American college football season
The 2023 North Dakota State Bison football team represented North Dakota State University as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) during the 2023 NCAA Division I FCS football season . The Bison were led by fifth-year head coach Matt Entz . Following the season he was hired by USC as the team's linebackers coach.[ 1] The Bison played home games at the Fargodome in Fargo, North Dakota .
The Bison finished the regular season with an overall record of 8–3 and 5–3 in MVFC play. NDSU was unseeded and played in the first round of the FCS playoffs. The Bison then beat Drake in the first round, sixth-seeded Montana State in the second round in overtime, third-seeded South Dakota in the quarterfinals, before falling to second-seeded Montana in the semifinals. It was the first time that NDSU missed the championship game in a fall season since 2016, and the first time in NDSU's Division I era that they didn't win a national title for two consecutive seasons.
Date Time Opponent Rank Site TV Result Attendance September 2 2:30 pm vs. Eastern Washington * No. 2 ABC ND /ESPN+ W 35–1022,546 September 9 2:30 pm Maine * No. 2 ABC ND/ESPN+ W 44–715,044 September 16 2:30 pm Central Arkansas * No. 2 ABC ND/ESPN+ W 49–3115,016 September 30 1:00 pm South Dakota No. 2 ABC ND/MidcoSN /ESPN+ L 19–2418,342 October 7 2:00 pm at Missouri State No. 7 ESPN+ W 38–108,727 October 14 1:00 pm at No. 15 North Dakota No. 6 ABC ND/MidcoSN/ESPN+ L 24–4913,091 October 21 2:30 pm Western Illinois No. 14 ABC ND/ESPN+ W 52–714,255 October 28 2:30 pm Murray State No. 12 ABC ND/ESPN+ W 38–613,876 November 4 2:00 pm at No. 1 South Dakota State No. 11 ABC ND/MidcoSN/ESPN+ L 16–3319,431 November 11 2:30 pm No. 11 Southern Illinois No. 12 ABC ND/ESPN+ W 34–1014,191 November 18 4:00 pm at No. 22 Northern Iowa No. 9 ABC ND/ESPN+ W 48–279,852 November 25 2:30 pm Drake * No. 8 ESPN+ W 66–37,798 December 2 2:00 pm at No. 5 Montana State * No. 8 ESPN+ W 35–34 OT 17,247 December 9 1:30 p.m. at No. 3 South Dakota* No. 8 ABC W 45–179,141 December 16 3:30 p.m. at No. 2 Montana * No. 8 ESPN2 L 29–31 2OT 26,544 *Non-conference game HomecomingRankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time
[ 2] [ 3]
Eastern Washington Eagles (0–0) vs No. 2 North Dakota State Bison (0–0)
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Eagles 7 0 0 3 10 No. 2 Bison 14 7 7 7 35
at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN
Date : September 2, 2023Game time : 2:30 p.m. (CT)Game weather : Indoors; 70 °F (21 °C)Game attendance : 22,546Referee : Jason BergTV : ESPN+ [1]
Statistics Eastern Washington North Dakota State First downs 16 22 Plays–yards 67–339 67–513 Rushes–yards 28–72 39–337 Passing yards 267 176 Passing: comp –att –int 23–39–1 19–28–0 Time of possession 26:13 30:35
Team Category Player Statistics Eastern Washington Passing Kekoa Visperas 23/39, 266 yds, TD, INT Rushing Michael Wortham 5 car, 41 yds Receiving Efton Chism III 7 rec, 74 yds North Dakota State Passing Cam Miller 18/25, 174 yds, 2 TD Rushing Cole Payton 6 car, 104 yds, TD Receiving Zach Mathis 4 rec, 53 yds
Scoring summary Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP EWU NDSU 1st 9:23 8 80 3:12 NDSU Joe Stoffel (#84) 7-yard touchdown reception from Cam Miller (#7), Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 0 7 1st 7:02 3 72 0:46 NDSU TaMerik Williams (#22) 54-yard touchdown run, Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 0 14 1st 4:55 7 75 2:07 EWU Nolan Ulm (#17) 34-yard touchdown reception from Kekoa Visperas (#0), Soren McKee (#96) kick good 7 14 2nd 10:10 4 92 2:10 NDSU Cole Payton (#9) 70-yard touchdown run, Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 7 21 3rd 2:56 9 70 4:42 NDSU Cam Miller (#7) 14-yard touchdown run, Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 7 28 4th 8:30 13 86 7:16 NDSU Joe Stoffel (#82) 3-yard touchdown reception from Cam Miller (#7), Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 7 35 4th 4:01 12 61 4:23 EWU 36-yard field goal by Soren McKee (#96) 10 35 "TOP" = time of possession . For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football . 10 35
Maine Black Bears (0–1) vs No. 2 North Dakota State Bison (1–0)
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Black Bears 0 0 0 7 7 No. 2 Bison 6 10 14 14 44
at Fargodome, Fargo, ND
Date : September 9, 2023Game time : 2:30 p.m. (CT)Game weather : Indoors; 70 °F (21 °C)Game attendance : 15,044Referee : Jason PerkinsTV : ESPN+ [2]
Statistics Maine North Dakota State First downs 13 24 Plays–yards 54–223 71–456 Rushes–yards 25–106 47–264 Passing yards 117 192 Passing: comp –att –int 18–29–3 17–24–0 Time of possession 24:51 35:09
Team Category Player Statistics Maine Passing Derek Robertson 18/29, 117 yds, 3 INT Rushing Tristen Kenan 14 car, 53 yds Receiving Jamie Lamson 6 rec, 42 yds North Dakota State Passing Cam Miller 14/19, 152 yds Rushing Cole Payton 8 car, 102 yds, 2 TD Receiving Zach Mathis 4 rec, 62 yds
Scoring summary Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP MAINE NDSU 1st 11:29 4 5 2:00 NDSU 27-yard field goal by Griffin Crosa (#39) 0 3 1st 4:01 5 1 1:51 NDSU 40-yard field goal by Griffin Crosa (#39) 0 6 2nd 4:15 11 40 5:09 NDSU 31-yard field goal by Griffin Crosa (#39) 0 9 2nd 0:52 6 48 1:37 NDSU Cam Miller (#7) 2-yard touchdown run, Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 0 16 3rd 8:22 12 75 6:38 NDSU Cam Miller (#7) 1-yard touchdown run, Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 0 23 3rd 1:18 5 30 2:42 NDSU Cole Payton (#9) 2-yard touchdown run, Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 0 30 4th 12:54 2 59 0:52 NDSU Cole Payton (#9) 61-yard touchdown run, Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 0 37 4th 6:06 12 89 6:43 MAINE John Gay (#46) 13-yard touchdown run, Cody Williams (#59) kick good 7 37 4th 0:22 9 59 5:37 NDSU Owen Johnson (#4) 1-yard touchdown run, Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 7 44 "TOP" = time of possession . For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football . 7 44
Central Arkansas Bears (1–1) vs No. 2 North Dakota State Bison (2–0)
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Bears 7 10 0 14 31 No. 2 Bison 21 14 7 7 49
at Fargodome, Fargo, ND
Date : September 16, 2023Game time : 2:30 p.m. (CT)Game weather : Indoors; 70 °F (21 °C)Game attendance : 15,016Referee : CJ JacksonTV : ESPN+ [3]
Statistics Central Arkansas North Dakota State First downs 18 26 Plays–yards 58–431 62–481 Rushes–yards 27–221 40–235 Passing yards 210 246 Passing: comp –att –int 22–31–1 20–22–0 Time of possession 25:25 34:35
Team Category Player Statistics Central Arkansas Passing Will McElvain 22/31, 210 yds, TD, INT Rushing ShunDerrick Powell 18 car, 218 yds, 2 TD Receiving Myles Butler 6 rec, 88 yds, TD North Dakota State Passing Cam Miller 18/19, 200 yds, 2 TD Rushing TaMerik Williams 13 car, 83 yds, TD Receiving Eli Green 4 rec, 86 yds
Scoring summary Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP UCA NDSU 1st 12:33 5 81 2:22 NDSU Cam Miller (#7) 1-yard touchdown run, Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 0 7 1st 6:51 NDSU Interception returned 35 yards for touchdown by Eli Mostaert (#53), Grffin Crosa (#39) kick good 0 14 1st 5:25 3 75 1:26 UCA ShunDerrick Powell (#27) 43-yard touchdown run, Jake Gaster (#22) kick good 7 14 1st 2:45 5 66 2:33 NDSU TK Marshall (#28) 11-yard touchdown reception from Cam Miller (#7), Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 7 21 2nd 12:03 12 58 5:42 UCA 35-yard field goal by Jake Gaster (#22) 10 21 2nd 7:07 8 78 4:50 NDSU Hunter Brozio (#49) 6-yard touchdown reception from Cam Miller (#7), Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 10 28 2nd 6:24 2 75 0:43 UCA ShunDerrick Powell (#27) 71-yard touchdown run, Jake Gaster kick good 17 28 2nd 1:41 9 75 4:43 NDSU Cole Payton (#9) 26-yard touchdown run, Grffin Crosa (#39) kick good 17 35 3rd 7:46 9 49 5:26 NDSU Cam Miller (#7) 13-yard touchdown run, Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 17 42 4th 13:11 14 81 7:47 NDSU TaMerik Williams (#22) 8-yard touchdown run, Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 17 49 4th 6:53 14 75 6:18 UCA Myles Butler (#14) 4-yard touchdown reception from Will McElvain (#2), Jake Gaster (#22) kick good 24 49 4th 2:16 7 69 2:51 UCA Darius Hale (#4) 10-yard touchdown run, Jake Gaster (#22) kick good 31 49 "TOP" = time of possession . For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football . 31 49
South Dakota Coyotes (2–1) vs No. 2 North Dakota State Bison (3–0)
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Coyotes 7 14 0 3 24 No. 2 Bison 3 0 7 9 19
at Fargodome, Fargo, ND
Date : September 30, 2023Game time : 1:00 p.m. (CT)Game weather : Indoors; 70 °F (21 °C)Game attendance : 18,342Referee : Marcel KerrTV : ESPN+ [4]
Statistics South Dakota North Dakota State First downs 15 23 Plays–yards 38–269 65–348 Rushes–yards 26–101 40–194 Passing yards 168 154 Passing: comp –att –int 10–12–0 18–25–1 Time of possession 24:28 35:32
Team Category Player Statistics South Dakota Passing Aidan Bouman 10/12, 168 yds, 2 TD Rushing Nate Thomas 14 car, 49 yds Receiving Carter Bell 5 rec, 124 yds, 2 TD North Dakota State Passing Cam Miller 18/25, 154 yds, TD, INT Rushing Cam Miller 12 car, 70 yds Receiving Zach Mathis 4 rec, 42 yds
Scoring summary Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP USD NDSU 1st 11:23 6 75 3:37 USD Carter Bell (#14) 50-yard touchdown reception from Aidan Bouman (#2), Will Leyland (#15) kick good 7 0 1st 1:16 16 56 10:07 NDSU 37-yard field goal by Griffin Crosa (#39) 7 3 2nd 9:47 11 78 6:23 USD Keyondre Jones (#21) 8-yard touchdown run, Will Leyland (#15) kick good 14 3 2nd 5:30 2 46 1:11 USD Carter Bell (#14) 52-yard touchdown reception from Aidan Bouman (#2), Will Leyland (#15) kick good 21 3 3rd 7:23 12 89 7:31 NDSU Cam Miller (#7) 7-yard touchdown run, Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 21 10 4th 11:10 16 80 9:24 NDSU 26-yard field goal by Griffin Crosa (#39) 21 13 4th 2:49 12 54 8:14 USD 37-yard field goal by Will Leyland (#15) 24 13 4th 0:36 12 75 2:13 NDSU Joe Stoffel (#82) 2-yard touchdown reception from Cam Miller (#7), 2-point pass failed 24 19 "TOP" = time of possession . For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football . 24 19
No. 7 North Dakota State Bison (3–1) vs. Missouri State Bears (1–3)
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total No. 7 Bison 14 14 3 7 38 Bears 7 0 3 0 10
at Robert W. Plaster Stadium, Springfield, MO
Date : October 7, 2023Game time : 2:00 p.m. (CT)Game weather : Sunny; 60 °F (16 °C); Wind: NW 8 mphGame attendance : 8,727Referee : Jason BergTV : ESPN+ [5]
Statistics North Dakota State Missouri State First downs 23 21 Plays–yards 64–534 64–351 Rushes–yards 40–258 20–82 Passing yards 276 269 Passing: comp –att –int 18–24–0 25–44–3 Time of possession 33:28 26:32
Team Category Player Statistics North Dakota State Passing Cam Miller 16/20, 256 yds, 2 TD Rushing Owen Johnson 9 car, 82 yds Receiving Zach Mathis 6 rec, 160 yds, 2 TD Missouri State Passing Jordan Pachot 25/44, 269 yds, TD, 3 INT Rushing Jacardia Wright 15 car, 65 yds Receiving Raylen Sharpe 13 rec, 153 yds, TD
Scoring summary Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP NDSU MOST 1st 9:31 9 73 5:21 NDSU Zach Mathis (#0) 23-yard touchdown reception from Cam Miller (#7), Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 7 0 1st 5:18 6 77 2:51 NDSU Cam Miller (#7) 9-yard touchdown run, Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 14 0 1st 1:40 7 73 3:31 MOST Raylen Sharpe (#6) 21-yard touchdown reception from Jordan Pachot (#2), Owen Rozanc (#35) kick good 14 7 2nd 11:02 4 53 1:51 NDSU Cole Payton (#9) 20-yard touchdown run, Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 21 7 2nd 0:39 9 89 2:10 NDSU Zach Mathis (#0) 33-yard touchdown reception from Cam Miller (#7), Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 28 7 3rd 8:49 16 48 6:11 MOST 44-yard field goal by Owen Rozanc (#35) 28 10 3rd 2:40 10 66 6:03 NDSU 40-yard field goal by Griffin Crosa (#39) 31 10 4th 11:56 6 38 3:08 NDSU Jake Lippe (#19) 4-yard touchdown reception from Cole Payton (#9), Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 38 10 "TOP" = time of possession . For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football . 38 10
No. 6 North Dakota State Bison (4–1) vs. No. 15 North Dakota Fighting Hawks (3–2)
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total No. 6 Bison 7 10 0 7 24 No. 15 Fighting Hawks 21 7 7 14 49
at Alerus Center, Grand Forks, ND
Date : October 14, 2023Game time : 1:00 p.m. (CT)Game weather : Indoors; 72 °F (22 °C)Game attendance : 13,091Referee : Aaron AdamsTV : ESPN+ [6]
Statistics North Dakota State North Dakota First downs 17 18 Plays–yards 57–364 51–328 Rushes–yards 38–15 39–215 Passing yards 214 113 Passing: comp –att –int 13–19–1 9–12–0 Time of possession 31:38 28:22
Team Category Player Statistics North Dakota State Passing Cam Miller 11/16, 175 yds, TD, INT Rushing Cam Miller 9 car, 48 yds, TD Receiving Eli Green 4 rec, 96 yds North Dakota Passing Tommy Schuster 9/12, 113 yds, 2 TD Rushing Gaven Ziebarth 18 car, 156 yds, 3 TD Receiving Bo Belquist 2 rec, 41 yds, TD
Scoring summary Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP NDSU UND 1st 14:47 UND Kickoff returned 100 yards for touchdown by Luke Skokna (#7), CJ Elrichs (#53) kick good 0 7 1st 10:00 9 75 4:47 NDSU Cam Miller (#7) 26-yard touchdown run, Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 7 7 1st 5:28 8 73 4:27 UND Gaven Ziebarth (#28) 5-yard touchdown run, CJ Elrichs (#53) kick good 7 14 1st 1:40 4 35 1:40 UND Luke Skokna (#7) 13-yard touchdown reception from Tommy Schuster (#2), CJ Elrichs (#53) kick good 7 21 2nd 13:28 6 58 3:07 NDSU 36-yard field goal by Griffin Crosa (#39) 10 21 2nd 4:32 11 67 7:26 NDSU Joe Stoffel (#82) 1-yard touchdown reception from Cam Miller (#7), Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 17 21 2nd 0:13 10 75 4:19 UND Luke Skokna (#7) 4-yard touchdown run, CJ Elrichs (#53) kick good 17 28 3rd 7:13 4 23 2:14 UND Gaven Ziebarth (#28) 7-yard touchdown run, CJ Elrichs (#53) kick good 17 35 4th 10:58 15 63 9:39 UND Bo Belquist (#1) 9-yard touchdown reception from Tommy Schuster (#2), CJ Elrichs (#53) kick good 17 42 4th 7:18 3 65 1:43 UND Gaven Ziebarth (#28) 59-yard touchdown run, CJ Elrichs (#53) kick good 17 49 4th 2:42 10 75 4:36 NDSU Jake Lippe (#13) 6-yard touchdown reception from Cole Payton (#9), Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 24 49 "TOP" = time of possession . For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football . 24 49
Western Illinois Leathernecks (0–6) vs No. 14 North Dakota State Bison (4–2)
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Leathernecks 0 0 0 7 7 No. 14 Bison 14 24 14 0 52
at Fargodome, Fargo, ND
Date : October 21, 2023Game time : 2:30 p.m. (CT)Game weather : Indoors; 70 °F (21 °C)Game attendance : 14,255Referee : Gregory GompfTV : ESPN+ [7]
Statistics Western Illinois North Dakota State First downs 10 22 Plays–yards 52–184 60–625 Rushes–yards 39–113 44–425 Passing yards 71 200 Passing: comp –att –int 8–13–1 11–16–0 Time of possession 27:41 32:19
Team Category Player Statistics Western Illinois Passing Matt Morrissey 8/13, 71 yds, TD, INT Rushing Seth Glatz 11 car, 64 yds Receiving AJ Coons 2 rec, 48 yds, TD North Dakota State Passing Cam Miller 8/12, 103 yds Rushing RaJa Nelson 3 car, 103 yds, TD Receiving Joe Stoffel 2 rec, 84 yds, TD
Scoring summary Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP WIU NDSU 1st 9:02 10 10 5:58 NDSU TK Marshall (#28) 1-yard touchdown run, Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 0 7 1st 1:51 7 65 4:11 NDSU TK Marshall (#28) 1-yard touchdown run, Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 0 14 2nd 13:12 4 20 1:35 NDSU Barika Kpeenu (#8) 5-yard touchdown run, Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 0 21 2nd 11:14 1 76 0:13 NDSU RaJa Nelson (#6) 76-yard touchdown run, Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 0 28 2nd 8:48 1 49 0:11 NDSU Joe Stoffel (#82) 49-yard touchdown reception from Cole Payton (#9), Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 0 35 2nd 0:05 12 81 5:14 NDSU 29-yard field goal by Griffin Crosa (#39) 0 38 3rd 10:45 4 65 2:13 NDSU TK Marshall (#28) 38-yard touchdown run, Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 0 45 3rd 4:36 6 75 3:44 NDSU Barika Kpeenu (#8) 24-yard touchdown run, Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 0 52 4th 6:26 2 48 0:44 WIU AJ Coons (#15) 43-yard touchdown reception from Matt Morrissey (#7), Owen Valek (#57) kick good 7 52 "TOP" = time of possession . For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football . 7 52
Murray State Racers (2–5) vs No. 12 North Dakota State Bison (5–2)
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Racers 0 3 3 0 6 No. 12 Bison 21 7 7 3 38
at Fargodome, Fargo, ND
Date : October 28, 2023Game time : 2:30 p.m. (CT)Game weather : Indoors; 70 °F (21 °C)Game attendance : 13,876Referee : Jason PerkinsTV : ESPN+ [8]
Statistics Murray State North Dakota State First downs 11 19 Plays–yards 55–164 62–377 Rushes–yards 28–56 34–175 Passing yards 108 202 Passing: comp –att –int 15–27–1 20–28–0 Time of possession 28:28 31:32
Team Category Player Statistics Murray State Passing DJ Williams 15/26, 108 yds, INT Rushing Jawaun Northington 9 car, 37 yds Receiving Michael Fox 4 rec, 27 yds North Dakota State Passing Cam Miller 18/24, 192 yds, 2 TD Rushing Cam Miller 6 car, 55 yds, 2 TD Receiving Zach Mathis 8 rec, 74 yds, TD
Scoring summary Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP MUST NDSU 1st 12:14 5 65 2:46 NDSU Cam Miller (#7) 15-yard touchdown run, Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 0 7 1st 5:35 10 77 5:04 NDSU Cam Miller (#7) 9-yard touchdown run, Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 0 14 1st 3:11 4 29 2:19 NDSU Braylon Henderson (#1) 8-yard touchdown reception from Cam Miller (#7), Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 0 21 2nd 6:23 8 57 5:13 NDSU Zach Mathis (#0) 15-yard touchdown reception from Cam Miller (#7), Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 0 28 2nd 1:49 11 40 4:34 MUST 53-yard field goal by James London (#83) 3 28 3rd 13:07 NDSU Punt returned 66 yards for touchdown by Jayden Price (#23), Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 3 35 3rd 5:49 13 63 7:10 MUST 39-yard field goal by Matt Maldonado (#37) 6 35 4th 4:05 4 -2 1:21 NDSU 36-yard field goal by Griffin Crosa (#39) 6 38 "TOP" = time of possession . For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football . 6 38
No. 11 North Dakota State Bison (6–2) vs. No. 1 South Dakota State Jackrabbits (8–0)
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total No. 11 Bison 6 3 0 7 16 No. 1 Jackrabbits 7 13 7 6 33
at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium, Brookings, SD
Date : November 4, 2023Game time : 2:00 p.m. (CT)Game weather : Sunny; 54 °F (12 °C); Wind: S 10 MPHGame attendance : 19,431Referee : Aaron AdamsTV : ESPN+ [9]
Statistics North Dakota State South Dakota State First downs 19 17 Plays–yards 64–325 52–365 Rushes–yards 35–158 33–152 Passing yards 167 213 Passing: comp –att –int 18–29–2 12–19–0 Time of possession 30:18 29:42
Team Category Player Statistics North Dakota State Passing Cam Miller 18/29, 167 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT Rushing Cam Miller 17 car, 93 yds Receiving Eli Green 4 rec, 47 yds South Dakota State Passing Mark Gronowski 12/19, 213 yds, 2 TD Rushing Isaiah Davis 17 car, 106 yds, TD Receiving Jadon Janke 5 rec, 89 yds, 2 TD
Scoring summary Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP NDSU SDSU 1st 7:44 12 75 7:16 NDSU Zach Mathis (#0) 1-yard touchdown reception from Cam Miller (#7), Griffin Crosa (#39) kick blocked 6 0 1st 0:46 13 75 6:58 SDSU Isaiah Davis (#22) 1-yard touchdown run, Hunter Dustman (#10) kick good 6 7 2nd 10:09 11 52 4:51 NDSU 27-yard field goal by Griffin Crosa (#39) 9 7 2nd 7:12 6 57 2:50 SDSU 31-yard field goal by Hunter Dustman (#10) 9 10 2nd 5:15 3 46 0:55 SDSU Jadon Janke (#1) 46-yard touchdown reception from Mark Gronowski (#11), Hunter Dustman kick good 9 17 2nd 1:50 6 27 3:14 SDSU 21-yard field goal by Hunter Dustman (#10) 9 20 3rd 11:26 6 75 3:34 SDSU Jadon Janke (#1) 7-yard touchdown reception from Mark Gronowski (#11), Hunter Dustman (#10) kick good 9 27 4th 11:52 8 45 4:22 SDSU 44-yard field goal by Hunter Dustman (#10) 9 30 4th 6:33 11 75 5:19 NDSU Zach Mathis (#0) 10-yard touchdown reception from Cam Miller (#7), Eli Ozick (#81) kick good 16 30 4th 0:56 4 6 1:51 SDSU 26-yard field goal by Hunter Dustman (#10) 16 33 "TOP" = time of possession . For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football . 16 33
No. 11 Southern Illinois Salukis (6–3) vs No. 12 North Dakota State Bison (6–3)
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total No. 11 Salukis 7 3 0 0 10 No. 12 Bison 7 6 7 14 34
at Fargodome, Fargo, ND
Date : November 11, 2023Game time : 2:30 p.m. (CT)Game weather : Indoors; 70 °F (21 °C)Game attendance : 14,191Referee : Marcel KerrTV : ESPN+ [10]
Statistics Southern Illinois North Dakota State First downs 12 21 Plays–yards 55–206 64–449 Rushes–yards 26–55 45–217 Passing yards 151 232 Passing: comp –att –int 16–29–1 15–19–0 Time of possession 21:44 38:16
Team Category Player Statistics Southern Illinois Passing Nic Baker 12/17, 114 yds Rushing Ro Elliott 10 car, 25 yds, TD Receiving Izaiah Hartrup 5 rec, 71 yds North Dakota State Passing Cam Miller 15/19, 232 yds Rushing TaMerik Williams 8 car, 51 yds, 2 TD Receiving RaJa Nelson 4 rec, 81 yds
Scoring summary Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP SIU NDSU 1st 10:36 7 75 4:24 NDSU Cam Miller (#7) 8-yard touchdown run, Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 0 7 1st 5:34 11 65 4:56 SIU Ro Elliott (#1) 4-yard touchdown run, Jake Baumgarte (#91) kick good 7 7 2nd 14:57 11 76 5:26 NDSU 25-yard field goal by Griffin Crosa (#39) 7 10 2nd 2:27 7 42 4:41 NDSU 44-yard field goal by Griffin Crosa (#39) 7 13 2nd 0:19 6 30 0:50 SIU 32-yard field goal by Jake Baumgarte (#91) 10 13 3rd 8:47 8 70 4:34 NDSU TaMerik Williams (#22) 34-yard touchdown run, Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 10 20 4th 13:03 7 59 3:32 NDSU TaMerik Williams (#22) 1-yard touchdown run, Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 10 27 4th 8:40 5 31 2:44 NDSU TK Marshall (#28) 2-yard touchdown run, Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 10 34 "TOP" = time of possession . For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football . 10 34
No. 9 North Dakota State Bison (7–3) vs. No. 22 Northern Iowa Panthers (6–4)
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total No. 9 Bison 14 13 7 14 48 No. 22 Panthers 3 7 10 7 27
at UNI-Dome, Cedar Falls, IA
Date : November 18, 2023Game time : 4:00 p.m. (CT)Game weather : Indoors; 70 °F (21 °C)Game attendance : 9,852Referee : Rick WarneTV : ESPN+ [11]
Statistics North Dakota State Northern Iowa First downs 18 25 Plays–yards 58–399 67–407 Rushes–yards 36–161 29–65 Passing yards 238 342 Passing: comp –att –int 17–22–0 24–38–4 Time of possession 30:33 28:15
Team Category Player Statistics North Dakota State Passing Cam Miller 17/22, 238 yds, 2 TD Rushing Cole Payton 4 car, 79 yds, 2 TD Receiving RaJa Nelson 6 rec, 113 yds, TD Northern Iowa Passing Theo Day 24/38, 342 yds, 2 TD, 4 INT Rushing Tyjahree Edwards 12 car, 67 yds, TD Receiving Sam Schnee 8 rec, 164 yds, TD
Scoring summary Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP NDSU UNI 1st 11:30 7 68 3:23 NDSU Eli Green (#13) 36-yard touchdown reception from Cam Miller (#7), Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 7 0 1st 7:05 12 62 4:19 UNI 26-yard field goal by Matthew Cook (#97) 7 3 1st 1:12 10 75 5:53 NDSU Cam Miller (#7) 1-yard touchdown run, Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 14 3 2nd 13:51 4 30 1:03 NDSU RaJa Nelson (#3) 15-yard touchdown reception from Cam Miller (#7), Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 21 3 2nd 11:28 5 84 2:17 UNI Tyjahree Edwards (#2) 40-yard touchdown run, Matthew Cook (#97) kick good 21 10 2nd 7:11 4 1 0:40 NDSU 34-yard field goal by Griffin Crosa (#39) 24 10 2nd 0:13 13 32 6:15 NDSU 37-yard field goal by Griffin Crosa (#39) 27 10 3rd 9:30 10 61 5:26 UNI 30-yard field goal by Matthew Cook (#97) 27 13 3rd 5:48 1 65 0:11 NDSU Cole Payton (#9) 65-yard touchdown run, Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 34 13 3rd 0:56 10 75 4:52 UNI Sam Schnee (#23) 11-yard touchdown reception from Theo Day (#12), Matthew Cook (#97) kick good 34 20 4th 12:47 7 75 3:09 NDSU Cole Payton (#9) 23-yard touchdown run, Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 41 20 4th 11:59 NDSU Interception returned 75 yards for touchdown by Cole Wisniewski (#31), Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 48 20 4th 9:11 9 65 2:48 UNI Amauri Pesek-Hickson (#5) 15-yard touchdown reception from Theo Day (#12), Matthew Cook (#97) kick good 48 27 "TOP" = time of possession . For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football . 48 27
NCAA Division I playoffs [ edit ] Drake (first round)[ edit ] No. 8 North Dakota State Bison (8–3) vs. Drake Bulldogs (8–3)
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Bulldogs 3 0 0 0 3 No. 8 Bison 14 21 10 21 66
at Fargodome, Fargo, ND
Date : November 25, 2023Game time : 2:30 p.m. (CT)Game weather : Indoors; 70 °F (21 °C)Game attendance : 7,798Referee : Brad CarrellTV announcers (ESPN+ ) : Noah Reed, Charles Arbuckle[12]
Statistics Drake North Dakota State First downs 12 27 Plays–yards 56–177 64–547 Rushes–yards 31–61 51–318 Passing yards 116 229 Passing: comp –att –int 14–25–2 12–13–0 Time of possession 26:24 33:36
Team Category Player Statistics Drake Passing Luke Bailey 13/24, 111 yds, 2 INT Rushing Dorian Boyland 9 car, 67 yds Receiving Trey Radocha 4 rec, 41 yds North Dakota State Passing Cam Miller 10/11, 206 yds, 2 TD Rushing Cole Payton 13 car, 104 yds, 2 TD Receiving Eli Green 3 rec, 91 yds, TD
Scoring summary Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP DRAKE NDSU 1st 12:34 6 37 2:18 DRAKE 30-yard field goal by Shane Dunning (#89) 3 0 1st 10:10 5 65 2:24 NDSU Cole Payton (#9) 20-yard touchdown run, Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 3 7 1st 3:40 5 25 2:19 NDSU RaJa Nelson (#3) 5-yard touchdown run, Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 3 14 2nd 14:08 4 77 1:58 NDSU RaJa Nelson (#3) 40-yard touchdown reception from Cam Miller (#7), Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 3 21 2nd 4:10 12 90 7:11 NDSU TaMerik Williams (#22) 4-yard touchdown run, Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 3 28 2nd 0:17 4 80 0:34 NDSU Eli Green (#13) 34-yard touchdown reception from Cam Miller (#7), Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 3 35 3rd 9:57 8 26 4:11 NDSU 31-yard field goal by Griffin Crosa (#39) 3 38 3rd 4:30 7 48 4:14 NDSU Barika Kpeenu (#8) 14-yard touchdown run, Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 3 45 4th 9:54 9 63 5:45 NDSU Barika Kpeenu (#8) 1-yard touchdown run, Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 3 52 4th 5:00 6 64 3:12 NDSU Cole Payton (#9) 36-yard touchdown run, Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 3 59 4th 3:32 NDSU Fumble recovery returned 5 yards for touchdown by Kelton McCaslin (#92), Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 3 66 "TOP" = time of possession . For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football . 3 66
Montana State (second round)[ edit ] No. 8 North Dakota State Bison (9–3) vs. No. 5 (6) Montana State Bobcats (8–3)
Quarter 1 2 3 4 OT Total No. 8 Bison 0 14 7 7 7 35 No. 5 (6) Bobcats 7 7 14 0 6 34
at Bobcat Stadium, Bozeman, MT
Date : December 2, 2023Game time : 2:00 p.m. (CT)Game weather : Sunny; 36 °F (2 °C); Wind: W 15 mphGame attendance : 17,247Referee : Bruce AustinTV announcers (ESPN+ ) : Noah Reed, Charles Arbuckle[13]
Statistics North Dakota State Montana State First downs 18 21 Plays–yards 57–374 59–509 Rushes–yards 43–296 40–279 Passing yards 78 230 Passing: comp –att –int 6–14–0 14–19–1 Time of possession 29:43 30:17
Team Category Player Statistics North Dakota State Passing Cam Miller 5/13, 66 yds, TD Rushing TaMerik Williams 11 car, 162 yds, 2 TD Receiving Eli Green 4 rec, 63 yds Montana State Passing Tommy Mellott 13/17, 204 yds, 2 TD, INT Rushing Tommy Mellott 18 car, 151 yds, 2 TD Receiving Ty McCullouch 4 rec, 92 yds TD
Scoring summary Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP NDSU MTST 1st 1:57 3 63 1:11 MTST Ty McCullouch (#6) 34-yard touchdown reception from Tommy Mellott (#4), Casey Kautzman (#38) kick good 0 7 2nd 8:52 5 39 2:56 NDSU Zach Mathis (#0) 3-yard touchdown reception from Cam Miller (#7), Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 7 7 2nd 4:07 5 93 2:58 NDSU TaMerik Williams (#22) 44-yard touchdown run, Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 14 7 2nd 1:05 6 71 3:02 MTST Tommy Mellott (#4) 6-yard touchdown run, Casey Kautzman (#38) kick good 14 14 3rd 14:50 1 75 0:10 NDSU TaMerik Williams (#22) 75-yard touchdown run, Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 21 14 3rd 13:56 2 86 0:48 MTST Tommy Mellott (#4) 76-yard touchdown run, Casey Kautzman (#38) kick good 21 21 3rd 8:08 8 69 4:11 MTST Clevan Thomas Jr. (#2) 9-yard touchdown reception from Tommy Mellott (#4), Casey Kautzman (#38) kick good 21 21 4th 2:33 9 89 4:48 NDSU TK Marshall (#28) 29-yard touchdown run, Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 28 28 OT 5 25 NDSU Cam Miller (#7) 3-yard touchdown run, Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 35 28 OT 1 25 MTST Scottre Humphrey (#22) 25-yard touchdown run, Casey Kautzman (#38) kick blocked 35 34 "TOP" = time of possession . For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football . 35 34
South Dakota (quarterfinal)[ edit ] No. 8 North Dakota State Bison (10–3) vs. No. 3 (3) South Dakota Coyotes (10–2)
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total No. 8 Bison 21 14 3 7 45 No. 3 (3) Coyotes 3 0 7 7 17
at DakotaDome, Vermillion, SD
Date : December 9, 2023Game time : 1:30 p.m. (CT)Game weather : Indoors; 70 °F (21 °C)Game attendance : 9,141Referee : Gary LeeperTV announcers (ABC ) : Roy Philpott, Roddy Jones, Lauren Sisler[14]
Statistics North Dakota State South Dakota First downs 22 16 Plays–yards 60–416 52–298 Rushes–yards 45–206 20–52 Passing yards 210 246 Passing: comp –att –int 13–15–0 18–32–3 Time of possession 36:08 23:52
Team Category Player Statistics North Dakota State Passing Cam Miller 13/15, 210 yds, TD Rushing Cole Payton 6 car, 65 yds, 2 TD Receiving Eli Green 5 rec, 116 yds South Dakota Passing Aidan Bouman 13/22, 199 yds, TD, 2 INT Rushing Travis Theis 6 car, 32 yds Receiving Javion Phelps 3 rec, 81 yds, TD
Scoring summary Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP NDSU USD 1st 8:30 10 75 6:30 NDSU Cam Miller (#7) 9-yard touchdown run, Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 7 0 1st 5:32 8 60 2:58 USD 32-yard field goal by Will Leyland (#15) 7 3 1st 1:57 7 76 3:30 NDSU Cole Payton (#9) 43-yard touchdown run, Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 14 3 1st 0:05 NDSU Punt returned 82 yards for touchdown by Jayden Price (#23), Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 21 3 2nd 6:59 9 81 5:27 NDSU Joe Stoffel (#82) 4-yard touchdown reception from Cam Miller (#7), Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 28 3 2nd 0:23 7 54 3:35 NDSU Cole Payton (#9) 17-yard touchdown run, Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 35 3 3rd 10:07 9 75 4:53 USD Javion Phelps (#8) 16-yard touchdown reception from Aidan Bouman (#2), Will Leyland (#15) kick good 35 10 3rd 0:50 53 15 9:17 NDSU 40-yard field goal by Griffin Crosa (#39) 38 10 4th 9:12 7 45 4:40 NDSU TaMerik Williams (#22) 19-yard touchdown run, Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 45 10 4th 2:58 14 74 6:09 USD Charles Pierre Jr. (#3) 5-yard touchdown run, Will Leyland (#15) kick good 45 17 "TOP" = time of possession . For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football . 45 17
Montana (semifinal)[ edit ] No. 8 North Dakota State Bison (11–3) vs. No. 2 (2) Montana Grizzlies (12–1)
Quarter 1 2 3 4 OT 2OT Total No. 8 Bison 3 3 3 7 7 6 29 No. 2 (2) Grizzlies 0 10 0 6 7 8 31
at Washington-Grizzly Stadium, Missoula, MT
Date : December 16, 2023Game time : 3:30 p.m. (CT)Game weather : Cloudy; 36 °F (2 °C); No WindGame attendance : 26,544Referee : Brian HollandTV announcers (ESPN2 ) : Lowell Galindo , Tyoka Jackson, Dawn Davenport[15]
Statistics North Dakota State Montana First downs 19 20 Plays–yards 63–332 69–284 Rushes–yards 40–175 39–124 Passing yards 157 160 Passing: comp –att –int 9–23–0 16–30–0 Time of possession 28:26 31:34
Team Category Player Statistics North Dakota State Passing Cam Miller 9/22, 157 yds, TD Rushing TaMerik Williams 11 car, 52 yds Receiving Eli Green 5 rec, 98 yds, TD Montana Passing Clifton McDowell 16/30, 160 yds, TD Rushing Eli Gillman 12 car, 49 yds, 2 TD Receiving Junior Bergen 6 rec, 59 yds, TD
Scoring summary Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP NDSU MONT 1st 11:43 7 63 3:17 NDSU 30-yard field goal by Griffin Crosa (#39) 3 0 2nd 11:55 16 87 7:53 MONT Eli Gillman (#10) 3-yard touchdown run, Nico Ramos (#83) kick good 3 7 2nd 2:55 8 44 5:05 MONT 46-yard field goal by Grant Glasgow (#97) 3 10 2nd 0:00 13 58 2:55 NDSU 35-yard field goal by Griffin Crosa (#39) 6 10 3rd 5:09 9 36 4:33 NDSU 38-yard field goal by Griffin Crosa (#39) 9 10 4th 11:22 MONT Punt returned 47 yards for touchdown by Junior Bergen (#5), Nico Ramos (#83) kick missed wide left 9 16 4th 0:51 9 81 4:15 NDSU Eli Green (#13) 9-yard touchdown reception from Cam Miller (#7), Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 16 16 OT 1 25 NDSU Cole Payton (#9) 25-yard touchdown run, Griffin Crosa (#39) kick good 23 16 OT 2 25 MONT Junior Bergen (#5) 22-yard touchdown reception from Clifton McDowell (#17), Nico Ramos (#83) kick good 23 23 2OT 3 25 MONT Eli Gillman (#10) 13-yard touchdown run, 2-point pass complete 23 31 2OT 3 25 NDSU TK Marshall (#28) 2-yard touchdown run, 2-point pass intercepted 29 31 "TOP" = time of possession . For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football . 29 31
Ranking movementsLegend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking ( ) = First-place votes Week Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Final STATS 2 2 (1) 2 (3) 2 (3) 2 (2) 7 6 14 12 11 12 9 8 3 Coaches 2 (1) 2 2 2 2 8 7 15 11 10 13 9 7 3
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