North Dakota State Bison
Missouri Valley
North Dakota State has had a great 2011 campaign, easily beating the teams they should beat and winning close games against the tougher competition. This is a team that has beaten Minnesota, Southern Illinois, Northern Iowa, Illinois State and Indiana State. That consistency is a far cry from the Bison team we saw last year. In 2010, NDSU beat another FBS team in Kansas, but were up and down the rest of the year. They did make the playoffs, but eventually lost a heartbreaker in overtime to Eastern Washington. This steady group will be ready for an even deeper playoff push.
2011 Record: 10-1, 7-1
Last Playoff Appearance: 2010
Coach: Craig Bohl (71-31 at North Dakota State, 71-31 overall)
Big Wins: 9/24 at Minnesota (37-24), 10/29 Northern Iowa (27-19)
Bad Losses: 11/12 Youngstown State (24-27)
Strengths:
Like last season, it is the North Dakota State defense that wins games for this group. While getting to the quarterback is a job for everybody on the team, it is defensive end Coulter Boyer and tackle Leevon Perry that cause the most havoc in the backfield. Having an end like Cole Jirik who usually comes off of the bench available helps make this a very deep and very talented line that can get pressure in the backfield all game long. This is a team that sacked Minnesota’s elusive quarterback MarQueis Gray four times. All of that pressure leads to mistakes by the opposing quarterback. North Dakota State has picked off 15 passes this season and returned five of them for touchdowns. Marcus Williams is a dynamic cornerback and Christian Dudzik is a steady force on the other side of the field. With safeties Colten Heagle and Preston Evans lurking around, it is very tough to pass against NDSU, but most teams have little choice. While the defense creates turnovers, the offense rarely makes that mistake. Quarterback Brock Jensen has thrown just two interceptions all season long. And this is a very balanced offense that will throw quite a bit. His 11 touchdowns are proof of that.
Weaknesses:
It is hard to find a weakness on one of the best teams in the nation. The offense has been extremely efficient and effective, but they are not always explosive. Part of the reason they have not been particularly explosive this season is because they never need to be. Jensen is an amazingly accurate quarterback who has completed over 70 percent of his passes on the season. Warren Holloway is a great receiver who can make some big plays on occasion. Ryan Smith and Matt Veldman will get most of the rest of the catches. Add running backs D.J. McNorton and Sam Ojuri to the mix and North Dakota State can run to set up the pass and be very effective at it. With the balance on offense and the big plays on defense, one can easily see why this team spent some time on the top of the FCS rankings.
Statistical Leaders:
Rushing: Sam Ojuri, RB, 781 yards
Passing: Brock Jensen, QB, 1994
Receiving: Warren Holloway, WR, 746
Tackles: Chad Willson, LB, 65
Sacks: Coulter Boyer, DE, 7.0
Interceptions: Marcus Williams, CB, 7
2011 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 157.27 (55th in nation, 6th in conference)
Passing Offense: 187.27 (69, 6)
Total Offense: 344.55 (71, 7)
Scoring Offense: 33.45 (22, 2)
Rushing Defense: 122.55 (21, 3)
Pass Defense: 199.18 (44, 1)
Total Defense: 321.73 (23, 2)
Scoring Defense: 14.91 (2, 1)
Turnover Margin: 1.27 (8, 2)
Sacks: 2.82 (15, 2)
Sacks Allowed:1.55 (35, 3)
