Bison fall out of Top-10 for first time since 2011; Entz on what needs to be fixed

THE BISON FALL TO 14TH IN MEDIA POLL; 15TH IN COACHES POLL.

FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) — The North Dakota State Bison have dropped out of the Top 10 in both the media and coaches poll for the first time since September 2011. The Bison are 14th in the Stats Perform FCS media poll and 15th in the coaches poll. Head Coach Matt Entz spoke on the poor run defense that allowed 210 yards on the ground in Saturday’s loss to rival UND and how he needs them to improve this weekend against Western Illinois.

“The fact that it is Monday does not make it any more disappointing,” said Entz. “We did not show up [and] did not play well. Those things start with me. I do not think we played very well at all three levels. Of course, with how we are accustomed to playing, and kind of how we pride ourselves, we need to play better up front. We have a lot of depth up there. We have a veteran presence, guys who played a lot of football last year [who are] all back. Guys who got banged up last year are back now too, so we need to play better up front.”

The Bison now prepare for Western Illinois at the FargoDome this Saturday. The game provides a good opportunity to right the ship for the Bison as the Leathernecks are 0-6 this season and have lost a total of 19-straight games dating back to 2021. Entz spoke on the opportunity ahead and what he expects from his guys this week.

“Just have to go 1 and 0 this week,” said Entz. “That starts with a great week of practice, great meetings this afternoon and an opportunity to continue to learn. [We need to hold] each other accountable. We are a player-driven team. If we can get our best players to be our best leaders and vice versa, we will have an opportunity to continue to have success.”

The Bison and Leathernecks will kick off at 2:30 p.m.