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THIS WEEK:  Missouri Valley Football Conference champion North Dakota State (10-0, 7-0 MVFC) takes a 19-game overall winning streak and a 10-game home streak into the regular season finale against South Dakota (4-7, 3-4 MVFC) at 2:37 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 23, at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome (18,700).  The game has been declared a Code Green and fans are encouraged to wear green to support the 24 seniors playing in their final regular season home game. Code Green is the Bison football defensive philosophy that asks all players to play hard, play fast, and play together.
 
TELEVISION:  Live coverage in high definition begins at 2:30 p.m. on the NBC North Dakota network, Midco Sports Network and Fox College Sports Pacific with KVLY's Brian Shawn calling the play-by-play, KFYR's Lee Timmerman and former NDSU quarterback Kevin Feeney providing analysis, and KVLY's Jamal Spencer reporting from the sidelines.  A live video stream will be available on GoBison.com/allaccess.
 
RADIO:  Live coverage begins at 2 p.m. 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 79th meeting between North Dakota State and South Dakota dating back to 1900.  NDSU leads the series 50-25-3 and has won three straight including last year's 54-0 win at Howard Wood Field in Sioux Falls.  The Bison have a 7-0 advantage in the Fargodome and are 28-9-1 against the Coyotes in Fargo, where USD has lost 13 straight since a 17-14 victory in 1978.
 
LAST YEAR IN SIOUX FALLS:  Brock Jensen accounted for two passing and two rushing touchdowns, and Sam Ojuri rushed for two TDs in North Dakota State's 54-0 win at Howard Wood Field.  Jensen threw for 195 yards including a 32-yard score to Nate Moody and a 2-yarder to Andrew Bonnet, and he scored on runs of 10 and 2 yards.  The Bison defense held USD to 76 yards of total offense and four first downs.  Zach Colvin capped the NDSU scoring with a 12-yard interception return.  Christian Dudzik had 158 return yards including a 76-yard punt return.  USD was 0-for-12 on third down.
 
LAST WEEK:  North Dakota State clinched its third straight Missouri Valley Football Conference championship with a 35-17 win at No. 15-ranked Youngstown State last week.  Quarterback Brock Jensen was 17 of 22 passing for 200 yards and a career-high four touchdowns.  Sam Ojuri ran for 146 yards on 17 carries and John Crockett finished with 120 yards on 15 touches to give the Bison two 100-yard rushers for the second time this season.  The Bison averaged 6.7 yards per rush.  Tight end Kevin Vaadeland had his first two-touchdown game on catches of 3 and 12 yards, fullback Andrew Bonnet had a 3-yard TD catch and Ryan Smith scored on a 10-yard passing play.  Zach Vraa led all receivers with seven catches for 101 yards.  Jordan Champion, who made his first career start at cornerback in place of the injured but dressed Marcus Williams, had a career-high six tackles including five solos.
 
JENSEN NATIONAL ALL-STAR:  North Dakota State quarterback Brock Jensen was named Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Player of the Week and was one of five College Sporting News National All-Stars following the Youngstown State game, where Jensen tied Armanti Edwards' Football Championship Subdivision record with his 43rd career victory as a quarterback in the 35-17 win.  Jensen was 17-for-22 passing for 200 yards and a career-high four touchdowns and ran for a fifth touchdown.  He broke the NDSU single-season (24) and career (62) records for TD passes.  It was his third 200-yard passing game of the season and the 12th of his career.
 
JOHNSON O-LINEMAN OF THE WEEK:  North Dakota State sophomore left guard Zack Johnson was named Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Lineman of the Week by the league office Monday.  Johnson had the best game of his career with 13 knockdowns and zero quarterback hurries or sacks allowed in North Dakota State's 35-17 win at Youngstown State.  He keyed several big runs as the Bison averaged 6.7 yards per carry and had dual 100-yard rushers for the second time this season.  Sam Ojuri rushed for 146 yards and John Crockett went for 120 while quarterback Brock Jensen passed for four touchdowns in his third 200-yard game of the season.
 
24 SENIORS TO BE RECOGNIZED:  North Dakota State will recognize its class of 24 seniors prior to the South Dakota game.  NDSU is 47-7 over the past four seasons including a Missouri Valley Football Conference-record four straight wins over FBS opponents, a 27-3 home record, and a 10-1 mark in the NCAA playoffs.  They have won three straight MVFC championships, will make a fourth straight playoff appearance, and have won back-to-back Football Championship Subdivision national titles.
 
TEN IN A ROW:  North Dakota State is 10-0 for the first time since the 2007 season when the Bison lost at South Dakota State in the final game of the year.  NDSU has not gone undefeated in the regular season since the 1990 NCAA Division II championship team went 10-0 in the regular season and 4-0 in the playoffs.  NDSU's 10 straight wins is tied for the second longest streak in Valley Football history behind Northern Iowa's 12 in 2007 (lost to Delaware) and Southern Illinois' 10 in 2003 (lost at UNI).
 
VRAA NEAR SEASON MARKS FOR RECEIVING TDs, YARDS:  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 touchdown catches in 1993.  Vraa had eight TDs in a stretch of five straight games with a TD that was snapped at Youngstown State, and he has caught a TD pass in 7 of 10 games this season.  Vraa leads the Missouri Valley Football Conference with 18.5 yards per catch and is third in NDSU single-season history with 834 receiving yards.
NDSU Single-Season Receiving Yards
1,181 - T.R. McDonald, 1993
1,003 - Warren Holloway, 2011
834 - Zach Vraa, 2013
828 - Tim Strehlow, 1999
 
TOUCHDOWN RECORDS BROKEN:  Senior quarterback Brock Jensen tied a career-high with four touchdown passes in the win at Youngstown State and broke two school records in the process.  His 24 touchdown passes this season passed the NDSU record of 20 by Steve Walker in 2007 and his 62 career TDs snapped Walker's mark of 60 from 2004-07.
 
JENSEN JOINS ELITE GROUP:  Senior quarterback Brock Jensen surpassed the 1,000-yard career rushing mark at Youngstown State and is one of seven active quarterbacks in the Football Championship Subdivision with 5,000 passing and 1,000 rushing yards in a career.
FCS Active Players, Total Offense—5,000 passing and 1,000 rushing yards
1. Denarius McGhee, Montana State (11,049 passing; 1,097 rushing; 12,146 total)
2. Brian Bell, Sam Houston State (7,920 passing; 1,381 rushing; 9,301 total)
3. Brock Jensen, North Dakota State (7,645 passing; 1,010 rushing; 8,655 total)
Others: Gavin McCarney, Colgate; Benjamin Anderson, Arkansas-Pine Bluff; Garrett Safron, Sacramento State; Matt Lancaster, Butler.
 
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 (92).  Jensen is 42-5 as NDSU's starting quarterback and with 43 total victories (including 2010 off the bench against Morgan State) he has tied the FCS record of 43 wins by Armanti Edwards at Appalachian State from 2006-09.  Jensen is NDSU's career leader in pass attempts (1017), pass completions (634), passing touchdowns (62), passing yards (7,651) and total offense (8,661).
Most Wins by FCS Quarterbacks
43, Brock Jensen, North Dakota State (2010-present)
43, Armanti Edwards, Appalachian State (2006-09)
42, J.R. Revere, Georgia Southern (1998-01)
41, Eric Ward, Richmond (2006-09)
 
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 3,180 yards in 46 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)
3,180 - Sam Ojuri, RB (2009,11-13)
 
WEARING THEM OUT:  North Dakota State ranks second nationally in time of possession and third down conversions, and the advantage is most notable in the fourth quarter.  NDSU is averaging 9:32 in the fourth quarter this year including five games over 10 minutes and a season-high 11:31 at Youngstown State.  The Bison have converted 26 of 40 third downs in the final quarter for 65 percent.
 
FOURTH QUARTER SUCCESS:  North Dakota State has held 9 of 10 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 15 games.
 
LITTLEJOHN STEPS IN:  North Dakota State linebacker Carlton Littlejohn was named Missouri Valley Football Conference Defensive Player of the Week after making a game- and career-high 16 tackles 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.
 
PUNT COVERAGE:  North Dakota State's Ben LeCompte has punted 36 times for a 43.4 average this year including 10 touchbacks and 15 inside the 20-yard line.  Only 4 of 36 punts have been returned and NDSU tacklers have limited those returns to 0 yards (Jordan Champion), minus-2 yards (Colten Heagle), 0 yards (Bryan Shepherd) and 5 yards (Kyle Emanuel).  North Dakota State is allowing just 0.75 yards per punt return, which is third in the FCS behind Brown and Towson.
 
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.
 
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 132 career receptions for 1,485 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, 132 (2010-present)
 
FLIPPING THE FIELD:  North Dakota State ranks 19th nationally and is second in the Missouri Valley Football Conference in net punting thanks to sophomore punter Ben LeCompte, who has been flipping the field with an impressive 43.4 yards per punt average that ranks 13th 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 43.3 would rank second in school history behind Mike Dragosavich's 44.46 from 2004-07.
 
STREAKING:  North Dakota State's 19-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)                                    22
2. North Dakota State (MVFC)                     19
3. Alabama (SEC)                                                 14
4. Baylor (Big 12)                                                13
5. Florida State (ACC)                                       12
 
Division I Home Winning Streaks
1. Sam Houston State (Southland)           21
2. South Carolina (SEC)                                    16
3. Ohio State (Big Ten)                                    14
4. Fresno State (Mountain West)              11
5. Eastern Illinois (OVC)                                  10
     North Dakota State (MVFC)                     10
     Northern Illinois (MAC)                            10
 
ON THE ROAD:  North Dakota State has won 14 straight true road games and 17 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 22 of their last 26 road games and are 42-20 on the road since head coach Craig Bohl took over in 2003.  NDSU is 17-7 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. North Dakota State (MVFC)                     14
     Northern Illinois (MAC)                            14
3. Alabama (SEC)                                                 12
4. Ohio State (Big Ten)                                       8
     Texas A&M (SEC)                                               8
 
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 - 25,553
2. James Madison - 21,011
3. Southern - 20,107
4. Montana State - 19,339
5. North Dakota State - 18,800
 
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 seven teams in the top 30 and is tops among all 14 conferences ahead of the Colonial Athletic Association and Southland Conference.  
BISON LAST FCS UNBEATEN:  North Dakota State is the last unbeaten team in the Football Championship Subdivision after Fordham's 27-14 loss at Lafayette last week.  Six other teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision are unbeaten: Alabama (10-0), Florida State (10-0), Northern Illinois (10-0), Ohio State (10-0), Baylor (9-0), Fresno State (9-0).
 
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.
 
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.
 
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 and kickoff return average, and the Bison are in the top 10 in several categories in the FCS statistics through Nov. 16:
NDSU in the FCS Statistics
1st - first downs allowed (136)
1st - kickoff return average (27.33)
2nd - third down conversion percentage (.540)
2nd - third down conversion defense (.261)
2nd - time of possession (34:09)
2nd - total defense (245.9)
2nd - scoring defense (12.7)
3rd - rushing defense (88.5)
3rd - punt return defense (0.75)
4th - punt return average (15.43)
4th - fourth down conversion percentage (.769)
4th - passing efficiency (166.36)
4th - passing efficiency defense (98.93)
5th - completion percentage (.675)
7th - fewest interceptions thrown (5)
7th - passing defense (157.4)
 
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.
 
NEGATIVE YARDS:  SDSU'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.
 
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.
 
THE DRIVE:  North Dakota State came back from a 21-7 deficit to win 24-21 at Kansas State in the season opener.  The Bison marched 80 yards in 18 plays over a span of 8:30 to score the winning touchdown on Brock Jensen's 1-yard run with 28 seconds left.  Jensen completed 14 of 15 passes in the second half including 7 of 7 on the final drive.
 
GOOD PICKING:  Missouri Valley Football Conference champion North Dakota State was picked to win the title in 2013 earning all 39 possible first-place votes in a poll conducted by league coaches, media and sports information directors.  This is the 16th time in 28 polls that the preseason favorite has won the conference.
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
 
PRESEASON HONORS:  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 made the Walter Payton Award (FCS Offensive Player of the Year) watch list, and Olson and Williams made the Buck Buchanan Award (FCS Defensive Player of the Year) watch list.
 
CONFERENCE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK:  The following players were recognized as Player of the Week by the Missouri Valley Football Conference this season for their performances:
        - Colten Heagle, Defense (team-high seven tackles and two stops for loss at Kansas State in his first game back from knee injury Sept. 2012)
        - Billy Turner, Offensive Line (96% with 10 knockdowns at Kansas State)
        - Ben LeCompte, Special Teams (seven punts averaging 44.3 yards, three inside the 20 and two touchbacks at South Dakota State with a career-long 75 and a 74-yarder)
        - Ryan Smith, Special Teams (took his first punt return of the season 85 yards for a touchdown against Missouri State)
        - Joe Haeg, Offensive Line (98% with eight knockdowns vs. Missouri State)
        - Billy Turner, Offensive Line (92% with 10 knockdowns in NDSU's season-high 331-yard rushing game at Southern Illinois)
        - Zack Johnson, Offensive Line (13 knockdowns as NDSU averaged 6.7 yards per carry and had backs run for 146 and 120 yards at Youngstown State)
        - Christian Dudzik, Special Teams (scored his first two career TDs on punt returns of 43 and 68 yards at Indiana State)
        - Carlton Littlejohn, Defense (10 of his career-high 16 tackles in the second half against Illinois State after moving to middle linebacker in place of Grant Olson)
        - Brock Jensen, Offense (17-for-22 passing for 200 yards, career-high four TDs and a fifth TD by rush at Youngstown State, where he tied the FCS wins record and broke NDSU's career and single-season records for TD passes)
 
 NATIONAL HONORS:  The following players earned national recognition this season for their performances:
        - Ben LeCompte, Sports Network co-Special Teams Player of the Week (seven punts averaging 44.3 yards, three inside the 20 and two touchbacks at South Dakota State with a career-long 75 and a 74-yarder)
        - Grant Olson, College Sporting News All-Star (eight tackles and a career-high two sacks totaling 14 yards at South Dakota State where the Bison held SDSU to minus-32 yards rushing)
        - Zach Vraa, CFPA Wide Receiver of the Week (five catches for career-high 179 yards against Missouri State, TD catches of 36 and 23 yards, two other catches for 56 and 52 yards)
        - Ryan Smith, CFPA Punt Returner of the Week (took his first punt return of the season 85 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead against Missouri State)
        - Christian Dudzik, Sports Network co-Special Teams Player of the Week and CFPA Punt Returner of the Week (scored his first two career TDs on punt returns of 43 and 68 yards at Indiana State)
        - Ryan Smith, CFPA Kickoff Returner of the Week (100-yard kickoff return to answer an Indiana State kickoff return touchdown on the previous play, tying the 1923 NDSU record for longest kickoff return)
        - Brock Jensen, College Sporting News All-Star (17-for-22 passing for 200 yards, career-high four TDs and a fifth TD by rush at Youngstown State, where he tied the FCS wins record and broke NDSU's career and single-season records for TD passes)