Begins his third season as the quarterback of the Bison defense...Preseason pick to the All-Great West Football Conference second team defense...Runs extremely well and is a good hitter...Very intelligent player...2003 SEASON (JUNIOR): Played in all 11 games, charting 56 total tackles including 35 solo stops...Had 10 tackles in the shutout of South Dakota State, nine against Nebraska-Omaha and seven vs. California-Davis...Made five interceptions including one in the stunning comeback win at Montana and one against South Dakota State, Minnesota State-Mankato, Nebraska-Omaha and North Dakota in consecutive weeks...Also had three pass breakups including two in the Cal-Davis game...2002 SEASON (SOPHOMORE): Started all 10 games at free safety and led the Bison in tackles (73) and defensive points (441)...Had a team high 40 solo tackles, recovered a fumble, intercepted a pass, and broke up three passes...Charted double digit tackles in three games including 12 against North Dakota, 12 at Nebraska-Omaha and 10 against Northern Colorado...His pass interception came in the loss at Cal-Davis and his fumble recovery came in that same game...2001 SEASON (FRESHMAN): Played in all 10 games and started the final two games at cornerback...Charted 32 tackles including 26 solo stops, broke up seven passes, and intercepting one pass...Returned his interception 73 yards for the game-clinching touchdown in the 31-22 win over previously undefeated Nebraska-Omaha in the season home finale...Logged five tackles in a game four times--against Western State, South Dakota State, UN-Omaha, and St. Cloud State...2000 SEASON (REDSHIRT): Sat out the season as a redshirt in the Bison grid program...COLLEGE TRACK & FIELD: Six-time NCAA All-American in the relays and an outstanding mid-distance sprinter...Twelve-time North Central Conference placewinner, including two individual championships in the 400-meter dash and three relay championships...Career bests are :21.54 in the 200-meter dash and :47.01 in the 400 meters...Shares five NDSU school or stadium relay records, including the indoor and outdoor school 800 relay marks, the school outdoor 1,600 relay record, and the Schlanser Track records in the 400 and 1,600 relays...Helped break the school record in the outdoor 800 relay on consecutive weekends in 2004 as the Bison established the new mark of 1:24.21 in a first-place effort at Drake...Ran the second leg of the NCAA Division II outdoor runner-up 1,600 relay in 2004, which turned in a school-record time of 3:07.75...Shared duty in setting new records twice in that event during the 2003 season...HONORS: All-North Central Conference second team defense in 2003...Academic All-NCC and second team Academic All-District in 2003...Also honored in track & field, picking up Academic All-NCC accolades in 2003 and 2004, and third team Academic All-District in 2002...HIGH SCHOOL: Prepped at Bishop Ryan High School in Minot where he was a two-time first team All-State selection and a two-time first team all-conference selection...His All-State honors were as a safety his junior year and as a quarterback his senior season...Helped Ryan HS to state Class AA titles in 1997 and 1999...Two-time MVP and team captain as a senior...Played quarterback, free safety, and returned kicks...Ran for over 1,700 yards and 41 TDs and passed for over 1,000 yards and eight TDs as a senior...Scored 85 touchdowns in his career...Also competed in track where he won 10 state titles, setting two state records...Won four state crowns as a senior and was named the Gatorade North Dakota Male Track Athlete of the Year...Also played basketball where he was second team All-State and helped the squad to a state runnerup finish as a senior...PERSONAL: Major fields of study in college are social science and physical education...Enjoys basketball, PlayStation, and the Internet in his spare moments...Family includes a younger sister, Jocelyn, who sprints for the Bison women's track team...Son of Dennis and Kae Essler of Minot.
Defensive Point Chart
Season G UT AT TT FF FR P-BU,D INT KB Pts. Sacks Penetr's
2001 10 26 6 32 0 0 7 1 0 237 0 0
2002 10 40 33 73 1 1 3 1 0 441 0 2
2003 11 35 21 56 0 0 3 5 0 388 1 0
Career 31 101 60 161 1 1 13 7 0 1066 1 2
Pass Interceptions Scoring
Season G No. Yds. Avg. TD LG TD PAT-1 PAT-2 Pts.
2001 10 1 73 73.0 1 73 1 0-0 0-0 6
2002 10 1 0 0.0 0 0 0 0-0 0-0 0
2003 11 5 56 11.2 0 39 0 0-0 0-0 0
Career 31 7 129 18.4 1 73 1 0-0 0-0 6
Punt Returns Kickoff Returns
Season G No. Yds. Avg. TD LG No. Yds. Avg. TD LG
2001 10 3 10 3.3 0 7 0 0 0.0 0 0
2002 10 4 16 4.0 0 7 0 0 0.0 0 0
2003 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0.0 0 0
Career 20 7 26 3.7 0 7 1 0 0.0 0 0
