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You may already be familiar with our Faces of Fargo-Moorhead-West Fargo publication which we publish once per year in order to highlight the faces behind all of the great businesses in the community.

Now that we, as fans, have had some time to reflect on the NDSU football season, we should feel much different than the majority of us did after the national championship loss to the Jackrabbits. Of course we were upset, so were the players. At North Dakota State, anything less than a championship is short of the goal, but that doesn't mean we should see it as a failure, especially now as some time has passed.

There are 130 teams in the FCS. Every year, only two get to play in the championship—NDSU managed to reach that mark for an unprecedented 10th time in the last 12 years. That is something to celebrate.

Let's take a look back on the season.

Eight different Bison players scored touchdowns in NDSU’s season-opening win against the Drake Bulldogs.

With the score tied 7-7, DL Jake Kava blocked a field goal and DB Destin Talbert scored on a 56-yard return to give the Bison their first lead. On the very next possession, special teams struck again with DB Jayden Price returning a punt 66 yards to the house. DL Will Mostaert scored NDSU’s other non-offensive touchdown on a 5-yard fumble recover.

WR Zach Mathis and RB Barika Kpeenu both scored their first career touchdowns in this route for NDSU.

Yards Per Carry

Date: September 9, 2022

Location: Fargo, ND (Fargodome)

NDSU scored 21 points off turnovers in the 33rd annual Trees Bowl game to route the North Carolina A&T Aggies.

The Bison kicked off the scoring with a four-play opening drive that ended in a 40-yard touchdown connection between QB Cam Miller and WR Zach Mathis.

History was made in the contest when DB Dawson Weber scooped up a fumble forced by DL Jaxon Duttenhefer and returned it 79 yards for a touchdown, tying the school record for longest fumble returned for a touchdown which was set by Claudie Miller in 1925.

The Bison forced three total turnovers in the contest and held N.C. A&T to just 50 yards passing on 19 attempts.

Date: September 10, 2022

Location: Fargo, ND (Fargodome)

NDSU had a strong showing, but ultimately had its six-game winning streak against FBS opponents snapped against the Arizona Wildcats.

The game was close all the way through with FB Hunter Luepke delivering a three-touchdown All-American level performance.

The Bison led by four with just over nine minutes remaining, but failed to convert on a 4th and 2 deep in Arizona territory. The Wildcats took advantage and drove 78 yards to take a threepoint lead. NDSU was unable to makeup the difference.

The Bison are now 9-4 all-time against FBS opponents.

Date: September 17, 2022

Location: Tuscon, AZ (Arizona Stadium) by Jacob Reiner

NDSU got back to its winning ways against the University of South Dakota Coyotes in week 4, rushing for 200 yards in the second half and scoring 24 unanswered points to end the game and erase a 17-10 halftime deficit.

Ball control was the name of the game for the Bison who possessed the pigskin for nearly 40 minutes of game time. FB Hunter Luepke continued his 2022 dominance, rolling for 150 yards on 20 carries and scoring twice.

RB Kobe Johnson and QB Cam Miller also scored rushing touchdowns for NDSU in the contest.

Date: September 24, 2022

Location: Vermillion, SD (DakotaDome)

Photos by Tim Sanger

Nine different Bison toted the rock in a solid win over the Youngstown State Penguins who would go on to have their first winning season since 2017.

FB Hunter Luepke kicked off the scoring for NDSU with a pair of rushing touchdowns in the first quarter. The Penguins managed to cut the lead to 24-14 in the fourth quarter on a touchdown reception by the NCAA's alltime rushing leader Jaleel McLaughlin, but that is the closest they got.

Code Green managed three sacks and an interception in the win.

Total Offense

Third Down Conversions

Yards Per Carry

Date: October 1, 2022 Location: Fargo, ND (Fargodome)

NDSU eeked out a 31-26 win over the Indiana State Sycamores with RB TaMerik Williams rushing for a career-high 145 yards and three touchdowns.

The Bison are not used to trailing, but found themselves down 13-10 at half. However, just five minutes into the second half, Williams scored his second touchdown of the day to give NDSU a 17-13 lead. On the first play of Indiana State's next possession, RB Justin Dinka took a a carry 82 yards to regain the lead.

Williams capped the next possession with a 27-yard touchdown run and the Bison never surrendered the lead. WR Zach Mathis also had his best game to date, reeling in five passes for 86 yards as well as NDSU's final touchdown.

Date: October 8, 2022

Location: Terre Haute, IN (Memorial Stadium)

NDSU lost its third straight Dakota Marker game to the South Dakota State Jackrabbits after getting blanked in the second half.

NDSU looked strong early, scoring touchdowns on its first three possessions. The Fargodome's finest

RB Isiah Davis had the lone touchdown for SDSU in the first half.

The second half was a different story with the Jackrabitts scoring 16 unanswered to secure the win.

Rushing Yards

Passing Yards

Date: October 15, 2022

Location: Fargo, ND (Fargodome)

Code Green delivered a standout performance as NDSU got back in the win column against the Illinois State Redbirds.

The Redbirds scored on their opening possesion but did not accomplish much after that, collecting just one first down in the second half and reaching only as far as the Bison 48 yard line.

FB Hunter Luepke, QB Cam Miller and QB Cole Payton all scored rushing touchdowns in the contest for NDSU who won their 38th straight game after an open week in the regular season or postseason.

Date: October 29, 2022

Location: Fargo, ND (Fargodome)

First Downs

Third Down Conversions

NDSU was dominant on the ground, rushing for 453 yards and seven touchdowns agains the Western Illinois Leathernecks.

The Bison only attempted five passes in the contest with RB TaMerik Williams (120) and RB TK Marshall (118) both going over the century mark. RB Kobe Johnson nearly eclipsed the mark as well, toting the rock 13 times for 96 yards.

Williams (2), Marshall (2), Johnson, FB Hunter Luepke and QB Cam Miller all scored touchdowns on the ground.

Total Offense

Date: November 5, 2022

Location: Macomb, IL (Hanson Field)

Yards Per Carry

On a day when the offense struggled, getting outgained 307 to 229, NDSU still managed to secure an important victory over the Souther Illinois Salukis.

The Bison stuck first with a 27yard connection between QB Cam Miller and RB Kobe Johnson. However, Southern Illinois grabbed a 10-7 lead before the end of the third quarter.

Less than a minute into the final quarter, Miller put the Bison back on top with a 5-yard run to make it 14-10. NDSU increased the lead to 21-10 with just under five minutes remaining thanks to a 3-yard run by RB TaMerik Williams.

The Salukis threatened cutting the lead to 21-18 with 39 seconds remaining, but LB Logan Kopp secured the win by recovering the ensuing onside kick.

Date: November 12, 2022 Location: Carbondale, Ill. (Saluki Stadium)

The Bison closed out the regular season in style with a dominating Harvest Bowl win over nationally ranked, in-state rival University of North Dakota.

QB Cam Miller was sensational under center for NDSU, tying the school record for five rushing touchdowns in a game on a carrier high 16 carries for 93 yards.

RB TaMerik Williams sparked things with a 51-yard rushing touchdown on the second offensive play of the game.

Miller also went 8-12 passing for 159 yards.

Date: November 19, 2022

Location: Fargo, ND (Fargodome)

Total Offense

North Dakota State was unstoppable on the ground in a second round win over the Montana Grizzlies.

In the contest, the Bison rushed for 10.8 yards per carry and 453 yards overall which were most and second most respectively in any FCS game in program history. RB Kobe Johnson led the Bison with 206 yards rushing on six carries. RB TaMerik Williams also had a big day with 101 yards rushing on 11 carries.

Code Green turned the game with a sack fumble by DL Kody Huisman that was recovered by LB Cole Wisniewski for a touchdown to extend their lead to 21-20 late in the second quarter. The TD by Wisniewski was one of three turnovers forced by the defense which also recorded a season-high six sacks.

Date: December 3, 2022

Location: Fargo, ND (Fargodome)

Offense

Rushing Yards

NDSU broke a 0-0 tie late in the second quarter with a two-yard touchdown pass from QB Cam Miller to TE Joe Stoffel. K Griffin Crosa extended the lead to 10 on the final play of the half.

The Bison put the game away in the third quarter with touchdown runs by RB TK Marshall and Miller.

Samford put up 9 points in the fourth but it was far too late.

Date: December 9, 2022

Location: Fargo, ND (Fargodome)

Bulldogs

53

NDSU held on in the game of the year against the Incarnate Word Cardinals to advance to the FCS Championship game.

The Cardinals jumped out to a 16-3 lead by the end of the first quarter. However, NDSU would claim a 17-16 lead heading into halftime.

The Bison extended the lead to 24-16 on the next drive via a 49-yard touchdown run by RB Kobe Johnson who finished the day with 137 yards rushing and three touchdowns.

Incarnate Word responded with back-to-back drives that ended in rushing touchdowns by the Walter Payton Award winner QB Lindsay Scott.

The teams traded field goals before Johnson scored his final touchdown on a 31-yard scamper. NDSU converted a two-point play to bring the game to its final score.

The Cardinals drove late, but S Dawson Weber sealed the game with his second interception of the contest to send the Bison to its 10th FCS Championship game in 12 years.

Total Offense

Rushing Yards

Date: December 16, 2022

Location: Fargo, ND (Fargodome)

For the first time in program history, North Dakota State lost an FCS Championship game, falling to their rivals South Dakota State.

SDSU scored on a 16-yard run by RB Isiah Davis to take the game's first points. NDSU tied the game at 7-7 a few minutes later on a 27yard touchdown pass from QB Cam Miller to TE Joe Stoffel. However, that is the closes the game would be from there on out. The Jackrabbits scored touchdowns on each of their next three drives and did not look back.

QB Mark Gronowski threw for 223 yards and three touchdowns on his way to winning the game's Most Outstanding Player award.

QB Cam Miller went 18-29 passing for 260 yards and two touchdowns. WR Eli Green had the first touchdown of his NDSU career, a 44-yarder in the second quarter and WR Zach Mathis had a careerhigh seven catches and a careerhigh 123 yards in the defeat.

Date: January 8, 2023

Location: Fargo, ND (Fargodome)