Passer Rating vs EPA: Which Tells You More?
Why we rank quarterbacks by EPA per dropback, and what passer rating still gets right.
Read Article →North Dakota State Bison Quarterbacks and Receivers
Mountain West. Starting quarterbacks by year: 2026: Nathan Hayes.
North Dakota State Starting Quarterbacks and Receivers by Season
| Season | Quarterbacks (starts) | Top receivers (targets) | Pass Yds | TD-INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Nathan Hayes (5) | Jackson Williams 31, Mekhi Collins 20, Reis Kessel 19 | 1,034 | 7-2 |
College starts are inferred: the team's first passer in each game.
2026 North Dakota State Target Tree
| Player | Pos | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson Williams | WR | 31 | 22 | 358 | 1 |
| Mekhi Collins | WR | 20 | 10 | 164 | 2 |
| Reis Kessel | TE | 19 | 13 | 150 | 1 |
| DJ Scott | RB | 9 | 8 | 60 | 0 |
| Logan Conklin | WR | 7 | 4 | 72 | 1 |
| Jeremiah Patterson | WR | 7 | 3 | 17 | 0 |
| Chris Kiel | WR | 6 | 4 | 50 | 1 |
| Myles Mitchell | RB | 5 | 4 | 15 | 0 |
| Isiah St. Romain | WR | 4 | 2 | 10 | 0 |
| Luke Kokat | TE | 3 | 1 | 12 | 0 |
| Jordan McCants | WR | 2 | 2 | 79 | 1 |
| Cade Osterman | WR | 2 | 2 | 23 | 0 |
2026 North Dakota State Games
| Week | Opponent | Result | Quarterback | Cmp-Att | Yds | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | vs fordham | W 38-0 | Nathan Hayes | 21-26 | 245 | 2 | 0 |
| Week 1 | vs JXST | W 33-7 | Nathan Hayes | 15-23 | 164 | 2 | 1 |
| Week 2 | at AF | W 38-32 | Nathan Hayes | 15-23 | 228 | 2 | 1 |
| Week 3 | at SAC | W 31-10 | Nathan Hayes | 14-25 | 210 | 1 | 0 |
| Week 5 | vs WYO | W 28-0 | Nathan Hayes | 14-25 | 187 | 0 | 0 |
2026 North Dakota State Connections
| QB → Receiver | Tgt | Cmp | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nathan Hayes → Jackson Williams | 31 | 22 | 358 | 1 |
| Nathan Hayes → Mekhi Collins | 20 | 10 | 164 | 2 |
| Nathan Hayes → Reis Kessel | 19 | 13 | 150 | 1 |
| Nathan Hayes → DJ Scott | 9 | 8 | 60 | 0 |
| Nathan Hayes → Logan Conklin | 7 | 4 | 72 | 1 |
| Nathan Hayes → Chris Kiel | 6 | 4 | 50 | 1 |
| Nathan Hayes → Jeremiah Patterson | 5 | 2 | 8 | 0 |
| Nathan Hayes → Myles Mitchell | 5 | 4 | 15 | 0 |
QBS BLOG · PASSING QUESTIONS · MINDSET
All Posts →Understanding the Throw.
What the box score cannot tell you about the people behind the pass.
What CPOE Means, and How ACE Builds on It
Completion percentage over expected gives credit for difficult completions. Here is how ACE measures it.
Read Article →Why Sacks Belong Partly to the Quarterback
A sack is the rush, the line and the decision. Why our dropback stats count them.
Read Article →FROM THE A-GAME PODCAST
Listen to the Episode ↗10 Mind-Body Performance Recovery Tools Backed By Science
Learn the break down of ten mind-body recovery tools, each backed by science, including how and when to use them to perform at your peak.