| North Dakota State | Rushing |
| North Dakota State | Receiving |
| South Dakota State | Passing |
| South Dakota State | Rushing |
| South Dakota State | Receiving |

### No. 2 Northern Iowa

| 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
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Northern Iowa | Passing |
| Northern Iowa | Rushing |
| Northern Iowa | Receiving |
| North Dakota State | Passing |
| North Dakota State | Rushing |
| North Dakota State | Receiving |

### At No. 21 Indiana State

| 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
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| North Dakota State | Passing |
| North Dakota State | Rushing |
| North Dakota State | Receiving |
| Indiana State | Passing |
| Indiana State | Rushing |
| Indiana State | Receiving |

### Youngstown State

| 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
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Youngstown State | Passing |
| Youngstown State | Rushing |
| Youngstown State | Receiving |
| North Dakota State | Passing |
| North Dakota State | Rushing |
| North Dakota State | Receiving |

### At Western Illinois

| 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
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| North Dakota State | Passing |
| North Dakota State | Rushing |
| North Dakota State | Receiving |
| Western Illinois | Passing |
| Western Illinois | Rushing |
| Western Illinois | Receiving |

### No. 17 James Madison (FCS Second Round)

| 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
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| James Madison | Passing |
| James Madison | Rushing |
| James Madison | Receiving |
| North Dakota State | Passing |
| North Dakota State | Rushing |
| North Dakota State | Receiving |

### No. 6 Lehigh (FCS Quarterfinals)

| 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
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Lehigh | Passing |
| Lehigh | Rushing |
| Lehigh | Receiving |
| North Dakota State | Passing |
| North Dakota State | Rushing |
| North Dakota State | Receiving |

### No. 3 Georgia Southern (FCS Semifinals)

| 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
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Georgia Southern | Passing |
| Georgia Southern | Rushing |
| Georgia Southern | Receiving |
| North Dakota State | Passing |
| North Dakota State | Rushing |
| North Dakota State | Receiving |

### Vs. Sam Houston State (FCS Championship Game)

| 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
| 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 |
| Sam Houston State | Rushing | Tim Flanders | 21 rushes, 84 yards |
| Sam Houston State | Receiving | Torrance Williams | 3 receptions, 53 yards |
| North Dakota State | Passing | Brock Jensen | 10/20, 120 yards, TD, INT |
| North Dakota State | Rushing | D. J. McNorton | 14 rushes, 39 yards |
| North Dakota State | Receiving | D. J. McNorton | 2 receptions, 35 yards, TD |