Chanticleers Return to Fargo for FCS Quarterfinal Saturday on ESPN

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NDSU Notes | Coastal Carolina Notes | Bracket

THIS WEEK: No. 2 seed North Dakota State (12-1) hosts No. 7 seed Coastal Carolina (12-1) in an NCAA Division I quarterfinal game for the second straight season at 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 13, at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome (18,700). The winner advances to face either Sam Houston State or Villanova in the semifinals Dec. 19 or 20.

TELEVISION: Live coverage begins at 11 a.m. on ESPN and the WatchESPN mobile app with Anish Shroff calling the play-by-play and Kelly Stouffer as color analyst.

RADIO: KFGO-AM 790 and KRWK-FM 101.9 of Fargo along with the Peterson Farms Seed Bison Radio Network will have live coverage beginning at 10:30 a.m. KFGO's Scott Miller will describe the play-by-play with NDSU and Buffalo Bills Hall of Famer Phil Hansen as color analyst and NDSU's Jeremy Jorgenson reporting from the sidelines. A live audio stream will be available free of charge on GoBison.com/allaccess.

TICKETS: Saturday's FCS quarterfinal game between North Dakota State and Coastal Carolina is sold out. Season ticket holders have until 5 p.m. Tuesday to purchase their same seats. Unclaimed season tickets go on sale to the public at 8 a.m. Wednesday. Additional tickets may become available Friday at 8 a.m. on GoBison.com/tickets or at the NDSU ticket office in the Fargodome east lobby. Box office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.

GOLD RUSH: Saturday's game will be the third "Gold Rush" of the season with NDSU wearing its alternate yellow jersey and Bison fans encouraged to wear yellow in every section of the Fargodome. NDSU has a 17-0 record in its yellow jerseys since being introduced in 2011, including victories this year's regular season wins over Incarnate Word and South Dakota State.

THE SERIES: This is the second meeting between North Dakota State and Coastal Carolina. The Bison won 48-18 in last year's quarterfinal round. NDSU has not played another Big South opponent. CCU is 0-2 all-time against the Missouri Valley Football Conference including a 17-10 home playoff loss to Western Illinois in 2010.

LAST YEAR'S QUARTERFINAL: North Dakota State rolled up 623 yards of total offense and had seven players combine for 424 rushing yards – the most by NDSU since 1996 – as the Bison beat Coastal Carolina 48-14 in last year's quarterfinals.  Zach Vraa and Kevin Vaadeland each caught touchdown passes and Adam Keller kicked field goals of 26 and 48 yards as the Bison took a 34-7 halftime lead.  Carlton Littlejohn made a team-high nine tackles and Christian Dudzik made two interceptions on back-to-back possessions in the fourth quarter. Coastal Carolina running back Lorenzo Taliaferro, currently with the Baltimore Ravens, ran 11 times for 53 yards. Coastal quarterback Alex Ross was 13 of 26 passing for 185 yards and Matt Hazel, a member of the Miami Dolphins practice squad, caught eight passes for 91 yards.

BISON RALLY PAST JACKS: Two freshmen made game-changing plays in North Dakota State's 27-24 second round win over South Dakota State.  RJ Urzendowski's 12-yard touchdown catch with 54 seconds left and Tre Dempsey's first career interception on the ensuing possession allowed the Bison to run out the clock with one first down.  John Crockett rushed for 102 yards on 23 carries and Carson Wentz was 14 of 25 passing for 235 yards with two TDs to Urzendowski, including a 27-yard strike in the first quarter. Urzendowski made four catches for 109 yards and Wentz had a 27-yard TD run and finished with 13 carries for 70 yards.  Carlton Littlejohn led the Bison defense with 11 tackles including seven solo stops.

POSTSEASON HISTORY: This is North Dakota State's fifth straight appearance in the FCS playoffs and its second as the No. 2 overall seed (2011). NDSU is 15-1 in the FCS playoffs including three straight national titles and a quarterfinal appearance in 2010. This is North Dakota State's 28th postseason appearance overall. NDSU has a 50-14 record all-time in the postseason including three College Division national championships in 1965, 1968 and 1969 and five Division II titles in 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988 and 1990. NDSU is 45-13 in the NCAA playoff format since 1973.

FIFTH STRAIGHT QUARTERFINAL: North Dakota State is just the fourth team to advance to the quarterfinal round of the FCS playoffs five straight years since 1982. Georgia Southern was a six-time quarterfinalist twice, and Appalachian State and Marshall each did it once.
            Consecutive Quarterfinal Appearances
            6 - Georgia Southern, 1985-1990
            6 - Marshall, 1991-1996
            6 - Georgia Southern, 1997-2002
            6 - Appalachian State, 2005-2010
            5 - North Dakota State, 2010-2014

FOURTH MVFC TITLE: North Dakota State earned a share of its fourth straight Missouri Valley Football Conference championship. NDSU and Illinois State were both 7-1. The Bison earned the league's automatic qualifier by virtue of a No. 1 national ranking in the Gridiron Power Index. NDSU is the second school in Valley Football history to win four straight league titles behind Northern Iowa's run of seven straight from 1990 to 1996.

FOUR TITLE TRIPS: The only two FCS teams to play in four consecutive title games were Eastern Kentucky (1979-82) and Youngstown State (1991-94). Three-time defending FCS champion North Dakota State is looking to become the second football team in NCAA history to win four straight national championships. Augustana College of Rock Island, Ill., won four NCAA Division III titles from 1983-86. Coincidentally, NDSU won Division II football titles in 1983, 1985 and 1986 with a runner-up finish in 1984. The women's basketball program at NDSU won four straight Division II titles from 1993 to 1996.

HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: North Dakota State is the No. 2 overall seed for the FCS playoffs and will have home field advantage through the semifinals for the fourth straight season. NDSU is 11-0 at home during the FCS playoffs and has won 12 straight home playoff games including a 1992 Division II first round game against Northeast Missouri State at Dacotah Field. Minnesota State Mankato was the last team to beat NDSU at home in the playoffs, a 27-7 defeat in the 1991 Division II first round.

NATIONAL AWARD FINALISTS: North Dakota State has three finalists for the national FCS awards presented by The Sports Network. Senior defensive end Kyle Emanuel and senior strong safety Colten Heagle are two of the 25 finalists for the Buck Buchanan Award, which goes to the top defensive player in the nation. First-year head coach Chris Klieman is among the 21 finalists for the Eddie Robinson Award for FCS Coach of the Year. The awards will be presented Dec. 15 in Philadelphia.

FOUR ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICANS: North Dakota State led the nation with four student-athletes selected to the Capital One Academic All-America Division I football team by a vote of the College Sports Information Directors of America. Defensive end Kyle Emanuel (3.66 construction management), linebacker Esley Thorton (3.92 exercise science) and quarterback Carson Wentz (4.00 health/physical education) were voted to the first team. Center Jesse Hinz (3.71 criminal justice/Spanish) was selected to the second team. Wide receiver Zach Vraa (3.51 sport management) was an Academic All-District honoree. Those five were all voted to the Missouri Valley Football Conference all-academic first team, and safety Christian Dudzik (3.48 sport management/philosophy) was second team.

ALL-CONFERENCE: Defensive Player of the Year Kyle Emanuel headlined a list of 10 NDSU players named to the All-Missouri Valley Football Conference team. Emanuel was one of eight NDSU players on the first team joining fullback Andrew Bonnet, left tackle Joe Haeg, center Jesse Hinz, linebacker Carlton Littlejohn, safeties Christian Dudzik and Colten Heagle, and punter Ben LeCompte. Running back John Crockett and linebacker Travis Beck were selected to the second team. Quarterback Carson Wentz, wide receiver Zach Vraa and kicker Adam Keller were honorable mentions.

MORE RECORDS FOR KELLER: Senior Adam Keller broke NDSU's career records for PAT kicks (180) and field goals made (52) in the second round win over South Dakota State. He is also the NDSU record holder for PAT attempts (186) and ranks second in field goal attempts (65) eight shy of tying the record. Keller is 47 of 47 on PATs and has converted 106 straight PAT kicks over the past 25 games, a streak which is third longest in MVFC history.

FCS FIELD GOAL RECORD IN SIGHT: North Dakota State's Adam Keller already has a school-record 25 field goals this year, two shy of the FCS record of 27 set this year by Northern Iowa's Michael Schmadeke. Keller made a school-record five field goals in the 22-10 home win over Montana, and booted a career-long 50-yarder against Indiana State. Keller has made eight straight field goal tries and is 9-for-11 from 40 yards and beyond this season.

RECORD CARRIES FOR CROCKETT: Running back John Crockett broke the school single-season record for rushing attempts in the second round win over South Dakota State. Crockett has carried 294 times this season, passing the mark of 280 set by Jake Morris in 1997 and tied by DJ McNorton in 2010. Crockett's 1,527 yards this season are fourth most in NDSU single-season history and just 33 yards shy of passing McNorton for third place.
            NDSU Single-Season Rushing
            1. 1723 - Lamar Gordon, 2000
            2. 1710 - Jake Morris, 1997
            3. 1559 - DJ McNorton, 2010
            4. 1527 - John Crockett, 2014
            5. 1495 - Lamar Gordon, 1999
            6. 1431 - Tyler Roehl, 2007

CROCKETT THIRD IN RUSHING: Senior running back John Crockett needs just 111 rushing yards to move into second place all-time at NDSU in career rushing. Crockett has 3,842 yards in just his third season with the Bison. Crockett is sixth in NDSU history with 18 career 100-yard games including a season-high 177 at Missouri State and a career-high 195 yards in last year's NCAA semifinal win over New Hampshire. This is Crockett's third straight 1,000-yard season despite splitting carries each of his first two seasons. He ranks ninth in the FCS this year in rushing yards (1,527) and 11th in rushing yards per game (117.5).
            NDSU Career Rushing Yards
            1. 4696 - Lamar Gordon, RB, 1998-01 (41g)
            2. 3952 - Kyle Steffes, RB, 2003-06 (41g)
            3. 3842 - John Crockett, RB, 2012-14 (43g)
            4. 3694 - Sam Ojuri, RB, 2009-13 (51g)
            5. 3688 - Jake Morris, RB, 1994-97 (35g)

            NDSU Career Rushing Attempts
            1. 800 - Kyle Steffes, 2003-06
            2. 782 - Lamar Gordon, 1998-01
            3. 678 - John Crockett, 2012-14

            NDSU Career 100-Yard Games
            1. 31 - Lamar Gordon, RB, 1998-01
            2. 20 - Jake Morris, RB, 1994-97
            3. 20 - Chris Simdorn, QB, 1987-90
                20 - Kyle Steffes, RB, 2003-06
            5. 19 - Tony Satter, RB, 1987-90
            6. 18 - John Crockett, RB, 2012-present

VRAA MOVING UP: North Dakota State wide receiver Zach Vraa had a career-high nine receptions and season-high 119 yards against Indiana State and continues to move up the NDSU record book. He has caught a pass in 40 of 42 games in his career and ranks fourth in NDSU career receptions (152) and third in receiving yards (2,390) and touchdown catches (23).
            NDSU Career Receiving Yards
            1. 2732 - Kole Heckendorf, 2005-08 (43g)
            2. 2544 - TR McDonald, 1990-93 (39g)
            3. 2390 - Zach Vraa, 2011-14 (42g)

            NDSU Career Receiving TDs
            1. 26 - Tim Strehlow, 1996-99
            2. 24 - Len Kretchman, 1985-88
            3. 23 - Zach Vraa, 2011-14

            NDSU Career Receptions
            1. 178 - Kole Heckendorf, 2005-08
            2. 163 - Travis White, 2002-06
            3. 161 - Warren Holloway, 2008-11
            4. 152 - Zach Vraa, 2011-14

WENTZ CLIMBING SEASON PASSING CHARTS: First-year starting quarterback Carson Wentz is quickly climbing North Dakota State's single-season lists for passing. Wentz is sixth in NDSU history for passing attempts (300), fifth in completions (189), third in passing yards (2,522), and second in passing touchdowns (21). He is second in the Missouri Valley Football Conference leader and ranks 22nd nationally in completion percentage (.630), and also ranks 11th nationally in passing efficiency (150.7), 17th in yards per completion (13.34), and 12th in yards per attempt (8.41).

TOP SCORING DEFENSE: North Dakota State is allowing just 12.5 points per game and ranks second in the FCS in scoring defense behind only Harvard (12.3 ppg). NDSU led the nation in scoring defense the past three years allowing 12.7 points per game in 2011, then 11.5 points in 2012 and 11.3 points last season. The Bison returned six defensive starters and seven of the top nine tacklers from last year's squad.

SACK MAN: NDSU defensive end and Buck Buchanan Award finalist Kyle Emanuel ranks No. 2 nationally in sacks (16.5) and tackles for loss (28.0). In six games against FCS Top 25 opponents, he has 9.5 sacks, 16.0 tackles for loss and 9 quarterback hurries. Emanuel ranks 11th in FCS history and 4th in the Missouri Valley Football Conference with 32.5 career sacks, and is four sacks from tying the NDSU career record established in 1974 and 1990.
            NDSU Career Sacks (half sacks counted as whole)
            41 - Phil Hansen, DT, 1987-90
            41 - Jerry Dahl, DE, 1973-74
            37 - Kyle Emanuel, DE, 2011-14
            31 - Coulter Boyer, DE, 2008-11

            FCS Leaders, Sacks Per Game
            1.50 - Alec May, Georgetown (16.5)
            1.33 - Javon Hargrave, South Carolina State (16.0)
            1.27 - Kyle Emanuel, North Dakota State (16.5)
            1.25 - Zack Wagenmann, Montana (17.5)
            1.08 - Derek Rivers, Youngstown State (13.0)

FOUR TOP TACKLERS: Strong safety Colten Heagle, a Buck Buchanan Award finalist, is NDSU's career leader with 180 solo tackles, while free safety Christian Dudzik and linebacker Carlton Littlejohn are tied for fourth. Littlejohn is seventh and Heagle ninth in total tackles. Linebacker Travis Beck, who suffered a season-ending injury against Youngstown State, finished seventh in solo tackles (128) and 10th in total tackles (308).
            NDSU Career Solo Tackles
            180 - Colten Heagle, SS, 2010-14
            159 - Joe Mays, LB, 2004-07 (Kansas City Chiefs)
            147 - Ramon Humber, LB, 2005-09 (New Orleans Saints)
            141 - Christian Dudzik, FS, 2011-14
            141 - Carlton Littlejohn, LB, 2011-14
            132 - Craig Dahl, SS, 2003-06 (San Francisco 49ers)
            128 - Travis Beck, LB, 2011-14

            NDSU Career Total Tackles
            398 - Rick Budde, 1974-76
            391 - Jim Dick, 1982-86
            363 - Sean Fredricks, 1994-97
            337 - Steve Nelson, 1971-73
            331 - Todd Lecy, 1978-81
            326 - Grant Olson, 2010-13
            320 - Jerry Rosburg, 1975-77
            320 - Carlton Littlejohn, 2011-14
            314 - Colten Heagle, 2010-14

50+ GAMES: North Dakota State has six players who have played in at least 50 career games including free safety Christian Dudzik, who has made all 58 career starts, and defensive end Kyle Emanuel, who has played in all 58 games with 51 starts as the Bison have gone 55-3 in that span. Linebacker Travis Beck played in 56 of 57 games including before a season-ending injury against Youngstown State. Linebacker Carlton Littlejohn has played in 56 contests, and strong safety Colten Heagle and tight end Kevin Vaadeland have each played in 55 games.   The FCS record for games played is 62 by Appalachian State linebacker Pierre Banks, who made 47 starts from 2004 to 2008.

CHEWING UP CLOCK: North Dakota State ranks first in the FCS in time of possession averaging 34:05 per game. The Bison held the ball for 41:12 against Indiana State, one of only four games in NDSU's Division I history that has happened:
            NDSU Time of Possession 40+ Minutes
            41:12 - Indiana State, 2014
            40:48 - Southern Illinois, 2012
            40:20 - at South Dakota State, 2013
            40:17 - Cal Poly, 2006

SUCCESS VS. THE FBS: North Dakota State has an 8-3 record and has won five straight games against Football Bowl Subdivision opponents after beating Iowa State 34-14 in the season-opener. The Bison are 5-0 against the FBS since 2010 with wins at Kansas (6-3), Minnesota (37-24), Colorado State (22-7), Kansas State (24-21) and Iowa State (34-14).

THREE PEAT: North Dakota State is just the second team in FCS history to win three straight national championships joining the Appalachian State teams of 2005-07. NDSU set a school record for wins with a 15-0 mark and become the first undefeated national champion since Southern Conference champion Marshall went 15-0 to win the 1996 title.

VAADELAND BACK FOR SIXTH YEAR: Tight end Kevin Vaadeland, one of 24 seniors on last year's team, returned to the Bison program for a sixth season due to a 2010 injury. Vaadeland made a career-high five receptions in the win over Montana and his 12 career touchdown catches rank second in NDSU history among tight ends behind Jerimiah Wurzbacher's 14 TDs from 2005-09.

BISON AT HOME: North Dakota State has won 21 straight home games and 46 of the last 47 home games over non-conference opponents including 36 straight since a 2003 loss to UC Davis. NDSU is 9-2 at home against Top 10 teams after beating No. 3/4-ranked Montana. The Bison have the longest home winning streak in Division I football.
            Division I Home Winning Streaks
            21 - North Dakota State (MVFC)
            16 - Alabama (SEC)
            16 - Baylor (Big 12)
            14 - Florida State (ACC)
            14 - Boise State (Mountain West)
            14 - Fordham (Patriot)

RECORD ATTENDANCE: North Dakota State in 2013 set a school record for average home attendance for the third straight year drawing 18,622 over nine games, which ranked sixth in the FCS. NDSU drew a record crowd of 19,108 for last year's homecoming game against Missouri State, and the crowd of 19,034 for homecoming this year vs. Southern Illinois was the fourth largest in school history. The Bison have sold out 21 times since 2006 including four games this season. NDSU ranks third in FCS average home attendance.
            2014 FCS average home attendance
            1. Montana - 23,777
            2. James Madison - 19,816
            3. North Dakota State - 18,723
            4. Montana State - 17,056
            5. Liberty - 17,016

THE COACH: The 30th head coach in team history, Chris Klieman (Northern Iowa, 1992) took over the Bison in January after spending the previous three seasons as the defensive backs coach including defensive coordinator duties in 2012 and 2013. The head coach at Division III Loras College in 2005, Klieman came to NDSU after five years at Northern Iowa. He also made coaching stops at Western Illinois (1994-96), Kansas (1997), Missouri State (1999) and Loras (2002-04). He is a native of Waterloo, Iowa, and was a three-time all-conference defensive back at UNI from 1986-90. Klieman's 9-0 start was the best by any first-year head coach school and conference history. He is a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award for FCS Coach of the Year.

CONFERENCE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: The following players were recognized as Player of the Week by the Missouri Valley Football Conference for their performances:
        - Kyle Emanuel, 3x Defense (Team-high nine tackles at Iowa State including 4.0 TFLs, 2.0 sacks and a forced fumble...Had 4 of 5 tackles go for negative yardage in win over Indiana State with 2.5 sacks, 3.5 TFLs and two QB hurries...Career-high 10 tackles, 4.0 sacks, 4.5 TFL with a FF and QBH against South Dakota State)
        - John Crockett, Offense (17 carries for 139 yards and a career-high three touchdowns at Iowa State, including an 80-yard TD to spark Bison to 34 unanswered points in 34-14 win)
        - Joe Haeg, 2x Offensive Line (Graded out at 100% in win at Iowa State with six knockdown blocks as NDSU put up 506 total yards of offense including 302 on the ground...Graded 91% technique and 100% assignment at Southern Illinois with four knockdowns)
        - Adam Keller, Special Teams (School-record five field goals in the 22-10 win over
No. 3/4-ranked Montana, connecting from 41, 22, 32, 47 and 30 yards)
        - Christian Dudzik, Defense (Forced fumble and two interceptions led to three NDSU touchdowns in win over Youngstown State...Also a team- and season-high eight tackles)

NATIONAL HONORS: The following players have earned national recognition this season for their performances:
        - Kyle Emanuel, 2x Sports Network FCS Defensive Player of the Week (Team-high nine tackles at Iowa State including 4.0 TFLs, 2.0 sacks and a forced fumble...Career-high 10 tackles, 4.0 sacks, 4.5 TFL with a FF and QBH against South Dakota State); 2x College Sporting News FCS National All-Star (Had 4 of 5 tackles go for negative yardage in win over Indiana State with 2.5 sacks, 3.5 TFLs and two QB hurries...Career-high 10 tackles, 4.0 sacks, 4.5 TFL with a FF and QBH against South Dakota State); 2x CFPA FCS Defensive Lineman of the Week (Career-high 10 tackles, 4.0 sacks, 4.5 TFL with a FF and QBH against South Dakota State...Career-high 10 tackles, 2.0 sacks, 3.5 TFL and 27-yard INT return at Missouri State)
        - John Crockett, College Sporting News FCS National All-Star (17 carries for 139 yards and a career-high three touchdowns at Iowa State, including an 80-yard TD to spark Bison to 34 unanswered points in 34-14 win)
        - Carlton Littlejohn, College Sporting News FCS National All-Star (Scored go-ahead touchdown on 5-yard fumble return in 24-7 win at Weber State, where one of his 12 tackles came at the NDSU 2 on a fake field goal to preserve a 21-7 lead)
        - Adam Keller, College Sporting News FCS National All-Star (School-record five field goals in the 22-10 win over No. 3/4-ranked Montana, connecting from 41, 22, 32, 47 and 30 yards) and CFPA FCS Placekicker of the Week (Scored 17 points including four FGs in 47-7 win at South Dakota)
        - Ben LeCompte, CFPA FCS Punter of the Week (Two punts averaging 64.5 yards in home win over South Dakota State, including season-long 66-yarder)
        - Christian Dudzik, College Sporting News FCS National All-Star (Forced fumble and two interceptions led to three NDSU touchdowns in win over Youngstown State...Also a team- and season-high eight tackles)

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Players Mentioned

#34 Grant Olson: LB; 6' 0"; Senior

#22 Sam Ojuri: RB; 6' 0"; Senior

#52 Travis Beck: LB; 6' 0"; Senior

#46 Andrew Bonnet: FB; 6' 3"; Junior

#23 John Crockett: RB; 6' 0"; Senior

#24 Tre Dempsey: CB; 5' 10"; Redshirt Freshman

#35 Christian Dudzik: FS; 5' 10"; Senior

#53 Kyle Emanuel: DE; 6' 3"; Senior

#59 Joe Haeg: OT; 6' 6"; Junior

#20 Colten Heagle: SS; 5' 11"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#34 Grant Olson
: 6' 0"; Senior
: LB

#22 Sam Ojuri
: 6' 0"; Senior
: RB

#52 Travis Beck
: 6' 0"; Senior
: LB

#46 Andrew Bonnet
: 6' 3"; Junior
: FB

#23 John Crockett
: 6' 0"; Senior
: RB

#24 Tre Dempsey
: 5' 10"; Redshirt Freshman
: CB

#35 Christian Dudzik
: 5' 10"; Senior
: FS

#53 Kyle Emanuel
: 6' 3"; Senior
: DE

#59 Joe Haeg
: 6' 6"; Junior
: OT

#20 Colten Heagle
: 5' 11"; Senior
: SS