# 2007 North Dakota State Bison football team

The 2007 North Dakota State Bison football team represented North Dakota State University in the 2007 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The team was led by fifth-year head coach Craig Bohl and played their homes games at the Fargodome in Fargo, North Dakota. The Bison finished with an overall record of 10–1, placing second in the Great West Conference with a 3–1 mark. North Dakota State averaged 40 points per game and allowing just 22 points per game to opponents. The Bison totaled 4,855 total yards of offense, an average of 441 yards per game.
Despite being ranked in the top five in both polls the entire year, North Dakota State was ineligible to make the playoffs per NCAA rules that mandated a four-year probationary period for football programs entering the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision. During their first four years after moving to Division I (2004–2007), North Dakota State had a record of 35–9 (.795) and were ranked in the top-25 32 of 44 weeks.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance |
| September 8 | 6:35 pm | Stephen F. Austin* | No. 4 | FargodomeFargo, ND | W 28–19 | 18,823 |
| September 15 | 6:00 pm | No. 16 Sam Houston State* | No. 5 | FargodomeFargo, ND | W 41–38 | 18,961 |
| September 22 | 6:40 pm | at Central Michigan* | No. 5 | Kelly/Shorts StadiumMount Pleasant, MI | W 44–14 | 16,522 |
| September 29 | 1:05 pm | at No. 17 Western Illinois* | No. 4 | Hanson FieldMacomb, IL | W 41–28 | 15,619 |
| October 4 | 1:00 pm | UC Davis | No. 3 | FargodomeFargo, ND | W 35–16 | 19,011 |
| October 13 | 2:00 pm | Mississippi Valley State* | No. 3 | Rice–Totten StadiumItta Bena, MS | W 58–7 | 4,986 |
| October 20 | 11:00 am | at Minnesota* | No. 2 | MetrodomeMinneapolis, MN | W 27–21 | 63,088 |
| October 27 | 3:05 pm | at Southern Utah | No. 2 | FargodomeFargo, ND (Harvest Bowl) | W 52–17 | 15,796 |
| November 3 | 6:00 pm | Illinois State* | No. 2 | FargodomeFargo, ND (Harvest Bowl) | W 54–28 | 18,116 |
| November 10 | 1:00 pm | at No. 24 Cal Poly | No. 2 | Alex G. Spanos StadiumSan Luis Obispo, CA | W 31–28 | 10,899 |
| November 17 | 1:00 pm | South Dakota State | No. 2 | Coughlin–Alumni StadiumBrookings, SD (Dakota Marker) | L 24–29 | 16,345 |
| *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 ( ) = 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 |
| The Sports Network | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 (14) | 3 (19) | 3 (24) | 2 (23) | 2 (47) | 2 (37) | 2 (42) | 2 (23) | 8 (1) | 9 |
| Coaches Poll | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 (3) | 2 (4) | 1 (8) | 1 (12) | 1 (21 | 1 (16) | 1 (18) | 1 (17) | 5 (3) | 9 |

## Game summaries
### Stephen F. Austin

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Lumberjacks | 7 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 19 |
| No. 4 Bison | 14 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 28 |
at Fargodome, Fargo, North Dakota
* Date: September 8
* Game time: 6:35 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: None (played indoors)
* Game attendance: 18,823
* Referee: Rod Snodgrass
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | SFA | NDSU |
| First downs | 13 | 28 |
| Total yards | 325 | 571 |
| Rushing yards | 129 | 350 |
| Passing yards | 196 | 221 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 5 |
| Time of possession | 28:00 | 32:00 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Stephen F. Austin | Passing | Danny Southall | 18/33, 196 yards, TD |
| Stephen F. Austin | Rushing | Danny Southall | 20 rushes, 82 yards |
| Stephen F. Austin | Receiving | Aaron Rhea | 2 receptions, 69 yards, TD |
| North Dakota State | Passing | Steve Walker | 12/18, 174 yards, 4 INT |
| North Dakota State | Rushing | Tyler Roehl | 27 rushes, 238 yards, 3 TD |
| North Dakota State | Receiving | Kole Heckendorf | 6 receptions, 65 yards |

### At Central Michigan

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 5 Bison | 3 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 44 |
| Chippewas | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
at Kelly/Shorts Stadium, Mount Pleasant, Michigan
* Date: September 22
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny and clear, 72 °F (22 °C)
* Game attendance: 16,522
* Referee: Ed Smith
* 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 |
| Central Michigan | Passing |
| Central Michigan | Rushing |
| Central Michigan | Receiving |

### At Minnesota

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 2 Bison | 14 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 27 |
| Golden Gophers | 7 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota
* Date: October 20
* Game time: 11:00 a.m. CDT
* Game weather: None (played indoors)
* Game attendance: 63,088
* Referee: Todd Geerlings
* TV: BTN
* 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 |
| Minnesota | Passing |
| Minnesota | Rushing |
| Minnesota | Receiving |