BISON PLAYOFF HISTORY - North Dakota State University Athletics

PLAYOFF HISTORY 

BISON PLAYOFF 

HISTORY

2009 BISON FOOTBALL 

110 


Bison Have Won Eight National 

Championships Since 1965 

North Dakota State had one of the 

most successful and envious football records 

in all of America over four decades. 

The list includes eight national championships, 

22 years in the top 20 of the 

national polls, and an awesome 352-94-4 

record over a 40-year period. 

North Dakota Stat appeared in seven 

of the 23 national championship games 

in NCAA Division II football including four 

straight appearances from 1983 through 

1986. NDSU won fi ve of those title affairs 

(1983, 1985, 1986, 1988 and 1990) with 

only a 50-yard fi eld goal by a freshman 

kicker with no time on the clock remaining 

in the 1984 championship game stopping 

the Bison from winning four straight 

NCAA championships. 

North Dakota State made 18 appearances 

in the NCAA national rankings since 

the playoff system began in 1973 and the 

Bison appeared in the national playoffs 

during 17 of those seasons. 

Interestingly enough, the fi nal poll 

position and the actual playoff fi nish 

have gone like this: 1976 (10th in the 

poll, semifi nalist in playoff); 1977 (1st, 

semifi nalist); 1981 (6th, 2nd); 1982 (2nd, 

semifi nalist); 1983 (5th, 1st); 1984 (1st, 

2nd); 1985 (7th, 1st); 1986 (1st, 1st); 

1988 (1st, 1st); 1989 (17th, quarterfi nalist); 

1990 (1st, 1st); 1991 (7th, opening 

round); 1992 (2nd, quarterfi nalist); 1993 

(20th, not selected); 1994 (15th, quarterfi 

nalist); 1995 (13th, quarterfi nalist); 1997 

(unranked, opening round); 2000 (4th or 

5th, semifi nalist). 

The Bison claimed three national 

championships via the wire service polls 

in the 1960s -- 1965, 1968 and 1969. The 

Associated Press accorded the Bison those 

honors all three years while the United 

Press International selected the Bison 

in 1965 and 1969. The Herd was second 

to San Diego State in 1967 in both wire 

service polls. 

The 1983 Bison, led by All-American center Greg Hagfors (64), celebrate a national title. 

From 1965 through 1970, the Bison 

were in every AP or UPI poll. The UPI 

discontinued its poll after 1970 but the 

NDSU team reappeared in the AP poll 

again in 1973 with a 14th position. The 

AP poll also died out and was replaced 

the following year by the NCAA's national 

rankings.

BISON POSTSEASON FACTS 

Number of Years In Postseason Play: 23 

Total Games Played: 48 

Record: Won 35, Lost 13 

(30-12 in NCAA playoff action) 

1964 Mineral Water Bowl: NDSU 14, Western State (Colo.) 13 

1965 Pecan Bowl: NDSU 20, Grambling 7 

1967 Pecan Bowl: Texas-Arlington 13, NDSU 0 

1968 Pecan Bowl: NDSU 23, Arkansas State 14 

1969 Camellia Bowl: NDSU 30, Montana 3 

1970 Camellia Bowl: NDSU 31, Montana 16 

1976 NCAA Quarterfi nals: NDSU 10, Eastern Kentucky 3 

1976 NCAA Semifi nals: Montana State 10, NDSU 3 

1977 NCAA Quarterfi nals: NDSU 20, Northern Michigan 6 

1977 NCAA Semifi nals: Jacksonville State 31, NDSU 7 

1981 NCAA Quarterfi nals: NDSU 24, Puget Sound 10 

1981 NCAA Semifi nals: NDSU 19, Shippensburg State 6 

1981 NCAA Championship: SW Texas State 42, NDSU 13 

1982 NCAA Quarterfi nals: NDSU 21, Virginia Union 20 

1982 NCAA Semifi nals: UC Davis 19, NDSU 14 

1983 NCAA Quarterfi nals: NDSU 24, Towson State 17 

1983 NCAA Semifi nals: NDSU 26, UC Davis 17 

1983 NCAA Championship: NDSU 41, Central State (Ohio) 21 

1984 NCAA Quarterfi nals: NDSU 31, UC Davis 23 

1984 NCAA Semifi nals: NDSU 25, Nebraska-Omaha 14 

1984 NCAA Championship: Troy State 18, NDSU 17 

1985 NCAA Quarterfi nals: NDSU 31, UC Davis 12 

1985 NCAA Semifi nals: NDSU 16, South Dakota 7 

1985 NCAA Championship: NDSU 35, North Alabama 7 

1986 NCAA Quarterfi nals: NDSU 50, Ashland (Ohio) 0 

1986 NCAA Semifi nals: NDSU 35, Central State (Ohio) 12 

1986 NCAA Championship: NDSU 27, South Dakota 7 

1988 NCAA First Round: NDSU 49, Augustana (S.D.) 7 

1988 NCAA Quarterfi nals: NDSU 36, Millersville (Pa.) 26 

1988 NCAA Semifi nals: NDSU 42, Cal State-Sacramento 20 

1988 NCAA Championship: NDSU 35, Portland State 21 

1989 NCAA First Round: NDSU 45, Edinboro (Pa.) 32 

1989 NCAA Quarterfi nals: Jacksonville State 21, NDSU 17 

1990 NCAA First Round: NDSU 17, Northern Colorado 7 

1990 NCAA Quarterfi nals: NDSU 47, Cal Poly 0 

1990 NCAA Semifi nals: NDSU 39, Pittsburg State 29 

1990 NCAA Championship: NDSU 51, Indiana (Pa.) 11 

1991 NCAA First Round: Mankato State 27, NDSU 7 

1992 NCAA First Round: NDSU 42, NE Missouri State 7 

1992 NCAA Quarterfi nals: Pittsburg State 38, NDSU 37 (OT) 

1994 NCAA First Round: NDSU 18, Pittsburg State 12 (3 OT) 

1994 NCAA Quarterfi nals: North Dakota 14, NDSU 7 

1995 NCAA First Round: NDSU 41, North Dakota 10 

1995 NCAA Quarterfi nals: Pittsburg State 9, NDSU 7 

1997 NCAA First Round: NW Missouri State 39, NDSU 28 

2000 NCAA First Round: NDSU 31, NW Missouri State 17 

2000 NCAA Quarterfi nals: NDSU 43, Nebraska-Omaha 21 

2000 NCAA Semifi nals: Delta State 34, NDSU 16 

Championship Breakdown: 

National Championships: 8 (1965, 1968, 1969, 1983, 1985, 

1986, 1988, 1990) 

National Runners-up: 3 (1967, 1981, 1984) 

National Third-Place Finishes: 5 (1970, 1976, 1977, 1982, 

2000) 

**Championships & placings prior to 1973 were determined by 

AP or UPI polls...Championships & runnerup fi nishes after 

that were through the NCAA playoff format...Third-place 

fi nishes after 1973 were the result of semifi nal losses in 

the playoff system. 



111


112 

BISON IN THE PLAYOFFS 

1964 Mineral Bowl 

EXCELSIOR SPRINGS, MO--The Bison 

became the fi rst team in North Dakota 

history to receive an invitation to play in 

a postseason bowl game and the Thundering 

Herd made the best of the occasion to 

post a 14-13 win and cap an outstanding 

10-1 season. That fi rst bowl opponent was 

Western State of Colorado. 

After a scoreless fi rst quarter, NDSU 

got on the scoreboard with a six-yard pass 

from QB Pierre DuCharme to halfback Bruce 

Airheart. Minutes later, the Bison's Rudy 

Baranko intercepted a pass in the end zone 

and returned it to the NDSU 43. Three 

plays later Airheart went 43 yards to score 

his second TD of the day. 

Western State, 9-0 during the regular 

season, scored in the second period and tallied 

again in the fourth quarter to close the 

gap to 14-13 with 2:48 left. The Mountaineers 

attempted the 2-point conversion, but 

it failed as a heavy rush broke up the pass. 

NDSU's Airheart was named the MVP of the 

game. 

Statistics NDSU WSC 

First Downs 18 8 

Yds. Rush 243 129 

Yds. Pass 87 124 

Passes 9-14-1 10-29-1 

Punts 7-28.8 7-35.5 

Penalties 9-83 8-80 

Fumbles/Lost 4-4 4-3 

Western State 0 7 0 6 -- 13 

NDSU 0 14 0 0 -- 14 

NDSU--Airheart 6 pass from DuCharme (DuCharme kick) 

NDSU--Airheart 43 run (DuCharme kick) 

WSC--Wilson 1 run (Simmons kick) 

WSC--Wilson 15 pass from Novak (pass failed) 

A--6,000 

The Bison ran for 243 yards 

to dominate action in their 

fi rst bowl appearance. 

1965 Pecan Bowl 

ABILENE, TX--A determined NDSU football 

team posted a convincing 20-7 Pecan 

Bowl victory over famed Grambling College 

here to cap a perfect 11-0 season and take 

fi rm hold of the No. 1 national rating in 

College Division football. 

The Bison, one of the best defensive 

teams in the nation, allowed Grambling 

just 97 yards in total offense. The Bison 

opened up scoring by marching the opening 

kickoff 80 yards with Ken Rota going the 

fi nal fi ve. The Bison upped the margin to 

13-0 in the second quarter with Jim Carlson 

passing 68 yards to Lowell Linderman for 

the score. 

Grambling collected its only score on a 

93-yard kickoff return to open the second 

half. NDSU fullback Roger Mische plunged 

two yards in the fi nal quarter to fi nish the 

scoring. Rota gained 96 yards on 22 carries 

and was named the outstanding back. 

Linderman was picked as the outstanding 

lineman. 

Statistics NDSU Grambling 


Yds. Rush 206 90 


Passes 4-12-0 2-12-1 

Punts 7-14.5 9-31.2 



Grambling 0 0 7 0 -- 7 

NDSU 6 7 0 7 -- 20 

NDSU--Rota 5 run (kick failed) 

NDSU--Linderman 68 pass from Carlson (Aheman kick) 

G--Smith 93 kickoff return (Bean kick) 

NDSU--Mische 2 run (Ahneman kick) 

A--8,500 

Steve Irgens (83) puts the heavy hit on 

Grambling's QB in the 1965 Pecan Bowl 

victory as Ardell Wiegandt (60) and another 

unidentifi ed Bison come to his aid. 


ABILENE, TX--The cold and the ice of 

P.E. Shotwell Stadium combined with the 

stiff defense of the Texas-Arlington Rebels 

to pin a 13-0 Pecan Bowl loss on the previously 

undefeated North Dakota State Bison. 

The result allowed both teams to fi nish 

10-1 for the season as the Bison pulled in 

second and the Rebels third in the national 

wire service poll. The Bison rushing machine 

was limited to just 106 yards, 61 of 

them by back Tim Mjos. 

Arlington scored fi rst after a 54-yard 

bomb moved the ball deep into NDSU territory. 

The 6-0 score held up until just two 

minutes remained in the game when an 

intercepted pass led to the fi nal TD. 

The Bison threatened on numerous occasions, 

reaching the Rebel 21, 16, 12 and 

7-yard lines before being stopped. 

Statistics NDSU UTA 




Passes 8-25-2 11-28-0 

Punts 7-39.4 9-39.1 



Texas-Arlington 0 6 0 7 -- 13 

NDSU 0 0 0 0 -- 0 

UTA--Griffi n 1 run (kick failed) 

UTA--Luft 5 run (Butler kick) 

A--1,000 

Snow, cold, and empty seats greeted 

North Dakota State's entry into the 1967 

Pecan Bowl.


ARLINGTON, TX--Paul Hatchett ran for 

106 yards and a touchdown as North Dakota 

State's awesome offense rolled to 23 fi rsthalf 

points to stop Arkansas State University 

23-14 here in the fi fth annual Pecan Bowl 

football game. 

The Bison, ranked No. 1 in the nation, 

looked to make it a runaway in the opening 

two periods when Joe Roller, Hatchett, 

Ken Blazei and Bruce Grasamke combined 

for the three TDs and a fi eld goal. Roller 

caught an 11-yard pass from Grasamke and 

Hatchett traversed 18 yards for fi rst-quarter 

TDs. 

Blazei then booted a 30-yard fi eld goal 

and Grasamke ran in from four yards out 

before the halftime gun. The Indians got 

two fourth-quarter TDs but had little other 

success against the Herd. Hatchett was 

voted the outstanding offensive player of 

the game. 

Statistics NDSU ASU 




Passes 8-18-2 13-36-2 

Punts 6-26.8 8-33.9 



Arkansas State 0 0 0 14 -- 14 

NDSU 14 9 0 0 -- 23 

NDSU--Roller 11 pass from Grasamke (Blazei kick) 

NDSU--Hatchett 18 run (Blazei kick) 

NDSU--FG Blazei 30 

NDSU--Grasamke 45 run (kick failed) 

ASU--Hamilton 10 run (Casey pass from LaGrone) 

ASU--Hamilton 1 run (run failed) 

A--7,200 

Paul Hatchett gained 106 yards 

and scored a TD in the win over 

Arkansas State. 

1969 Camellia Bowl 

SACRAMENTO, CA--North Dakota State 

steamrolled the University of Montana 30-3 

here in the Camellia Bowl meeting between 

the Nos. 1 and 2 teams in the nation. 

Any doubt to the Bison's grip on the top 

slot was disspelled by the overwhelming 

display of the Fargo team. But this time, 

NDSU changed the script slightly. 

The Bison went to the air as QB Bruce 

Grasamke completed 16 of 25 passes for 

206 yards as the Bison fi nished with a total 

of 234 passing yards and 421 yards in total 

offense. 

Grasamke opened the scoring with 

a 7-yard run in the fi rst period. After a 

Montana fi eld goal, NDSU followed with 24 

consecutive points. Paul Hatchett took in 

a 15-yard pass from Grasamke, Jim Twardy 

kicked a 23-yard fi eld goal, Dennis Preboski 

ran 38 yards for another score, and Tim 

Mjos hauled in an 8-yard pass from Mike 

Bentson for the fi nal TD. NDSU fi nished 10- 

0-0 for the season. 

Statistics NDSU Montana 


Yds. Rush 187 125 


Passes 19-28-2 7-30-3 

Punts 7-32.7 6-42.4 



Montana 0 3 0 0 -- 3 

NDSU 6 10 0 14 -- 30 

NDSU--Grasmake 7 run (kick failed) 

UM--FG Worrell 33 

NDSU--Hatchett 15 pass from Grasmake (Twardy kick) 

NDSU--FB Twardy 23 

NDSU--Preboski 38 run (Twardy kick) 

NDSU--Mjos 8 pass from Bentson (Twardy kick) 

A--14,912 

Bison quarterback Bruce Grasamke (1) 

keeps the ball against Montana in a 30-3 

win. 



SACRAMENTO, CA--North Dakota State 

made it two in a row over the University of 

Montana in Camellia Bowl action by whipping 

the Grizzlies 31-16 to cap another 

undefeated season. 

The Bison defeated Montana 30-3 in 

1969 Camellia Bowl and now have won 

fi ve of six bowl games during a seven-year 

span. This time, the Bison took advantage 

of fi ve lost Grizzly fumbles and the expertise 

of quarterback Mike Bentson. Bentson 

totalled 208 yards in total offense and 

scored three TDs. 

His TD runs came on bursts of 4, 1 and 

5 yards. Dennis Preboski tallied from fi ve 

yards out and Jim Twardy booted a 34-yard 

fi eld goal. NDSU rolled up a 28-3 margin in 

the second period and was never seriously 

threatened. 

Statistics NDSU Montana 


Yds. Rush 189 176 

Yds. Pass 110 138 

Passes 9-20-2 8-14-1 

Punts 5-33.8 5-36.6 



Montana 0 10 6 0 -- 16 

NDSU 14 14 3 0 -- 31 

NDSU--Bentson 4 run (Twardy kick) 


UM-FG Worrell 29 


NDSU--Preboski 5 run (Twardy kick) 

UM--Kent 1 run (Worrell kick) 

UM--Blacas 5 run (kick failed) 

NDSU--FG Twardy 34 

A--13,177 

NDSU's defense forced six 

Montana turnovers, including 

fi ve lost fumbles. 


113


114 


1976 NCAA Quarterfi nal 

RICHMOND, KY--North Dakota State 

overcame fi ve lost fumbles with two 

fi rst-half scores and then used a stubborn 

defense that yielded but refused to break 

for a 10-7 NCAA quarterfi nal victory in the 

Division II national football playoffs over 

Ohio Valley Conference champion Eastern 

Kentucky. 

The Bison, ranked 10th in the nation 

and six-point underdogs to the fi fth-ranked 

Colonels of EKU, scored on QB Steve 

Campbell's 3-yard run in the fi rst quarter 

and a 38-yard fi eld goal by Mike McTague 

in the second quarter. And, the Bison were 

inside the EKU 25 three other times only to 

lose the ball on fumbles. 

The defense was superb in the fi rst 

half, holding the Colonels to just 72 yards 

total offense. EKU came alive in the second 

half and the Bison held on downs twice 

inside the 20 and forced the Colonels to 

miss two other fi eld goal attempts. Eastern 

Kentucky fi nished with 338 yards total 

offense while the Bison had 298 yards. 

Statistics NDSU EKU 


Yds. Rush 288 190 


Passes 1-7-0 10-19-2 

Punts 5-40.4 6-36.5 



E. Kentucky 0 0 7 0 -- 7 

NDSU 7 3 0 0 -- 10 

NDSU--Campbell 3 run (McTague kick) 

NDSU--FG McTague 38 

EKU--Nelson 34 pass from House (Landis kick) 

A--3,360 

Freshman QB Steve Campbell (5) 

engineered NDSU's upset of Eastern 

Kentucky. 

1976 Grantland Rice Bowl 

FARGO, ND--Montana State University 

scored a third-period touchdown and added 

a fourth-quarter fi eld goal to overcome a 

3-0 North Dakota State University halftime 

lead and capture a 10-3 NCAA semifi nal 

playoff victory in the Grantland Rice Bowl 

at Dacotah Field over a stubborn Bison 

squad. 

Montana State, the No. 1 team in the 

nation (and the eventual national champion), 

had its hands full with the Thundering 

Herd before 6,100 fans and a regional ABC 

television audience. The Bison took a 3-0 

lead in the fi rst quarter on a 25-yard fi eld 

goal by Mike McTague. NDSU had another 

excellent scoring opportunity in the fi rst 

half but missed by inches on a fourth down 

at the MSU 31. 

The Bison reached Montana State territory 

twice in the second half with a pass 

interception thwarting the best bid on a 

fi rst-down play at the 24-yard line. The Bison 

lost four interceptions and two fumbles 

on a coldy, windy and snowy day. The loss 

snapped a nine-game winning streak for the 

Herd and it was only the second Bison loss 

in nine postseason appearances dating back 

to 1964. 

Statistics NDSU MSU 


Yds. Rush 146 174 


Passes 4-19-4 8-15-1 

Punts 5-41.4 6-38.3 



Montana State 0 0 7 3 -- 10 

NDSU 3 0 0 0 -- 3 

NDSU--FG McTague 25 

MSU--Damberger 5 pass from Dennehy (Muri kick) 

MSU--FG Muri 34 

A--6,100 

Motorized brooms cleared the fi eld of 

snow while ABC's cameras were bundled 

up to prevent freezing. 


FARGO, ND--A bitterly cold, snowy and 

windy day greeted the No. 1-ranked North 

Dakota State Bison and the No. 10-ranked 

Northern Michigan Wildcats at Dacotah Field 

as the 1977 NCAA playoffs opened. The Bison 

played a near fl awless game and posted 

a 20-6 win over the Wildcats to advance to 

the semifi nals. 

High mounds of snow around the fi eld 

and a 7 degree temperature at kickoff did 

little to chill the Bison as they jumped to a 

7-0 halftime lead on a 3-yard run by Gordy 

Sprattler after a Don Hutson fumble recovery 

on the NMU 31-yard line. The Bison 

pushed it to 20-0 after three quarters with 

a pair of third-quarter TDs. 

Jay Klein fell on a fumbled Wildcat punt 

attempt in the end zone for the second 

NDSU TD and Bison QB Mark Speral crossed 

over from one yard out after Hutson picked 

off an enemy pass and returned it 17 yards 

to the Northern Michigan 15. The Wildcats 

scored early in the fourth period but were 

never in the game despite picking up 240 

yards in the air. 

The Bison recovered four NMU fumbles 

and snatched one pass in running their 

record to 9-1-1. 

Statistics NDSU NMU 




Passes 1-7-1 16-30-1 

Punts 6-33.6 4-22.7 



Northern Mich. 0 0 0 6 -- 6 

NDSU 0 7 13 0 -- 20 

NDSU--Sprattler 3 run (McTague kick) 

NDSU--Klein recovered fumble in end zone (McTague kick) 

NDSU--Speral 1 run (kick blocked) 

NMU--Florini 1 run (kick failed) 

A--2,200 

It was a cold, snowy day for the 1977 

quarterfi nal game.

1977 Grantland Rice Bowl 

ANNISTON, AL--An obviously subpar exhibition 

by the North Dakota State football 

team resulted in a 31-7 upset loss to host 

Jacksonville State in the Grantland Rice 

Bowl as the Bison fell for the second straight 

year in the NCAA semifi nal contest. 

Whether or not a suspected case of food 

poisoning had an effect on the Bison team 

play can't be determined, but the club 

was extremely sluggish. Jacksonville State 

completely dominated play. The normal 

strong Bison rushing attack gained just 148 

yards and didn't get into paydirt until 13:47 

remained in the game on a 2-yard plunge by 

Gordy Sprattler. 

The Bison defense allowed bowl gamerecord 

highs of 223 yards rushing and 413 

yards total offense to the Gamecocks. The 

loss snapped an eight-game Bison win streak 

before 10,000 fans and a regional ABC television 

audience. 

Statistics NDSU JSU 


Yds. Rush 148 223 


Passes 10-21-2 17-25-0 

Punts 7-32.0 4-37.5 



Jacksonville St. 10 14 7 0 -- 31 

NDSU 0 0 0 7 -- 7 

JSU--Coleman 1 run (Riddle kick) 

JSU--FG Riddle 27 

JSU--Barker 5 pass from Green (Riddle kick) 

JSU--Walker 1 pass from Green (Riddle kick) 

JSU--Green 5 run (Riddle kick) 

NDSU--Sprattler 2 run (McTague kick) 

A--10,000 

Gordy Sprattler 


BURIEN, WA--Sixth-ranked North Dakota 

State scored two touchdowns in the fi nal 

three minutes of play to stop the No. 3ranked 

University of Puget Sound 24-10 in 

the fi rst game of the 1981 national playoffs. 

The Bison, a renowned ground team, 

used the pass to set up the winning TD. 

A 49-yard strike to Robert Blakley from 

quarterback Mark Nellermoe gave the Bison 

a fi rst down on the UPS 20 and set up Jeff 

Willis' 6-yard run three plays later to give 

the Bison their ninth win of the campaign. 

Moments later, a pass interception by Mike 

Stratton set up a 1-yard Nellermoe plunge 

and the Bison were in the semifi nals. 

The 1-2 punch of Mike Kasowski and 

Kevin Peters paced the Bison to a 281-yard 

rushing day. Kasowski had 106 yards including 

a 1-yard TD run while Peters had 114 

yards. Mark Luedtke's 24-yard fi eld goal 

with six seconds left gave the Bison a 10-7 

halftime lead after the Bison blocked a UPS 

punt. 

The Bison controlled the UPS ground 

attack to the tune of 52 yards in 39 carries 

but were troubled by a tremendous aerial 

assault by UPS quarterback Rod Drivstuen. 

Drivstuen completed 20 of 30 passes for 

207 yards and one TD including 10 to slick 

receiver Mike Bos. 

Statistics NDSU UPS 




Passes 3-5-0 21-33-2 

Punts 4-39.5 6-33.2 



Puget Sound 7 0 3 0 -- 10 

NDSU 0 10 0 14 -- 24 

UPS-Bos 19 pass from Drivstuen (Laughlin kick) 

NDSU--Kasowski 1 run (Luedtke kick) 

NDSU--FG Luedtke 24 

UPS--FG Laughlin 29 

NDSU--Willis 6 run (Luedtke kick) 

NDSU--Nellermoe 1 run (Luedtke kick) 

A--4,500 

Top Individuals 

Rushing--Peters (NDSU) 26-114; Kasowski (NDSU) 20-106; 

Bagby (UPS) 16-41; Lindblad (UPS) 10-31 

Passing--Drivstuen (UPS) 20-30-1, 207 yds.; Nellermoe-- 

(NDSU) 3-5-0, 89 yds. 

Receiving--Bos (UPS) 10-144; Estes (UPS) 5-40; Bowton 

(UPS) 2-24; Lindblad (UPS) 2-0 

Kevin Peters 


1981 NCAA Semifi nals 

SHIPPENSBURG, PA--North Dakota State 

powered its way past Shippensburg State 

College and into the championship game of 

the NCAA football playoffs with a windblown 

18-6 victory over the Raiders. 

Eighth-ranked Shippensburg carried the 

nation's top record into the battle (12-0). 

The Raiders held the Bison to a 6-6 halftime 

tie before NDSU pulled away with two 

second-half touchdowns before a regional 

ABC television audience. 

It was an awesome rushing performance 

that eventually ground the Raiders down. 

Running back Mike Kasowski gained 142 

yards and scored two TDs while his mate, 

Kevin Peters, picked up 138 yards. Quarterback 

Mark Nellermoe added 93 yards 

and one score as the Herd gained 382 yards 

rushing. 

Kasowski scored from seven yards out 

on the fi rst NDSU possession before SSC put 

together a 19-play, 90-yard march to tie 

at 6-6. Nellermoe's 12-yard run gave the 

Bison a permanent lead late in the third 

quarter after the Bison recovered a SSC 

fumble near midfi eld. 

The insurance score came on the next 

Bison possession as NDSU marched 81 yards 

in 8 plays with Kasowski taking it the fi nal 

14. The win was the 10th straight for the 

Bison (10-2). 

Statistics NDSU SSC 


Yds. Rush 382 143 


Passes 2-6-0 19-36-1 

Punts 3-38.0 4-34.3 



Shippensburg 6 0 0 0 -- 6 

NDSU 6 0 6 6 -- 18 

NDSU--Kasowski 7 run (Kick failed) 

SSC--Sodrosky 11 pass from Ebersole (Kick failed) 

NDSU--Nellermoe 12 run (pass failed) 

NDSU--Kasowski 13 run (run failed) 

A--7,400 


Rushing--Kasowski (NDSU) 20-142; Peters (NDSU) 20-138; 

Nellermoe (NDSU) 18-93; Friese (SSC) 21-83 

Passing--Ebersole (SSC) 19-36-1, 250 yds.; Nellermoe 

(NDSU) 2-6-0, 34 yds. 

Receiving--Noon (SSC) 5-67; Friese (SSC) 5-57; Zubia (SSC) 

4-76; Tidd (NDSU) 2-34 

Mike Kasowski 


115


116 


1981 Palm Bowl 

McALLEN, TX--It was the classic matchup 

for the NCAA Division II national football 

championship as the Bison battled Southwest 

Texas State. 

No promoter could have dreamed of a 

better fi nish. The Bison entered with 10 

straight wins and faced their former coach, 

Jim Wacker. 

Current NDSU 

head coach 

Don Morton 

was a chief 

assistant under 

Wacker three 

seasons earlier 

at NDSU. 

Wacker and 

Morton were close friends and combined to 

author a book on football and the veer offense. 

The two clubs had many similarities 

on the fi eld. Perfect 80-degree weather and 

a week-long buildup promised fi reworks. 

The Bison jumped out to a 7-0 lead on 

their fi rst possession with Mark Nellermoe 

capping a 69-yard drive with a 1-yard run. 

Two costly second-quarter fumbles set up a 

pair of Bobcat TDs and the Bison were down 

14-7 before Kevin Peters (above) exploded in 

from two yards out to cap an 88-yard drive 

37 seconds before halftime. 

Two Mike Miller bombs in the third quarter 

coupled with crippling injuries to running 

back Mike Kasowski and linebacker Todd Lecy 

spelled defeat for the Herd. 

Statistics NDSU SW Texas 


Yds. Rush 220 328 


Passes 3-7-1 8-14-1 

Punts 6-48.0 4-39.3 



SW Texas State 0 14 14 14 -- 42 

NDSU 7 6 0 0 -- 13 


SWTS--Williams 6 run (Neunhoffer kick) 

SWTS--Vela 35 pass from Miller (Neunhoffer kick) 

NDSU--Peters 2 run (Kick failed 

SWTS--Vela 64 pass from Miller (Neunhoffer kick) 

SWTS--Deary 44 pass from Miller (Neunhoffer kick) 

SWTS--Williams 2 run (Neunhoffer kick) 

SWTS--Jacoby 2 run (Neunhoffer kick) 

A--9,415 


Rushing--Williams (SWTS) 22-153; Peters (NDSU) 10-79; 

Miller (SWTS) 20-74; Kasowski (NDSU) 10-69 

Passing--Miller (SWTS) 8-14-1, 198 yds.; Nellermoe (NDSU)2- 

5-1, 50 yds. 

Receiving--Vela (SWTS) 2-99; Deary (SWTS) 2-41; Blakley 

(NDSU) 1-41; Barnes (NDSU) 1-37 


FARGO, ND--North Dakota State hosted 

an NCAA playoff game for the fi rst time 

since 1977 and the Bison were rewarded 

with a scary 21-20 opening-round victory 

over Virginia Union. 

The Bison scored two fourth-quarter TDs 

including a 1-yard run by Jeff Willis with 

1:06 remaining in the game to pull out the 

win. NDSU trailed 20-7 early in the fi nal 

stanza before holding the Panthers inside 

the Bison 40. The Herd then marched 59 

yards in four plays with Mark Nellermoe 

hitting two big passes in the drive to Stacy 

Robinson and Jeff Conley. 

On the next possession, the Bison 

marched 80 yards in 16 plays for the 

game-winner. The series was marred by an 

inadvertant whistle by an offi cial on an apparent 

Virginia Union pass interception, and 

the ball was returned to the Bison on the 

Panther 14-yard line. The Bison scored four 

plays later. 

Virginia Union scored fi rst and had a 12-0 

lead before the Bison's Jim Dick blocked a 

punt that was downed on the Union 2-yard 

line. Nellermoe took it in from the 1 on the 

next play. 

Statistics VUU NDSU 


Yds. Rush 251 140 


Passes 6-12-0 8-21-1 

Punts 4-31.5 6-26.8 



Virginia Union 6 6 8 0 -- 20 

NDSU 0 7 0 14 -- 21 

VUU-Cathion 6 run (kick wide 

VUU-Smith 26 run (pass failed) 


VUU--Cathion 2 run (Cathion pass from Cathrone) 

NDSU--Harris 9 run (Luedtke kick) 

NDSU--Wills 1 run (Luedtke kick) 

A--4,300 


Rushing--Davis (VUU)15-80; Smith (VUU) 10-72; Harris 

(NDSU) 12-63; Cathion (VUU) 11-53 

Passing--Nellermoe (NDSU) 8-21-1, 105 yds.; Johnson (VUU) 

3-4-0, 34 yds; Cauthrone (VUU) 3-8-0, 31 yds. 

Receiving--Conley (NDSU) 5-43; Robinson (NDSU) 2-51; 

Bland (VUU) 2-30; Davis (VUU) 2-5 

Bison players celebrate a big play against 

Virginia Union. 


DAVIS, CA--North Dakota State's dream of 

a return trip to the NCAA national championship 

game fell exactly seven yards and a 

fi ngertip short as the Bison fell for the fi rst 

and only time of the season, 19-14, to undefeated 

University of California-Davis. 

All-American quarterback Ken O'Brien 

was the difference in the fi rst two quarters 

and the fi rst fi ve minutes of play in the third 

stanza. O'Brien hit 25 of 38 passes for 253 

yards and scored all three Aggie touchdowns 

on 1-yard 

runs. 

Then NDSU 

took over. 

The Bison 

had the ball 

21 minutes 

in the fi nal 

two periods. 

NDSU moved 

to the Davis 

28- and 12yard 

lines, 

but came 

away without 

any points 

before the 

Jeff Willis 

Bison fi nally 

went 65 yards 

in 18 plays to score on a 13-yard run by Jeff 

Willis. That tally closed the gap to 19-14. 

North Dakota State's fi nal chance came 

on the next possession as the Bison marched 

49 yards in 11 plays to the Cal-Davis 8-yard 

line, setting up a fi rst-and-goal situation 

with less than 25 seconds to play. An incomplete 

pass and a 1-yard gain by Willis put the 

ball on the seven with 11 seconds remaining. 

Another incomplete pass set up the fi nal 

play of the game and Mark Nellermoe's pass 

to tight end Mark Luedtke in the back of the 

end zone was off the receiver's fi ngertips. 

Thus, a 12-1 season came to a close. The 

game was watched nationally on CBS television. 

Cal-Davis moved on to the NCAA championship 

game with a perfect 12-0 record. 

Statistics NDSU UCD 



Yds. Pass 189 264 

Passes 9-25-3 28-42-2 

Punts 4-38.3 5-37.3 



NDSU 0 7 0 7 -- 14 

Cal-Davis 7 6 6 0 -- 19 

UCD--O'Brien 1 run (Sullivan kick) 

UCD--O'Brien 1 run (kick failed) 

NDSU--Robinson 69 pass from Nellermoe (Luedtke kick) 

UCD--O'Brien 1 run (run failed) 

NDSU--Willis 13 run (Luedtke kick) 

A--10,400 


Rushing--Rogers (UC-D) 17-69; Willis (NDSU) 15-66; Harris 

(NDSU) 11-44; Nellermoe (NDSU) 17-20 

Passing--O'Brien (UC-D) 25-38-2, 253 yds.; Nellermoe 

(NDSU)9-25-3, 189 yds. 

Receiving--Rogers (UC-D) 10-62; Williams (UC-D) 7-97; Fleming 

(UC-D) 7-71; Robinson (NDSU) 4-131

1983 NCAA Quarterfi nals 

FARGO, ND--For the second straight year, 

North Dakota State opened NCAA playoff 

action on the home turf of Dacotah Field 

and the Bison responded with a 24-17 victory 

over Towson State of Maryland. 

The Bison led 14-0 in the opening quarter 

of play as Jeff Willis and Jeff Bentrim collected 

short scoring runs. Willis' TD was 

set up by Jeff 

Willer's recovery 

of a fumble on the 

Towson 40-yard line. 

Bentrim's 13-yard 

run in the third 

quarter and Ken 

Kubisz' 24-yard fi eld 

goal in the fourth 

quarter upped the 

Bison margin to 

24-10 before TSU 

scored with 1:10 

left to cut the gap. 

Freshman running back Chad Stark did 

not score a touchdown, but his 164 yards 

rushing in 26 carries was nearly an NCAA 

single-game playoff record. The win was 

the 22nd straight at home for NDSU and the 

victory was the 32nd in 35 games for NDSU. 

Statistics TSU NDSU 


Yds. Rush 111 304 


Passes 19-39-2 4-11-0 

Punts 6-37.8 6-38.8 



Towson State 0 10 0 7 -- 17 

NDSU 14 0 7 3 -- 24 

NDSU--Willis 2 run (Kubisz kick) 

NDSU--Bentrim 1 run (Kubisz kick) 

TSU--FG Nolan 31 

TSU--O'Neal 15 pass from Rogers (Nolan kick) 


NDSU--FG Kubisz 24 

TSU--Lewns 12 pass from Rogers (Nolan kick) 

A--5,600 


Rushing--Stark (NDSU) 26-164; O'Neal (TSU) 22-89; Bentrim 

(NDSU) 26-69; Molstre (NDSU) 8-33 

Passing--Rogers (TSU) 19-39-2, 222 yds.; Bentrim (NDSU) 

4-11-0, 68 yds. 

Receiving--Murphy (TSU) 5-59; O'Neal (TSU) 4-57; Baer 

(NDSU) 2-32; Mejia (TSU) 4-31 


DAVIS, CA--North Dakota State totally 

dominated the fi nal 30 minutes of action offensively 

and defensively as the Bison scored 

a 26-17 NCAA semifi nal victory over the 

University of California-Davis to advance to 

the Palm Bowl for the second time in three 

years. 

The Bison, trailing 17-10 at halftime, 

scored 16 unanswered points in the second 

half. All-American middle guard Mike 

Stratton set the tone in the second half by 

defl ecting UCD's fi rst pass by Scott Barry 

and then intercepting the ball on the Aggie 

26-yard line to set up a 21-yard Ken Kubisz 

fi eld goal. Kubisz kicked four fi eld goals in 

the contest including a 26-yarder in the fi rst 

quarter and boots of 39 and 20 in the fourth. 

Jeff Bentrim's 1-yard run late in the 

fi rst half tied the count at 10, but UC Davis 

scored with six seconds left on a 1-yard run. 

Chad Stark scored the only second-half TD on 

a 7-yard run after Barry Sorensen returned a 

short punt 10 yards. 

The Bison held UC Davis to just one fi rst 

down and 28 total yards in the fi rst 28:30 of 

the second half. UC Davis collected just 45 

yards rushing in the game. Stark gained 79 

yards and James Molstre had seven for the 

Herd while Bentrim completed 9 of 21 passes 

for 132 yards. 




Yds. Pass 132 198 

Passes 9-21-0 22-32-2 

Punts 6-39.8 8-42.5 



NDSU 3 7 10 6 -- 26 

UC Davis 0 17 0 0 -- 17 


UCD-Barry 1 run (Sullivan kick) 

UCD--FG Sullivan 45 


UCD--White 1 run (Sullivan kick) 


NDSU--Stark 5 run (Kubisz kick) 



A--9,100 


Rushing--Molstre (NDSU) 13-75; Stark (NDSU) 24-79; Robinson 

(NDSU) 2-41; Klos (NDSU) 5-19 

Passing--Barry (UCD) 17-26-2, 140 yds.;Bentrim (NDSU) 9-21- 

0, 132 yds.; Wilkinson (UCD) 5-7-0, 70 yds. 

Receiving--Baer (NDSU) 5-71; Fleming (UCD) 6-66, Williams 

(UCD) 4-57; Rogers (UCD) 5-20 

Ken Kubisz 



McALLEN, TX--North Dakota State 

contained the most explosive offense in 

the country while scoring 41 points itself in 

rolling to a 41-21 victory over Central State 

University of Ohio to capture the NCAA Division 

II national football championship before 

a large CBS regional television crowd on a 

hot and windy afternoon. 

The Bison, in claiming their fi rst on-thefi 

eld national 

title and fourth 

small college 

crown overall, 

broke to a 21-0 

fi rst quarter 

lead. 

Working into 

a strong wind, 

Central State 

punts of 9 and 

16 yards, sandwiched 

around 

a pass interception 

by NDSU linebacker Jim Dick, gave the 

Bison three scoring opportunities to capitalize 

on. Freshman quarterback Jeff Bentrim 

hit Stacy Robinson with a 10-yard TD pass to 

cap a 35-yard, six-play drive. Following the 

interception, Bentrim ran for 34 yards on the 

third play of the drive for the second score. 

The third TD came as the Bison drove 

60 yards in seven plays with freshman Chad 

Stark going the fi nal yard. Mike Stratton's 

36-yard interception return (90, shown 

above) set up a second-half TD as another 

key play. 

Statistics NDSU CSU 


Yds. Rush 314 137 


Passes 3-12-0 13-27-2 

Punts 3-17.0 6-33.5 



NDSU 21 7 10 3 -- 41 

Central State 0 14 7 0 -- 21 

NDSU--Robinson 10 pass from Bentrim (Kubisz kick) 



CSU--Cummings 1 run (Joseph kick) 

CSU--Corbin 2 run (Joseph kick) 

NDSU--Willis 3 run (Kubisz kick) 

NDSU--FB Kubisz 31 

NDSU--Molstre 4 run (Kubisz kick) 

CSU--Corbin 35 run (Joseph kick) 


A--5,275 


Rushing--Bentrim (NDSU) 21-120; Corbin (CSU) 18-86; Stark 

(NDSU) 15-68; Molstre (NDSU) 13-58 

Passing--Woody (CSU) 13-27-2, 147 yds.; Bentrim (NDSU) 

3-11-0, 47 yds. 

Receiving--Smith (CSU) 8-86; Robinson (NDSU) 3-47; Corbin 

(CSU) 2-32; Woody (CSU) 1-12 


117


118 



FARGO, ND--For the third straight year, 

the NCAA Division II playoffs opened in Fargo 

and North Dakota State responded with a 

31-23 victory over the University of California-Davis 

in what may have been one of the 

most exciting games ever played at Dacotah 

Field. 

UC Davis 

jumped to a quick 

10-0 lead before 

the Bison could 

get untracked. 

NDSU managed 

only 33 yards and 

two fi rst downs 

in the opening 

quarter of action 

and could have 

been down 17-0 

except for Ken Stark--156 yards rushing 

Kubisz' recovery of 

a UC Davis fumble at the NDSU 4-yard line 

midway through the period. 

But the second quarter belonged to the 

Bison as NDSU marched 84, 31 and 69 yards 

to come up with two TDs and a missed fi eld 

goal. 

A 28-10 lead slipped to 28-23 as the Aggies 

scored a pair of fourth-quarter TDs on 

Scott Barry passes of 12 and 3 yards. Ken 

Kubisz' 30-yard fi eld goal with 1:55 left gave 

the Bison a 31-23 lead, but the Aggies were 

not through. Barry, 29 of 47 for 355 yards, 

had four chances from near midfi eld at 

the end of the game, but his fi nal toss was 

tipped several times in the end zone before 

falling incomplete at the horn. 

Statistics UCD NDSU 




Passes 29-47-4 3-10-1 

Punts 4-40.3 5-35.0 



UC Davis 3 7 0 13 -- 23 

NDSU 0 14 14 3 -- 31 

UCD--FG Sullivan 37 

UCD--Ligons 17 run (Sullivan kick) 





UCD--Williams 12 pass from Barry (Sullivan kick) 

UCD--Cuenin 3 pass from Barry (Sullivan kick) 

UCD--Cuenin 3 pass from Barry (pass failed) 


A--13,758 


Rushing--Stark (NDSU) 16-156; Bentrim (NDSU) 23-110; 

Ligons (UCD) 18-84; Molstre (NDSU) 9-48 

Passing--Barry (UCD) 29-46-4, 355 yds.; Bentrim 3-10-1, 

83 yds. 

Receiving--Williams (UCD) 8-116; Sinnett (UCD) 7-85; 

Robinson (NDSU) 2-58; Ligons (UCD) 5-53 


FARGO, ND--No. 1-ranked North Dakota 

State and second-ranked Nebraska-Omaha 

squared off in the 1984 NCAA semifi nals at 

Dacotah Field in a rematch of their regular 

season battle on the same fi eld two months 

earlier. 

The Bison won in October by a 41-23 

count and repeated the effort to the tune of 

25-14 in 19-degree weather and light snow. 

The Bison jumped to a 12-0 lead on a 

3-yard run by Hank Klos and a 19-yard gallop 

by James Molstre. Leading 12-7 in the third 

quarter, Jeff Bentrim found Stacy Robinson 

in the end zone for a 14-yard score to cap a 

70-yard drive late in the period. 

The Bison salted it away in the middle 

of the fourth quarter on a 20-yard run by 

Molstre, who gained 95 yards and scored 

two TDs. 

Omaha hit on 18 of 35 passes for 198 

yards but turned the ball over four times. 

Statistics UNO NDSU 


Yds. Rush 126 307 


Total Offense 324 359 

Passes 18-35-2 6-11-0 

Punts 4-25.5 6-29.0 



Neb.-Omaha 0 7 0 7 -- 14 

NDSU 6 6 7 6 -- 25 

NDSU--Klos 3 run (kick blocked) 

NDSU--Molstre 19 run (pass failed) 

UNO--Gurley 1 run (Morris kick) 


UNO--Munro 26 pass from Naran (Morris kick) 

NDSU--Molstre 20 run (kick failed) 

A--11,090 


Rushing--Molstre (NDSU) 15-96; Stark (NDSU) 14-72; Macaitis 

(UNO) 12-64; Bentrim (NDSU) 20-63 

Passing--Naran (UNO) 18-35-2, 198 yds.; Bentrim (NDSU) 

6-11-0, 52 yds 

Receiving--Allen (UNO) 6-68; Munro (UNO) 6-64; Robinson 

(NDSU) 4-33; Quaites (UNO) 2-42 

James Molstre 


McALLEN, TX--North Dakota State fell 

two yards or one second short, depending 

on your viewpoint, of its second straight 

NCAA Division II national football championship 

as Troy State University of Alabama 

handed the Bison a last-gasp 18-17 defeat. 

The Bison, leading 17-15 with 1:36 left 

in the game after a 

19-yard fi eld goal by 

Ken Kubisz, watched 

as the Trojans desperately 

moved the ball 

upfi eld. With no time 

outs left, the Trojans 

reached the Bison 

33-yard line with less 

than 15 seconds remaining 

and apparent 

confusion on the fi eld. 

The fi eld goal team was rushed into the 

game and with one tick left on the clock, 

the ball was snapped. Freshman kicker Ted 

Clem got the 50-yard attempt off at the 

gun and the longest fi eld goal in Troy State 

history stunned a disbelieving Bison team. 

It spoiled a storybook ending. With the 

Bison down 15-14, quarterback Jeff Bentrim 

on the sidelines with an injury, and just 

over seven minutes remaining, little-used 

fi fth-year quarterback Dale Hammerschmidt 

took the Bison on a 78-yard drive to the 

Troy State 2-yard line before settling for 

the three points. 

Statistics TSU NDSU 


Yds. Rush 249 175 

Yds. Pass 210 156 


Passes 16-27-0 6-15-1 

Punts 2-42.5 5-46.2 



Troy State 0 7 5 6 -- 18 

NDSU 14 0 0 3 -- 17 



TSU--Christensen 4 run (Clem kick) 

TSU--FG Clem 32 

TSU--Safety (Punt snap downed in end zone) 




A--4,500 


Rushing--Horstead (TSU) 23-113; Stark (NDSU) 14-91; 

Christensen (TSU) 14-60; Turk (TSU) 7-46 

Passing--Christensen (TSU) 11-20-0, 167 yds.; Turk (TSU) 

5-7-0, 43 yds.; Bentrim (NDSU) 3-11-1, 92 yds.; 

Hammerschmidt (NDSU) 3-4-0, 64 yds. 

Receiving--Robinson (NDSU) 4-128; Cox (TSU) 7-93; Hollingsworth 

(TSU) 5-77; Ostlie (NDSU) 2-28


DAVIS, CA--North Dakota State totally 

dominated the line of scrimmage as the 

Bison posted an impressive 31-12 victory 

over the nation's No. 1-ranked football 

team, University of California-Davis, in the 

quarterfi nals. 

It was the fourth straight year that the 

teams had met in the playoffs and the third 

straight win for NDSU over the Aggies. 

Two UC Davis mistakes late in the fi rst 

period resulted in two Bison TDs in the span 

of 84 seconds. Quarterback Jeff Bentrim 

scampered 29 yards for a score on the fi rst 

play after Tyrone Braxton recovered an Aggie 

fumble for a 7-0 NDSU lead. On the next 

UC Davis offensive play, defensive back Ken 

Kubisz picked off a fl oating pass in the fl at 

and returned it 19 yards for a TD. 

James Molstre's 11-yard run midway 

through the second quarter capped a 10play, 

76-yard drive for a 21-0 lead in the 

second quarter. 

The Bison took the opening kickoff of the 

second half and marched 72 yards in fi ve 

plays with Bentrim fi nding Len Kretchman 

open for a 34-yard TD reception, and the 

verdict was sealed. 

Despite a 24 for 37 passing day and 224 

aerial yards, the Bison put great pressure 

on UCD quarterback Chris Peterson. NDSU 

controlled the ball for over 33 1/2 minutes. 






Passes 3-6-0 24-37-2 

Punts 4-38.7 6-41.8 



NDSU 14 7 7 3 -- 31 

UC Davis 0 6 0 6 -- 12 


NDSU--Kubisz 19 pass interception return (Kubisz kick) 


UCD--Bispo 14 pass from Petersen (kick failed) 

NDSU--Kretchman 34 pass from Bentrim (Kubisz kick) 

NDSU--Kubisz FG 30 

UCD--Tarr 5 pass from Petersen (pass failed) 

A--7,900 


Rushing--Stark (NDSU) 17-111; Bentrim (NDSU) 14-86; 

Molstre (NDSU) 14-65; LaBine (NDSU) 6-38 

Passing--Petersen (UCD) 24-37-2, 224 yds.; Bentrim (NDSU) 

2-5-0, 46 yds.; Stark (NDSU) 1-1-0, 41 yds. 

Receiving--Mandeville (UCD) 6-95; Kretchman (NDSU) 2-46; 

Bosch (NDSU) 1-41; Adkins (UCD) 3-31 

James Molstre 


VERMILLION, SD--An almost unbelieveable 

option play late in the second quarter 

ignited North Dakota State's offense and 

the spark carried the Bison to a 16-7 NCAA 

semifi nal victory over South Dakota. 

This was a game of great emotion for 

the Bison after suffering through a 38-14 

shellacking at the hands of the Coyotes two 

months earlier on this same fi eld. But it 

was a phenomenal play by Jeff Bentrim and 

James Molstre that stirred the Bison. 

Trailing 7-0 late in the fi rst half, Bentrim 

optioned the right side of his offensive line, 

was hit and going 

down, but managed 

to pitch the 

ball to Molstre at 

the last instant 

and "Sir James" 

fl ew down the 

right sideline 

for a 68-yard TD 

burst. 

The Bison 

regained the ball 

at the Coyote 

35-yard line with 

just 1:35 left in 

Jeff Bentrim 

the half and got 

a Ken Kubisz fi eld 

goal of 28 yards 

three seconds before the gun to take a 9-7 

halftime lead. 

The Bison chewed up the second half 

clock for seven minutes with a 15-play, 63yard 

drive that gave the Herd some slack. 

Bentrim carried the ball six of the last 

seven plays and scored from 1 yard out. 

In between USD's fi rst-quarter score 

and a last-ditch drive at the end, NDSU's 

defense was overpowering. The Coyotes 

could muster only 125 yards total offense 

and threatened just once (in the second 

quarter), but they were stopped by a Todd 

DeBates fumble recovery. 

NDSU's ball control was so effective in 

the second half that USD had the ball for 

only three possessions. 

Statistics NDSU USD 


Yds. Rush 356 178 



Passes 2-7-1 13-25-2 

Punts 4-41.5 6-36.0 



NDSU 0 9 7 0 -- 16 

South Dakota 7 0 0 0 -- 7 

USD--Tweet 74 pass from Jones (McLoughlin kick) 

NDSU--Molstre 68 run (kick failed) 



A--10,000 


Rushing--Molstre (NDSU) 10-140; Bentrim (NDSU) 29-96; 

Hambrick (USD) 16-69; Stark (NDSU) 13-63 

Passing--Jones (USD) 13-25-2, 159 yds.; Bentrim (NDSU) 

2-7-1, 33 yds. 

Receiving--Tweet (USD) 5-111; Bosch (NDSU) 2-33; Hambrik 

(USD) 5-22; Waechter (USD) 1-18 



McALLEN, TX--North Dakota State's 

defense played a fl awless game and the 

offense found enough power against one of 

the top defenses in the nation to guide the 

Bison to a 35-7 victory over North Alabama 

and the 1985 national championship. 

The Bison scored on two of their fi rst 

three possessions 

and then 

turned three 

Lion miscues 

into two 

touchdowns 

in the third 

period as the 

game broke 

open. 

Bison kick 

return special- 

ist Tyrone Braxton set 

the tone for the day as he took the opening 

kickoff back 73 yards to the North Alabama 

27-yard line. Six plays later, on his fi rst 

carry, quarterback Jeff Bentrim scored from 

four yards out. 

The Bison upped the lead to 14-0 late 

in the quarter on a 3-yard run by James 

Molstre as the Bison mounted an 80-yard, 

nine-play drive. 

Charlie Stock's fumble recovery at the 

UNA 26 on the opening possession of the 

second half set in motion a turn of events 

that resulted in three straight Bison TDs. 

Fullback Chad Stark scored after the 

recovery, Bentrim crossed the line after 

Stock picked off a pass four minutes later, 

and just another 60 seconds later, Paul 

Nielsen's fumble recovery at the UNA 13 led 

to a 13-yard TD pass from Bentrim to Len 

Kretchman. 

Statistics UNA NDSU 


Yds. Rushing 179 255 

Yds. Passing 83 79 


Passes 7-18-3 4-5-0 

Punts 8-36.0 5-35.0 



Chad Stark (26) ran for 113 

yards. 

North Alabama 0 0 0 7 -- 7 

NDSU 14 0 21 0 -- 35 






UNA--Johnson 1 run (Knowles kick) 

A--6,000 


Rushing--Stark (NDSU) 18-113; Johnson (UNA) 29-111; 

Bentrim (NDSU) 16-43; Molstre (NDSU) 12-40 

Passing--Bentrim (NDSU) 4-5-0, 79 yds.; Garner (UNA) 

1-4-1, 35 yds.; Metcalf (UNA) 4-12-2, 24 yds.; Elliott 

(UNA) 2-2-0, 24 yds. 

Receiving--Kretchman (NDSU) 3-58; Banks (UNA) 1-35; 

Yeager (UNA) 2-24; Stark (NDSU) 1-24 


119


120 



FARGO, ND--"It was no contest." 

That statement constituted the lead in 

the Fargo Forum and quite simply put the 

proper perspective on North Dakota State's 

50-0 NCAA Division II quarterfi nal win over 

Ashland College of Ohio on a cloudy, 29-degree 

day at Dacotah 

Field. 

The Bison scored 

three touchdowns 

and blocked a punt 

out of the end zone 

for a safety in the 

opening 12 minutes 

of play and the rout 

was on. Senior 

quarterback Jeff 

Doug Lloyd (37) 

takes a handoff 

against the Eagles. 

Bentrim ran for two 

TDs and passed for 

another while backfi 

eld mate James 

Molstre scored a 

pair of TDs and ran for 122 yards before a 

knee injury in the second half ended his 

sterling career. 

In winning for the 20th time in the last 

21 games (20-0-1), NDSU ran for an NCAA 

Division II playoff record 523 yards. 

How good were the Bison? "Beano Cook 

of USA Network said recently that NDSU was 

the 10th best team in the nation, regardless 

of divisions," Ashland coach Fred Martinelli 

said. "I think he's pretty close." 

Statistics Ashland NDSU 





Passes 10-27-2 4-8-1 

Punts 9-30.5 3-36.0 



Ashland 0 0 0 0 -- 0 

NDSU 22 7 7 14 -- 50 


NDSU--Safety (punt blocked out of end zone) 


NDSU--Kretchman 7 pass from Bentrim (run failed) 



NDSU--Barta 6 run (Kubisz kick) 

NDSU--Paulson 43 run (Kubisz kick) 

A--12,092 


Rushing--Molstre (NDSU) 10-122; Lloyd (NDSU) 12-95; Stark 

(NDSU) 9-85; Paulson (NDSU) 5-83 

Passing--Biondo (AC) 9-24-2, 66 yds.; Bentrim (NDSU) 

2-5-1, 24 yds. 

Receiving--Burkett (AC) 4-15; Clouatre (AC) 2-31; Gleason 

(NDSU) 1-17; Paulson (NDSU) 1-15 


FARGO, ND--The praise for the 1986 

North Dakota State football team continued 

as the Bison pinned a 35-12 whipping on 

Central State of Ohio in the semifi nals. 

"The Bison have a program that's on the 

same level as a Division I-A team," said CSU 

coach Billy Joe. "We played about as well as 

the Bison allowed us." 

"That's simply the most awesome defense 

you'll ever want to see," said Central State 

quarterback Vince Leavell. "We didn't execute 

and it was because of that defense." 

Kodak All-America running back Terry 

Morrow of Central State called the Bison 

defense the best in the country. "Everyone 

of them gets to the ball," he said. "They're 

so disciplined and they all do what has to 

be done every play. Without a doubt, those 

were my toughest yards." 

NDSU's defense came up with three turnovers 

and limited CSU to just 48 yards in 33 

running plays. 

Again, it was senior quarterback Jeff 

Bentrim who made the Bison attack go. 

Bentrim ran for 111 yards and two TDs and 

fi red a pair of scoring aerials to sophomore 

split end Len Kretchman to account for four 

of the fi ve Bison TDs. 

The win advanced NDSU to the national 

title game for the fourth consecutive year 

and the fi fth time in the last six seasons. 

Statistics CSU NDSU 





Passes 11-26-2 5-12-0 

Punts 8-34.6 5-30.6 



Central State 0 0 0 12 -- 12 

NDSU 7 7 21 0 -- 35 


NDSU--Lloyd 33 run (Kubisz kick) 




CSU--Moore 75 pass from Leavell (kick failed) 

CSU--Morrow 2 run (run failed) 

A--12,380 


Rushing--Bentrim (NDSU) 18-111; Lloyd (NDSU) 16-84; Morrow 

(CSU) 22-68; Toshner (NDSU) 2-44 

Passing--Leaveall (CSU) 11-23-1, 211 yds.; Bentrim (NDSU) 

3-8-0, 102 yds. 

Receiving--Moore (CSU) 4-122; Morrow (CSU) 3-24; Kretchman 

(NDSU) 2-91; Street (CSU) 2-45 

1986 NCAA Championship 

FLORENCE, AL--North Dakota State 

captured its third national NCAA Division 

II football title in the last four years on a 

cool December day at Braly Stadium with a 

sound 27-7 win over North Central Conference 

rival South Dakota. 

"I wish to hell they would get out of Division 

II," said South Dakota head coach Dave 

Triplett following the game. "They can go 

This revised billboard in Florence said 

it all. 

wherever they want." 

And, again, the key to the Bison success 

rested with quarterback Jeff Bentrim. The 

senior who started in all four of the championship 

games over his career, ran for 111 

yards and two TDs while leading the NDSU 

offense to a 354-yard total offense performance. 

The special teams were responsible for 

the fi nal three TDs of the game, pinning 

USD at the 1-yard line on a kickoff return 

that led to one score, Tyrone Braxton's 

84-yard punt return early in the second 

half upped the lead to 20-0, and Daryl 

Illikainen's recovery of a fumbled USD punt 

return in the fourth quarter set up the last 

score. 

Statistics USD NDSU 





Passes 6-13-1 4-6-1 

Punts 3-36.7 1-32.0 



South Dakota 0 0 7 0 -- 7 

NDSU 0 14 6 7 -- 27 


NDSU--Barta 1 run (Kubisz kick) 

NDSU--Braxton 84 punt return (kick failed) 

USD--Jones 1 run (McLoughlin kick) 


A--11,506 


Rushing--Bentrim (NDSU) 20-111; Lloyd (NDSU) 16-78; 

Toshner (NDSU) 9-66; Jones (USD) 19-51 

Passing--Jones (USD) 5-8-0, 65 yds.; Bentrim (NDSU) 

4-6-1, 47 yds. 

Receiving--Kretchman (NDSU) 2-22; Parr (USD) 2-17; 

Southwick (USD) 1-30; Stark (NDSU) 1-14

1988 NCAA First Round 

FARGO, ND--Domination was the key 

word in North Dakota State's opening effort 

in its 1988 drive for the NCAA title. 

A 49-7 thumping of Augustana College in 

a rematch 

of these 

clubs' 

scintillating 

September 

conference 

battle (a 

two-point 

NDSU win) 

was the 

result. 

The credit 

went to 

the Bison 

offensive 

line. 

"Up 

front, we 

did not play 

NDSU's defense held Augie to 

just 233 yards total offense. 

that well against Augustana (the fi rst time), 

so we came into this game determined," 

said Bison All-American center Mike Favor. 

"We wanted to dominate the line." 

That they did. The Herd racked up 474 

yards rushing, scored all seven TDs on the 

ground and totaled 531 yards of offense in 

the game. 

Statistics AC NDSU 





Passes 9-24-3 4-8-0 

Punts 3-29.6 1-23.0 



Augustana 7 0 0 0 -- 7 

NDSU 14 21 0 14 -- 49 

NDSU--Lloyd 6 run (kick failed) 

NDSU--Lloyd 1 run (Satter run) 

AC--SanAgustin 4 run (Westwood kick) 

NDSU--Simdorn 11 run (Boe kick) 

NDSU--Toshner 18 run (Boe kick) 

NDSU--Satter 26 run (Boe kick) 

NDSU--Paulson 5 run (Boe kick) 

NDSU--Owen 2 run (Boe kick) 

A--7,500 


Rushing--Lloyd (NDSU) 15-132; Burmeier (AC) 19-92; Paulson 

(NDSU) 9-90; Simdorn (NDSU) 13-78 

Passing--Nelson (AC) 5-18-2, 37 yds.; Owen (NDSU) 2-4-0, 

39 yds.; Bishop (AC) 2-4-1, 21 yds.; Simdorn (NDSU) 

2-4-0, 18 yds. 

Receiving--Thomas (AC) 3-31; Johnson (NDSU) 2-22; Versteeg 

(AC) 1-25; Goettl (NDSU) 1-23 


FARGO, ND--Millersville earned the 

respect of the North Dakota State football 

team and its fans, but the Bison collected 

the victory as the Herd rallied for a 36-26 

NCAA quarterfi nal win. 

The Bison had to do it the hard way. 

Down 26-14 early in the fourth period, the 

Herd put together a pair of quick-hitting 

drives to take the lead midway through the 

quarter. 

Sophomore quarterback Chris Simdorn, 

who scored all three fourth-quarter Bison 

TDs, capped a 71-yard, seven-play drive 

with a 1-yard run to cut the margin to 26-21. 

Three plays later, the Herd regained the ball 

at midfi eld. Simdorn's 38-yard run on fi rst 

down set up his 2-yard run three plays later 

that moved the Bison ahead for the fi rst 

time in the game. 

Simdorn ended the scoring with less than 

a minute to go as he broke a 66-yard run as 

the Bison were attempting to run out the 

clock. 

Statistics MU NDSU 





Passes 19-36-2 4-7-1 

Punts 4-40.5 5-37.4 



Millersville 3 17 0 5 -- 26 

NDSU 0 7 7 22 -- 36 

MU--FG Hadfi eld 18 

MU--Smith 9 pass from Stover (Hadfi eld kick) 

MU--FG Hadfi eld 24 

NDSU--Kretchman 25 pass from Owen (Boe kick) 

MU--Smith 19 pass from Stover (Hadfi eld kick) 


MU--Highley 3 run (pass failed) 


NDSU--Simdorn 2 run (Satter run) 


A--10,200 


Rushing--Simdorn (NDSU) 21-167; Highley (MU) 26-114; Satter 

(NDSU) 7-81; Owen (NDSU) 5-68 

Passing--Stover (MU) 19-38-2, 235 yds.; Owen (NDSU) 2-4-1, 

36 yds.; Simdorn (NDSU) 2-3-0, 12 yds. 

Receiving--Smith (MU) 6-93; Malatesta (MU) 4-54; Kretchman 

(NDSU) 3-42; Deans (MU) 3-35 

Jeff Dockter (45) puts 

the heat on Millerville's 

Bret Stover. 



FARGO, ND--A trio of 100-yard rushers 

propelled North Dakota State to a 42-20 

win over Cal State-Sacramento as the Bison 

earned a trip to the national championship 

game for the fi fth time in the last six years. 

The option offense was at its best, 

scoring fi ve of its six touchdowns on drives 

of 70, 80, 88, 62 and 80 yards. "I've had a 

lot of experience with the veer," said CSUS 

head coach Bob Mattos, "but not enough 

experience to stop it today." 

The Bison racked up 413 yards rushing 

and 446 yards total offense but one of the 

biggest plays of the day was made by the 

defense. Leading 21-7 late in the third 

quarter, Bison cornerback Steve Ehlert 

picked off a pass and ran it back 38 yards 

to the CSUS 1-yard line to set up an NDSU 

touchdown. 

Sophomore Tony Satter (118 yards), 

senior Doug Lloyd (115 yards and two TDs), 

and sophomore Chris Simdorn (108 yards 

and three TDs) worked the veer to perfection. 

Statistics CSUS NDSU 





Passes 13-23-3 4-9-0 

Punts 3-33.6 3-36.3 



CSU-Sacramento 0 7 7 6 -- 20 

NDSU 7 7 14 14 -- 42 


NDSU--Lloyd 68 run (Boe kick) 

CSUS--Trosin 4 run (Gill kick) 

NDSU--Lloyd 1 run (Boe kick) 


CSUS--Young 24 pass from Trosin (Gill kick) 

NDSU--Owen 20 run (Boe kick) 

CSUS--Weaver 64 pass from Trosin (kick failed) 

NDSU--Simdorn 1 run (Owen kick) 

A--13,200 


Rushing--Satter (NDSU) 17-118; Lloyd (NDSU) 8-115; Simdorn 

(NDSU) 26-108; Hair (CSUS) 12-83 

Passing--Trosin (CSUS) 13-22-3, 210 yds.; Simdorn (NDSU) 

3-5-0, 25 yds.; Satter (NDSU) 1-1-0, 8 yds. 

Receiving--Young (CSUS) 5-70; Johnson (NDSU) 3-30; 

Weaver (CSUS) 2-70; Brye (CSUS) 2-33 

Chris Simdorn (10) breaks free for some 

of his 108 yards rushing. 


121


122 



FLORENCE, AL--The 1980s will be remembered 

as the "Decade of the Bison" in NCAA 

Division II football. 

North Dakota State won its fourth national 

championship in six years with a 35-21 victory 

over Portland State. The triumph capped a 

14-0 season for the Bison, 

the most victories 

in school history. 

The game was tied 

14-14 at halftime, but 

North Dakota State 

took the second-half 

kickoff and drove 63 

yards for the go-ahead 

score. 

"We decided to ... 

Satter's 70-yard run 

was a classic. 

put the game in the 

hands of the players 

who brought us to the 

party, and that's our offensive line," said Hager 

about his team's second-half performance. 

Running back Tony Satter, who rushed for 151 

yards and two TDs, capped that fi rst drive of 

the second half with a spinning, slipping dive 

into the end zone from 10 yards out. 

Quarterback Chris Simdorn scored one of 

his two TDs a short time later after a Todd 

Zabel pass interception to give the Bison command. 

Statistics PSU NDSU 





Passes 22-35-1 2-4-0 

Punts 2-36.5 5-20.8 



Portland State 0 14 0 7 -- 21 

NDSU 7 7 14 7 -- 35 


PSU--Evers 45 pass from Crawford (Brumfi eld kick) 


PSU--Corrigan 16 pass from Crawford (Brufi eld kick) 



NDSU--Toshner 11 run (Boe kick) 

PSU--Naone 11 pass from Crowford (Brufi eld kick) 

A--6,763 


Rushing--Satter (NDSU) 11-151; Delgardo (PSU) 13-80; Simdorn 

(NDSU) 13-65; Lloyd (NDSU) 14-62 

Passing--Crawford (PSU) 22-35-1, 333 yds.; Owen (NDSU) 1-3- 

0, 17 yds.; Simdorn (NDSU) 1-1-0, 9 yds. 

Receiving--Delgardo (PSU) 6-76; Corrigan (PSU) 5-125; Naone 

(PSU) 4-60; Evers (PSU) 3-55 


FARGO, ND--If one enjoyed an offensive 

explosion, then this NCAA Division II opening 

round game was the place to be. 

The two clubs combined for 77 points, 

666 yards rushing, and 916 yards total 

offense as North Dakota State advanced 

with a 45-32 win over eastern foe Edinboro 

University. 

Bison quarterback Chris Simdorn, bothered 

by both a broken foot and turf toe, 

managed just 16 

yards in 20 carries, 

but he scored two 

TDs. However, the 

rest of the Bison 

running back corps 

(fi ve) combined to 

average eight yards 

per carry. 

Junior Tony Satter 

(138 yards and 

two TDs) and freshman 

Pete Erickson 

(116 yards and 

one TD) split time 

slicing up the Edinboro defense. Satter did 

virtually all his damage in the fi rst half before 

suffering an ankle injury while Erickson 

took up the banner in the second half and 

recorded his fi rst career 100-yard effort. 

Statistics EU NDSU 


Yds. Rushing 41-231 72-435 



Passes 11-34-3 4-11-0 

Punts 3-37.3 4-39.7 



Erickson charted his 

fi rst career 100-yard 

game. 

Edinboro 0 12 8 12 -- 32 

NDSU 16 7 14 8 -- 45 

NDSU--Gunning 30 run (kick wide) 

NDSU--FG Herbel 28 

NDSU--Satter 3 run (Herbel kick) 

EU--Cole 1 run (run failed) 

NDSU--Satter 33 run (Herbel kick) 

EU--Conway 47 run (pass failed) 

NDSU--Erickson 1 run (Herbel kick) 

EU--Conway 85 kickoff return (Priester pass from Galupi) 

NDSU--Simdorn 1 run (Herbel kick) 

EU--Cole 18 run (pass failed) 

EU--Cole 10 run (run failed) 

NDSU--Simdorn 1 run (Oden run) 

A--8,400 


Rushing--Satter (NDSU) 14-138; Cole (EU) 28-125; Erickson 

(NDSU) 16-116; Sieh (NDSU) 11-85; Gunning (NDSU) 

6-56 

Passing--Galupi (EU) 11-24-3, 155 yds.; Simdorn (NDSU) 

4-11-0, 95 yds. 

Receiving--Priester (EU) 5-100; Cole (EU) 3-14; Oden 

(NDSU) 2-41; Stone (EU) 2-36; Goettl (NDSU) 1-34; 

Stockstad (NDSU) 1-20 

Tackles--Wayne (EU) 10-5=15; Williams (EU) 7-6=13; 

Hartwig (NDSU) 0-12=12; Willis (EU) 8-3=11; Hansen 

(NDSU) 2-8=10 


JACKSONVILLE, AL--North Dakota 

State's last-gasp rally fell just a fi ngertip 

short as the Bison season came to an end 

on a cool and cloudy afternoon at the hands 

of Jacksonville State, 21-17. 

The Bison controlled much of the football 

game but two critical lapses cost the Herd. 

Down 21-3, the Bison regrouped in the 

fourth quarter, reaching the JSU 34 without 

scoring before Simdorn scored on the next 

possession from 15 yards out with 5 1/2 minutes 

remaining. The next possession also 

resulted in a score but the 92-yard, 14-play 

drive may have taken too much time. 

Simdorn hit Troy Stockstad over the 

middle for a 21-yard TD pass with 58 seconds 

left to close to 21-17. 

Jacksonville State coach Bill Burgess 

called the Bison scoring drive "the best I've 

seen in my 26 years of coaching." 

NDSU's last chance was an onside kick 

that touched a Bison player's fi ngers before 

the Gamecocks covered the ball. 

Statistics JSU NDSU 


Yds. Rushing 46-174 63-253 



Passes 2-8-1 6-18-1 

Punts 6-40.2 5-34.4 



NDSU 0 3 0 14 -- 17 

Jacksonville St. 0 7 14 0 -- 21 

JSU--Carpenter 1 run (Stinnett kick) 

NDSU--FG Herbel 22 

JSU--Gulledge 1 run (Stinnett kick) 

JSU--Gulledge 29 run (Stinnett kick) 

NDSU--Simdorn 15 run (Satter run) 

NDSU--Stockstad 21 pass from Simdorn (run failed) 

A--8,500 


Rushing--Satter (NDSU) 25-128; Carpenter (JSU) 17-63; 

Gulledge (JSU) 13-62; Simdorn (NDSU) 19-54; Erickson 

(NDSU) 8-49; Stevenson (JSU) 7-22 

Passing--Simdorn (NDSU) 6-17-0, 87 yds.; Gulledge (JSU) 

2-8-1, 46 yds. 

Receiving--Stockstad (NDSU) 3-41; Oden (NDSU) 2-41; 

Sanders (JSU) 1-32; Blue (JSU) 1-14; Goettl (NDSU) 

1-5 

Tackles--Clark (NDSU) 6-11=17; Heichel (NDSU) 4-6=10; 

Hartwig (NDSU) 0-9=9; Goodwin (JSU) 8-0=8 

Chris Simdorn


FARGO, ND--North Dakota State used the 

same formula--a strong running game with 

an occasional pass mixed in plus a rocksolid 

defense--that had worked all season 

long and the Bison parlayed it into a 17-7 

opening-round NCAA playoff victory over 

Northern Colorado. 

The Bison opened 

the game with a 10minute, 

13-second 

drive and settled 

for a fi eld goal of 

22 yards to go up 

3-0. The Bears ran 

only three plays in 

the fi rst quarter and 

NDSU earned a 17-0 

halftime lead that 

Tony Satter celebrates 

after his 

second quarter TD 

run. 

could have been 

more. 

With starting quarterback 

V.J. Lechman 

shelved early in 

the second half with a knee injury, Northern 

Colorado rallied on the arm of backup Craig 

Moddelmog, who fi red a third-quarter TD 

pass and had the Bears on the Bison 12 early 

in the fourth quarter before Chris Stroup's 

pass interception ended UNC's last threat in 

the game. 

The Bison allowed UNC just 32 yards on 

the ground and totaled 332 yards rushing 

while controlling the ball for over 38 

minutes. The game ended UNC's season at 

7-4-0. 

Statistics UNC NDSU 


Yds. Rushing 24-32 69-332 



Passes 16-25-2 6-14-1 

Punts 5-42.0 2-33.0 



Northern Colo. 0 0 7 0 -- 7 

NDSU 3 14 0 0 -- 17 

NDSU--FG Bowden 22 

NDSU--Satter 36 run (Bowden kick) 

NDSU--Geren 33 pass from Simdorn (Bowden kick) 

UNC--Artz 3 pass from Moddelmog (Donovan kick) 

A--7,103 


Rushing--Satter (NDSU) 20-160; Sieh (NDSU) 14-73; Simdorn 

(NDSU) 25-49; Hansen (NDSU) 6-29; Burns (UNC) 9-29 

Passing--Moddelmog (UNC) 11-16-2, 159 yds.; Simdorn 

(NDSU) 6-14-1, 123 yds.; Lechman (UNC) 5-9-0, 23 

yds. 

Receiving--Clay (UNC) 4-113; Geren (NDSU) 3-65; McDonald 

(NDSU) 3-58; Cutler (UNC) 3-44; Wainright (UNC) 

3-12 

Tackles--Jin Hensel (UNC) 7-4=11; Greg Tucker (UNC) 2- 

9=11; Rob Greenwood (NDSU) 2-7=9; Erin McGaffi n 

(UNC) 3-6=9; Don Wallin (UNC) 3-6=9; Tom Galida 

(UNC) 3-6=9 


FARGO, ND--Cal Poly entered the NCAA 

quarterfi nals with the second best defense 

against the rush and top defense against 

the score in the nation, but it was no help 

as North Dakota State's powerful offense 

totaled 463 yards and rolled to a virtually 

uncontested 47-0 whipping of the Mustangs. 

The Bison trio of Chris Simdorn (116 

yards), Tony Satter (109 yards) and Marty 

Sieh (99 yards) accounted for 324 yards 

rushing and fi ve TDs as NDSU advanced into 

the semifi nals. The defense forced four 

turnovers and limited the potent Mustangs to 

218 yards total offense. 

The result didn't surprise Cal Poly head 

coach Lyle Setencich. "I told you that coming 

in here was like going to Iraq with a 22 

(caliber gun), didn't I?" he said after the 

game. 

Cool temperatures and gale-force winds 

did not help the Californians' cause. 

Statistics Cal Poly NDSU 


Yds. Rushing 47-148 65-452 



Passes 6-17-2 1-4-0 

Punts 6-32.1 1-38.0 



Cal Poly 0 0 0 0 -- 0 

NDSU 7 14 14 12 -- 47 

NDSU--Simdorn 3 run (Bowden kick) 


NDSU--Greenwood 61 pass interception return (Bowden 

kick) 

NDSU--Sieh 23 run (Bowden kick) 


NDSU--Sieh 6 run (kick wide) 

NDSU--Beachy 32 run (run failed) 

A--8,253 


Rushing--Fragiadakis (CP) 29-122; Simdorn (NDSU) 21-116); 

Satter (NDSU) 14-109; Sieh (NDSU) 10-99; Gunning 

(NDSU) 6-45; Beachy (NDSU) 3-43 

Passing--Lafferty (CP) 6-17-2, 70 yds.; Simdorn (NDSU) 

1-4-0, 11 yds. 

Receiving--Fragiadakis (CP) 4-23; Keeline (CP) 2-32; Holloway 

(CP) 1-15; McDonald (NDSU) 1-11 

Tackles--Clark (NDSU) 3-9=12; Monte (NDSU) 1-10=11; 

Wright (CP) 3-8=11; Lombardi (CP) 2-8=10; Wash 

(NDSU) 2-7=9 

The Bison defense 

collected its fi rst 

shutout of the 

season. 



FARGO, ND--North Dakota State used a 

devastating ground attack and picked off 

two key passes in the fi nal four minutes of 

the game to advance to the NCAA Division II 

championship game for the seventh time in 

the last 10 years with a 39-29 victory over 

Pittsburg State of Kansas in the semifi nals. 

The matchup between the Gorillas and 

the Bison was a classic battle that saw the 

lead change hands seven times before NDSU 

fi nally emerged with its 13th win without a 

defeat. 

Trailing 29-25 with 11 minutes left, NDSU 

countered with a 74-yard drive in 12 plays 

that ate up six minutes of the clock with 

Tony Satter taking a Chris Simdorn pitch 

10 yards for the go-ahead TD. Three plays 

later, NDSU junior outside linebacker Todd 

Wash tipped a Pitt State pass and sophomore 

defensive end Brian Sweeney hauled it in for 

a 12-yard interception return. 

The Bison put the game away four plays 

later when senior running back Marty Sieh 

took another Simdorn pitch and knifed into 

the end zone from four yards out for the 

insurance score. The game was sealed a 

minute later when junior outside linebacker 

Tony Monte picked off another PSU offering, 

all but ending the Gorillas' 12-1 season. 



Yds. Rushing 37-137 62-343 



Passes 9-18-2 6-9-0 

Punts 1-26.0 1-23.0 



Pittsburg State 3 12 7 7 -- 29 

NDSU 7 7 11 14 -- 39 


PSU--FG Jenkins 22 




PSU--Moore 80 kickoff return (pass failed) 

NDSU--Simdorn 1 run (Simdorn run) 

PSU--West 72 pass from Padden (Jenkins kick) 

NDSU--FG Bowden 22 

PSU--West 13 pass from Padden (Jenkins kick) 


NDSU--Sieh 4 run (Bowden kick) 

A--9,086 


Rushing--Satter (NDSU) 17-176; Simdorn (NDSU) 23-75; 

Moore (PSU) 14-66; Sieh (NDSU) 15-53 

Passing--Padden (PSU) 9-18-2, 196 yds.; Simdorn (NDSU) 

6-9-0, 81 yds. 

Receiving--West (PSU) 8-189; McDonald (NDSU) 3-38; Cahill 

(NDSU) 2-34 

Tackles--Tafoya (PSU) 5-8=13; McMillian (PSU) 7-3=10; 

Thornton (PSU) 4-6=10; Hartwig (NDSU) 1-6=7; Hansen 

3-4=7; Stewart (NDSU) 2-5=7; Clark (NDSU) 3-4=7 


123


124 



FLORENCE, AL--North Dakota State 

exploded for touchdowns on all fi ve of its 

possessions in the third quarter and turned 

the NCAA Division II football championship 

into a 51-11 rout over 

Indiana U. of Pennsylvania. 

Quarterback Chris 

Simdorn (at right), the 

Harlon Hill recipient 

as the nation's top 

player in Division II, 

demonstrated why he 

won the award as he 

ran for 145 yards and 

two touchdowns, and 

passed for 179 yards (completing four of 

eight tries) and three scores. His 324 yards 

in total offense was a school playoff record. 

Tony Satter's 174 yards (on just 12 carries) 

lifted his 1990 tournament yards to 

619 to break the NCAA record of 580 set by 

Johnny Bailey of Texas A&I in 1988. It was 

the eighth straight time that Satter had ran 

for over 100 yards in playoff action. 

The NDSU defense sacked IUP quarterbacks 

10 times for 69 yards in losses including 

Bison outside linebacker Todd Wash, who 

was in on six sacks. 

Statistics IUP NDSU 


Yds Rushing 38-68 63-456 



Passes 7-20-1 4-9-0 

Punts 11-34.9 4-30.8 



Indiana (PA) 3 8 0 0 -- 11 

NDSU 7 7 30 7 -- 51 

IUP--FG Jaworski 42 


NDSU--Goettl 37 pass from Simdorn (Bowden kick) 

IUP--White 13 pass from Aliucci (Kovell pass from Aliucci) 

NDSU--Hansen 6 run (kick wide) 

NDSU--Simdorn 44 run (kick wide) 

NDSU--McDonald 75 pass from Simdorn (kick wide) 

NDSU--Goettl 57 pass from Simdorn (kick wide) 

NDSU--Satter 66 run (kick blocked) 

NDSU--Hansen 5 run (McDonald kick) 

A--10,080 


Rushing--Satter (NDSU) 12-174; Simdorn (NDSU) 16-145; 

Sieh (NDSU) 11-65; Mann (IUP) 11-42; Rock (IUP) 

6-36 

Passing--Aliucci (IUP) 7-19-0, 75 yds.; Simdorn (NDSU) 

4-8-0, 179 yds. 

Receiving--Hill (IUP) 4-54; Goettl (NDSU) 2-94; McDonald 

(NDSU) 2-85; White (IUP) 1-13; Crockett (IUP) 1-13 

Tackles--Pascarella (IUP) 8-18=18; Detwiler (IUP) 9-3=12; 

Wash (NDSU) 5-5=10; Clark (NDSU) 2-8=10; Hansen 

(NDSU) 6-2=8 


FARGO, ND--Mankato State used a punishing, 

time-consuming ground game and a 

stingy defense to post a 27-7 win over North 

Dakota State in the opening round of the 

NCAA Division II playoffs. 

The loss for NDSU, the defending national 

champion, was the fi rst opening-round 

defeat for a Bison team in championship play 

in 12 postseason tournaments dating back to 

1976. And, it snapped a 14-game home fi eld 

winning streak in playoff action for the Herd. 

The Mavericks did it in workmanlike fashion, 

driving 59 yards with the opening kickoff 

to put the Bison in an early hole and scored 

again on the next possession. MSU's play in 

the opening 16 minutes was so dominating 

that NDSU had the ball for only three offensive 

snaps. 

The Bison averted the shutout early in 

the fourth quarter when Arden Beachy found 

split end T.R. McDonald for a 20-yard scoring 

pass. 

The Maverick defense limited the Bison 

rushing game to just 90 yards on a cold, 

windy day while MSU racked up 238 yards 

rushing and attempted just two passes. MSU 

had the ball for over 39 minutes in avenging 

a 21-13 regular-season loss to the Herd. 

Statistics MSU NDSU 


Yds. Rushing 70-238 29-90 



Passes 0-2-0 12-25-1 

Punts 6-31.5 5-35.0 



Mankato State 7 14 0 6 -- 27 

NDSU 0 0 0 7 -- 7 

MSU--Pass 2 run (Navitsky kick) 

MSU--Fossey 2 run (Navitsky kick) 

MSU--VanOverbeke 24 interception return (Navitsky kick) 

MSU--Fossey 13 run (kick wide) 

NDSU--McDonald 20 pass from Beachy (Millfors kick) 

A--4,839 


Rushing--Fossey (MSU) 24-118; Wallace (MSU) 24-76; Pass 

(MSU) 19-44; Sanchez (NDSU) 5-37; Erickson (NDSU) 

6-35 

Passing--Beachy (NDSU) 12-25-1, 144 yds.; Pass (MSU) 

0-2-0, 0 yds. 

Receiving--McDonald (NDSU) 5-82; Cahill (NDSU) 3-20; 

Erickson (NDSU) 2-13; Geren (NDSU) 1-22; Sanchez 

(NDSU) 1-7 

Tackles--Hartwig (NDSU) 5-10=15; Stewart (NDSU) 4-5=9; 

Ritacco (MSU) 6-3=9; Steinberg (NDSU) 5-3=8; Monte 

(NDSU) 3-5=8 


FARGO, ND--North Dakota State used a 

punishing ground attack to post a 42-7 win 

over Northeast Missouri State in the opening 

round of the NCAA Division II football 

playoffs. 

The Bison rolled up 493 yards rushing 

and totaled 36 minutes of ball possession in 

upping their season chart to 10-1 and setting 

up a quarterfi nal matchup between the 

top two ranked teams in the nation. 

NDSU posted a pair of touchdowns in 

each of the fi rst two quarters to race to a 

28-0 halftime advantage. 

NDSU iced the game by driving 92 yards 

and scoring on junior quarterback Arden 

Beachy's 16-yard TD pass to junior split end 

T.R. McDonald. The Bison closed out the 

scoring a minute later following a fumble 

recovery and a 29-yard run by junior Raul 

Sanchez. 

Sanchez was one of three Bison backs 

with over 100 yards rushing. He totaled 

105 yards on 10 carries while senior Mark 

Hansen churned out 164 yards in 14 carries 

including two fi rst-half TDs. Beachy scored 

once, collecting 112 yards on 25 carries. 

Statistics NEMSU NDSU 


Yds. Rushing 30-124 68-493 



Passes 15-27-4 5-11-1 

Punts 3-45.6 1-40.0 



NE Missouri St. 0 0 7 0 -- 7 

NDSU 14 14 0 14 -- 42 

NDSU--Erickson 12 run (Millfors kick) 

NDSU--Hansen 9 run (Millfors kick) 

NDSU--Beachy 12 run (Millfors kick) 

NDSU--Hansen 44 run (Millfors kick) 

NEMSU--Walker 32 pass from Thompson (Rudel kick) 

NDSU--McDonald 16 pass from Beachy (Millfors kick) 

NDSU--Sanchez 29 run (Millfors kick) 

A--6,230 


Rushing--Hansen (NDSU) 14-164; Beachy (NDSU) 25-112; 

Sanchez (NDSU) 10-105; Guthrie (NEMSU) 19-104; 

Gidley (NDSU) 6-49 

Passing--Thompson (NEMSU) 13-23-4, 168 yds.; Beachy 

(NDSU) 5-10-1, 92 yds. 

Receiving--Walker (NEMSU) 8-122; Guthrie (NEMSU) 4-37; 

McDonald (NDSU) 2-32; Skie (NDSU) 1-18; Erickson 

(NDSU) 1-17 

Tackles--Della Vedova (NEMSU) 3-8=11; Flanagan (NEMSU) 

5-6=11; Schaffner (NDSU) 2-7=9; Grutter (NEMSU) 

4-4=8; Merriman (NEMSU) 4-4=8; Hendrix (NEMSU) 

3-5=8


PITTSBURG, KS--NDSU's dream of a ninth 

national grid championship died just an 

inch short of the goal line as the Bison fell 

38-37 in overtime to defending national 

champion Pittsburg State. 

Billed as a classic confrontation between 

the two clubs that had won the last two national 

crowns, this game did not disappoint. 

The two clubs each mounted a pair of 

long fi rst-half drives to go into the locker 

room at 14-all. NDSU opened up 24-14 and 

31-20 leads in the second half before Pitt 

State tied the contest on Ronnie Moore's 

fourth TD of the game and a 39-yard fi eld 

goal by Jeff Wood with two seconds left. 

Moore scored again in the overtime, the 

fi rst ever played by a Bison team, but NDSU 

closed to within one at 38-37 on Arden 

Beachy's 26-yard pass to Craig Geren. The 

Bison opted for the win with a two-point 

conversion try but were stopped short up 

the middle. 

But a penalty against PSU gave the Herd 

a second chance and Mark Hansen's desperation 

dive for the goal line wide right on 

the pitch came up an agonizing inch short. 



Yds. Rushing 59-261 57-268 



Passes 10-17-1 9-13-0 

Punts 1-24.0 3-27.0 



Pittsburg State 7 7 6 11 7 -- 38 

NDSU 7 7 10 7 6 -- 37 

NDSU--Erickson 4 run (Millfors kick) 

PSU--Moore 2 run (Wood kick) 


NDSU--Beachy 3 run (Millfors kick) 

NDSU--Carlson 30 run (Millfors kick) 

NDSU--FG Millfors 26 

PSU--Moore 1 run (kick failed) 

NDSU--Carlson 18 run (Millfors kick) 

PSU--Moore 13 run (Moore run) 

PSU--FG Wood 39 


NDSU--Geren 26 pass from Beachy (run failed) 

A--5,200 


Rushing--Moore (PSU) 31-151; Hutchins (PSU) 18-77; Carlson 

(NDSU) 9-73; Beachy (NDSU) 24-70; Sanchez 

(NDSU) 7-51; Hansen (NDSU) 12-51 

Passing--Hutchins (PSU) 10-17-1, 154 yds.; Beachy (NDSU) 

9-13-0, 119 yds. 

Receiving--Staten (PSU) 7-105; Geren (NDSU) 4-62; Mc- 

Donald (NDSU) 3-21; Cahill (NDSU) 2-36; Sparkman 

(PSU) 2-35 

Tackles--Wilson (PSU) 6-10=16; Schaffner (NDSU) 1-13=14; 

Brown (PSU) 4-10=14; Hegerle (NDSU) 7-5=12; 

Steinberg (NDSU) 1-11=12 


PITTSBURG, KS--In what is rapidly becoming 

a classic series, North Dakota State and 

Pittsburg State met for the fourth time in 

the last fi ve years, this time in the opening 

round of the NCAA playoffs. It took three 

overtimes before a jubilant Bison squad 

prevailed 18-12 in a sea of rain and mud. 

Field conditions were poor at best during 

pre-game warmups and rapidly deteriorated 

as a driving rain continued. Pitt State, 

undefeated and ranked third in the nation, 

drew fi rst blood late in the fi rst quarter. 

But, on a day when the kicking game was 

impossible, the PAT kick failed. 

NDSU put together a long drive that consumed 

the fi nal 8 1/2 minutes of the third 

period and tied the game on Rob Hyland's 

1-yard run on the fi rst play of the fourth 

quarter. 

The Bison could have won the game in 

regulation after Mikel Kallenbach's pass 

interception with 1:26 left, but it was impossible 

to handle the fi eld goal snap in the 

sea of mud on the 23-yard attempt. 

Both teams scored in the second overtime 

with NDSU's TD coming on a fourthdown 

pass from Hyland to Swanson from 

seven yards out. 

The Bison collected the winner in the 

third overtime when Hyland hit Kelly Artz 

with a 21-yard completion to the 1-yard 

line. Hyland scored three plays later and 

the Bison secondary batted down a Pitt State 

desperation fourth-down pass at the goal 

line to end the game. 



Yds. Rushing 67-243 45-105 



Passes 1-6-1 10-27-2 

Punts 3-36.0 5-30.8 



Pittsburg State 6 0 0 0 0 6 0 -- 12 

NDSU 0 0 0 6 0 6 6 -- 18 

PSU--Moreland 3 run (kick failed) 

NDSU--Hyland 1 run (kick failed) 

PSU--Moreland 2 run (pass failed) 

NDSU--Swanson 7 pass from Hyland (kick failed) 

NDSU--Hyland 1 run (run failed) 

A--5,000 


Rushing--Hyland (NDSU) 29-87; Mayfi eld (PSU) 21-84; 

Fairchaild (PSU) 15-83; Moreland (PSU) 21-44; Scott 

(PSU) 7-29 

Passing--Hyland (NDSU) 10-27-2, 102; Moreland (PSU) 

1-6-1, 5 

Receiving--Artz (NDSU) 6-71; Swanson (NDSU) 3-20; Holm 

(NDSU) 1-11; Hudson (PSU) 1-8 

Tackles--Sweet (PSU) 3-13=16; Boeshans (NDSU) 3-10=13; 

Carson (PSU) 1-12=13; Bradbury (PSU) 3-9=12; Gossard 

(NDSU) 2-9=11; Jones (NDSU) 2-9=11; Harris 

(PSU) 2-9=11; Brown (PSU) 3-8=11 



GRAND FORKS, ND--The University of 

North Dakota came up with a crucial fumble 

recovery on the North Dakota State 17-yard 

line late in the fi rst half and converted it 

into the winning score for a 14-7 victory in 

the quarterfi nals of the NCAA playoffs. 

It was the fi rst time since 1945 that the 

two arch-rivals had met twice in the same 

season and the fi rst ever postseason meeting 

between the Bison and the Sioux. 

The Bison scored fi rst as they marched 

66 yards in 11 plays to score on Rob Hyland's 

1-yard dive. UND put together a long drive 

at the beginning of the second quarter to 

tie the contest before coming up with the 

vital miscue. 

NDSU drove into UND territory on its 

fi rst four possessions of the second half but 

came away with nothing after being stopped 

on downs twice and turning the ball over on 

pass interceptions twice. 

Statistics UND NDSU 


Yds. Rushing 41-137 55-172 



Passes 9-20-1 4-14-2 

Punts 4-31.0 3-37.3 



North Dakota 0 14 0 0 -- 14 

NDSU 7 0 0 0 -- 7 

NDSU--Hyland 1 run (Millfors kick) 

UND--Almlie 4 run (Gomez-Tagle kick) 

UND--Leingang 1 pass from Wagner (Gomez-Tagle kick) 

A--10,060 


Rushing--Almlie (UND) 32-128; Hyland (NDSU) 24-86; 

Roller (NDSU) 12-40; Miller (NDSU) 12-28; Wilson 

(NDSU) 6-15 

Passing--Wagner (UND) 9-20-1, 102; Hyland (NDSU) 4-14-2, 

55 

Receiving--Leingang (UND) 3-43; McElroy (UND) 3-31; 

Holm (NDSU) 2-31; Swanson (NDSU) 1-19; Langer 

(UND) 1-12 

Tackles--Callahan (UND) 4-8=12; Mooney (UND) 5-5=10; 

Tibesar (UND) 6-3=9; Boeshans (NDSU) 3-4=7; Jones 

(NDSU) 7-0=7 

NDSU's Jason Miller (27) gains 

yardage. 


125


126 



GRAND FORKS, ND--Behind a pair of 

freshmen backs, North Dakota State dominated 

the fi nal three quarters of play and 

romped to a 41-10 NCAA opening round win 

over arch-rival North Dakota. 

The win avenged a 21-7 loss during the 

regular season to the Sioux two weeks earlier 

on this same fi eld. A 14-play, 62-yard 

drive that started late in the fi rst period 

and fi nished more than 8 1/2 minutes later 

with a Kevin Feeney 2-yard touchdown run 

turned this contest around. 

The Sioux jumped to a 10-0 lead in the 

opening two possessions but garnered just 

84 yards the rest of the way against a spirited 

Bison defense. 

The Feeney touchdown midway through 

the second quarter was the fi rst of four 

scored by the Bison freshman quarterback. 

Another Bison yearling, running back Reggie 

Scott, ran for 155 yards and two scores 

including a 22-yarder that put the Bison 

ahead for good later in the second quarter. 

NDSU put up 413 yards of total offense 

including 376 in the fi nal three periods. 

Feeney toted the ball 27 times for 135 

yards and completed 10 of 11 passes for 

another 116 yards in earning National 

Offensive Player of the Week honors in Division 

II. 

Statistics UND NDSU 


Yds. Rushing 25-85 55-297 



Passes 9-19-0 10-11-0 

Punts 5-26.8 2-31.5 



North Dakota 10 0 0 0 -- 10 

NDSU 0 14 14 13 -- 41 

UND--FG Gomez-Tagle 20 

UND--Moore 4 run (Gomez-Tagle kick) 

NDSU--Feeney 2 run (Marma kick) 

NDSU--Scott 22 run (Marma kick) 

NDSU--Feeney 3 run ((Marma kick) 

NDSU--Scott 25 run (Marma kick) 

NDSU--Feeney 1 run (kick failed) 

NDSU--Feeney 5 run (Marma kick) 

A--5,595 


Rushing--Scott (NDSU) 23-155; Feeney (NDSU) 27-135; 

Moore (UND) 16-75 

Passing--Feeney (NDSU) 10-11-0, 116 yds.; Klancher (UND) 

9-19-0, 115 yds. 

Receiving--Scott (NDSU) 4-21; Ostby (UND) 3-72; McElroy 

(UND) 3-15; Swanson (NDSU) 2-35; Gidley (NDSU) 

2-13 

Tackles--Hillesheim (UND) 11-0=11; Tibesar (UND) 8-1=9; 

Mitchell (UND) 7-2=9; Witt (NDSU) 3-6=9; Fredricks 

(NDSU) 3-4=7; Kallenbach (NDSU) 3-4=7 


PITTSBURG, KS--It was billed as another 

classic between two traditionally strong 

foes, and it lived up to its billing. Defense 

and kicking were the orders of the day and 

the Gorillas' kicking game proved to be the 

difference in a 9-7 win. 

Freshman punter Brian Moorman kept 

the Bison pinned deep in their own territory 

for much of the game. He nailed four inside 

the 20 including second-half punts to the 

Bison 13-, 1- and 19-yard lines. 

The Gorillas scored on their fi rst possession 

and marched to the Bison 20 on the 

second possession before the Bison came up 

with a fumble recovery on the 10. 

NDSU countered with a 94-yard, eightplay 

scoring drive in the second quarter as 

backup quarterback Craig Aamot stepped in 

on the fi nal two plays of the drive to score 

from two yards out. 

North Dakota State's best opportunity in 

the second half came on its fi rst possession, 

driving to the PSU 21-yard line and coming 

up one yard short on fourth down. 

The game was won in the fi nal quarter 

when a Bison punt from the NDSU 39 was 

blocked out of the end zone for a safety. 

NDSU had one fi nal chance to move the ball 

but never got beyond its own 20-yard line. 



Yds. Rushing 57-206 40-151 



Passes 6-16-1 6-13-0 

Punts 4-40.3 7-33.1 


Fumbles/Lost 1-1 0-01-0 

Pittsburg State 7 0 0 2 -- 9 

NDSU 0 7 0 0 -- 7 

PSU--Fairchild 2 run (Barcus kick) 

NDSU--Aamot 2 run (Marma kick) 

PSU--Safety, punt blocked through end zone 

A--5,800 


Rushing--Johnson (PSU) 21-84; Moreland (PSU) 15-70; Scott 

(NDSU) 17-59; Roller (NDSU) 7-55; Feeney (NDSU) 

13-44 

Passing--Feeney (NDSU) 6-13-0, 83 yds.; Moreland (PSU) 

6-15-1, 73 yds. 

Receiving--Gidley (NDSU) 3-70; Aiken (PSU) 3-46; Fairchild 

(PSU) 3-27; Artz (NDSU) 2-1 

Tackles--McGivern (PSU) 3-15=18; Fredricks (NDSU) 2- 

11=13; Brown (PSU) 5-8=13; Parks (PSU) 3-9=12; 

Kallenbach (NDSU) 6-5=11; Jacobsen (NDSU) 6-4=10 


MARYVILLE, MO--North Dakota State 

won two thirds of the game (offense and 

defense) but lost the special teams play and 

that was the difference as the third-ranked 

Bearcats of Northwest Missouri State ended 

NDSU's season in a wild affair, 39-28. 

The Bison had leads of 7-0, 14-3 and 

21-12 and that could have been more except 

for an inadvertant whistle that nullifi ed a 

Jeff McKinnon pass interception that was 

returned for a touchdown. 

But four turnovers, a poor punt snap that 

resulted in a safety, and two long kickoff 

returns were the blows that hurt the most. 

A 53-yard return late in the fi rst half set 

up a Bearcat TD just before intermission and 

an 86-yard return by Tony Miles for a score 

late in third quarter changed the momentum 

of the game. A 36-yard pass interception 

return for a TD in the fi nal 12 seconds of the 

game was icing as the Bison were attempting 

a desperation drive at the end. 

Senior running back Jake Morris concluded 

a great career for the Bison with 155 

yards and two TDs, although he was unavailable 

at the end of the game due to an ankle 

injury. 

Statistics NWMSU NDSU 


Yds. Rushing 31-47 61-250 



Passes 15-31-2 10-23-3 

Punts 6-30.5 6-37.0 



NW Missouri 3 7 16 13 -- 39 

NDSU 7 7 7 7 -- 28 

NDSU--Morris 4 run (Johnson kick) 

NWMSU--FG Purnell 43 

NDSU--Morris 64 run (Johnson kick) 

NWMSU--Hanson 19 pass from Greisen (Purnell kick) 

NWMSU--Safety, ball snapped out of end zone 

NDSU--Strehlow 5 pass from Feeney (Johnson kick) 

NWMSU--Miles 86 kickoff return (Purnell kick) 

NWMSU--Lane 29 run (Purnell kick) 

NWMSU--Becker 2 pass from Greisen (Purnell kick) 

NDSU--Nelson 4 pass from Feeney (Johnson kick) 

NWMSU--Nelson 36 interception return (kick wide) 

A--7,500 


Rushing--Morris (NDSU) 28-155; Lane (NWMSU) 17-59; Feeney 

(NDSU) 15-55; Dietrich (NDSU) 12-41; Johnson 

(NDSU) 1-24 

Passing--Greisen (NWMSU) 15-31-2, 251 yds.; Feeney (NDSU) 

10-23-3, 124 yds. 

Receiving--Hanson (NWMSU) 5-117; Miles (NWMSU) 4-52; 

Strehlow (NDSU) 4-38; Becker (NWMSU) 3-44; Swanson 

(NDSU) 2-44 

Tackles--Nelson (NWMSU) 7-2=9; Crowe (NWMSU) 6-3=9; 

Keys (NWMSU) 4-4=8; Combs (NWMSU) 4-4=8; McCullum 

(NDSU) 3-3=6


MARYVILLE, MO--Junior running backs 

Lamar Gordon and DeShawn Perkins put up 

100-yard rushing games as the Bison won 

their fi rst opening-round NCAA playoff game 

since 1995 with a 31-17 upset win over 

defending national champion Northwest 

Missouri State, 31-17. 

Gordon ran for 130 yards and a touchdown, 

and caught a 39-yard TD pass as the 

Bison snapped a 24-game Bearcat winning 

streak. Perkins pitched in with a careerhigh 

134 yards, including an 8-yard TD run 

in the fourth quarter to clinch the game. 

NDSU took over in the third quarter with 

a pair of long drives. Ryan Johnson threw 

his second TD pass of the day, a 13-yarder 

to Jared Peck, on the opening drive of the 

second half to regain the momentum for 

the Herd. Gordon's 4-yard TD run on the 

next possession was the game-winner. 

Perkins capped it with the short run 

after he exploded for 60 yards on the previous 

play. 

With all that offense, it was the defense 

that stole the day. NDSU limited the defending 

champs to 81 yards rushing and 205 

yards of total offense until the Bearcats got 

a 60-yard TD pass on their fi nal offensive 

play of the day. 

Statistics NDSU NWMSU 


Yds. Rushing 56-282 31-81 



Passes 4-15-0 20-43-0 

Punts 8-39.4 9-36.0 



NDSU 10 0 14 7 -- 31 

NW Missouri 0 10 0 7 -- 17 

NDSU--FG Pederson 47 

NDSU--Gordon 39 pass from Johnson (Pederson kick) 

NWMSU--FG Timmerman 20 

NWMSU--Jansen 7 run (Timmerman kick) 

NDSU--Peck 13 pass from Johnson (Pederson kick) 

NDSU--Gordon 4 run (Pederson kick) 

NDSU--Perkins 8 run (Pederson kick) 

NWMSU--Hill 60 pass from Miles (Timmerman kick) 

A--7,650 


Rushing--Perkins (NDSU) 14-134; Gordon (NDSU) 30-119; 

Jansen (NWMS) 18-59; Miles (NWMS) 2-41 

Passing--Miles (NWMS) 20-43-0, 184 yds.; Johnson (NDSU) 

4-15-0, 77 yds. 

Receiving--Hill (NWMS) 9-107; Miles (NWMS) 5-40; Jansen 

(NWMS) 5-16; Peck (NDSU) 2-27 

Tackles--Miller (NWMS) 4-6=10; Williams (NWMS) 3-7=10; 

Evenson (NDSU) 6-3=9; Quinlin (NWMS) 3-6=9; 

Becker (NWMS`) 4-4=8; Simmons (NWMS) 2-5=7; 

Wayne (NWMS) 1-6=7; Swanson (NDSU) 5-1=6; Maher 

(NDSU) 1-5=6; Schneckloth (NWMS) 1-5=6; Murphy 

(NDSU) 5-0=5 


OMAHA, NE--North Dakota State exploded 

for 20 points in the second quarter 

and overcame a 14-0 defi cit to roll to a 

43-21 win over Nebraska-Omaha in the NCAA 

Division II quarterfi nals. 

The Bison running game paved the way 

for the victory. NDSU ran for 214 yards 

against a run defense that was the best in 

the nation, allowing just 47 yards per game. 

Bison junior tailback Lamar Gordon ran for 

144 yards and three TDs while sophomore 

quarterback Graig Gorder passed for 187 

yards and two TDs in a relief role. 

NDSU was down 14-0 after the fi rst two 

Omaha possessions of the game, but the 

Bison quickly regained the momentum. 

Gordon scored from 22 yards out and came 

back with a 6-yard TD run to cut the defi cit 

to two early in the second quarter. 

Gorder passed fi ve yards to tight end 

Craig Tangen 2 1/2 minutes later to give the 

Bison the lead for good at 20-14. That came 

after the Bison recovered an Omaha fumble, 

one of four lost by the Mavericks on the day. 

Gorder, who suffered a season-ending 

knee injury in the fourth quarter, was fi lling 

in for senior starter Ryan Johnson, who was 

hurt early in the fi rst quarter, suffering a 

knee injury that ended his season. 

NDSU totaled 401 yards of offense and 

the Bison limited Omaha to 303 yards. The 

Bison defense added a pass interception 

by Travis Sturdevant and fi nished with fi ve 

turnovers on the day. 

The win avenged a 6-3 loss to UNO in the 

regular season and snapped the Mavs' 11game 

overall winning streak and a 23-game 

home victory streak. 

Statistics NDSU UNO 


Yds. Rushing 51-214 43-190 



Passes 7-15-0 8-15-1 

Punts 8-35.0 6-38.3 



NDSU 6 20 17 0 -- 43 

Neb.-Omaha 14 0 0 7 -- 21 

UNO--Dustin 1 run (Severson kick) 

UNO--Turman 18 run (Severson kick) 

NDSU--Gordon 22 run (kick wide) 

NDSU--Gordon 6 run (pass failed) 

NDSU--Tangen 5 pass from Gorder (Nelson from Gorder) 

NDSU--Perkins 4 run (pass failed) 


NDSU--Nelson 33 pass from Gorder (Pederson kick) 

NDSU--Gordon 1 run (Pederson kick) 

UNO--Recek 5 pass from Guidry (Severson kick) 

A--9,400 


Rushing--Gordon (NDSU) 27-142; Wright (UNO) 12-74; 

Kammrad (UNO) 14-56; Perkins (NDSU) 11-55; Turman 

(UNO) 10-54 

Passing--Gorder (NDSU) 7-12-0, 187 yds.; Guidry (UNO) 5-8- 

1, 62 yds.; Turman (UNO) 3-7-0, 51 yds. 

Receiving--Nelson (NDSU) 3-109; Krause (UNO) 3-44; Tangen 

(NDSU) 2-18; Dustin (UNO) 2-36 

Tackles--Shafer (NDSU) 7-4=11; Bi. Erenberg (NDSU) 6-2=11; 

Brice (UNO) 6-4=10; Hoffman (UNO) 3-7=10; Stovall 

(UNO) 1-7=8; Cooper (UNO) 1-6=7; Bays (NDSU) 2- 

4=6; Swanson (NDSU) 4-1=5; Gjellstad (NDSU) 2-3=5; 

Butler (UNO) 2-3=5 



CLEVELAND, MS--North Dakota State dug 

itself a 20-0 hole in the fi rst quarter and 

could not come all the way back, falling to 

Delta State in the NCAA Division II semifi nals, 

34-17. 

Delta State, the eventual national champion, 

took advantage of an NDSU fumble to 

score on its fi rst possession, blocked a punt 

on NDSU's ensuing possession into the end 

zone for a score, and hit a 74-yard TD pass 

on the fi rst play of its next possession to 

jump to the 20-point margin. 

The Bison (12-2) came back with three 

second-quarter scores, capping a 92-yard 

drive with a 3-yard TD run by All-American 

Lamar Gordon. 

Redshirt freshman QB Jason Jordon, 

getting his fi rst start after season-ending 

injuries to Ryan Johnson and Graig Gorder in 

the quarterfi nal win over Nebraska-Omaha, 

fi red his fi rst career TD pass, a 5-yarder to 

Jared Peck, to cut the margin to 20-13. 

Junior kicker Aaron Pederson added a 44yard 

fi eld goal just before the half and it was 

20-16 at the intermission. 

However, with a strong wind at their 

backs in the third quarter, the Bison failed to 

score and Delta State controlled the ball for 

over 10 minutes of the quarter. 

DSU wrapped up the game late in the 

fourth quarter with a short drive after a 

Bison punt into the stiff wind failed to cross 

midfi eld. Delta State's fi nal score came on 

an intercepted pass as the Bison were forced 

to gamble in the fi nal two minutes. 

Statistics NDSU DSU 


Yds. Rushing 48-159 49-182 



Passes 11-25-2 4-8-1 

Punts 4-25.5 3-23.0 



NDSU 0 16 0 0 -- 16 

Delta State 20 0 0 14 -- 34 

DSU--Flowers 26 pass from Bright (Dorgan kick) 

DSU--Stevenson 19 return of blocked punt (Dorgan kick) 

DSU--Franklin 74 pass from Bright (kick failed) 

NDSU--Gordon 3 run (run failed) 

NDSU--Peck 5 pass from Jordan (Pederson kick) 


DSU--Bright 4 run (Dorgan kick) 

DSU--Johnson 32 interception return (Dorgan kick) 

A--6,850 


Rushing--Gordon (NDSU) 34-140; Bright (DSU) 18-79; McDonald 

(DSU) 15-54; Perkins (NDSU) 10-28; Flowers (DSU) 

6-22; Hart (DSU) 5-16 

Passing--Jordan (NDSU) 11-25-2, 131 yds.; Bright (DSU) 

4-8-1, 116 yds. 

Receiving--Nelson (NDSU) 6-105; Franklin (DSU) 3-90; Flowers 

(DSU) 1-26; Lewis (NDSU) 1-12; Gordon (NDSU) 

1-6; Peck (NDSU) 1-5; Dettmann (NDSU) 1-4 

Tackles--Bell (DSU) 10-5=15; Johnson (DSU) 8-4=12; Polk, 

(DSU) 8-3=11; LeClair (NDSU) 7-2=9; Bi. Erenberg 

(NDSU) 7-1=8; Beckett (DSU) 7-0=7; Brown (DSU) 

5-2=7; Bell (DSU) 3-3=6; Simmers (NDSU) 6-0=6; 

Swanson (NDSU) 4-2=6; Shafer (NDSU) 3-3=6; Murphy 

(NDSU) 0-6=6 


127


128 


INDIVIDUAL 

Single Game 

Rushing Attempts: 34, Lamar 

Gordon,vs. Delta State, 2000 

NCAA semifi nals 

Yards Gained Rushing: 176, Tony 

Satter, vs. Pittsburg State, 

1990 NCAA semifi nals 

TDs Rushing: 3, Lamar Gordon, 

vs. Nebraska-Omaha, 2000 

NCAA quarterfi nals 

3, Chris Simdorn, vs. Pittsburg 

State, 1990 NCAA semifi nals; 

3, Chris Simdorn, vs. Millersville, 

1988 NCAA quarterfi - 

nals; 

3, Chris Simdorn, vs. Sacramento 

State, 1988 NCAA 

semifi nals; 

3, Mike Bentson, vs. Montana, 

1970, NCAA Camellia Bowl 

Passing Attempts: 25, Jason 

Jordan, vs. Delta State, 2000 

semifi nals; 

25, Mark Nellermoe, vs. UC 

Davis, 1982, NCAA semifi nals; 

25, Bruce Grasamke, vs. 

Montana, 1969 NCAA Camellia 

Bowl 

Pass Completions: 16, Bruce 

Grasamke, vs. Montana, 1969 

NCAA Camellia Bowl 

Yards Gained Passing: 206, Bruce 

Grasamke, vs. Montana, 1969 

NCAA Camellia Bowl 

Completion Percentage: .692, 

Arden Beachy (9-13), vs. 

Pittsburg State, 1992 NCAA 

quarterfi nals 

Consecutive Passes Completed: 

7, Bruce Grasamke, vs. 


Bowl 

Passes Had Intercepted: 3, Mark 

Nellermoe, vs. UC Davis, 1982 

NCAA semifi nals; 

3, Mark Rudrud, vs. Montana 

State, 1976 NCAA Grantland 

Rice Bowl 

TDs Passing: 3, Chris Simdorn, 

vs. Indiana (PA), 1990 NCAA 

championship 

Receptions: 9, Chuck Wald, vs. 


Bowl 

Total Offense Attempts: 42, Mark 

Nellermoe, vs. UC Davis, 1982 

NCAA semifi nals 

Total Offense Yards: 324, Chris 

Simdorn, vs. Indiana (PA), 

1990 NCAA quarterfi nals 

Single Season 

Rushing Attempts: 91, Lamar 

Gordon, 2000 (3 games) 

Yards Gained Rushing: 619, Tony 

Satter, 1990 (4 games) 

TDs Rushing: 9, Chris Simdorn, 

1988 (4 games) 

Passing Attempts: 46, Mark Nellermoe, 

1982 (2 games) 

Pass Completions: 17, Chris Simdorn, 

1990 (4 games); 

17, Mark Nellermoe, 1982 (2 

games) 

Yards Gained Passing: 394, Chris 

Simdorn, 1990 (4 games) 

Completion Percentage: .640, 

Bruce Grasamke (16-25), 

1969 (1 game) 

Passes Had Intercepted: 4, Mark 

Nellermoe, 1982 (2 games) 

TDs Passing: 4, Chris Simdorn, 

1990 (4 games) 

Receptions: 10, Stacy Robinson, 

1984 (3 games) 

Yards Receiving: 219, Stacy Robinson, 

1984 (3 games) 

TD Receptions: 3, Len Kretchman, 

1986 (3 games) 

Total Offense Attempts: 120, 

Chris Simdorn, 1990 (4 

games) 

Total Offense Yards: 669, Chris 

Simdorn, 1990 (4 games) 

TDs Scored: 9, Chris Simdorn, 

1988 (4 games) 

Points Scored: 54, Chris Simdorn, 

1988 (4 games) 

Passes Intercepted: 3, Todd 

Bruce Grasamke (1) runs in the 


Zabel, 1988 (4 games) 

Punts: Under research 

Punting Average: Under research 

Field Goal Attempts: Under 

research 

Field Goals Made: 7, Ken Kubisz, 

1983 (3 games) 

PATs Attempted: 20, Kevin Boe, 

1988 (4 games) 

PATs Made: 19, Kevin Boe, 1988 

(4 games) 

Stacy Robinson 

TEAM 

Single Game 

Rushing Attempts: 72, vs. Puget 

Sound, 1981 NCAA quarterfi 

nals 

Yards Gained Rushing: 532, vs. 

Ashland, 1986 NCAA quarterfi 

nals 

First Downs Rushing: 25, vs. 

Ashland, 1986 NCAA quarterfi 

nals; 

25, vs. NE Missouri State, 1992 

NCAA fi rst round 

TDs Rushing: 7, vs. Augustana, 

1988 NCAA fi rst round 

Passes Attempted: 28, vs. Montana, 

1969 NCAA Camellia 

Bowl 

Passes Completed: 19, vs. Montana, 

1969 NCAA Camellia 

Bowl 

Yards Gained Passing: 234, vs. 


Bowl 

Passes Had Intercepted: 4, vs. 

Montana State, 1976 NCAA 

Grantland Rice Bowl 

Completion Percentage: .692, vs. 

Pittsburg State (9-13), 1992 

NCAA quarterfi nals 

First Downs Passing: 13, vs. 

Grambling, 1965 NCAA Pecan 

Bowl 

TD Passes Thrown: 3, vs. Indiana 

(PA), 1990 NCAA championship 

Total Offense Attempts: 83, vs. 

Northern Colorado, 1990 


Yards Total Offense: 627, vs. 

Indiana (PA), 1990 NCAA 

championship 

Touchdowns Scored: 8, vs. 

Indiana (PA), 1990 NCAA 

championship 

Points Scored: 51, vs. Indiana 


Field Goals Attempted: 4, vs. UC 

Davis, 1983 NCAA quarterfi - 

nals 

Chris Simdorn 

Field Goals Made: 4, vs. UC Davis, 

1983 NCAA quarterfi nals 

PATs Attempted: 7, vs. Indiana 


PATs Made: 6, vs. Sacramento 

State, 1988 NCAA semifi nals; 

6, vs. Ashland, 1986 NCAA 

quarterfi nals; 



Least Yards Yielded Rushing: 32, 

to Northern Colorado, 1990 


Most Yards Yielded Rushing: 328, 

to SW Texas State, 1981 NCAA 

Palm Bowl 

Least Yards Yielded Passing: 0, 

to Mankato State, 1991 NCAA 

fi rst round 

Most Yards Yielded Passing: 355, 

to UC Davis, 1984 NCAA quarterfi 

nals 

Least Yards Yielded Total Offense: 

97, to Grambling, 

1965 NCAA Pecan Bowl 

Most Yards Yielded Total Offense: 

526, to SW Texas State, 1981 

NCAA Palm Bowl 

Least Points Yielded: 0, to Cal 

Poly, 1990 NCAA quarterfi nals; 

0, to Ashland, 1986 NCAA quarterfi 

nals 

Most Points Yielded: 42, to SW 

Texas State, 1981 NCAA Palm 

Bowl 

Fumbles: 6, vs. North Alabama, 

1985 NCAA Palm Bowl 

Fumbles Recovered: 5, vs. 


Bowl 

Passes Intercepted: 4, vs. 

Montana State, 1976 NCAA 

Grantland Rice Bowl; 



Punts: 8, by Aaron Pederson, vs. 

NW Missouri State, 2000 NCAA 

fi rst round; 

8, by Aaron Pederson, vs. 

Nebraska-Omaha, 2000 NCAA 

quarterfi nals

BISON PLAYOFF HISTORY - North Dakota State University Athletics

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