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2017 North Dakota State Bison football
2017 North Dakota State Bison football
NCAA Division I champion; MVFC champion
NCAA Division I Championship, W 17–13 vs. James Madison
Conference	Missouri Valley Football Conference
Ranking
STATS	No. 1
FCS Coaches	No. 1
Record	14–1 (7–1 MVFC)
Head coach	Chris Klieman (4th season);
Offensive coordinator	Courtney Messingham (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Pro-style
Defensive coordinator	Matt Entz (4th season)
Base defense	3–4
Home stadium	Fargodome
	Seasons ← 2016 2018 →

2017 North Dakota State Bison football team

Last updated February 16, 2026

2017 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 1 North Dakota State $^	7	–	1	14	–	1
No. 3 South Dakota State ^	6	–	2	11	–	3
No. 19 Northern Iowa ^	6	–	2	8	–	5
No. 13 Western Illinois ^	5	–	3	8	–	4
No. 15 South Dakota ^	4	–	4	8	–	5
Illinois State	4	–	4	6	–	5
Youngstown State	4	–	4	6	–	5
Southern Illinois	2	–	6	4	–	7
Missouri State	2	–	6	3	–	8
Indiana State	0	–	8	0	–	11

$ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2017 North Dakota State Bison football team represented North Dakota State University in the 2017 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by fourth-year head coach Chris Klieman. The team played their 25th season in the Fargodome in Fargo, North Dakota as members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. The Bison finished the season 14–1, 7–1 in MVFC play to win the MVFC championship for the seventh consecutive year.^[1]^[2] As a result, the Bison received the conference's automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs as the No. 2 seed.^[3]^[4] In the playoffs, they defeated San Diego,^[5]^[6] Wofford,^[7]^[8]^[9] and Sam Houston State to advance to the National Championship game.^[10]^[11]^[12] There they defeated James Madison 17–13 to win the school's sixth National Championship in seven years.^[13]^[14]^[15] The September 30 game against Missouri State was the 700th victory since the team's founding in 1894.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 2	2:30 p.m.	Mississippi Valley State *	No. 2	Fargodome Fargo, ND	NBC ND ESPN3	W 72–7	18,502
September 9	3:00 p.m.	at No. 7 Eastern Washington *	No. 2	Roos Field Cheney, WA	NBC ND ESPN3	W 40–13	10,231
September 23	2:30 p.m.	Robert Morris *	No. 2	Fargodome Fargo, ND (Trees Bowl)	NBC ND ESPN3	W 56–0	18,308
September 30	1:00 p.m.	Missouri State	No. 2	Fargodome Fargo, ND	NBC ND ESPN3	W 38–11	18,892
October 7	12:00 p.m.	at Indiana State	No. 2	Memorial Stadium Terre Haute, IN	NBC ND ESPN3	W 52–0	4,743
October 14	6:00 p.m.	at No. 8 Youngstown State	No. 2	Stambaugh Stadium Youngstown, OH	ESPN3	W 27–24 ^OT	16,408
October 21	2:30 p.m.	No. 10 Western Illinois	No. 2	Fargodome Fargo, ND	NBC ND ESPN3	W 24–12	18,630
October 28	2:30 p.m.	Northern Iowa	No. 2	Fargodome Fargo, ND	NBC ND ESPN3	W 30–14	18,687
November 4	2:00 p.m.	at No. 8 South Dakota State	No. 2	Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium Brookings, SD (Dakota Marker)	NBC ND ESPN3	L 21–33	18,130
November 11	2:30 p.m.	No. 10 South Dakota	No. 5	Fargodome Fargo, ND (Harvest Bowl)	NBC ND ESPN3	W 49–14	18,623
November 18	12:00 p.m.	at No. 21 Illinois State	No. 4	Hancock Stadium Normal, IL	NBC ND ESPN3	W 20–7	7,664
December 2	2:30 p.m.	San Diego *	No. 4	Fargodome Fargo, ND (FCS Playoffs Second Round)	NBC ND ESPN3	W 38–3	18,067
December 9	11:00 a.m.	No. 8 Wofford *	No. 4	Fargodome Fargo, ND (FCS Playoffs Quarterfinals)	ESPN2	W 42–10	17,008
December 15	7:00 p.m.	No. 5 Sam Houston State *	No. 4	Fargodome Fargo, ND (FCS Playoffs Semifinals)	ESPN2	W 55–13	18,279
January 6	11:00 a.m.	No. 1 James Madison *	No. 4	Toyota Stadium Frisco, TX (FCS National Championship)	ESPN2	W 17–13	19,090
*Non-conference game Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

Roster

^[16]

2017 North Dakota State Bison Football

Quarterback

7 Cole Davis – Senior (6′3, 215)
12 Easton Stick – Junior (6′2, 221)
15 Holden Hotchkiss – Freshman (6′3, 191)
16 Noah Sanders – Freshman (6′2, 210)

Tailback

8 Bruce Anderson – Junior (5′11, 216)
10 Lance Dunn – Junior (5′9, 211)
18 Adam Cofield – Freshman (5′11, 205)
24 Demaris Purifoy – Sophomore (6′1, 197)
28 Ty Brooks – Sophomore (5′9, 180)
30 Seth Wilson – Freshman (5′10, 189)

Wide receiver

1 Christian Watson – Freshman (6′3, 186)
2 Cordell Pimienta – Sophomore (6′0, 177)
4 Dimitri Williams – Junior (5′11, 191)
5 Andy Voyen – Freshman (6′2, 196)
7 Peter Isais – Freshman (5′11, 170)
13 Desmond Cain – Junior (5′10, 185)
15 Daniel Polansky – Senior (6′0, 190)
16 RJ Urzendowski – Senior (6′0, 200)
17 Carson Yaggie – Freshman (6′2, 196)
19 Brant Bohmert – Freshman (5′11, 179)
20 Darrius Shepherd – Junior (5′11, 186)
31 Victor Kizewski – Freshman (6′0, 192)
83 Dallas Freeman – Junior (6′1, 197)
84 Trevor Heit – Freshman (5′9, 177)
89 Cole Jacob – Freshman (6′1, 193)

Tight end

33 Austin Avery – Freshman (6′3, 241) (+FB)
40 Costner Ching – Freshman (6′3, 249) (+FB)
44 Cody Mauch – Freshman (6′4, 234)
46 Noah Gindorff – Freshman (6′6, 249)
81 Josh Babicz – Freshman (6′6, 225)
82 Ben Ellefson – Sophomore (6′3, 250)
85 Nate Jenson – Junior (6′6, 246)
86 Jeff Illies – Senior (6′3, 235)
87 Connor Wentz – Senior (6′3, 250)
88 Matt Anderson – Sophomore (6′4, 247)

Fullback

32 Zak Kuntz – Freshman (6′2, 249)
34 Brock Robbins – Sophomore (6′1, 246)
39 Garrett Malstrom – Sophomore (6′0, 250)

Offensive lineman

54 Dillon Radunz - OT – Freshman (6′6, 287)
57 Zach Willis - C – Freshman (6′4, 305)
58 Josh Howieson - OT – Freshman (6′5, 293)
59 Karson Schoening - C – Freshman (6′5, 297)
61 Zach Kubas - OG – Freshman (6′4, 283)
62 Bryce Messner - OG – Senior (6′3, 291)
64 Colin Conner - OT – Junior (6′5, 309)
65 Jack Albrecht - OG – Sophomore (6′5, 278)
66 Nash Jensen - OG – Freshman (6′4, 349)
67 Cordell Volson - OT – Freshman (6′6, 299)
68 Zack Johnson - OT – Sophomore (6′6, 312)
71 Luke Bacon - OT – Junior (6′5, 299)
72 Erik Olson - OT – Senior (6′5, 277)
73 Zack Ziemer - OG – Senior (6′4, 299)
74 Tanner Volson - C – Junior (6′4, 301)
75 Austin Kuhnert - OG – Senior (6′4, 304)
76 Ben Hecht - OG – Freshman (6′5, 277)

Defensive tackle

53 Cole Karcz – Sophomore (6′4, 262)
60 Lane Tucker – Freshman (6′4, 261)
63 Aaron Steidl – Junior (6′2, 288)
69 Blake Williams – Junior (6′3, 290)
78 Michael Kelly – Freshman (6′1, 302)
90 Grant Morgan – Senior (6′4, 283)
92 Jack Darnell – Sophomore (6′2, 292)
97 Quinn Alo – Freshman (6′2, 296)
98 Matt Biegler – Freshman (6′3, 272)
99 Nate Tanguay – Senior (6′4, 291)

Defensive end

56 Justice Kelly – Freshman (6′3, 193)
56 Tanner Sundt – Freshman (6′4, 232)
70 Spencer Waege – Freshman (6′4, 245)
77 Logan McCormick – Freshman (6′2, 232)
91 Derrek Tuszka – Sophomore (6′5, 245)
93 Jarrod Tuszka – Senior (6′3, 255)
94 Stanley Jones – Junior (6′3, 245)
95 Caleb Butler – Junior (6′3, 244)
96 Greg Menard – Senior (6′2, 241)

Linebacker

1 Chris Board – Senior (6′1, 230)
3 Mason Hofstedt – Freshman (6′0, 193) (+TB)
41 Jack Begley – Freshman (6′3, 218)
42 Jabril Cox – Freshman (6′3, 227)
43 Beau Pauly – Freshman (6′2, 216)
44 Matt Plank – Senior (6′0, 219)
45 Levi Jordheim – Junior (6′2, 220)
47 Max Bautch – Freshman (6′0, 219)
48 Dan Marlette – Junior (6′1, 225)
49 Nick DeLuca – Senior (6′3, 245)
50 Ross Kennelly – Freshman (5′11, 212)
52 Jackson Hankey – Freshman (6′1, 217)
55 Aaron Mercadel – Sophomore (5′11, 206)

Cornerbacks

2 Dom Davis – Sophomore (5′11, 182)
9 Marquise Bridges – Sophomore (5′11, 182)
17 Felix Dixon – Freshman (5′11, 166)
21 Jalen Allison – Junior (6′0, 184)
23 Jaylaan Wimbush – Junior (6′0, 192)
27 Ross Godfrey – Freshman (5′9, 166)
33 Bryce Bennot – Junior (5′8, 174)
35 Josh Hayes – Freshman (5′11, 178)
37 Tre Fort – Sophomore (5′8, 185)
46 Ross Effertz – Sophomore (5′11, 200)

Safeties

3 Tre Dempsey - FS – Senior (5′10, 184)
5 Robbie Grimsley - SS – Junior (6′0, 191)
6 James Hendricks - SS – Sophomore (6′1, 205)
25 Michael Tutsie - SS – Freshman (5′10, 188)
26 Keenan Hodenfield - FS – Senior (5′11, 182)
29 Eric Bachmeier - SS – Junior (6′2, 202)
35 Dawson Weber - FS – Freshman (6′2, 193)
38 Jaxon Brown - FS – Sophomore (6′2, 203)

Placekicker

25 Jake Reinholz – Freshman (6′3, 198)
36 Cam Pedersen – Junior (6′2, 199)

Punter

19 Jackson Koonce – Senior (6′1, 197)
22 Garret Wegner – Freshman (6′0, 184) (+K)

Long Snappers

51 James Fisher – Senior (6′2, 225)

Recruiting class

College recruiting information (2017)
Name	Hometown	School	Height	Weight	Commit date
Holden Hotchkiss QB-Pro	Lakeland, Florida	Lakeland High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	February 1, 2017 (Signed) / July 6, 2016 (Committed)
Holden Hotchkiss QB-Pro	Recruit ratings: Scout: 247Sports: ESPN:
Noah Sanders QB-Pro	Lakeville, Minnesota	Apple Valley High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Walk-On / January 4, 2017 (Committed)
Noah Sanders QB-Pro	Recruit ratings: Scout: 247Sports: ESPN:
Seth Wilson TB	Holmen, Wisconsin	Holmen High School	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	February 1, 2017 (Signed) / November 14, 2016 (Committed)
Seth Wilson TB	Recruit ratings: Scout: 247Sports: ESPN:
Christian Watson WR	Tampa, Florida	Plant High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	February 1, 2017 (Signed) / July 27, 2016 (Committed)
Christian Watson WR	Recruit ratings: Scout: 247Sports: ESPN:
Brant Bohmert WR	Fargo, North Dakota	Northern Cass High School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Walk-On / December 26, 2016 (Committed)
Brant Bohmert WR	Recruit ratings: Scout: 247Sports: ESPN:
Andy Voyen WR	Stillwater, Minnesota	Mahtomedi Senior High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Walk-On / January 26, 2017 (Committed)
Andy Voyen WR	Recruit ratings: Scout: 247Sports: ESPN:
Costner Ching FB / TE	Castlewood, South Dakota	Castlewood High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	250 lb (110 kg)	Walk-On / January 11, 2017 (Committed)
Costner Ching FB / TE	Recruit ratings: Scout: 247Sports: ESPN:
Austin Avery TE / FB	Yorkville, Illinois	Yorkville High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	February 1, 2017 (Signed) / January 29, 2017 (Committed)
Austin Avery TE / FB	Recruit ratings: Scout: 247Sports: ESPN:
Josh Babicz TE	Barrington, Illinois	Barrington High School	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	228 lb (103 kg)	February 1, 2017 (Signed) / August 8, 2016 (Committed)
Josh Babicz TE	Recruit ratings: Scout: 247Sports: ESPN:
Noah Gindorff TE	Crosby, Minnesota	Crosby-ironton Secondary High School	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	February 1, 2017 (Signed) / July 26, 2016 (Committed)
Noah Gindorff TE	Recruit ratings: Scout: 247Sports: ESPN:
Cody Mauch TE	Hankinson, North Dakota	Hankinson High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	221 lb (100 kg)	Walk-On / January 13, 2017 (Committed)
Cody Mauch TE	Recruit ratings: Scout: 247Sports: ESPN:
Nash Jensen OT	Maple Grove, Minnesota	Osseo Senior High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	350 lb (160 kg)	February 1, 2017 (Signed) / June 25, 2016 (Committed)
Nash Jensen OT	Recruit ratings: Scout: 247Sports: ESPN:
Zach Willis OG	West Fargo, North Dakota	West Fargo High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	315 lb (143 kg)	February 1, 2017 (Signed) / July 4, 2016 (Committed)
Zach Willis OG	Recruit ratings: Scout: 247Sports: ESPN:
Logan McCormick DE	Appleton, Wisconsin	Kimberly High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	February 1, 2017 (Signed) / June 27, 2016 (Committed)
Logan McCormick DE	Recruit ratings: Scout: 247Sports: ESPN:
Tanner Sundt DE	Farmington, Minnesota	Farmington Senior High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	237 lb (108 kg)	February 1, 2017 (Signed) / June 22, 2016 (Committed)
Tanner Sundt DE	Recruit ratings: Scout: 247Sports: ESPN:
Spencer Waege DE	South Shore, South Dakota	Watertown High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	232 lb (105 kg)	February 1, 2017 (Signed) / June 6, 2016 (Committed)
Spencer Waege DE	Recruit ratings: Scout: 247Sports: ESPN:
Lane Tucker DT	Gillette, Wyoming	Campbell County High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	255 lb (116 kg)	February 1, 2017 (Signed) / July 14, 2016 (Committed)
Lane Tucker DT	Recruit ratings: Scout: 247Sports: ESPN:
Max Bautch OLB	Ham Lake, Minnesota	Blaine Senior High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Walk-On / December 21, 2016 (Committed)
Max Bautch OLB	Recruit ratings: Scout: 247Sports: ESPN:
Jack Begley OLB	Omaha, Nebraska	Millard North High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	February 1, 2017 (Signed) / July 29, 2016 (Committed)
Jack Begley OLB	Recruit ratings: Scout: 247Sports: ESPN:
Dawson Weber CB	Elk Grove, California	Pleasant Grove High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	189 lb (86 kg)	February 1, 2017 (Signed) / January 15, 2017 (Committed)
Dawson Weber CB	Recruit ratings: Scout: 247Sports: ESPN:
Josh Hayes S	Lakeland, Florida	Lake Gibson High School	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	February 1, 2017 (Signed) / January 15, 2017 (Committed)
Josh Hayes S	Recruit ratings: Scout: 247Sports: ESPN:
Michael Tutsie S	Indianapolis, Indiana	Warren Central High School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	February 1, 2017 (Signed) / January 30, 2017 (Committed)
Michael Tutsie S	Recruit ratings: Scout: 247Sports: ESPN:
Mason Hofstedt ATH OLB / TB	Cannon Falls, Minnesota	Cannon Falls High School	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Walk-On / January 5, 2017 (Committed)
Mason Hofstedt ATH OLB / TB	Recruit ratings: Scout: 247Sports: ESPN:
Carson Yaggie ATH CB / QB	Breckenridge, Minnesota	Breckenridge High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	181 lb (82 kg)	Walk-On / January 12, 2017 (Committed)
Carson Yaggie ATH CB / QB	Recruit ratings: Scout: 247Sports: ESPN:
Jake Reinholz K	Fargo, North Dakota	Shanley High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Walk-On / December 2, 2016 (Committed)
Jake Reinholz K	Recruit ratings: Scout: 247Sports: ESPN:
Desmond Cain WR	Delray Beach, Florida	University of Illinois	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	2017 (Transfer)
Desmond Cain WR	Recruit ratings: Scout: 247Sports: ESPN:
Overall recruit ranking: Scout: #- 247Sports: #138 ESPN: #-
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved May 28, 2017.

Coaching staff

Name	Position	Year at North Dakota State	Alma mater (Year)
Chris Klieman	Head coach	7th	Northern Iowa (1990)
Matt Entz	Defensive coordinator Linebackers	4th	Wayne State (NE) (1995)
Courtney Messingham	Offensive coordinator Running backs	1st	Northern Iowa (1990)
Atif Austin	Special teams coordinator Wide receiver coach	4th	Iowa State (2003)
Conor Riley	Running game coordinator Offensive line coach	5th	Nebraska–Omaha (2002)
Nick Goeser	Defensive tackles coach	8th	Wisconsin–Eau Claire (2003)
Randy Hedberg	Quarterbacks coach	4th	Minot State (1977)
Joe Klanderman	Defensive backs coach	4th	Minnesota State Mankato (2001)
Tyler Roehl	Tight ends Fullbacks	4th	North Dakota State (2009)
Bryan Shepherd	Cornerbacks coach	2nd	North Dakota State (2013)
LeDominique Williams	Defensive ends coach	1st	University of Charleston (2009)
Jake Otten	Video coordinator	4th	Cal Poly (2013)

^[17]

Game summaries

Polls are based on the FCS STATS Poll

Mississippi Valley State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Delta Devils	0	7	0	0	7
No. 2 Bison	30	14	21	7	72

2017 North Dakota State Bison football

NCAA Division I champion MVFC champion
NCAA Division I Championship, W 17–13 vs. James Madison
Conference	Missouri Valley Football Conference
Ranking
STATS	No. 1
FCS Coaches	No. 1
Record	14–1 (7–1 MVFC)
Head coach	Chris Klieman (4th season)
Offensive coordinator	Courtney Messingham (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Pro-style
Defensive coordinator	Matt Entz (4th season)
Base defense	3–4
Home stadium	Fargodome
Seasons ← 2016 2018 →

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Final
STATS FCS	2 (19)	2 (8)	2 (10)	2 (5)	2 (5)	2 (8)	2 (8)	2 (7)	2 (9)	2 (6)	5	4	4	1
Coaches	2	2	2	2 (1)	2 (1)	2 (1)	2 (1)	2	2	2	6	6	4	1

v t e North Dakota State Bison football
Venues	Dacotah Field (1910–1992) Fargodome (1993–present)
Bowls & rivalries	North Dakota: Nickel Trophy South Dakota State: Dakota Marker
Culture & lore	Thundar "On Bison" Gold Star Marching Band
People	Head coaches NFL draftees
Seasons	1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943–1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026
National championship seasons in bold

v t e NCAA Division I-AA/FCS football champions
1970s	1978: Florida A&M 1979: Eastern Kentucky
1980s	1980: Boise State 1981: Idaho State 1982: Eastern Kentucky 1983: Southern Illinois 1984: Montana State 1985: Georgia Southern 1986: Georgia Southern 1987: Northeast Louisiana 1988: Furman 1989: Georgia Southern
1990s	1990: Georgia Southern 1991: Youngstown State 1992: Marshall 1993: Youngstown State 1994: Youngstown State 1995: Montana 1996: Marshall 1997: Youngstown State 1998: UMass 1999: Georgia Southern
2000s	2000: Georgia Southern 2001: Montana 2002: Western Kentucky 2003: Delaware 2004: James Madison 2005: Appalachian State 2006: Appalachian State 2007: Appalachian State 2008: Richmond 2009: Villanova
2010s	2010: Eastern Washington 2011: North Dakota State 2012: North Dakota State 2013: North Dakota State 2014: North Dakota State 2015: North Dakota State 2016: James Madison 2017: North Dakota State 2018: North Dakota State 2019: North Dakota State
2020s	2020: Sam Houston State 2021: North Dakota State 2022: South Dakota State 2023: South Dakota State 2024: North Dakota State 2025: Montana State

英文互译镜像站

2017 North Dakota State Bison football team

Contents

Schedule

Roster

Recruiting class

Coaching staff

Game summaries

Mississippi Valley State

At Eastern Washington

Robert Morris

Missouri State

At Indiana State

At Youngstown State

Western Illinois

Northern Iowa

At South Dakota State

South Dakota

At Illinois State

FCS Playoffs

San Diego–Second Round

Wofford–Quarterfinals

Sam Houston State–Semifinals

James Madison–Championship

Ranking movements

References