NDSU Travels to Greeley To Battle UNC In Great West Football Conference Opener
8/30/2004 5:00:00 AM | Football
North Dakota State University (1-0) will open Great West Football Conference play on the road at the University of Northern Colorado (0-0) ... Kick-off is scheduled for 3:10 p.m. (CST) Saturday, Sept. 4 at Nottingham Field in Greeley, CO ... It's the opening game for the Bears ... UNC was the top pick by the media in the Great West Football Conference pre-season poll and second by the coaches ... In pre-season national rankings, Northern Colorado was ranked No. 24 by the Football Gazette, No. 27 by the Sports Network and No. 28 in the ESPN/Sportsticker I-AA Top 25.
Both the Bison and Bears helped create the newest I-AA football conference in the offseason. Since the South Dakota State-UC Davis game will kickoff later tonight, the NDSU-UNC game will serve as the first game in the inaugural year of Great West conference play.
TICKETS: For more information, contact the UNC ticket office at 1-970-351-2327 or 970-351-2534.
TRAVEL PLANS: Depart Friday morning, Sept. 3, via charter airline to Greeley, CO ... Practice is scheduled for Friday afternoon at Nottingham Field in Greeley ... Headquarter at the Best Western Regency in Greeley ... Game time is set for 3:10 p.m. at Nottingham Field ... Return home immediately following game via charter airline to Fargo.
RADIO BROADCASTS: WDAY-AM 970, Fargo... Scott Miller will handle the play-by-play. Former NDSU All-American and 11-year NFL great Phil Hansen will handle the color duties, while WDAY-TV sports anchor Steve Hallstrom and radio personality Jack Michaels will handle the sideline and locker room interviews ... Air time is set for 2:25 p.m. (CST) ... Bismarck (KXMR, 710 AM) and Williston (KEYZ, 660 AM) are on the Bison Radio Network.
KFKA 1310 AM, Greeley, CO; KSIR 1010 AM, Fort Morgan, CO ... Veteran broadcaster Mike Rice will be calling the play-by-play and Troy Cloverdale will provide the color commentary.
NDSU, NORTHERN COLORADO ON FOX SPORTS NET: The North Dakota State-Northern Colorado game on Saturday, Sept. 4, is scheduled to be broadcast on Fox Sports North and Fox Sports Rocky Mountain at 3 p.m. Kick-off is scheduled for 3:10 p.m.
Tim Neveritt will handle the play-by-play and former Denver Bronco Howard Griffith will provide color commentary. FSN North reaches more than 3 million homes throughout Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and North and South Dakota and telecasts nearly 2,600 hours of locally produced programming per year. The Emmy Award-winning regional sports network provides comprehensive coverage of the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves and Milwaukee Bucks, MLB's Minnesota Twins and Milwaukee Brewers, the NHL's Minnesota Wild and the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx as well as University of Minnesota athletic events.
THE SERIES: This will be the 29th meeting between the former North Central Conference schools ... North Dakota State leads the all-time series 21-7 ... This will be the first meeting between North Dakota State and Northern Colorado since 2002 when the Bears posted a 29-7 victory in Fargo ... UNC has won two of the last three meetings and five of the last eight ... Five of the past eight games have been decided by four points or less ... The last NDSU victory came during the 2000 season, when the Bison posted a 38-14 win.
THE COACHES: North Dakota State head coach Craig Bohl is in second season at the helm of the Bison with an 9-3 mark to date ... Bohl came to NDSU in 2003 from the University of Nebraska where he was an assistant coach for eight seasons including defensive coordinator over the final three years ... He was an assistant at North Dakota State, Tulsa, Wisconsin, Rice and Duke prior to Nebraska ... He played his college ball at Nebraska (1977-79).
Kay Dalton (Colorado State, 1954) enters his fifth season at Northern Colorado and has compiled a 32-15-1 record ... Led the Bears to a 9-2 record in their first year at the I-AA level in 2003 ... Has a career record of 65-27 in nine seasons at the collegiate level ... Also coached at Trinidad State Junior College, Western State College, and the CFL's (Canadian Football League) Montreal Allouettes.
Probable Two-Deeps
NORTH DAKOTA STATE Bison (1-0, 0-0 GWFC)
Offense Ht. Wt. Yr. Hometown
LT 76 Nick Zilka 6-6 311 Jr. Bloomington, MN
77 Nate Safe 6-5 298 Fr. Cannon Falls, MN
LG 75 Justin Monson 6-4 1/2 279 Jr. Gardner, ND
78 Jake Erickson 6-3 288 So. Brooklyn Park, MN
C 53 Rob Hunt 6-4 289 Sr. Cavalier, ND
62 Hugh Medal 6-1 282 Jr. Grand Forks, ND
RG 73 Justin Buckwalter 6-4 313 So. Lake Preston, SD
6 Jerrod Wagner 6-4 293, Fr., Pewaukee, WI
RT 69 Tim Popowski 6-2 1/2 311 Jr. Brookings, SD
74 Adam Tadisch 6-6 1/2 309 So. Wausaukee, WI
TE 85 Andy DelaBarre 6-2 1/2 251 Jr. Minot, ND
81 Derek Arndt 6-5 1/2 237 Jr. LaMoure, ND
QB 9 Tony Stauss 6-0 209 Sr. Racine, WI
11 Steve Walker 6-1 198 Fr. Lockport, IL
FB 45 Johnny Frank 6-1 245 Sr. Wabasso, MN
46 Tyler Roehl 5-10 228 Fr. West Fargo, ND
HB 23 Kyle Steffes 5-11 1/2 204 So. Dickinson, ND
34 Cinque Chapman 5-8 1/2 173 Fr. Chicago, IL
FL 1 Allen Burrell 5-10 176 Sr. Aurora, CO
10 Charles Wiest 6-1 179 Sr. North Mankato, MN
SE 15 Travis White 5-11 173 Jr. Cedar, MN
6 Marques Johnson 5-8 159 Jr. Milwaukee, WI
Defense Ht. Wt. Yr. Hometown
LE 91 Alvin Robinson 6-0 238 Jr. Sumrall, MS
97 Isaac Lavant 5-11 1/2 248 Jr. Phoenix, AZ
DT 98 Dwight Summerville 6-2 1/2 266 Sr. Grenada, MS
95 Rodney Thompson 6-2 1/2 309 Jr. Minneapolis, MN
NG 59 Isaac Snell 6-6 288 Sr. Pipestone, MN
82 Justin Frick 6-3 1/2 283 So. Yankton, SD
RE 50 Travis Ware 6-0 245 Sr. Batesville, MS
96 James Delmedico 6-4 258 Sr. White Bear Lake, MN
LB 33 Jayd Kittelson 5-9 1/2 216 Sr. Velva, ND
26 Bill Wrigley 6-0 1/2 199 Sr. Heyburn, ID
LB 28 Kole Zimmerman 5-11 1/2 222 Jr. Windom, MN
8 Joe Mays 5-11 244 Fr. Chicago, IL
LB 32 Brian Erenberg 6-2 221 Sr. West Fargo, ND
48 Rob Mamula 5-11 230 Sr. West Linn, OR
CB 18 Matt Gorman 5-11 1/2 185 Sr. Marshfield, WI
21 Ryan Olson 5-11 182 So. Buffalo, MN
SS 20 Craig Dahl 6-1 1/2 207 So. Mankato, MN
44 Cody Kittelson 5-11 1/2 181 Jr. Velva, ND
FS 13 Jared Essler 5-11 1/2 191 Sr. Minot, ND
24 Kyle Ihry 5-9 1/2 175 Sr. Reynolds, ND
CB 2 Bobby Babich 5-10 177 Jr. Fargo, ND
27 Scott Walter 5-9 172 Jr. Wahpeton, ND
Specialists
Punter?Mike Dragosavich
Snapper?Allan Woodstrom
FGs, PAT, KO?Cory Vartanian
Holder?Steve Walker
Punt Return?Shamen Washington
Kickoff Return?Allen Burrell, Marques Johnson
Avg. Weight Off. Line 292
Avg. Weight Backs 219
Avg. Weight Receivers 174
Avg. Weight Def. Line 259
Avg. Weight LB 219
Avg. Weight DB 190
NORTHERN COLORADO Bears (0-0 Overall, 0-0 GWFC)
Offense Ht. Wt. Yr. Hometown
WR 81 Vincent Jackson 6-6 235 Sr. Colorado Springs, Colo.
18 Tyrees Bingham 6-4 180 So. Colorado Springs, Colo.
TE 86 Jens Lundeen 6-3 225 So. Boulder, Colo.
88 Paul Sweitzer 6-3 230 Jr. Littleton, Colo.
LT 70 Shaun Farner 6-4 280 Jr. Brighton, Colo.
65 Gordon Stant 6-4 254 Fr. Littleton, Colo.
LG 68 Bradley Forbush 6-2 284 Jr. Lone Tree, Colo.
74 Chad Cooper 6-2 255 So. Broomfield, Colo.
C 66 Matt Sens 6-4 276 So. Greeley, Colo.
50 Ben Sibert 6-4 251 R-Fr. Highlands Ranch, Colo.
RG 61 Jacob Gable 6-3 293 R-Fr. Papillion, Neb.
75 Bret Garegnani 6-5 319 So. Lakewood, Colo.
RT 91 Steven Bailey 6-4 276 Sr Caliche, Colo.
69 Marche Moore 6-5 310 R-Fr. Aurora, Colo.
WR 5 Jamar Farbes 6-0 175 Sr. Aurora, Colo.
8 Cory Sleeth 6-1 187 R-Fr. Westminster, Colo.
QB 12 Tony Christensen 6-2 210 Jr. Littleton, Colo.
14 Nick Hager 6-0 180 Jr. Fort Collins, Colo.
RB 9 Andre Wilson 6-1 190 So. Denver, Colo.)
35 Patrick Ealy 5-8 181 Fr. Denver, Colo.
FB 44 Trent Dietz 6-3 241 So. Billings, Mont.)
41 Tyler Ward 5-11 205 Fr. Colorado Springs, Colo.
Defense Ht. Wt. Yr. Hometown
DE 32 Jason McMillan 6-3 230 Sr. Hotchkiss, Colo.
52 Matt West 6-4 220 So. Montrose, Colo.
DT 72 Jacob Carlson 6-3 280 So. Greeley, Colo.
43 Jon Losh 6-1 247 Jr. Littleton, Colo.
NG 97 Jared Wallen 6-3 285 Sr. Parker, Colo.
90 Cody Bliss 6-3 258 Jr. Durango, Colo.
DE 94 Jeff Spletzer 6-3 257 Sr. Brighton, Colo.
55 Kurt Hout 6-2 225 R-Fr. Arvada, Colo.
OLB 26 Wade Sumpter 6-1 225 Sr. Fowler, Colo.
19 Jeff Vaden 6-0 180 R-Fr. Commerce City, Colo.
MLB 51 Ryan Palmer 6-1 240 Sr. Arvada, Colo.
3 West Busha 6-1 216 Sr. Green River, Wyo.
OLB 4 Thomas Smith 6-0 230 Jr. Denver, Colo.
58 Sam Lewis 6-0 231 Fr. San Antonio, Texas
CB 30 Greg Gebhardt 6-0 185 Jr. Loveland, Colo.
1 Sirwestly Williams 6-0 192 So. Denver, Colo.
SS 25 Charles Barrett 5-10 205 Sr. Colorado Springs, Colo.
13 D.J. Craft 6-0 215 R-Fr. Littleton, Colo.
FS 6 Reed Doughty 6-1 208 Jr. Johnstown, Colo.
15 Weston Hielscher 6-2 203 R-Fr. Yuma, Colo.
CB 20 Aaron Henderson 5-9 185 R-Fr. Colorado Springs, Colo.
22 Darcy Shaw 5-8 175 Sr. Aurora, Colo.
SPECIALISTS
Place Kicker?Justin Zaitz
Punter?Chad Harter
Kickoff?Andrew McCawley
Holder?Dylan Moss
Long Snapper?Nick Hager
KO, Punt Return?Patrick Ealy, Aaron Henderson
Avg. Weight Off. Line 272
Avg. Weight Backs 213
Avg. Weight Receivers 205
Avg. Weight Def. Line 263
Avg. Weight LB 231
Avg. Weight DB 195
BISON CAPTAINS SELECTED: Quarterback Tony Stauss, center Rob Hunt, safety Jared Essler and cornerback Matt Gorman have been selected as North Dakota State's team captains for the 2004 season.
Stauss and Hunt served last year with former linebackers Mike Sheppard and Josh Mock. Sheppard is still with the team as a student assistant coach.
NEW TALENT, NEW FORMAT FOR CRAIG BOHL FOOTBALL SHOW: The all-new Craig Bohl Football Show airs every Sunday throughout the season at 10:30 p.m. on WDAY-TV in Fargo, and on KBMY-TV in Bismarck and KMCY-TV in Minot on Wednesdays at 10 p.m.
Former NDSU and Buffalo Bills star Phil Hansen, in his second year as a radio commentator for Bison broadcasts on WDAY-AM, will host the new show with a different format and new set from previous Bison football shows.
FOOTBALL 101: Bison athletics is offering an opportunity for all to learn more about the game of football. Head coach Craig Bohl will be teaching a course called Football 101. The goal of the program is for ladies and fun-loving fans to gather in a social setting and learn more about football.
The locker room area of the Fargodome will be the setting for four fun and informative sessions starting Wednesday, Sept. 8. Classes will meet from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Sept. 8, Sept. 15, Sept. 22, and Sept. 29. Sessions will include classroom chalk talks, on field demonstrations, offense, defense, kicking game and football rules. Cost is $40. All proceeds will benefit the Bison Excellence Fund.
ACTION JACKSON: University of Northern Colorado senior wide receiver Vincent Jackson has been named to four All-America teams this year. In addition to his presence on Street and Smith's and The Sports Network's Preseason All-American teams Jackson was also named to I-AA.org's and Don Hansen's Football Gazette's preseason All-American teams.
I-AA.org named Jackson to its first team. I-AA.org was launched in 2001 as a news source for individuals, organizations and broadcasters who seek information about Division I-AA collegiate football. I-AA.org Magazine 2004 Fall Preview is the only magazine of its kind and previews the upcoming 2004 season. It contains previews of each conference and capsules on each team in I-AA.
Jackson was also named to the first team of Don Hansen's Football Gazette I-AA Preseason All-American Team. He was the only UNC player named to either of these teams.
In 2003, Jackson tallied the most prolific season ever for a UNC receiver. He began to receive national recognition with his 214-yard, 3-TD game at Idaho State (Sept. 13). Jackson was named the Pioneer Press State of Colorado Player of the Week (Sept. 29) for his eight-catch 123-yard effort in the Bears' 14-10 win over Montana State. Jackson tallied another 200+ receiving effort in a 205-yard, 2-TD game against Western Washington (Oct. 11).
NDSU DEFENSE HANGS A ZERO: The North Dakota State defense disrupted Valparaiso's offense throughout the contest to post a shutout. The last NDSU shutout was 24-0 vs. South Dakota State during the 2003 season. The Bison have three shutouts since 2000. Craig Dahl, Brian Erenberg and Rob Mamula each recorded an interception, while Jayd Kittelson, Isaac Snell, Kole Zimmerman, Justin Frick and Dahl all contributed a sack. In his first start at NDSU, defensive end Alvin Robinson led the Bison with 10 tackles including four solo stops. Cornerback Bobby Babich had two pass breakups in the contest.
North Dakota State didn't allow Valpo past its own 49-yard line during the contest. The Bison recorded their 29th shutout in an opening game and the first since 1974 when NDSU defeated Nebraska-Omaha 3-0. The Bison allowed 85 yards rushing and 180 yards of total offense overall.
STEFFES TOPS 100 YARDS FOR THIRD TIME IN CAREER: Kyle Steffes rushed for a career-high 175 yards and four touchdowns. He scored on runs of 43, 14, 34 and 2 yards. Steffes, a 5-foot-11, 204-pound sophomore from Dickinson, ND, logged his third career 100-yard game against Valpo. His previous career-best was 140 yards on 23 carries against Nebraska-Omaha last season. Steffes scored a total of three TDs all of an injury-shortened 2003 campaign. The Bison rushed for 353 yards and had 486 yards of total offense.
AMAZING SHAMEN: Speedy 5-foot-6, 140-pound freshman Shamen Washington (St. Petersburg, FL) had an impressive collegiate debut in a Bison uniform. He returned six punts for 98 yards, an average of 16.3 yards per return. Washington also rushed nine times for 67 yards.
NO PASSING FANCY: North Dakota State quarterback Tony Stauss posted impressive numbers during his first season ... Completed 220 of 325 passes for 2,134 yards and a 67.7 percent competion rate ... The 220 completions set a new NDSU single-season record ... Intercepted only seven times ... Threw 15 TD passes ... Tossed a school record five TDs in the 35-3 win over South Dakota ... Passed for over 300 yards in the final two games including a season-best 317 yards against Concordia-St. Paul in the season finale ... With eight completions against Valparaiso University, he moved into fourth place all-time in completions ... With 228, he passed Terry Hanson (222, 1965-67) and Mark Speral (225, 1977-80), and is closing in on No. 3 Ryan Johnson (240, 1997-00) ... Kevin Feeney (1995-98) is the all-time leader in completions (304) and total yards (4,769) ... Stauss completed 8 of 17 passes for 112 yards, two TDs and an interception ... His favorite target was split end Travis White, who caught five passes for 68 yards and one TD.
GREAT WEST FOOTBALL CONFERENCE: North Dakota State will begin its first season at the Division I-AA level in the newly-formed Great West Football Conference. The conference is comprised of six schools located in five states and three time zones. League membership includes NDSU, Northern Colorado, South Dakota State, Cal Poly, Southern Utah and UC Davis.
North Dakota State had three seniors ? offensive center Rob Hunt, defensive end Travis Ware and cornerback Matt Gorman ? named to the Preseason All-Great West Football Conference first team selected by GWFC correspondent Chris Kelly.
On another Preseason All-GWFC team selected by Josh Buchanan (I-AA.org), Hunt, Ware, and Gorman were joined by sophomore running back Kyle Steffes on the first team. Second team selections included junior linebacker Jayd Kittelson, senior free safety Jared Essler and senior return specialist Allen Burrell. Honorable mention included senior quarterback Tony Stauss, wide receiver Burrell and senior defensive tackle Dwight Summerville.
GREAT WEST FOOTBALL CONFERENCE PRESEASON POLLS: North Dakota State was picked third in the Great West Football Conference Media Poll and fourth in the Great West Football Conference Coaches Poll.
RECORD CROWD AT OPENER: The Bison rumbled past Valparaiso University before a record home opener crowd on Aug. 28. The previous Fargodome home opener record was 18,059 against Pittsburg State in the first-ever game played at the dome in 1993, and also topped the previous home opener record of 18,500 that witnessed the Northern Michigan game at Dacotah Field in 1989. The crowd ranks fifth all-time at the Fargodome.
NORTH DAKOTA STATE FIRST IN DIVISION II ATTENDANCE: North Dakota State University's football program, annually one of the top draws in the country in Division II football, earned its fifth national attendance title in 2003.
The Bison averaged 11,567 fans per game in six regular season games in 2003. The Bison dumped Tuskogee out of the top spot for the first time in three years. NDSU would have ranked No. 23 among 2003 NCAA I-AA attendance leaders.
The Bison have won five national attendance crowns including 1987 (14,120), 1989 (16,833), 1997 (12,512), 2000 (12,723, and 2003 (11,567).
NEW LOOK FOR BISON: North Dakota State will have a new look on the field this season. The Bison sport a new home uniform. The helmets are the same, but there are substantial differences in the jerseys and pants.
The traditional green top has been modified with a solid yellow collar, yellow piping down the sides, and a bold yellow stripe around the shoulder. The word “BISON” has been added on the chest. The yellow pants now feature a solid green stripe down the outside of the legs instead of the former green-white-green look.
NDSU's white jerseys will be the same as worn in recent years with the addition of “NORTH DAKOTA STATE” across the chest.
The jersey modifications are the first major changes since 1975 when the Bison adopted the solid green top with yellow and white trim. Only minor alterations were made in the following years.
SUCCESS OF THE BISON PROGRAM: The success of North Dakota State football over the past few years has been nothing short of phenomenal. Here is what the Bison have accomplished since the early 1980s:
-Captured six straight North Central Conference title from 1981 to 1986 and 11 in the last 23 years.
-Had NCC winning streak of 20 and 16 wins.
-Won 159 of the last 202 NCC games (159-41-2, .792)
-Won 213 of the last 272 games (213-57-2, .786)
-Won 187 of the last 235 regular-season games (187-46-2) played including a streak of 22 straight wins before losing to Nebraska-Omaha in October 1983.
-Won 198 of the last 216 home games (198-17-2) at home since a 1980 season-opening 10-0 loss to Northern Michigan.
-Appeared in six straight NCAA playoffs from 1981 to 1986 and 15 in the last 23 years including finishing second nationally in 1981 and 1984, making the semifinals in 1982 and 2000, and winning the NCAA title in 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988 and 1990.
