THIS WEEK: North Dakota State returns from a bye week to begin the second half of the Missouri Valley Football Conference schedule at home against Illinois State at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome (18,700). Illinois State won its third straight game last week at Indiana State and is tied with NDSU for third place in the conference. Both teams are 5-2 overall and 3-1 in the MVFC.
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 broadcast will be available to ESPN+ subscribers on ESPN.com and the ESPN app.
RADIO: Statewide coverage begins at 1:30 p.m. on the Pioneer Seeds Bison Radio Network including Bison 1660 and 107.9 The Fox in Fargo with Rob Hipp (play-by-play), Phil Hansen (analyst) and Cole Jirik (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 16th meeting between North Dakota State and Illinois State dating back to 2007. NDSU has won 11 straight to take a 13-2 lead in the all-time series including a 20-0 victory last October in Normal. The Redbirds are 1-7 in Fargo with a 27-24 victory in the 2009 NDSU homecoming game.
LAST YEAR: Defensive tackle Eli Mostaert had 3.5 sacks and linebacker Jasir Cox made two interceptions as NDSU’s defense held Illinois State to 99 yards of total offense and 2 of 11 on third-down conversions in last year’s 20-0 win at Hancock Stadium in Normal. Christian Watson caught a 4-yard touchdown pass from Quincy Patterson, Jake Reinholz kicked field goals of 46 and 24 yards, and TaMerik Williams scored on a 7-yard run for NDSU. Patterson rushed for 100 yards on a game-high 18 carries and linebacker Jackson Hankey led the Bison with seven tackles.
AFTER THE OPEN WEEK: North Dakota State has won 37 straight games after open weeks in the regular season and postseason. The streak includes 20 home games, eight road games and nine championship games in Frisco, Texas. NDSU hasn’t lost after an open week since October 22, 2005, when UC Davis beat the Bison 20-14 in Fargo.
LATE WEEK OFF: NDSU’s bye in week 8 of the season was the third latest off week for the Bison behind 2009 (week 10) and 2010 (week 9). This year is only the fourth time NDSU has gone straight from non-conference to Missouri Valley Football Conference play without an off week, which last happened in 2010.
BOUNCING BACK: North Dakota State is 15-0 after regular-season losses since 2010. The Bison rebounded from a 31-28 loss at Arizona last month with a 34-17 road win over South Dakota in the conference opener. This is the first time since 2008 that the Bison have been idle after a loss. North Dakota State has not lost back-to-back football game since a five-game losing streak in the middle of the 2009 season.
REDBIRDS WINNING THE CLOSE ONES: Four of Illinois State’s five wins this year have been by seven points or less. The Redbirds come to Fargo on a three-game winning streak and won those three contests by a combined 10 points against Northern Iowa (23-21), South Dakota (12-10) and Indiana State (27-21) with their only second-half points coming on two touchdowns and one field goal. Illinois State has only 14 fourth-quarter points through seven games this year.
BISON DROP TO FOURTH: North Dakota State is No. 4 in both FCS national polls for the second straight week. NDSU dropped three spots from first to fourth in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 and the American Football Coaches Association FCS Coaches Poll after the 23-21 home loss to South Dakota State, which earned its first-ever No. 1 ranking. Illinois State received votes in both polls.
PASSING GAME ON POINT: North Dakota State’s passing game has been efficient the past three games with quarterback Cam Miller completing better than 72 percent of his passes against Youngstown State, Indiana State and South Dakota State. He was 51-for-67 (.761) over that three-game stretch with three touchdowns, zero interceptions and a streak of 14 consecutive completions that ranks third-longest in NDSU history. Miller passed for a career-high 227 yards against SDSU going 17-for-22 with two touchdowns plus one rushing TD.
MILLER RANKED: Quarterback Cam Miller‘s 70.6 completion percentage ranks sixth in the FCS this week and is ahead of his own school-record 67.8 percent last year. Miller is eighth nationally in passing efficiency (164.0) and 17th in yards per passing attempt (8.68). He ranks third among all active FCS passers with a career 157.8 efficiency rating.
SPREADING THE BALL AROUND: The Bison have had seven, eight and eight different receivers catch passes in the last three contests. Tight end Joe Stoffel had a career-best four catches for 52 yards against Youngstown State, receiver Zach Mathis had a career-high five catches and 86 yards at Indiana State, and receiver DJ Hart had a career-best four receptions and 59 yards against South Dakota State.
CROSA CONNECTS: Placekicker Griffin Crosa has made seven straight field goals dating back to March 2021 and he’s made 53 consecutive PAT kicks dating back to 2019. Crosa has moved into 10th place in NDSU career history for FGs made (18) and PATs made (97). His 99.0 career PAT percentage (97-for-98) ranks second behind Jake Reinholz (87-for-87). Crosa’s 81.8 career FG percentage is fourth-best among active FCS kickers.
PRICE ON THE RETURN: Punt returner Jayden Price ranks ninth in FCS with 11.4 yards per punt return and is fourth in NDSU career history with 13.83 yards per punt return, which is second best among FCS active players. Price’s three career punt return TDs is tied for second in school history behind Richard Lewis, who had four punt return TDs from 2000 to 2001.
TUTSIE MOVING UP: Sixth-year safety Michael Tutsie is quickly rising the NDSU career list for unassisted tackles with 152, which ranks eighth in school history. Tutsie needs only eight more solo tackles to move into second place behind safety Colten Heagle, who made a school-record 191 solo stops from 2010 to 2014.
NDSU Career Unassisted Tackles
191 – Colten Heagle, 2010-14
159 – Joe Mays, 2004-07
159 – Robbie Grimsley, 2015-18
158 – Jabril Cox, 2017-19
156 – Nick DeLuca, 2013-17
155 – Carlton Littlejohn, 2011-14
154 – Christian Dudzik, 2011-14
152 – Michael Tutsie, 2018-22
WINNING UP FRONT: North Dakota State’s offensive line is not only getting the job done in the running game, but the “Rams” have also been solid in the passing game. NDSU ranks fifth in the FCS with 246.0 rushing yards per game and fifth with 0.71 sacks allowed per game. The Bison are No. 2 nationally with only 2.86 tackles for loss allowed per game.
LUEPKE FOR SIX: Fifteen different players have scored touchdowns in the first seven games for North Dakota State, but Hunter Luepke is doing it more often than almost everybody in the FCS. Luepke is second in the MVFC and 15th nationally with eight rushing TDs. He leads the league and ranks eighth nationally with 11 total TDs including a team-leading three touchdown receptions. Luepke has 19 total TDs in his past 14 games played.
GOOD WORKS TEAM: Linebacker James Kaczor was named to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, which recognizes 11 FBS players and 11 players from FCS, Division II, Division III and NAIA for outstanding contributions to their communities. Kaczor’s activities include Feed My Starving Children, Charism, River City Church and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He is the ninth NDSU player named to the Good Works Team since 2004 and the third in the past five years. Fans can vote for the 2022 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team captain once a day through Nov. 22 at ESPN.com/Allstate.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: North Dakota State has had three players combine to earn four weekly awards in the Missouri Valley Football Conference this season:
— Cody Mauch, Offensive Line (9/5, 9/26)…Played 33 snaps against Drake with no sacks, quarterback pressures or tackles for loss allowed…Graded with 12 physicality points and helped the Bison rush for 274 yards and 7.4 yards per carry…Graded 93% with 25 physicality points in a 356-yard rushing performance at South Dakota.
— Griffin Crosa, Special Teams (9/25)…Converted two field goals and four extra points in the win at South Dakota…Made a 26-yard FG and his 25-yard FG with 8:27 left in the game gave NDSU its first two-possession lead.
— Will Mostaert, Special Teams (10/9)…Blocked a 30-yard FG attempt to preserve a four-point NDSU lead late in the third quarter at Indiana State…Also had a sack and QB hurry in the 31-26 win.
BISON PICKED TO WIN: North Dakota State received 39 of 41 first-place votes to claim the top spot in a preseason poll of the Missouri Valley Football Conference head coaches, media and sports information directors. South Dakota State had the remaining two votes in second place followed by Missouri State third, Southern Illinois fourth, Northern Iowa fifth, South Dakota sixth and North Dakota seventh. Illinois State, Youngstown State, Indiana State and Western Illinois rounded out the poll in order eighth through 11th.
PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE: Twelve NDSU players were named to the Preseason All-MVFC Team including four on the first team: fullback Hunter Luepke, left tackle Cody Mauch, defensive tackle Eli Mostaert and safety Michael Tutsie. NDSU’s eight preseason second-team honorees were running back Kobe Johnson, tight end Noah Gindorff, left guard Nash Jensen, defensive end Spencer Waege, linebacker James Kaczor, cornerback Destin Talbert, safety Dawson Weber and return specialist Jayden Price.
PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS: North Dakota State had nine players named to preseason All-America teams. Fullback Hunter Luepke, tight end Noah Gindorff, left tackle Cody Mauch and safety Michael Tutsie, left guard Nash Jensen and defensive tackle Eli Mostaert were recognized by HERO Sports. Luepke, Mauch, Tutsie, defensive end Spencer Waege, linebacker James Kaczor and punt returner Jayden Price were recognized by Stats Perform.
SENIOR BOWL WATCH LIST: North Dakota State fullback Hunter Luepke, tight end Noah Gindorff and left tackle Cody Mauch were among the NFL prospects on the preseason watch list for the Reese’s Senior Bowl, widely regarded as the top college football all-star game. The Bison have had 11 players selected including wide receiver Christian Watson last year.
AWARD WATCH LISTS: Fullback Hunter Luepke and left tackle Cody Mauch are on the watch list for the Walter Payton Award presented to the FCS Offensive Player of the Year, and defensive end Spencer Waege, linebacker James Kaczor and safety Michael Tutsie are on the watch list for the Buck Buchanan Award presented to the FCS Defensive Player of the Year. Additionally, NDSU’s Kaedin Steindorf was named to the FCS Punter of the Year watch list.
BISON AT HOME: The Bison have a 179-28 record in the Fargodome, 31-6 at home against FCS Top 10 ranked teams, and winners of 76 of the last 78 home games over non-conference opponents. North Dakota State has a 31-1 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 in the Fargodome from September 2017 through April 2021 was the fourth longest in NCAA FCS history.
BISON RETURNING TO TWIN CITIES: North Dakota State will host Eastern Washington on the opening weekend of the 2023 season at U.S. Bank Stadium, home of the Minnesota Vikings. NDSU drew a crowd of 34,544 fans to the 2019 season opener against Butler at Target Field, home of the Minnesota Twins.
#PROBISON: North Dakota State has 14 former players with NFL clubs including 12 on active rosters and two on practice squads. The list includes Broncos OL Billy Turner (9th year), Commanders QB Carson Wentz (7th), Browns OL Joe Haeg (7th), Lions LB Chris Board (5th), Chargers QB Easton Stick (4th), Vikings TE Ben Ellefson (3rd), Ravens practice squad OL Zack Johnson (3rd), Chargers LB Derrek Tuszka (3rd), 49ers QB Trey Lance (2nd), Titans OL Dillon Radunz (2nd), Cowboys LB Jabril Cox (2nd), Packers WR Christian Watson (1st), Bengals OL Cordell Volson (1st), and Rams practice squad LB Brayden Thomas (1st). Two others were recently released by their clubs: Broncos practice squad WR Darrius Shepherd (4th) Panthers practice squad TE Josh Babicz (1st).
