#1 North Dakota State FCS Football 2020 Preview
August 29, 2020 · Joel Welser
North Dakota State Bison
Overall Rank: #1
#1 Missouri Valley
Coach Matt Entz took over the program and North Dakota State did not miss a step. The Bison went a perfect 16-0 and won yet another national title. That makes it eight in the last nine years. As always, NDSU will have some big holes to fill heading into the next campaign but, as always, they have the talent ready to step up. North Dakota State will enter the spring of 2021 as the team to beat and if history has taught us anything, nobody will be able to beat them in the playoffs.
2019 Record: 16-0, 8-0
2019 Postseason: FCS Playoffs
Coach: Matt Entz (16-0 at North Dakota State, 16-0 overall)
Offensive Coordinator: Tyler Roehl
Defensive Coordinator: David Braun
Returning Leaders:
Rushing: Trey Lance, QB, 1,100 yards
Passing: Trey Lance, QB, 2,786 yards
Receiving: Christian Watson, WR, 732 yards
Tackles: Jackson Hankey, LB, 127
Sacks: Spencer Waege, DE, 5.5
Interceptions: Michael Tutsie, S, 7
Other Key Returnees: RB Adam Cofield, RB Kobe Johnson, WR Phoenix Sproles, OL Dillon Radunz, OL Cordell Volson, S James Kaczor, CB Josh Hayes, DE Logan McCormick
Key Losses: RB Ty Brooks, WR Jimmy Kepouros, TE Ben Ellefson, OL Zack Johnson, DL Derrek Tuszka, LB Jabril Cox, DB James Hendricks, DB Marquise Bridges, DL Jack Darnell
Projected Postseason: FCS Playoffs
2019 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 287.6 (4th in nation, 1st in conference)
Passing Offense: 181.9 (95, 8)
Total Offense: 469.5 (8, 1)
Scoring Offense: 37.3 (9, 1)
Rushing Defense: 136.1 (30, 4)
Pass Defense: 138.6 (1, 1)
Total Defense: 274.7 (2, 1)
Scoring Defense: 12.3 (1, 1)
Turnover Margin: 1.06 (5, 1)
Sacks: 2.75 (18, 5)
Sacks Allowed: 0.81 (5, 1)
Madness 2020 Recruit Rankings:
| Rank | Name | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | High School | Sport |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | Courtney Eubanks | WR | NA | NA | Clearwater, FL | FCS Football |
| 61 | Joe Stoffel | TE | NA | NA | River Falls, WI | FCS Football |
| 100 | Cole Wisniewski | DB | NA | NA | Sparta, WI | FCS Football |
| 105 | Seth Anderson | DL | NA | NA | Moorhead, MN | FCS Football |
| 291 | D.J. Hart | WR | NA | NA | Suwanee, GA | FCS Football |
| 295 | Dominic Gonnella | RB | NA | NA | Valrico, FL | FCS Football |
