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THIS WEEK:  Top-ranked North Dakota State can win its third straight Missouri Valley Football Conference championship this week when the first-place Bison (9-0, 6-0 MVFC) travel to second-place Youngstown State (8-2, 5-1 MVFC) for a 2 p.m. EST game Saturday, Nov. 16, at Stambaugh Stadium (20,630) in Youngstown, Ohio.
 
TELEVISION:  Live coverage in high definition begins at 1 p.m. CST on the NBC North Dakota network and ESPN3 with Chad Krispinsky calling the play-by-play, Dave Sess analyst and Lauren Minenok reporting from the sidelines.  A live video stream will be available on YSUSports.com.
 
RADIO:  Live coverage begins at 12:30 p.m. CST on KFGO-AM 790 and KRWK-FM 101.9 of Fargo along with the North Dakota Corn Growers Bison Radio Network.  KFGO's Scott Miller will describe the play-by-play with NDSU and Buffalo Bills Hall of Famer Phil Hansen as color analyst and NDSU's Jeremy Jorgenson reporting from the sidelines.  A live audio stream will be available on GoBison.com/allaccess.
 
THE SERIES:  This is the eighth meeting between North Dakota State and Youngstown State dating back to 1972.  YSU leads the series 4-3.  The teams have split the last four games with NDSU winning 48-7 last year in Fargo.  Marcus Williams returned an interception 98 yards in a potential game-tying situation to give the Bison a 21-7 lead and the Bison tacked on two more touchdowns before halftime for a 35-7 lead.  Ryan Smith had a 76-yard punt return touchdown, Brock Jensen passed for 200 yards and two TDs, and John Crockett ran for 103 yards and two scores for NDSU.  The Bison are 1-2 in Youngstown including a 34-29 victory in their last trip in 2010.
 
LAST TIME IN YOUNGSTOWN:  Jose Mohler's 45-yard touchdown pass to Justin Howard with 34 seconds left gave North Dakota State a 34-29 victory over Youngstown State on Oct. 9, 2010, in the teams' last meeting at Stambaugh Stadium.  NDSU began the drive with 46 seconds left after Howard returned a kickoff 26 yards. A defensive holding penalty gave the Bison first down at Youngstown State's 45 and Mohler hit Howard on the next play.  Mohler, who entered after an injury to Brock Jensen at the end of the first quarter, went 11-for-14 passing for 192 yards and three touchdowns.  YSU's Kurt Hess was 22 of 31 for 252 yards and the Penguins outgained NDSU 499-426 with a 33:30-26:30 advantage in time of possession.
 
LAST WEEK:  Brock Jensen passed for 198 yards and three touchdowns to lead North Dakota State to its 18th straight victory 28-10 over Illinois State in the 40th annual Harvest Bowl game Saturday before a crowd of 18,076 at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome.  Jensen was 13-for-22 and completed passes to six different receivers led by Zach Vraa, who had five receptions for 109 yards including touchdowns of 27 and 26 yards by halftime. Tight end Kevin Vaadeland had a career-high 57 receiving yards including a a 3-yard TD pass.  NDSU running back John Crockett rushed 20 times for 104 yards.  His 1-yard run capped a nearly 8-minute drive in the fourth quarter as the Bison went 71 yards in 13 plays to make it a three-possession game with only 1:03 left in the fourth quarter.
 
LITTLEJOHN STEPS IN:  North Dakota State linebacker Carlton Littlejohn was named Missouri Valley Football Conference Defensive Player of the Week by the league office Sunday.  Littlejohn had a game- and career-high 16 tackles in No. 1-ranked North Dakota State's 28-10 home victory over Illinois State.  He made seven solo stops and had 1.5 tackles for loss.  Littlejohn made 10 of his 16 tackles in the second half after moving from the outside to middle linebacker in place of injured starter Grant Olson.
 
JENSEN TIES PASSING TD RECORD:  Senior quarterback Brock Jensen threw his 18th, 19th and 20th touchdown passes of the season against Illinois State and tied the NDSU single-season record of 20 TD passes set by Steve Walker in 2007.  Jensen has 58 career TD passes which is two shy of Walker's NDSU career mark of 60.
 
VRAA APPROACHING TD RECORD:  Junior wide receiver Zach Vraa caught his ninth and 10th touchdown passes of the season against Illinois State, giving him the most TD receptions by a Bison player since T.R. McDonald's school-record 11 TD catches in 1993.  Vraa has six TD catches in the last four games, has caught a TD in five straight contests and 7 of 9 games this season, and leads the Missouri Valley Football Conference with 19.3 yards per catch.
 
OJURI CRACKS 3,000 YARD MARK:  Senior running back Sam Ojuri has become the sixth running back in NDSU history to eclipse the 3,000 career yards mark.  Ojuri has 3,034 yards in 45 career games and has passed former Bison players Paul Hatchett, Doug Lloyd, Kevin Feeney, Tyler Roehl, Pat Paschall, Chad Stark, Jeff Bentrim and D.J. McNorton on the school's career rushing list over the first nine games of the season.  NDSU's last 3,000-yard rusher was Kyle Steffes, who finished second in school history with 3,952 yards from 2003-06.
NDSU All-Time Leading Rushers
4,696 - Lamar Gordon, RB (1998-01)
3,952 - Kyle Steffes, RB (2003-06)
3,688 - Jake Morris, RB (1994-97)
3,313 - Chris Simdorn, QB (1987-90)
3,212 - Tony Satter, RB (1987-90)
3,034 - Sam Ojuri, RB (2009,11-13)
 
JENSEN ON THE NCAA CAREER LIST:  North Dakota State quarterback Brock Jensen is among the NCAA active career leaders ranked fifth in total TDs responsible for (87).  Jensen is 41-5 as NDSU's starting quarterback and with 42 total victories (including 2010 off the bench against Morgan State) he is closing in on the FCS record of 43 wins by Armanti Edwards at Appalachian State from 2006-09.  Jensen is NDSU's career leader in pass attempts (995), pass completions (617), passing yards (7,451) and total offense yards (8,452) and is second at NDSU in career TD passes with 58.
Most Wins by FCS Quarterbacks
43, Armanti Edwards, Appalachian State (2006-09)
42, Brock Jensen, North Dakota State (2010-present)
42, J.R. Revere, Georgia Southern (1998-01)
41, Eric Ward, Richmond (2006-09)
 
PUNT COVERAGE:  North Dakota State's Ben LeCompte has punted 33 times for a 43.2 average this year including eight touchbacks and 15 inside the 20-yard line.  Only 3 of 33 punts have been returned and NDSU tacklers have limited those returns to 0 yards (Jordan Champion), minus-2 yards (Colten Heagle) and 0 yards (Bryan Shepherd).
 
FOURTH QUARTER SUCCESS:  North Dakota State has held 8 of 9 opponents scoreless in the fourth quarter with Missouri State's 11-yard TD pass from Ashton Glaser to Dorian Buford being the only fourth-quarter points allowed.  Buford's touchdown and a Sam Houston State field goal in last year's national title game are the only fourth-quarter points NDSU has allowed in the last 14 games.
 
SMITH CRACKS TOP FIVE IN RECEPTIONS:  Senior wide receiver Ryan Smith moved into fifth place in career pass receptions at North Dakota State with his fourth catch against Missouri State.  Smith has 129 career receptions for 1,450 yards.
NDSU Top Five Career Pass Receptions
1. Kole Heckendorf, 178 (2005-08)
2. Travis White, 163 (2002-06)
3. Warren Holloway, 161 (2008-11)
4. T.R. McDonald, 134 (1990-93)
5. Ryan Smith, 129 (2010-present)
 
FLIPPING THE FIELD:  North Dakota State ranks 18th nationally and is second in the Missouri Valley Football Conference in net punting behind Southern Illinois thanks to sophomore punter Ben LeCompte, who has been flipping the field with an impressive 43.2 yards per punt average that ranks 16th in the NCAA FCS statistics.  LeCompte had seven punts and four inside the 20 – both career highs – in the Northern Iowa game.  He had a career-long punt of 75 yards and another for 74 yards at South Dakota State, and a 65-yarder against UNI.  LeCompte's career average of 43.2 would rank second in school history behind Mike Dragosavich's 44.46 from 2004-07.
 
SMITH AMONG PUNT RETURN LEADERS:  North Dakota State wide receiver Ryan Smith is the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision active career leader in punt returns (76) and punt return yards (881), and is tied for first in punt return touchdowns (3).  Junior free safety Christian Dudzik handled the first 13 punt returns this year before Smith took his first return 85 yards for a TD in the first quarter against Missouri State.
 
STREAKING:  North Dakota State's 18-game winning streak is a Missouri Valley Football Conference record, the longest active streak in the Football Championship Subdivision, and the second longest streak in all of Division I behind Ohio State.  The Bison have won 10 straight at home (second best in the FCS) and 41 of the last 42 non-conference home games including 31 straight since a 2003 loss to UC Davis.
Division I Overall Winning Streaks
1. Ohio State (Big Ten)                                    21
2. North Dakota State (MVFC)                     18
3. Alabama (SEC)                                                 13
4. Baylor (Big 12)                                                12
5. Florida State (ACC)                                       11
     Fordham (Patriot)                                         10
 
Division I Home Winning Streaks
1. Sam Houston State (Southland)           21
2. South Carolina (SEC)                                    15
3. Ohio State (Big Ten)                                    14
4. Stanford (Pac-12)                                          14
5. Fresno State (Mountain West)              11
6. North Dakota State (MVFC)                     10
 
ON THE ROAD:  North Dakota State has won 13 straight true road games and 16 including two national championship games in Frisco, Texas, and one neutral site win against South Dakota in Sioux Falls, S.D.  The Bison have won 21 of their last 25 road games and are 41-20 on the road since head coach Craig Bohl took over in 2003.  NDSU is 16-7 in MVFC road games.  The Bison have not lost away from Fargo since the 38-31 overtime loss to eventual national champion Eastern Washington in the 2010 NCAA quarterfinals.
Division I Road Winning Streaks
1. Oregon (Pac-12)                                            18
2. Northern Illinois (MAC)                            14
3. North Dakota State (MVFC)                     13
4. Alabama (SEC)                                                 11
5. Towson (Colonial)                                            9
 
BISON FIFTH IN ATTENDANCE:  North Dakota State's record crowd of 19,108 for the homecoming game against Missouri State was the fifth straight regular season sellout and the 17th sellout overall since 2006.  NDSU is fifth in the Football Championship Subdivision with an average attendance of 18,800 through five home games.
FCS average home attendance
1. Montana - 25,941
2. Southern - 22,080
3. James Madison - 21,518
4. Montana State - 19,627
5. North Dakota State - 18,800
 
TWO UNBEATENS REMAIN:  Division I has eight teams with perfect records and two of those are in the Football Championship Subdivision.  North Dakota State (9-0) represents the Missouri Valley Football Conference:
Remaining Unbeaten Teams in the FCS
Fordham (Patriot)                                         10-0
North Dakota State (MVFC)                        9-0
FBS unbeaten teams: Alabama 9-0, Florida State 9-0, Fresno State, 9-0, Northern Illinois 9-0, Ohio State 9-0, Baylor 8-0.
 
NDSU, MVFC TOP GRIDIRON POWER INDEX: North Dakota State has the top spot in the Gridiron Power Index (GPI), the index ranking for the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision and a top indicator of at-large playoff selection.  The Missouri Valley Football Conference has six teams in the top 25 and is tops among all 14 conferences ahead of the Southland Conference and Colonial Athletic Association.
Gridiron Power Index - Nov. 11
1. North Dakota State                      1.00
2. Eastern Illinois                                2.00
3. Eastern Washington                    3.57
4. Maine                                                   5.57
5. SE Louisiana                                      6.43
 
Conference GPI - Nov. 11
1. Missouri Valley                            27.64
2. Southland                                       32.88
3. Colonial                                           33.94
4. Ohio Valley                                    37.67
5. Big Sky                                              43.07
 
FOUR ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT:  North Dakota State's Andrew Grothmann, Ryan Drevlow, Kyle Emanuel and Esley Thorton were named to the Capital One Academic All-District 6 team by a vote of the College Sports Information Directors of America.  To be nominated, student-athletes must have at least a 3.30 cumulative grade-point average, have sophomore athletic and academic standing, have completed one academic year at their institution, and be a starter or key reserve for their team.  Grothmann has a 3.58 GPA in agricultural economics, Drevlow has a 3.69 GPA in electrical engineering, Emanuel has a 3.59 in construction management, and Thorton has a 3.89 in exercise science.  All four advance to the national ballot for Academic All-America honors to be announced Thursday, Dec. 5.
 
NATIONAL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK:  North Dakota State had two players recognized as Football Championship Subdivision national performers of the week by The Sports Network and the College Football Performance Awards on Oct. 28.  Christian Dudzik was named Sports Network Special Teams co-Player of the Week and CFPA National Punt Returner of the Week after scoring his first two career touchdowns on punt returns of 43 and 68 yards in Saturday's 56-10 win over Indiana State.  Ryan Smith was named FCS National Kickoff Returner of the Week by the CFPA. Smith returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, answering Indiana State's kickoff return touchdown on the previous play.  He tied the NDSU kickoff return record of 100 yards set in 1923 by Elmer Parisien against South Dakota.
 
O-LINEMAN OF THE WEEK:  North Dakota State's Billy Turner was named Offensive Lineman of the Week by the Missouri Valley Football Conference following NDSU's season-high 331-yard rushing performance at Southern Illinois.  Turner graded out at 92 percent with 10 knockdowns and no quarterback hurries or sacks.  It was NDSU's second straight award and third of the year.  Turner was recognized after the Kansas State win (96% with 10 knockdowns) and Joe Haeg was named following the Missouri State game (98% with eight knockndowns).
 
RUNNING GAME:  North Dakota State racked up a season-high 331 rushing yards in the win at Southern Illinois.  It was the most rushing yards for NDSU since 376 in the NCAA second round win at Montana State in 2010 and the third most in a Missouri Valley Football Conference game behind 413 at Illinois State and 354 at Missouri State both during the 2008 season.
 
VRAA, SMITH NATIONAL PERFORMERS OF WEEK:  North Dakota State had two players recognized as national performers of the week by the College Football Performance Awards following the Missouri State game.  Zach Vraa was named FCS National Wide Receiver of the Week after catching five passes for a career-high 179 yards and two touchdowns.  He caught TD passes of 36 and 23 yards and had two other catches go for 56 and 52 yards.  Ryan Smith, the Missouri Valley Football Conference Special Teams Player of the Week, was named FCS National Punt Returner of the Week.  Smith turned his first punt return of the year into an 85-yard touchdown to give the Bison a 7-0 lead in the first quarter.  He is the Division I active leader with three career punt return TDs.
 
OLSON NATIONAL ALL STAR:  Middle linebacker Grant Olson was chosen as a National All-Star by College Sporting News after posting eight tackles and a career-high two sacks totaling 14 yards at South Dakota State.  Olson was the leading tackler for the NDSU defense which held SDSU to minus-32 yards rushing.
 
LeCOMPTE NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK:  Punter Ben LeCompte was selected by The Sports Network as the FCS National co-Special Teams Player of the Week after the South Dakota State game, where he had seven punts for 310 yards, averaged 44.3 yards per punt, placed three punts inside the 20 and had two touchbacks in North Dakota State's 20-0 win.  LeCompte blasted a career-long 75-yard punt from his own 25 in the first quarter and added a 74-yarder from NDSU's 8-yard line at the end of the first quarter.  He also handled four kickoffs with a 59.0 average including one touchback.  He was the Missouri Valley Football Conference Special Teams Player of the Week.
 
WILLIAMS AND INTERCEPTIONS: North Dakota State's Marcus Williams has 20 career interceptions, which ranks third-best all-time on the MVFC list.  He is the NCAA all-divisions active leader in career interceptions (20) and interception return yards (442).  His six career INT returns for touchdown tied the FCS record set by Murray State's William Hampton (1993-96).
MVFC Career Leaders - Interceptions
24, Adrion Smith, Missouri St., 1990-93
21, Jeff Smith, Illinois St., 1985-88
20, Marcus Williams, North Dakota St., 2010-present
18, Ty Talton, Northern Iowa, 1995-98
18, Dre Dokes, Northern Iowa, 2003-06
 
BISON IN NCAA TOP 10:  North Dakota State leads the nation in first downs allowed, punt return defense and total defense, and the Bison are among the top 10 in several categories in the FCS statistics through Nov. 9:
NDSU in the FCS Statistics
1st - first downs allowed (119)
1st - punt return defense (-0.67)
1st - total defense (239.8)
2nd - kickoff return average (27.22)
2nd - third down conversion percentage (.531)
2nd - third down conversion defense (.264)
2nd - rushing defense (83.6)
2nd - scoring defense (12.2)
2nd - passing efficiency defense (97.76)
2nd - time of possession (34:06)
3rd - fewest passes intercepted (4)
4th - passing yards allowed (156.2)
5th - punt return average (15.90)
6th - passing efficiency (162.56)
7th - sacks per game (3.22)
7th - fourth down conversion percentage (.769)
8th - fourth down conversion defense (.286)
8th - pass completion percentage (.665)
8th - fewest turnovers lost (11)
 
RUN DEFENSE:  South Dakota State's minus-32 yards rushing was the lowest total allowed by North Dakota State in Division I football.  The NDSU record is minus-85 yards against Morningside in 1974.  SDSU's Zach Zenner, the leading rusher in the Football Championship Subdivision, had four yards on eight carries.
 
BACK-TO-BACK SHUTOUTS:  North Dakota State's shutout victories over Delaware State and South Dakota State were the first back-to-back shutouts for NDSU since 1987 when the Bison won 34-0 at Augustana (S.D.) and 33-0 at home over Morningside.
 
NATIONAL TEAM OF THE WEEK:  North Dakota State was named the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week by the Football Writers Association of America on Sept. 3 following its 24-21 win at Kansas State.  NDSU is just the second Football Championship Subdivision team to be recognized.  The other was Appalachian State in 2007 following its opening game win at No. 5-ranked Michigan.
 
FOUR IN A ROW: North Dakota State is the first team in Missouri Valley Football Conference history to win a game against an FBS foe in four straight years (Kansas-2010; Minnesota-2011; Colorado State-2012; Kansas State-2013). No other MVFC team has won three in successive seasons.
 
HEAGLE DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK:  Strong safety Colten Heagle was Missouri Valley Football Conference Defensive Player of the Week after the Kansas State win where he led NDSU with seven solo tackles including two stops for loss in his first game back since a knee injury at Colorado State in September 2012.  He made a tackle in the backfield on third-and-2 in the first quarter to force a Kansas State punt and NDSU scored on the next possession for a 7-0 lead before going on to a 24-21 victory over the defending Big 12 champions.
 
JENSEN DELIVERS LATE:  Quarterback Brock Jensen was 21-for-30 with two touchdowns and one interception at Kansas State and scored the game-winning touchdown on a 1-yard run with 28 seconds left.  Jensen completed 14 of 15 passes in the second half including 7 of 7 on the game's final drive which covered 80 yards in 18 plays over 8 minutes, 30 seconds.
 
LeCOMPTE KEYS SPECIAL TEAMS:  Punter Ben LeCompte averaged 42.2 yards on four punts at Kansas State including three inside the 20 (at the 3, 8 and 12).  LeCompte also handled all five kickoffs, leaving the first four short to avoid returners and getting a touchback with 28 seconds left in the game.  Senior middle linebacker Grant Olson's first career interception with 19 seconds left in the game sealed NDSU's 24-21 victory.
 
BISON PICKED TO WIN VALLEY:  North Dakota State has been picked to win the Missouri Valley Football Conference crown in 2013. NDSU, the defending national champion, has won 28 of its past 30 games (going 14-1 each year).  The Bison were a unanimous choice to repeat, earning 39 of a possible 39 first-place votes, in a poll conducted by league coaches, media and sports information directors.  The Bison return 18 total starters from a team that went 14-1 overall and 7-1 in the conference last year.
        Named to the preseason all-MVFC offensive unit were quarterback Brock Jensen, offensive tackle Billy Turner, wide receiver Ryan Smith and kicker Adam Keller. Representing NDSU on the all-conference defensive squad were defensive end Cole Jirik, defensive tackle Leevon Perry, linebacker Grant Olson, cornerback Marcus Williams, punter Ben LeCompte and return specialist Ryan Smith. Linebacker Travis Beck was honorable mention. Jensen is on the preseason Payton Award (FCS Offensive Player of the Year) Watch List, and Olson and Williams are on the Buchanan Award (FCS Defensive Player of the Year) Watch List.
        A preseason favorite has claimed the league crown 15 times (in 27 previous polls). North Dakota State was picked to win the league last season.
2013 Valley Football Preseason Poll
Team (first-place votes)                 Points
1. North Dakota State (39)             390
2. South Dakota State                    323
3. Northern Iowa                            269
4. Illinois State                                264
5. Youngstown State                     253
6. Indiana State                              197
7. Southern Illinois                         188
8. Missouri State                             123
9. Western Illinois                             77
10. South Dakota   61