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NDSU Notes
Youngstown State Notes

THIS WEEK:  North Dakota State (10-1, 6-1 MVFC) looks to win at least a share of the Missouri Valley Football Conference championship for the fourth straight season when the Bison host Youngstown State (7-4, 4-3 MVFC) in the annual Harvest Bowl game at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 22, at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome (18,700).  NDSU clinched last year's title at Youngstown State.
 
TELEVISION:  NBC North Dakota, ESPN3 and ESPN GamePlan will have live coverage with Brian Shawn calling the play-by-play, Lee Timmerman and Kevin Feeney providing analysis, and Beth Hoole reporting from the sidelines.  Live video will be available by subscription at GoBison.com/allaccess.
 
RADIO:  KFGO-AM 790 and KRWK-FM 101.9 of Fargo along with the Peterson Farms Seed Bison Radio Network will have live coverage beginning at 2 p.m.  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 free of charge on GoBison.com/allaccess.
 
THE SERIES:  This is the ninth meeting between North Dakota State and Youngstown State and the seventh as Valley Football opponents.  The series is tied 4-4 overall, 3-3 in conference play and 2-2 at home and on the road.  The first six meetings were all decided by single digits, but NDSU has won the last two meetings by 41 and 18 points.
            Series History
            1972 in Fargo - NDSU 16, Youngstown State 10
            1973 in Youngstown - Youngstown State 12, NDSU 10
            2008 in Youngstown - Youngstown State 32, NDSU 24
            2009 in Fargo - Youngstown State 39, NDSU 35
            2010 in Youngstown - NDSU 34, Youngstown State 29
            2011 in Fargo - Youngstown State 27, NDSU 24
            2012 in Fargo - NDSU 48, Youngstown State 7
            2013 in Youngstown - NDSU 35, Youngstown State 17
 
LAST YEAR IN YOUNGSTOWN:  North Dakota State clinched the Missouri Valley Football Conference title with a 35-17 win at 15th-ranked Youngstown State last season.  Brock Jensen was 17 of 22 passing for 200 yards and four touchdowns, Sam Ojuri ran for 146 yards on 17 carries, and John Crockett had 120 yards on 15 carries as the Bison averaged 6.7 yards per rush.  Kevin Vaadeland caught two TDs, Andrew Bonnet had a TD catch, and Zach Vraa led all receivers with seven catches for 101 yards.  Jordan Champion made eight tackles starting in place of Marcus Williams, and Carlton Littlejohn had seven stops.  YSU's Martin Ruiz rushed 17 times for 74 yards and the Penguins used three quarterbacks with second-stringer Dante Nania completing five passes for 67 yards.
 
TITLE CHASE:  North Dakota State is looking to become just the second school in Valley Football history to win four straight league championships behind Northern Iowa's run of seven straight titles from 1990 to 1996.  NDSU is 6-1 and tied atop the standings with Illinois State, which went 6-0 to win its only league title in 1999.
        — If NDSU and Illinois State finish 7-1, the teams would be co-champions and NDSU would be the automatic qualifier based on its No. 1 ranking in the Gridiron Power Index.
        — If NDSU, Illinois State and Northern Iowa all lose, the two-way tie between ISU and NDSU would be broken by comparing each team's record against the next highest team in the standings.  ISU would get the AQ in that scenario, based on its win against Youngstown State.
        — If NDSU and Illinois State lose, and Northern Iowa wins, the three-way tiebreaker edge would go to UNI (UNI would get the AQ since the Panthers beat both of the other tied teams.)
 
SELECTION SUNDAY:  The NCAA Division I Football Championship selection show will be live from 10 to 11 a.m. CST on ESPNU this Sunday, Nov. 23.  The 24-team bracket will include 11 automatic qualifiers and 13 at-large selections.  The Missouri Valley Football Conference has had two or more teams every year since 1995 with a high of four teams in 2003 (Northern Iowa, Southern Illinois, Western Illinois and Western Kentucky).
 
HARVEST BOWL:  This is the 40th Harvest Bowl game in 41 years of the event celebrating excellence in agriculture, education and athletics.  NDSU is 35-2-2 all-time and has won four straight Harvest Bowl games including last year's 28-10 victory over Illinois State.  The event began in 1974 with NDSU beating Wisconsin-Milwaukee 14-7.  The 1991 game with Nebraska-Omaha on Nov. 2 of that year was canceled due to a blizzard.
 
WENTZ TIES TOUCHDOWN RECORD:  Carson Wentz passed for a school-record five TDs and a career-high 247 yards as North Dakota State bounced back from its first loss in more than two years to beat Missouri State 45-10 in Springfield.  Wentz completed 14 of his final 16 passes including a pair of TD strikes to cousin Connor Wentz on plays of 13 and 14 yards.  Andrew Bonnet, Trevor Gebhart and Zach Vraa also caught TDs.
 
PERKINS HAS BIG RETURN DAY:  Wide receiver Eric Perkins debuted as North Dakota State's primary kick returner at Missouri State.  Perkins had two kickoff returns for 69 yards including a 37-yarder after a Missouri State touchdown to set up NDSU's final score.  His 15-yard punt return into Bears territory sparked a 12-play scoring drive that put NDSU ahead 7-3 in the second quarter.  Perkins finished with a career-high 79 all-purpose yards and his 37-yard kick return was the longest by an NDSU player this season.
 
DEFENSE SHUTS DOWN BEARS:  North Dakota State allowed less than 100 rushing yards for the sixth time in 11 games last week at Missouri State.  NDSU outgained the Bears 226-99 on the ground and held the Bears to just 3 of 15 on third-down conversions.  Defensive end Kyle Emanuel had a career-high 10 tackles with two sacks, 3.5 tackles for loss and an interception, Tre Dempsey had eight tackles in his first career start, Nate Tanguay had a strip sack, and Zach Colvin and Colten Heagle each forced fumbles.
 
QUICK STRIKE BISON:  NDSU made Missouri State pay for a pair of interceptions with two quick scores.  The Bison followed Travis Beck's 21-yard return with Bonnet's 16-yard TD catch on the next play, and Kyle Emanuel had a 27-yard return to MSU's 16 that led to a 14-yard Connor Wentz touchdown reception two plays later.
 
IN THE POLLS:  Unanimously No. 1-ranked North Dakota State fell to No. 4 in the Sports Network Top 25 and the FCS Coaches Poll after having its 33-game winning streak snapped at Northern Iowa.  NDSU previously held the No. 1 spot in the FCS coaches poll 30 straight weeks and the Sports Network poll for 30 of 31 weeks with a preseason No. 2 ranking this year.  NDSU received votes in the AP Top 25 for 10 weeks after beating Iowa State in the season-opener.  The Bison also garnered AP votes after all three FCS national titles.
 
VRAA MOVING UP:  North Dakota State wide receiver Zach Vraa caught his first two touchdown passes of the year on 48- and 3-yard plays against Indiana State and finished with a career-high nine receptions for 119 yards.  He has caught a pass in 38 of 40 games in his career and ranks fourth in NDSU career receptions (149) and third in receiving yards (2,356) and touchdown catches (22).
            NDSU Career Receiving Yards
            1. 2732 - Kole Heckendorf, 2005-08 (43g)
            2. 2544 - TR McDonald, 1990-93 (39g)
            3. 2356 - Zach Vraa, 2011-14 (40g)
            4. 2332 - Tim Strehlow, 1996-99 (43g)

            NDSU Career Receiving TDs
            1. 26 - Tim Strehlow, 1996-99
            2. 24 - Len Kretchman, 1985-88
            3. 22 - TR McDonald, 1990-93
                 22 - Zach Vraa, 2011-14

            NDSU Career Receptions
            1. 178 - Kole Heckendorf, 2005-08
            2. 163 - Travis White, 2002-06
            3. 161 - Warren Holloway, 2008-11
            4. 149 - Zach Vraa, 2011-14

CROCKETT FIFTH IN RUSHING:  Senior running back John Crockett has vaulted into fifth place on North Dakota State's all-time rushing list with 3,572 yards in just his third season with the Bison.  Crockett is seventh in NDSU history with 16 career 100-yard games including a season-high 177 at Missouri State and a career-high 195 yards in last year's NCAA semifinal win over New Hampshire.  This is Crockett's third straight 1,000-yard season despite splitting carries each of his first two seasons.  He ranks 12th in the FCS this year in rushing yards (1,257), 14th in rushing yards per game (114.3), and 13th in rushing touchdowns (14).
            NDSU Career Rushing Leaders
            1. 4696 - Lamar Gordon, RB, 1998-01 (41g)
            2. 3952 - Kyle Steffes, RB, 2003-06 (41g)
            3. 3694 - Sam Ojuri, RB, 2009-13 (51g)
            4. 3688 - Jake Morris, RB, 1994-97 (35g)
            5. 3572 - John Crockett, RB, 2012-14 (41g)

            NDSU Career 100-Yard Games
            1. 31 - Lamar Gordon, RB, 1998-01
            2. 20 - Jake Morris, RB, 1994-97
            3. 20 - Chris Simdorn, QB, 1987-90
                 20 - Kyle Steffes, RB, 2003-06
            5. 19 - Tony Satter, RB, 1987-90
            6. 17 - Jeff Bentrim, QB, 1983-86
            7. 16 - John Crockett, RB, 2012-present

WENTZ CLIMBING SEASON PASSING CHARTS:  First-year starting quarterback Carson Wentz is quickly climbing North Dakota State's single-season lists for passing.  Wentz is eighth in NDSU history for passing attempts (256) and completions (163), sixth in passing yards (2,161), and fourth in passing touchdowns (17).  He is the Missouri Valley Football Conference leader and ranks 21st nationally in completion percentage (.637), and also ranks 14th nationally in passing efficiency (150.2), 20th in yards per completion (13.26), and 11th in yards per attempt (8.44).
 
TOP SCORING DEFENSE:  North Dakota State had the top scoring defense in the FCS for the past three seasons and currently ranks second in the FCS.  NDSU allowed 12.7 points per game in 2011, then 11.5 points in 2012 and 11.3 points last season before limiting opponents to 11.4 points per game this year, second only to Harvard's 11.0 ppg.  The Bison returned six defensive starters and seven of the top nine tacklers from last year's squad.
 
SACK MAN:  NDSU defensive end Kyle Emanuel is among the national leaders in sacks and tackles for loss.  The Buck Buchanan Award nominee has a career-best 15.5 sacks and 23.0 tackles for loss through 11 games and leads the Missouri Valley Football Conference in both categories.  He is third in the FCS with 1.41 sacks per game and third with 2.1 TFLs per game.  Emanuel is third all-time at NDSU with 36 career sacks (half sacks counted as whole) and 12th in NCAA FCS history since 2000 with 31.5 career sacks.
            NDSU Career Sack Leaders (half sacks as whole)
            41 - Phil Hansen, DT, 1987-90
            41 - Jerry Dahl, DE, 1973-74
            36 - Kyle Emanuel, DE, 2011-14
            31 - Coulter Boyer, DE, 2008-11

            NCAA FCS Sacks Per Game Leaders
            1.55 - Alec May, Georgetown (15.5)
            1.45 - Javon Hargrave, South Carolina State (16.0)
            1.41 - Kyle Emanuel, North Dakota State (15.5)
            1.18 - Derek Rivers, Youngstown State (13.0)
            1.18 - Christopher Robinson, Morgan State (13.0)

HEAGLE SOLO TACKLES LEADER:  Strong safety Colten Heagle, a Buck Buchanan Award nominee, is NDSU's career leader with 176 solo tackles and passed three current NFL players for the school record.  Free safety Christian Dudzik and linebackers Carlton Littlejohn and Travis Beck are climbing the list.  Beck is eighth in total tackles (308) and Heagle is ninth (305).
            NDSU Career Solo Tackle Leaders
            176 - Colten Heagle, SS, 2010-14
            159 - Joe Mays, LB, 2004-07 (Kansas City Chiefs)
            147 - Ramon Humber, LB, 2005-09 (New Orleans Saints)
            135 - Christian Dudzik, FS, 2011-14
            132 - Craig Dahl, SS, 2003-06 (San Francisco 49ers)
            131 - Carlton Littlejohn, LB, 2011-14
            128 - Travis Beck, LB, 2011-14
 
50+ GAMES:  North Dakota State has six players who have played in at least 50 career games including free safety Christian Dudzik, who has made all 56 career starts, and defensive end Kyle Emanuel, who has played in all 56 games with 49 starts as the Bison have gone 53-3 in that span.  Linebacker Travis Beck missed his only career game at South Dakota after playing all 52 and starting 46 straight.  Linebacker Carlton Littlejohn has played in 54 contests, and strong safety Colten Heagle and tight end Kevin Vaadeland have each played in 53 games.   The FCS record for games played is 62 by Appalachian State linebacker Pierre Banks, who made 47 starts from 2004 to 2008.
 
PAT STREAK: Senior Adam Keller is 39 of 39 this year and has converted 98 straight PAT kicks dating back to the fourth game of 2013 at South Dakota State, a streak which is fifth longest in MVFC history.  Keller ranks 13th in the FCS in scoring with 9.5 points per game.  He is third among FCS active career leaders with 7.8 points per game.
            NDSU Career PATs (made-attempted)
            178 - Aaron Pederson, 1998-01 (178-182)
            172 - Adam Keller, 2011-14 (172-178)
            155 - Shawn Bibeau, 2006-09 (155-165)

            FCS Active Career Scoring Leaders
            8.6 ppg - Tyler Varga, RB, Yale
            8.4 ppg - Cooper Kupp, WR, Eastern Washington
            7.8 ppg - Adam Keller, K, North Dakota State
 
FIELD GOAL RECORDS:  Senior Adam Keller has an NDSU single-season record 22 field goals made and second nationally behind Northern Iowa's Michael Schmadeke.  Keller made a school-record five field goals in the win over Montana.  His 49 career field goals rank second in school history and second among FCS active career leaders tied with South Dakota State's Justin Syrovatka.
            NDSU Single-Season FG Made
            22 - Adam Keller, 2014 (22-26)
            18 - Adam Keller, 2012 (18-24)
            16 - Ryan Jastram, 2011 (16-18)
            16 - Shawn Bibeau, 2006 (16-23)

            NDSU Career FG Made
            51 - Shawn Bibeau, 2006-09 (51-73)
            49 - Adam Keller, 2011-14 (49-62)
            42 - Aaron Pederson, 1998-01 (42-63)
            31 - Ryan Jastram, 2009-11 (31-45)

            FCS Active Career FG Leaders
            54 - Jordan Wiggs, Stephen F. Austin
            49 - Adam Keller, North Dakota State
            49 - Justin Syrovatka, South Dakota State
            45 - Chris Rogers, Sacred Heart

            FCS Leaders, FGM per game
            2.09 - Michael Schmadeke, Northern Iowa (23-25)
            2.00 - Adam Keller, North Dakota State (22-26)
            1.78 - John Carpenter, William & Mary (16-21)
            1.70 - Lance Geesey, St. Francis (17-20)
 
CHEWING UP CLOCK:  North Dakota State ranks first in the FCS in time of possession averaging 34:24 per game.  The Bison held the ball for 41:12 against Indiana State, one of only four games in NDSU's Division I history that has happened:
            NDSU Time of Possession 40+ Minutes
            41:12 - Indiana State, 2014
            40:48 - Southern Illinois, 2012
            40:20 - at South Dakota State, 2013
            40:17 - Cal Poly, 2006
 
FIVE ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT:  Quarterback Carson Wentz, wide receiver Zach Vraa, center Jesse Hinz, outside linebacker Esley Thorton and defensive end Kyle Emanuel were voted to the Capital One Academic All-District 6 football team Nov. 6.  To be eligible, student-athletes must be a varsity starter or key reserve with a 3.30 cumulative GPA and sophomore athletic and academic standing.  Wentz has a 4.0 in health and physical education, Vraa has a 3.51 in sports management, Hinz has a 3.71 in criminal justice and Spanish, Thorton has a 3.91 in exercise science, and Emanuel has a 3.66 in construction management.
 
CONFERENCE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK:  The following players were recognized as Player of the Week by the Missouri Valley Football Conference for their performances:
        - Kyle Emanuel, 3x Defense (Team-high nine tackles at Iowa State including 4.0 TFLs, 2.0 sacks and a forced fumble...Had 4 of 5 tackles go for negative yardage in win over Indiana State with 2.5 sacks, 3.5 TFLs and two QB hurries...Career-high 10 tackles, 4.0 sacks, 4.5 TFL with a FF and QBH against South Dakota State)
        - John Crockett, Offense (17 carries for 139 yards and a career-high three touchdowns at Iowa State, including an 80-yard TD to spark Bison to 34 unanswered points in 34-14 win)
        - Joe Haeg, 2x Offensive Line (Graded out at 100% in win at Iowa State with six knockdown blocks as NDSU put up 506 total yards of offense including 302 on the ground...Graded 91% technique and 100% assignment at Southern Illinois with four knockdowns)
        - Adam Keller, Special Teams (School-record five field goals in the 22-10 win over
No. 3/4-ranked Montana, connecting from 41, 22, 32, 47 and 30 yards)
 
NATIONAL HONORS: The following players have earned national recognition this season for their performances:
        - Kyle Emanuel, 2x Sports Network FCS Defensive Player of the Week (Team-high nine tackles at Iowa State including 4.0 TFLs, 2.0 sacks and a forced fumble...Career-high 10 tackles, 4.0 sacks, 4.5 TFL with a FF and QBH against South Dakota State); 2x College Sporting News FCS National All-Star (Had 4 of 5 tackles go for negative yardage in win over Indiana State with 2.5 sacks, 3.5 TFLs and two QB hurries...Career-high 10 tackles, 4.0 sacks, 4.5 TFL with a FF and QBH against South Dakota State); 2x CFPA FCS Defensive Lineman of the Week (Career-high 10 tackles, 4.0 sacks, 4.5 TFL with a FF and QBH against South Dakota State...Career-high 10 tackles, 2.0 sacks, 3.5 TFL and 27-yard INT return at Missouri State)
        - John Crockett, College Sporting News FCS National All-Star (17 carries for 139 yards and a career-high three touchdowns at Iowa State, including an 80-yard TD to spark Bison to 34 unanswered points in 34-14 win)
        - Carlton Littlejohn, College Sporting News FCS National All-Star (Scored go-ahead touchdown on 5-yard fumble return in 24-7 win at Weber State, where one of his 12 tackles came at the NDSU 2 on a fake field goal to preserve a 21-7 lead)
        - Adam Keller, College Sporting News FCS National All-Star (School-record five field goals in the 22-10 win over No. 3/4-ranked Montana, connecting from 41, 22, 32, 47 and 30 yards) and CFPA FCS Placekicker of the Week (Scored 17 points including four FGs in 47-7 win at South Dakota)
        - Ben LeCompte, CFPA FCS Punter of the Week (Two punts averaging 64.5 yards in home win over South Dakota State, including season-long 66-yarder)
 
SUCCESS VS. THE FBS:  North Dakota State has an 8-3 record and has won five straight games against Football Bowl Subdivision opponents after beating Iowa State 34-14 in the season-opener.  The Bison are 5-0 against the FBS since 2010 with wins at Kansas (6-3), Minnesota (37-24), Colorado State (22-7), Kansas State (24-21) and Iowa State (34-14).
 
THREE PEAT:  North Dakota State is just the second team in FCS history to win three straight national championships joining the Appalachian State teams of 2005-07.  NDSU set a school record for wins with a 15-0 mark and become the first undefeated national champion since Southern Conference champion Marshall went 15-0 to win the 1996 title.
 
TWO FRESHMEN PLAY:  Wide receiver RJ Urzendowski out of Creighton Prep in Omaha and defensive end Greg Menard from Lakeville North in Minnesota are the only true freshmen who have played for NDSU this season.  Urzendowski caught one pass for six yards in his debut at Iowa State in the season opener.  Menard joined the travel squad for Weber State, where he made one tackle in his first game.
 
VAADELAND BACK FOR SIXTH YEAR:  Tight end Kevin Vaadeland, one of 24 seniors on last year's team, returned to the Bison program for a sixth season due to a 2010 injury.  Vaadeland caught 20 passes for 233 yards last year and his eight touchdown receptions ranked third overall in the Missouri Valley Football Conference and second in the FCS among tight ends.  He made a career-high five receptions in the win over Montana and his 12 career touchdown catches rank second in NDSU history among tight ends behind Jerimiah Wurzbacher's 14 TDs from 2005-09.
 
PRESEASON PICKS:  North Dakota State, ranked No. 1 in the FCS coaches poll and No. 2 in the Sports Network media poll, was picked to win the Missouri Valley Football Conference ahead of South Dakota State and Northern Iowa.  NDSU had a league-high eight players on the preseason all-conference team including fullback Andrew Bonnet, wide receiver Zach Vraa, left guard Zack Johnson (out due to injury), defensive end Kyle Emanuel, linebacker Carlton Littlejohn, strong safety Colten Heagle and punter Ben LeCompte.  Free safety and punt returner Christian Dudzik was an honorable mention.
 
BISON AT HOME:  North Dakota State has won 19 straight home games and 46 of the last 47 non-conference home games including 36 straight since a 2003 loss to UC Davis.  NDSU is 9-2 at home against Top 10 teams after beating No. 3/4-ranked Montana.  The Bison have the longest home winning streak in Division I football.
            Division I Home Winning Streaks
            19 - North Dakota State (MVFC)
            14 - Alabama (SEC)
            14 - Baylor (Big 12)
            13 - Coastal Carolina (Big South)
            13 - Fordham (Patriot)
            13 - Marshall (C-USA)
 
PLAYOFFS AT HOME:  With a win this week, North Dakota State will be in position to claim home field advantage throughout the FCS playoffs for the fourth straight season.  NDSU is 10-0 at home in the FCS playoffs and the Bison have won 11 straight home playoff games including a 1992 Division II first round win over Northeast Missouri State.  NDSU's last home playoff loss was a first round loss to Minnesota State Mankato in 1991.
 
RECORD ATTENDANCE:  North Dakota State in 2013 set a school record for average home attendance for the third straight year drawing 18,622 over nine games, which ranked sixth in the FCS.  NDSU drew a record crowd of 19,108 for last year's homecoming game against Missouri State, and the crowd of 19,034 for homecoming this year vs. Southern Illinois was the fourth largest in school history.  The Bison have sold out 21 times since 2006 including four games this season.  NDSU ranks third in FCS average home attendance.
            2014 FCS average home attendance
            1. Montana - 25,214
            2. James Madison - 22,515
            3. North Dakota State - 18,851
            4. Montana State - 18,687
            5. Liberty - 17,947
 
THE COACH:  The 30th head coach in team history, Chris Klieman (Northern Iowa, 1992) takes over the North Dakota State program after spending the past three years on staff as the defensive backs coach and handling the defensive coordinator duties in 2012 and 2013.  The head coach at Division III Loras College in 2005, Klieman came to NDSU after five years at Northern Iowa. He also made coaching stops at Western Illinois (1994-96), Kansas (1997), Missouri State (1999) and Loras (2002-04).  He is a native of Waterloo, Iowa, and was a three-time all-conference defensive back at UNI from 1986-90.  Klieman's 9-0 start was the best by any first-year head coach at North Dakota State, passing the 8-0 start by Ron Erhardt's 1966 team.