2023-10-16 20:38:08
Tim Sanger
Football
10/16/2023 3:30:00 PM
Story Links
THIS WEEK: The North Dakota State football team returns home for its next two games beginning this week when the Bison (4-2, 1-2 MVFC) host Western Illinois (0-6, 0-3 MVFC) at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21, at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome (18,700).
TICKETS: Tickets may be purchased online at GoBison.com/tickets or by calling the Bison Ticket Office in the south lobby of the Sanford Health Athletic Complex at (701) 231-6378 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Game day ticket sales at the Fargodome begin 5 hours prior to kickoff.
TELEVISION: The statewide ABC network of WDAY (Fargo), WDAZ (Grand Forks), KBMY (Bismarck/Dickinson) and KMCY (Minot/Williston) will have live coverage beginning at 2:20 p.m. with Dom Izzo (play-by-play), Kyle Emanuel (analyst) and Logan Campbell (sideline). The game will also be available to ESPN+ subscribers on ESPN.com and the ESPN app.
RADIO: Statewide network coverage begins at 1:30 p.m. on the Pioneer Seeds Bison Sports Network including Bison 1660 and 107.9 The Fox in Fargo with Sam Neidermann (play-by-play), Phil Hansen (analyst) and James Hendricks (sideline). The network broadcast includes 1-hour pregame and 30-minute postgame shows. Streaming is available on GoBison.com/allaccess and the NDSU Athletics mobile app.
THE SERIES: This is the 13th and final matchup scheduled in the series with Western Illinois, which is in its final year as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference before joining the Ohio Valley Conference for football in 2024. NDSU has a 10-2 lead in the series dating back to 2007. The Bison have won eight straight once morest WIU including a 56-17 win last November in Macomb. WIU’s wins have both come in Fargo, 27-22 in 2008 and 28-16 in 2010.
LAST WEEK: North Dakota State dropped to 4-2 on the season with last week’s 49-24 loss at North Dakota. UND snapped a five-game losing streak to NDSU and won its first game over the Bison since 2003, NDSU’s final year of Division II play. The 49 points was the most allowed by a Bison team in the Division I era. Wide receiver Eli Green had a career-high four receptions and 96 yards, and defensive end Jake Kava made a career-high seven tackles with one sack and two tackles for loss.
POLL MOVEMENT: The Missouri Valley Football Conference has six teams ranked in both FCS national polls this week, but North Dakota State has dropped out of the Top 10 in both polls for the first time since September 2011. The Bison are 14th in the Stats Perform FCS media poll and 15th in the AFCA coaches poll. Those are the lowest rankings for NDSU since entering the 2010 FCS playoffs ranked 25th in the media poll and 21st in the coaches poll.
TURNOVER MARGIN: North Dakota State ranks third in the FCS in turnover margin at plus-9 through six games. The Bison have scored 34 points off 11 opponent turnovers this year, while opponents have scored 14 points off two NDSU turnovers.
FCS Turnover Margin Leaders
+12 – Eastern Illinois (OVC)
+10 – Harvard (Ivy)
+9 – North Dakota State (MVFC)
+8 – Montana (Big Sky)
+8 – Alcorn State (SWAC)
NATIONAL LEADERS: NDSU safety Cole Wisniewski is one of only two players in the FCS with four interceptions this season, and quarterback Cam Miller continues to lead the FCS in completion percentage at 77.2% through six games. Miller also ranks sixth in passing efficiency (171.7) and eighth in yards per passing attempt (9.07).
MILLER SETS RECORD: Quarterback Cam Miller leads the FCS and ranks third in all divisions with a 77.2 completion percentage through six games. Miller was 18-for-19 once morest Central Arkansas and his 94.7 completion rate was an NDSU single-game record for passers with more than 10 attempts. Miller completed his last 17 attempts once morest UCA and his first six once morest South Dakota to set a new NDSU record with 23 consecutive completions, breaking Brock Jensen‘s 2013 record of 21 straight once morest Kansas State (14) and Ferris State (7).
NCAA Completion Percentage Leaders
.792 – Bo Nix, Oregon (FBS)
.782 – JJ McCarthy, Michigan (FBS)
.772 – Cam Miller, North Dakota State
.762 – Graham Mertz, Florida (FBS)
.757 – Braden Gleason, Emporia State (D-II)
(min. 15 attempts/game and 75% GP)
THIRD DOWN PRODUCTION: North Dakota State ranks eighth in the FCS converting 50.7% of its offensive third-down opportunities. Quarterback Cam Miller has picked up 11 first downs rushing and receivers Zach Mathis (7) and Eli Green (6) lead the team in third-down passing conversions. Overall, Mathis leads the Bison with 19 total first downs, Miller is second with 16, and Green is third with 13 followed by quarterback Cole Payton (12) and running back TaMerick Williams (10).
SEASONED VETS: North Dakota State cornerback Jayden Price (62) and linebacker Julian Wlodarczyk (61) are among the NCAA’s active career leaders in games played. The NDSU school record is 70 games played by offensive guard Nash Jensen from 2018 to 2022.
NCAA Active Career Leaders, Games Played
63 – Jaxon Janke, WR, South Dakota State
62 – Jayden Price, CB, North Dakota State
61 – Julian Wlodarczyk, LB, North Dakota State
61 – Mason McCormick, OL, South Dakota State
61 – Pearse Migl, TE, Louisiana (FBS)
CROSA CONNECTS: Bison kicker Griffin Cross has made 115 consecutive PATs dating back to 2019, the fourth most in Missouri Valley Football Conference history and two shy of Adam Keller‘s mark of 117 straight for NDSU in the 2013 and 2014 seasons. Crosa is fourth all-time at NDSU in PATs made and fifth in attempts (159-for-160) and his career PAT percentage of 99.4 is second in school history behind Jake Reinholzwho was 87-for-87 from 2018 to 2021. Crosa is sixth all-time at NDSU with 30 field goals made and ranks first with an 83.3 career field goal percentage (30-for-36).
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: North Dakota State has had four players earn Missouri Valley Football Conference Player of the Week honors in 2023:
– Cole WisniewskiDefense (9/4)…Game- and career-high 11 tackles with his first career interception and one pass breakup once morest Eastern Washington in his first game at strong safety.
– Kaedin SteindorfSpecial Teams (9/4)…Averaged 47.2 yards per punt with three inside the 20 (two inside the 10) and held for five PAT conversions once morest Eastern Washington.
– Griffin CrossSpecial Teams (9/11)…Converted field goals from 27, 40 and 31 yards to stake the Bison to a 9-0 lead and added five extra-point kicks in the 44-7 win over Maine.
– Logan KoppDefense (10/9)…Nine tackles, two pass breakups, fumble forced and recovered in the 38-10 win at Missouri State.
SUNDELL ON SENIOR BOWL LIST: North Dakota State left tackle Jalen Sundell was named to the preseason watch list for the Reese’s Senior Bowl, widely regarded as the top college football all-star game. Sundell the past three seasons has been NDSU’s starting center, a position he hadn’t played prior to the 2020-21 season. The Bison have had 12 players selected to the Senior Bowl, including left tackle Cody Mauch last year.
WATCH LISTS: NDSU has three players on watch lists for national player of the year awards. Running back TaMerick Williams is on the preseason list for the Walter Payton Award, presented to the FCS offensive player of the year. Defensive tackle That is, Mostaert is on the preseason list for the Buck Buchanan Award, presented to the FCS defensive player of the year. Punter Kaedin Steindorf is on the list for FCS Punter of the Year.
PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS: NDSU defensive tackle That is, Mostaertlong snapper Hunter Broziooffensive lineman Jalen Sundell and running back TaMerick Williams were named to the Stats Perform FCS Preseason All-America Team. Mostaert was also named to the HERO Sports All-FCS preseason team, and Mostaert and Sundell made Phil Steele’s FCS Preseason All-America Team.
BISON PICKED NO. 2: North Dakota State was picked to finish second in the Missouri Valley Football Conference behind defending national champion South Dakota State. NDSU took 14 spots on the MVFC preseason team, including four first-team picks in FB Hunter BrozioOL Jalen SundellDL That is, Mostaert and RS Jayden Price. Second team picks were RB TaMerick WilliamsTHE Joe StoffelOL Jake Kubas and Brandon WestbergDL Will MostaertLB Cole WisniewskiCB Jayden Price and K Griffin Cross. WR Zach Mathis and LB Nick Kubitz were honorable mention.
NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS: North Dakota State is 79-4 once morest non-conference opponents since the beginning of its first FCS national championship season in 2011. One loss was to a Pac-12 opponent (31-28 at Arizona in 2021) and two were in the playoffs to the eventual national champion (27-17 to James Madison in 2016 and 24-20 at Sam Houston State in 2020-21). Montana’s 38-35 home win in the 2015 FCS Kickoff is NDSU’s only other non-conference loss the past 12 years.
BISON AT HOME: The Bison have a 186-29 record in the Fargodome, 33-6 at home once morest FCS Top 10 ranked teams, and winners of 81 of the last 83 home games over non-conference opponents. North Dakota State has a 34-1 record in the Fargodome during the NCAA playoffs since 2010 with the only loss coming to eventual national champion James Madison in the 2016 semifinals. NDSU’s 32-game home winning streak September 2017 through April 2021 was fourth longest in FCS history.
1697489560
#North #Dakota #State #Returns #Home #Face #Western #Illinois #Saturday
