FARGO — North Dakota State University head football coach Matt Entz announced two coaching staff changes Tuesday, Jan. 12, following the recent departure of offensive line coach AJ Blazek to the University of Wyoming.

NDSU has hired Minnesota State University Mankato offensive coordinator Joe Beschorner as the new Bison running backs coach. Dan Larson, who has coached NDSU running backs since 2019, will be the new Bison offensive line coach.

Beschorner has been part of four conference championships and NCAA playoff appearances since 2015 at Minnesota State. He was named Division II Coordinator of the Year in 2019 after the Mavericks led the division in scoring with 47.5 points per game and advanced to the national championship game.

A graduate of Simpson College in Iowa, Beschorner began his coaching career as an assistant at Minnesota State (2000-02) before spending five seasons as the running backs coach and recruiting coordinator at South Dakota (2003-07) and seven seasons at Simpson (2008-14) as the offensive coordinator.

Larson is in his second season at North Dakota State. NDSU rushed for a school-record 4,601 yards last year as the Bison went 16-0 and ranked fourth in the FCS with 287.6 rushing yards per game. NDSU developed four 600-yard rushers and averaged 6.41 yards per carry.

Larson, who came to NDSU after three seasons as Wisconsin-Eau Claire’s head coach, is in his 18th year of coaching. He has eight years of offensive coordinator experience at Minnesota-Duluth (2013-15) and Macalester (2008-12) and along with previous stops coaching running backs at Colgate (2006-07), wide receivers at Wisconsin-Stout (2005) and running backs at Marietta College in Ohio (2003-04).

North Dakota State (1-0) is scheduled to begin practice Friday, Jan. 22, and will resume the 2020-21 football season with a home game against Youngstown State on Sunday, Feb. 21.