2018_North_Dakota_State_Bison_football_team
2018 North Dakota State Bison football team
American college football season
The 2018 North Dakota State Bison football team represents 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.
Quick Facts North Dakota State Bison football, NCAA Division I championMVFC champion ...
| 2018 North Dakota State Bison football | |
|---|---|
 | |
NCAA Division I champion MVFC champion | |
NCAA Division I Championship Game, W 38–24 vs. Eastern Washington | |
| Conference | Missouri Valley Football Conference |
| Ranking | |
| STATS | No. 1 |
| FCS Coaches | No. 1 |
| Record | 15–0 (8–0 MVFC) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive coordinator | Courtney Messingham (2nd season) |
| Offensive scheme | Pro-style |
| Defensive coordinator | Matt Entz (5th season) |
| Base defense | 3–4 |
| Home stadium | Fargodome |
Seasons | |
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More information Conf, Overall ...
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 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 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Award watch lists
More information Award, Player ...
| Award | Player | Position | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walter Payton Award[1] | Bruce Anderson | RB | SR |
| Easton Stick | QB | SR | |
| Buck Buchanan Award[2] | Greg Menard | DE | SR |
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Preseason MVFC poll
The MVFC released their preseason poll on July 29, 2018, with the Bison predicted unanimously to win the MVFC championship.[3]
More information Predicted finish, Team ...
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Dakota State | 390 (39) |
| 2 | South Dakota State | 270 |
| 3 | Northern Iowa | 258 |
| 4 | Youngstown State | 248 |
| 5 | Illinois State | 248 |
| 6 | South Dakota | 206 |
| 7 | Western Illinois | 163 |
| 8 | Southern Illinois | 139 |
| 9 | Missouri State | 90 |
| 10 | Indiana State | 41 |
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Preseason All-MVFC Teams
The Bison placed eleven players on the preseason all-MVFC teams.[4]
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Offense 1st team Bruce Anderson – RB Brock Robbins – FB Zack Johnson – OL Tanner Volson – OL 2nd team Easton Stick – QB Darrius Shepherd – WR |
Defense 1st team Greg Menard – DL Aaron Steidl – DL Jabril Cox – LB Robbie Grimsley – DB 2nd team Derrek Tuszka – DL |
More information Date, Time ...
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 1 | 2:30 p.m. | Cal Poly* | No. 1 | NBC ND/ESPN+ | W 49–3 | 18,483 | |
| September 15 | 2:30 p.m. | North Alabama* | No. 1 |
| NBC ND/ESPN+ | W 38–7 | 18,557 |
| September 22 | 1:00 p.m. | Delaware* | No. 1 |
| NBC ND/ESPN+ | W 38–10 | 18,883 |
| September 29 | 2:30 p.m. | No. 3 South Dakota State | No. 1 |
| NBC ND/ESPN+ | W 21–17 | 18,846 |
| October 6 | 1:00 p.m. | at No. 22 Northern Iowa | No. 1 | NBC ND/ESPN+ | W 56–31 | 9,899 | |
| October 13 | 6:00 p.m. | at Western Illinois | No. 1 | NBC ND/ESPN+ | W 34–7 | 2,709 | |
| October 20 | 2:30 p.m. | No. 8 Illinois State | No. 1 |
| NBC ND/ESPN+ | W 28–14 | 18,553 |
| October 27 | 2:00 p.m. | at South Dakota | No. 1 | NBC ND/ESPN+ | W 59–14 | 9,589 | |
| November 3 | 2:30 p.m. | Youngstown State | No. 1 |
| NBC ND/ESPN+ | W 17–7 | 18,028 |
| November 10 | 2:00 p.m. | at Missouri State | No. 1 | ESPN+ | W 48–7 | 5,224 | |
| November 17 | 2:30 p.m. | Southern Illinois | No. 1 |
| NBC ND/ESPN+ | W 65–17 | 18,008 |
| December 1 | 2:00 p.m. | No. 23 Montana State* | No. 1 |
| NBC ND/ESPN3 | W 52–10 | 17,005 |
| December 8 | 11:00 a.m. | No. 8 Colgate* | No. 1 |
| NBC ND/ESPN | W 35–0 | 16,404 |
| December 14 | 7:00 p.m. | No. 5 South Dakota State* | No. 1 |
| ESPN2 | W 44–21 | 18,286 |
| January 5 | 11:00 a.m. | No. 3 Eastern Washington* | No. 1 | ESPN2 | W 38–24 | 17,802 | |
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- Source: Schedule
Polls are based on the FCS STATS Poll
Cal Poly
More information Total ...
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mustangs | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| No. 1 Bison | 7 | 21 | 14 | 7 | 49 |
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See also: 2018 Cal Poly Mustangs football team
North Alabama
More information Total ...
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| No. 1 Bison | 7 | 10 | 7 | 14 | 38 |
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See also: 2018 North Alabama Lions football team
Delaware
More information Total ...
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fightin' Blue Hens | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 10 |
| No. 1 Bison | 28 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 38 |
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South Dakota State
More information Total ...
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 3 Jackrabbits | 7 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 17 |
| No. 1 Bison | 0 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
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At Northern Iowa
More information Total ...
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 1 Bison | 7 | 14 | 7 | 28 | 56 |
| No. 22 Panthers | 14 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 31 |
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At Western Illinois
More information Total ...
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No.1 Bison | 3 | 14 | 7 | 10 | 34 |
| Leathernecks | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
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Illinois State
More information Total ...
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 8 Redbirds | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| No. 1 Bison | 7 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 28 |
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At South Dakota
More information Total ...
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 1 Bison | 21 | 14 | 7 | 17 | 59 |
| Coyotes | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
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See also: 2018 South Dakota Coyotes football team
Youngstown State
More information Total ...
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penguins | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| No. 1 Bison | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 17 |
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At Missouri State
More information Total ...
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 1 Bison | 20 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 48 |
| Bears | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
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See also: 2018 Missouri State Bears football team
Southern Illinois
More information Total ...
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salukis | 14 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 17 |
| No. 1 Bison | 28 | 16 | 7 | 14 | 65 |
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Montana State–Second Round
More information Total ...
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 23 Bobcats | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| No. 1 Bison | 21 | 17 | 7 | 7 | 52 |
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See also: 2018 Montana State Bobcats football team
Colgate–Quarterfinals
More information Total ...
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 9 Raiders | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| No. 1 Bison | 7 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 35 |
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See also: 2018 Colgate Raiders football team
South Dakota State–Semifinals
More information Total ...
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 5 Jackrabbits | 7 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 21 |
| No. 1 Bison | 7 | 7 | 21 | 9 | 44 |
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Eastern Washington–Championship
More information Total ...
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 4 Eagles | 0 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
| No. 1 Bison | 10 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 38 |
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More information Week, Poll ...
| Week | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Final |
| 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) |
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See also: 2019 NFL Draft
More information Round, Pick ...
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | NFL Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 166 | Easton Stick | QB | Los Angeles Chargers |
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- "FCS football: 2018 Walter Payton Award watch list". August 1, 2018. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
- "FCS football: 2018 Buck Buchanan Award watch list announced". August 2, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2018.