2011 NCAA Division I FCS football season

American college football season August 2023 December 2025 2011 NCAA logo.svg 126 September – November November 26 – December 17 January 7, 2012 Pizza Hut Park, Frisco, TX North Dakota State Bo Levi Mitchell, Eastern Washington Matt Evans, New Hampshire The 2011 NCAA Division I FCS football season, part of college football in the United States, was organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level. The season began on September 1, 2011, and concluded with the 2012 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game on January 7, 2012, at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas. North Dakota State won their first FCS championship, defeating Sam Houston State by a final score of 17–6. Conference changes and new programs 2010–12 NCAA conference realignment School 2010 conference 2011 conference Lamar FCS Independent Southland Old Dominion CAA Savannah State MEAC South Alabama New program+ FCS Independent UTSA New program Texas State Southland + "unclassified" for 2009 (partial season) and 2010 (full season) FCS team wins over FBS teams September 3: Richmond 23, Duke 21 September 3: Sacramento State 29, Oregon State 28OT September 17: Indiana State 44, Western Kentucky 16 September 24: North Dakota State 37, Minnesota 24 September 24: Sam Houston State 48, New Mexico 45 OT September 24: Southern Utah 41, UNLV 16 Conference standings Conference summaries Championship games Conference Champion Runner-upScoreOffensive Player of the YearDefensive Player of the Year SWAC Grambling State Alabama A&M 16–15 Casey Therriault (QB, Jackson State) Adrian Hamilton (DE, Prairie View A&M)Cliff Exama (Grambling State) Other conference winners Note: Records are regular-season only, and do not include playoff games. ConferenceChampionRecordOffensive Player of the YearDefensive Player of the YearCoach of the Year Big Sky Montana State 9–2 (7–1) Bo Levi Mitchell (Eastern Washington) Caleb McSurdy (Montana) Robin Pflugrad (Montana) Big South Stony Brook 8–3 (6–0) Miguel Maysonet (Stony Brook) Justin Bethel (Presbyterian) Chuck Priore (Stony Brook) CAA Towson 9–2 (7–1) Kevin Decker (New Hampshire) Ronnie Cameron (Old Dominion) Rob Ambrose (Towson) Great West North DakotaCal Poly 8–3 (3–1)6–5 (3–1) Brad Sorensen (Southern Utah) Tyler Osborne (Southern Utah) Chris Mussman (North Dakota) Ivy Harvard 9–1 (7–0) Jeff Mathews (Cornell) Josue Ortiz (Harvard) MEAC Norfolk State 9–2 (7–1) Mike Mayhew (North Carolina A&T)Chris Walley (Norfolk State) Ryan Davis (Bethune–Cookman) Pete Adrian (Norfolk State) MVFC North Dakota StateNorthern Iowa 10–1 (7–1)9–2 (7–1) Shakir Bell (Indiana State) L. J. Fort (Northern Iowa) Craig Bohl (North Dakota State) NEC DuquesneAlbany 9–2 (7–1)8–3 (7–1) Jordan Brown (Bryant) Serge Kona (Duquesne) Bob Ford (Albany) OVC Tennessee TechEastern KentuckyJacksonville State 7–3 (6–2)7–4 (6–2)7–4 (6–2) Tim Benford (Tennessee Tech) Rico Council (Tennessee State) Watson Brown (Tennessee Tech) Patriot Lehigh 10–1 (6–0) Chris Lum (Lehigh) Andrew Schaetzke (Georgetown) Kevin Kelly (Georgetown) Pioneer San DiegoDrake 9–2 (7–1) Mike Piatkowski (Drake) Blake Oliaro (San Diego) Ron Caragher (San Diego) Southern Georgia Southern 9–2 (7–1) Eric Breitenstein (Wofford) Brent Russell (Georgia Southern) Jeff Monken (Georgia Southern) Southland Sam Houston State 11–0 (7–0) Richard Sincere (Sam Houston State) Darnell Taylor (Sam Houston State) Willie Fritz (Sam Houston State) Playoff qualifiers Automatic berths for conference champions Big Sky Conference – Montana Big South Conference – Stony Brook Colonial Athletic Association – Towson Missouri Valley Football Conference – North Dakota State Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – Norfolk State Northeast Conference – Albany Ohio Valley Conference – Tennessee Tech Patriot League – Lehigh Southern Conference – Georgia Southern Southland Conference – Sam Houston State At large qualifiers Big Sky Conference – Montana State Colonial Athletic Association – James Madison, Maine, New Hampshire, Old Dominion Missouri Valley Football Conference – Northern Iowa Ohio Valley Conference – Eastern Kentucky Southern Conference – Appalachian State, Wofford Southland Conference – Central Arkansas No teams from the conferences that do not have automatic bids—currently the Great West Conference and Pioneer Football League—received bids. Abstains Ivy League – Harvard Southwestern Athletic Conference – Grambling State Postseason NCAA Division I playoff bracket y 1 First RoundNovember 26Campus sites Second RoundDecember 3Campus sites QuarterfinalsDecember 9 and December 10Campus sites SemifinalsDecember 16 and December 17Campus sites National Championship Game January 7Pizza Hut Park,Frisco, Texas Albany 28 Stony Brook* 31 Central Arkansas 34 Tennessee Tech* 14 James Madison 20 Eastern Kentucky* 17 Norfolk State 18 Old Dominion* 35 Stony Brook 27 1 Sam Houston State* 34 New Hampshire 25 Montana State* 26 Central Arkansas 14 4 Montana* 41 Wofford 21 5 Northern Iowa* 28 James Madison 14 2 North Dakota State* 26 Lehigh 40 Towson* 38 Old Dominion 48 3 Georgia Southern* 55 Maine 34 Appalachian State* 12 1 Sam Houston State* 49 Montana State 13 4 Montana* 48 5 Northern Iowa 10 2 North Dakota State* 24 Lehigh 0 3 Georgia Southern* 35 Maine 23 1 Sam Houston State* 31 4 Montana 28 2 North Dakota State* 35 3 Georgia Southern 7 1 Sam Houston State 6 2 North Dakota State 17 * Host institution SWAC Championship Game SWAC Championship Game Date Location Venue West Div. Champion East Div. Champion Result December 10 Birmingham, Alabama Legion Field Grambling State Alabama A&M GSU 16 – AAMU 15Bulldogs come up short again against Tigers Reggie Benson December 10, 2011 The Huntsville Times http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2011/12/alabama_am_football_bulldogs_c_3.html December 10, 2011 Conference summaries Championship games Conference Champion Runner-upScoreOffensive Player of the YearDefensive Player of the Year SWAC Grambling State Alabama A&M 16–15 Casey Therriault (QB, Jackson State) Adrian Hamilton (DE, Prairie View A&M)Cliff Exama (Grambling State) Other conference winners Note: Records are regular-season only, and do not include playoff games. ConferenceChampionRecordOffensive Player of the YearDefensive Player of the YearCoach of the Year Big Sky Montana State 9–2 (7–1) Bo Levi Mitchell (Eastern Washington) Caleb McSurdy (Montana) Robin Pflugrad (Montana) Big South Stony Brook 8–3 (6–0) Miguel Maysonet (Stony Brook) Justin Bethel (Presbyterian) Chuck Priore (Stony Brook) CAA Towson 9–2 (7–1) Kevin Decker (New Hampshire) Ronnie Cameron (Old Dominion) Rob Ambrose (Towson) Great West North DakotaCal Poly 8–3 (3–1)6–5 (3–1) Brad Sorensen (Southern Utah) Tyler Osborne (Southern Utah) Chris Mussman (North Dakota) Ivy Harvard 7–0 (9–1) Jeff Mathews (Cornell) Josue Ortiz (Harvard) MEAC Norfolk State 9–2 (7–1) Mike Mayhew (North Carolina A&T)Chris Walley (Norfolk State) Ryan Davis (Bethune–Cookman) Pete Adrian (Norfolk State) MVFC North Dakota StateNorthern Iowa 10–1 (7–1)9–2 (7–1) Shakir Bell (Indiana State) L. J. Fort (Northern Iowa) Craig Bohl (North Dakota State) NEC DuquesneAlbany 9–2 (7–1)8–3 (7–1) Jordan Brown (Bryant) Serge Kona (Duquesne) Bob Ford (Albany) OVC Tennessee TechEastern KentuckyJacksonville State 7–3 (6–2)7–4 (6–2)7–4 (6–2) Tim Benford (Tennessee Tech) Rico Council (Tennessee State) Watson Brown (Tennessee Tech) Patriot Lehigh 10–1 (6–0) Chris Lum (Lehigh) Andrew Schaetzke (Georgetown) Kevin Kelly (Georgetown) Pioneer San DiegoDrake 9–2 (7–1) Mike Piatkowski (Drake) Blake Oliaro (San Diego) Ron Caragher (San Diego) Southern Georgia Southern 9–2 (7–1) Eric Breitenstein (Wofford) Brent Russell (Georgia Southern) Jeff Monken (Georgia Southern) Southland Sam Houston State 11–0 (7–0) Richard Sincere (Sam Houston State) Darnell Taylor (Sam Houston State) Willie Fritz (Sam Houston State) See also 2011 NCAA Division I FCS football rankings References