2015 North Dakota State Bison football team

The 2015 North Dakota State Bison football team represented North Dakota State University in the 2015 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by second-year head coach Chris Klieman. The team, which played its 23rd season in the Fargodome, entered the season as the four-time defending national champions. The Bison have been members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) since the 2008 season.

2015 North Dakota State Bison football
NCAA Division I champion MVFC co-champion
NCAA Division I Championship, W 37–10 vs. Jacksonville State
Conference	Missouri Valley Football Conference
Ranking
STATS	No. 1
FCS Coaches	No. 1
Record	13–2 (7–1 MVFC)
Head coach	Chris Klieman (2nd season)
Offensive coordinator	Tim Polasek (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	West Coast
Defensive coordinator	Matt Entz (2nd season)
Base defense	3–4
Home stadium	Fargodome
Seasons ← 2014 2016 →

2015 Missouri Valley Football Conference standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 1 North Dakota State +^		7	–	1					13	–	2
No. 5 Illinois State +^		7	–	1					10	–	3
No. 8 Northern Iowa ^		5	–	3					9	–	5
No. 15 South Dakota State ^		5	–	3					8	–	4
Western Illinois ^		5	–	3					7	–	6
Indiana State		3	–	5					5	–	6
Youngstown State		3	–	5					5	–	6
South Dakota		3	–	5					5	–	6
Southern Illinois		2	–	6					3	–	8
Missouri State		0	–	8					1	–	10
+ – Conference co-champions ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from STATS Poll

The Bison went 13–2 on the season, won their fifth straight MVFC title, and their fifth consecutive NCAA Division I Football Championship, becoming the first-ever NCAA football team to win five straight championships at any level. Yale won six straight college football national championships from 1879 to 1884, before the NCAA was formed.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 29	2:30 pm	at No. 13 Montana*	No. 1	Washington–Grizzly Stadium Missoula, MT (FCS Kickoff)	ESPN	L 35–38	26,472 (R)[1]
September 12	2:30 pm	Weber State*	No. 2	Fargodome Fargo, ND	NBC ND/ESPN3	W 41–14	18,801[2]
September 19	2:30 pm	North Dakota*	No. 4	Fargodome Fargo, ND (Rivalry)	NBC ND/ESPN3	W 34–9	19,044[3]
October 3	6:00 pm	at No. 5 South Dakota State	No. 3	Coughlin–Alumni Stadium Brookings, SD (Dakota Marker)	Midco/NBC ND/ESPN3	W 28–7	17,348 (R) [4]
October 10	6:00 pm	No. 10 Northern Iowa	No. 3	Fargodome Fargo, ND	NBC ND/ESPN3	W 31–28	18,954
October 17	2:30 pm	South Dakota	No. 2	Fargodome Fargo, ND	Midco/NBC ND/ESPN3	L 21–24	18,420
October 24	12:00 pm	at No. 18 Indiana State	No. 8	Memorial Stadium Terre Haute, IN	MVC TV/ESPN3	W 28–14	6,524
October 31	2:00 pm	at Southern Illinois	No. 7	Saluki Stadium Carbondale, IL	NBC ND/ESPN3	W 35–29	6,508
November 7	2:30 pm	Western Illinois	No. 6	Fargodome Fargo, ND (Harvest Bowl)	NBC ND/ESPN3	W 59–7	18,251
November 14	1:00 pm	at No. 20 Youngstown State	No. 2	Stambaugh Stadium Youngstown, OH	NBC ND/ESPN3	W 27–24	11,309
November 21	2:00 pm	Missouri State	No. 2	Fargodome Fargo, ND	NBC ND/ESPN3	W 55–0	18,624
December 5	2:30 pm	No. 16 Montana*	No. 2	Fargodome Fargo, ND (FCS playoffs second round)	ESPN3	W 37–6	18,232
December 12	11:00 am	No. 15 Northern Iowa*	No. 2	Fargodome Fargo, ND (FCS Playoffs Quarterfinals)	ESPN2	W 23–13	18,041
December 18	7:00 pm	No. 12 Richmond*	No. 2	Fargodome Fargo, ND (FCS Playoffs Semifinals)	ESPN2	W 33–7	18,105
January 9, 2016	11:00 am	vs. No. 1 Jacksonville State*	No. 2	Toyota Stadium Frisco, TX (FCS National Championship Game)	ESPN2	W 37–10	21,836
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

• Source: (R) indicates record attendance.

Coaching staff

Name	Position	Year at North Dakota State	Alma mater (Year)
Chris Klieman	Head coach	5th	Northern Iowa (1990)
Matt Entz	Defensive coordinator Linebackers	2nd	Wayne State (NE) (1995)
Tim Polasek	Offensive coordinator Running backs	9th	Concordia (WI) (2002)
Atif Austin	Special teams coordinator Wide receiver coach	2nd	Iowa State (2003)
Jamar Cain	Defensive ends coach	2nd	New Mexico State (2002)
Nick Goeser	Defensive tackles coach	6th	Wisconsin–Eau Claire (2003)
Randy Hedberg	Quarterbacks coach	2nd	Minot State (1977)
Joe Klanderman	Defensive backs coach	2nd	Minnesota State Mankato (2001)
Tyler Roehl	Tight ends Fullbacks	2nd	North Dakota State (2009)
Brian Gordon	Director of football operations Equipment services	2nd	South Florida (2002)
Jake Otten	Video coordinator	2nd	Cal Poly (2013)

^[5]

Roster

2015 North Dakota State Bison Football
Quarterback  5 Michael Veldman – Freshman  7 Cole Davis – Sophomore 11 Carson Wentz – Senior 12 Easton Stick – Freshman 17 James Hendricks – Freshman * Tailback  8 Darius Anderson – Senior (+WR) 10 Lance Dunn – Freshman 22 King Frazier – Junior 24 Demaris Purifoy – Freshman * 25 Chase Morlock – Junior 37 Garrett Malstrom – Freshman 42 Bruce Anderson – Freshman * Fullback 30 Jedre Cyr – Senior 34 Brock Robbins – Freshman * 40 Dan Sargeant – Sophomore 46 Andrew Bonnet – Senior (+TE) Wide receiver  4 Dimitri Williams – Freshman *  9 Colter Pritchard – Sophomore 13 Eric Perkins – Junior 15 Daniel Polanski – Sophomore 16 RJ Urzendowski – Sophomore 18 Khayvon Hawkins – Freshman 20 Darrius Shepherd – Freshman 33 Marquise Bridges – Freshman * 80 Nate Moody – Senior 81 Isaiah Frandsen – Sophomore 82 Zach Vraa – Senior 83 Dallas Freeman – Freshman Tight end 39 Ben Ellefson – Freshman * 49 Matt Anderson – Freshman * 85 Nate Jenson – Freshman 86 Jeff Illies – Sophomore 87 Connor Wentz – Sophomore 88 Luke Albers – Senior 89 Isaac Lashua – Freshman		Offensive lineman 53 Max Haskins - OL – Freshman 54 Jeremy Kelly - OG – Senior 58 Andrew Trzebiatowski - OT – Freshman 59 Joe Haeg - OT – Senior 60 Max Polson - C – Sophomore 64 Colin Conner - OT – Freshman 65 Jack Albrecht - OG – Freshman * 66 Zack Johnson - OG – Junior 67 Brock Russell - OG – Senior 68 Zack Johnson - OT – Freshman * 70 Jack Plankers - OT – Junior 71 Luke Bacon - OT – Freshman 72 Erik Olson - OT – Sophomore 73 Zack Ziemer - OG – Sophomore 74 Tanner Volson - OG – Freshman 75 Austin Kuhnert - C – Sophomore 76 Trent Mooney - OG – Freshman * 77 Christian Triplett - C – Freshman 78 Landon Lechler - OT – Junior Defensive tackle 57 Bryan Carlton – Freshman * 61 Brian Schaetz – Senior 62 Bryce Messner – Sophomore 63 Aaron Steidl – Freshman 69 Blake Williams – Freshman 90 Grant Morgan – Sophomore 92 Jack Darnell – Freshman * 95 Connor Hubbs – Freshman * 98 Austin Farnlof – Junior 99 Nate Tanguay – Sophomore Defensive end 53 Cole Karcz – Freshman * 56 Caleb Butler – Freshman 91 Derrek Tuszka – Freshman * 93 Jarrod Tuszka – Sophomore 94 Stanley Jones – Freshman 96 Greg Menard – Sophomore 97 Brad Ambrosius – Junior Placekicker 36 Cam Pedersen – Freshman		Linebacker  1 Chris Board – Sophomore 14 Bo Liekhus – Junior 41 MJ Stumpf – Junior 43 Kurt Mattox – Sophomore 44 Matt Plank – Sophomore 45 Levi Jordheim – Freshman 47 Pierre Gee-Tucker – Junior 48 Dan Marlette – Freshman 49 Nick DeLuca – Junior 50 Gray Gochenour – Freshman 52 Jake Brinkman – Freshman * 55 Aaron Mercadel – Freshman * Cornerback  2 Quinten McCoy – Junior  5 Jordan Champion – Senior  6 CJ Smith – Senior 19 Dom Davis – Freshman * 21 Jalen Allison – Freshman 29 Eric Bachmeier – Freshman 31 Bryce Bennot – Freshman 31 Ty Brooks – Freshman * 32 Dakota Reid – Freshman 34 Ross Effertz – Freshman 37 Tre Fort – Freshman Safety  3 Tre Dempsey - FS – Sophomore  8 Braden Sikes - SS – Freshman * 23 Jaylaan Wimbush - SS – Freshman 26 Keenan Hodenfield - FS – Sophomore 27 Isaac Cenescar - SS – Freshman 28 Andrew Smith - FS – Junior 35 Robbie Grimsley - SS – Freshman * 38 Jaxon Brown - SS – Freshman * Punter  9 Ian Gallagher – Freshman 19 Ben LeCompte – Senior (+K) Long Snappers 51 James Fisher – Sophomore 95 Peder Olson – Freshman (+LB)
* : 2015 NDSU Bison Football Commits (02/04/2015)

Recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2015 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Ben Ellefson #76 TE	Hawley, MN	Hawley Secondary	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	243 lb (110 kg)	February 04, 2015 (Signed)
	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports:
Aaron Mercadel #113 MLB	Oakland, CA	Saint Mary's College High School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	196 lb (89 kg)	February 04, 2015 (Signed)
	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports:
Jack Darnell #190 DT	Champlin, MN	Champlin Park High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	277 lb (126 kg)	February 04, 2015 (Signed)
	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports:
Bryan Carlton #145 DE	Chanhassen, MN	Minnetonka High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	246 lb (112 kg)	February 04, 2015 (Signed)
	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports:
Derrek Tuszka #136 DE	Warner, SD	Warner High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	226 lb (103 kg)	February 04, 2015 (Signed)
	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports:
Matt Anderson #133 TE	Lakeland, MN	Stillwater High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	228 lb (103 kg)	February 04, 2015 (Signed)
	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports:
Trent Mooney #226 OT	Lamar, MO	Lamar High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	269 lb (122 kg)	February 04, 2015 (Signed)
	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports:
Robbie Grimsley #221 ATH (S)	Hutchinson, MN	Hutchinson High School	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	181 lb (82 kg)	February 04, 2015 (Signed)
	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports:
Connor Hubbs #201 DT	White Bear Lake, MN	White Bear Lake High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	283 lb (128 kg)	February 04, 2015 (Signed)
	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports:
Braden Sikes #230 ATH (S)	Excelsior, MN	Minnetonka High School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	192 lb (87 kg)	February 04, 2015 (Signed)
	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports:
Dimitri Williams #232 ATH (WR)	Lakeville, MN	Rosemount High School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	174 lb (79 kg)	February 04, 2015 (Signed)
	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports:
James Hendricks #243 ATH (QB)	Laporte, MN	Bemidji High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	189 lb (86 kg)	February 04, 2015 (Signed)
	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports:
Marquise Bridges #327 WR	Brooklyn Park, MN	DeLaSalle High School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	February 04, 2015 (Signed)
	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports:
Zack Johnson #324 OT	Blaine, MN	Spring Lake Park High School	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	276 lb (125 kg)	February 04, 2015 (Signed)
	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports:
Ty Brooks CB	Fargo, ND	Fargo South High School	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	161 lb (73 kg)	February 04, 2015 (Signed)
	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Jaxon Brown S	Eau Claire, WI	Regis High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	189 lb (86 kg)	February 04, 2015 (Signed)
	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Demaris Purifoy RB	Wauwatosa, WI	Wauwatosa West High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	188 lb (85 kg)	February 04, 2015 (Signed)
	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Brock Robbins FB	Cavalier, ND	Cavalier High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	230 lb (100 kg)	February 04, 2015 (Signed)
	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Cole Karcz TE -> DE	Germantown, MN	Germantown High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	233 lb (106 kg)	February 04, 2015 (Signed)
	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Bruce Anderson RB	Ruskin, FL	Newsome High School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	202 lb (92 kg)	February 04, 2015 (Signed)
	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Jake Brinkman OLB	North Liberty, IA	Regina High School	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	February 04, 2015 (Signed)
	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Dominic Davis ATH (CB)	Belleville, IL	Belleville West High School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	February 04, 2015 (Signed)
	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Jack Albrecht OG	Rolling Meadows, IL	Fremd High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	276 lb (125 kg)	February 04, 2015 (Signed)
	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: -   247Sports: #131  ESPN: -
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, 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: "2015 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 1, 2016.

Game summaries

At Montana

	1	2	3	4	Total
#1 Bison	7	21	0	7	35
#13 Grizzlies	10	11	7	10	38

See also: 2015 Montana Grizzlies football team

Weber State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats	7	0	0	7	14
#2 Bison	7	21	3	10	41

See also: 2015 Weber State Wildcats football team

North Dakota

	1	2	3	4	Total
North Dakota	3	0	6	0	9
#4 Bison	3	21	10	0	34

See also: 2015 University of North Dakota football team

At South Dakota State

	1	2	3	4	Total
#3 Bison	7	14	7	0	28
#5 Jackrabbits	0	0	7	0	7

See also: 2015 South Dakota State Jackrabbits football team and Dakota Marker

Northern Iowa

	1	2	3	4	Total
#10 Panthers	7	7	0	14	28
#3 Bison	3	7	0	21	31

See also: 2015 Northern Iowa Panthers football team

South Dakota

	1	2	3	4	Total
Coyotes	0	14	0	10	24
#2 Bison	14	7	0	0	21

See also: 2015 South Dakota Coyotes football team

At Indiana State

	1	2	3	4	Total
#8 Bison	7	7	14	0	28
#18 Sycamores	0	7	7	0	14

See also: 2015 Indiana State Sycamores football team

At Southern Illinois

	1	2	3	4	Total
#7 Bison	7	7	7	14	35
Salukis	3	7	9	10	29

See also: 2015 Southern Illinois Salukis football team

Western Illinois

	1	2	3	4	Total
Leathernecks	0	0	7	0	7
#6 Bison	17	21	7	14	59

See also: 2015 Western Illinois Leathernecks football team

At Youngstown State

	1	2	3	4	Total
#2 Bison	0	3	7	17	27
#20 Penguins	7	7	10	0	24

See also: 2015 Youngstown State Penguins football team

Missouri State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bears	0	0	0	0	0
#2 Bison	14	27	14	0	55

See also: 2015 Missouri State Bears football team

FCS playoffs

Second round – Montana

	1	2	3	4	Total
#16 Grizzlies	0	0	6	0	6
#2 Bison	7	14	10	6	37

Quarterfinals–Northern Iowa

	1	2	3	4	Total
#15 Panthers	7	3	0	3	13
#2 Bison	7	0	7	9	23

Semifinals–Richmond

	1	2	3	4	Total
#12 Spiders	0	0	7	0	7
#2 Bison	13	13	0	7	33

See also: 2015 Richmond Spiders football team

Championship–Jacksonville State

	1	2	3	4	Total
#2 Bison	3	21	3	10	37
#1 Gamecocks	0	0	10	0	10

See also: 2015 Jacksonville State Gamecocks football team

Ranking movements

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

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Final
STATS FCS	1 (144)	2 (22)	4 (23)	3 (17)	3 (16)	3 (20)	2 (27)	8	7	6	2	2	2 (2)	1 (150)
Coaches	1 (24)	2–T (6)	2	2 (4)	2 (4)	2 (6)	2 (5)	8	6	5–T	3	3	3 (5)	1 (24)

2016 NFL draftees

Player	Round	Pick	Position	NFL Club
Carson Wentz	1	2	Quarterback	Philadelphia Eagles
Joe Haeg	5	155	Guard	Indianapolis Colts

^[6]

References

1. "North Dakota State–Montana Game Summary". ESPN. August 29, 2015. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
2. "North Dakota State–Weber State Game Summary". ESPN. September 12, 2015. Retrieved September 13, 2015.
3. Schnepf, Kevin (September 19, 2015). "For at Least One Day, NDSU-UND Game Was the Biggest Thing in the State Again". The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
4. "North Dakota State–South Dakota State Game Summary". ESPN. October 3, 2015. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
5. "2014 Football Coaching Staff". North Dakota State Athletics. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
6. "2012 NFL Draft". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 28, 2016.