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THIS WEEK:  Fourth-ranked North Dakota State hits the road for the second straight week looking to maintain its second-place spot in the Missouri Valley Football Conference when the Bison (6-1, 3-1 MVFC) face Northern Iowa (3-4, 2-2 MVFC) at 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, at the UNI-Dome (16,324) in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
 
TELEVISION:  KVLY and the NBC North Dakota network will have live coverage with Brian Shawn calling the play-by-play, Lee Timmerman color analyst, and Beth Hoole on the sidelines.  ESPN3 will carry the telecast on WatchESPN.com and the ESPN app.
 
RADIO:  Coverage begins at 5:30 p.m. on KPFX-FM 107.9 The Fox and the Peterson Farms Seed Bison Radio Network with Jeff Culhane calling the play-by-play, NDSU and Buffalo Bills Hall of Famer Phil Hansen as color analyst, and NDSU's Jeremy Jorgenson reporting from the sideline.  Extended coverage on 107.9 The Fox and Bison 1660 includes "Bison Game Day" from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. and "Bison Hotline" for 2 hours following the network broadcast with hosts Keith Brake, Chris Hanson and former NDSU safety Christian Dudzik.
 
ONLINE:  NDSU All Access live video streaming for home games is by subscription on GoBison.com/allaccess.  Audio streaming of the Bison Radio Network broadcast for every NDSU football game is available free of charge.  Live stats for NDSU home games are available on BisonStats.com.  Follow @NDSUfootball on Twitter for game updates.
 
THE SERIES:  This is the 50th meeting between North Dakota State and Northern Iowa dating back to 1938 with UNI leading the series 26-23 overall.  NDSU has won five of the last six meetings and has a 5-4 edge in the series since 2008 as Division I opponents.  The Bison rallied for a 31-28 homecoming victory last year and won again 23-13 in the NCAA quarterfinals.  The Panthers won 23-3 two years ago in NDSU's last trip to the UNI-Dome.
 
SHEPHERD CATCHES 2 TDs IN WIN:  Darrius Shepherd caught two fourth-quarter touchdowns including the winner with 35 seconds left in North Dakota State's 31-28 homecoming victory over Northern Iowa last October.  Shepherd's 18-yard catch over two defenders in the back left corner of the end zone capped a 10-play, 79-yard drive after the Bison took over with 2:30 to play trailing 28-24 after UNI missed a field goal.  UNI got a pair of first downs to advance to the NDSU 47 with four seconds to play, but Aaron Bailey's desperation pass into the end zone was batted away by safety Robbie Grimsley, who finished with 10 tackles and a sack.  Carson Wentz threw 10 passes on the final drive and racked up 335 passing yards, the fifth most in NDSU single-game history.  He was 26 of 40 (both career highs) and completed passes to 11 different receivers with RJ Urzendowski making five catches for 109 yards and Zach Vraa five for 53.  Bailey quarterbacked the whole second half for UNI completing 3 of 5 passes for 55 yards and rushing 13 times for 157 yards.
 
ANDERSON SPARKS PLAYOFF WIN:  Bruce Anderson returned the second half kickoff 97 yards for the go-ahead touchdown and North Dakota State's defense allowed just 71 yards in the second half to key a 23-13 victory over Northern Iowa in last year's FCS quarterfinals.  King Frazier rushed for 107 yards and a touchdown, Easton Stick set a school playoff record for completion percentage going 13 of 17 for 116 yards, and Ben LeCompte averaged 45.0 yards on six punts with five inside the 20 and a long of 62 yards to boost the Bison defense.  NDSU limited 1,000-yard rushers Aaron Bailey and Tyvis Smith to a combined 91 yards on 34 carries and held UNI to a season-low 221 yards of total offense.
 
RANKED OPPONENTS:  Western Illinois was the sixth Top 25 opponent for North Dakota State this season, matching a regular-season high set in 2014 when the Bison faced 10 ranked opponents including the FCS playoffs.  NDSU opened this season with four straight wins over Top 25 competition, including the 11th-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes in FBS.  It was the first time since 2008 that NDSU has played four straight Top 25 teams in the regular season.  This is the first time in 10 Division I meetings that NDSU faces an unranked UNI team.
 
LAST WEEK:  Greg Menard and Nate Tanguay blocked two kicks and North Dakota State forced three fourth-quarter turnovers as the No. 4-ranked Bison beat 12th-ranked Western Illinois 21-13 last week. King Frazier rushed for a pair of touchdowns and Jeff Illies caught a 17-yard touchdown pass as the Bison built a 21-6 lead by halftime.  Tanguay had a team-high nine tackles, Matt Plank forced a fumble inside the NDSU 1 that Pierre Gee-Tucker recovered, and Jalen Allison and Tre Dempsey intercepted passes on WIU's last two possessions.  Quarterback Easton Stick went 9 of 18 passing for 160 yards and had two interceptions for the first time in his career.  Frazier finished with 20 carries for 89 yards and Darrius Shepherd had three catches for 74 yards to lead four Bison receivers.
 
NIGHT WINS:  North Dakota State has won 19 straight and 20 of the last 21 night games (kickoff at 6 p.m. or later) back through the 2010 season.  The only night game loss in that span was a 16-9 setback in Week 2 of the 2010 season at Northern Iowa.
 
BOUNCING BACK:  North Dakota State has won the next game after its last 13 losses, including road wins at Western Illinois (2016), Indiana State (2015), Missouri State (2014), South Dakota (2012), Western Illinois (2011) and Youngstown State (2010).  NDSU has not suffered consecutive losses since a five-game losing streak in 2009.
 
NARROW LOSSES:  North Dakota State's last three losses have all come on the last play of the game, and seven of the last eight losses have been by a combined 24 points.  NDSU has only three double-digit losses since the beginning of the 2010 season—Western Illinois (2010), at Illinois State (2010), and at Northern Iowa (2014).
            NDSU Losses, since 2010
            2016 - South Dakota State, 19-17*
            2015 - South Dakota, 24-21*
            2015 - at Montana, 38-35*
            2014 - at Northern Iowa, 23-3
            2012 - Indiana State, 17-14
            2011 - Youngstown State, 27-24
            2010 - at Eastern Washington, 38-31 (OT)
            2010 - at Missouri State, 3-0
            2010 - at Illinois State, 34-24
            2010 - Western Illinois, 28-16
            2010 - at Northern Iowa, 16-9
            *games won on final play
 
SECOND LONGEST STREAK:  NDSU's 14-game winning streak snapped by South Dakota State on Oct. 15 was the second longest in Missouri Valley Football Conference history behind NDSU's 33-game streak that spanned the 2012, 2013 and 2014 seasons.  The previous MVFC mark was 13 straight wins by Western Kentucky (2002-03) and Northern Iowa (2006-07).
 
CASHING IN ON TURNOVERS:  North Dakota State is third in the Missouri Valley Football Conference with a +5 turnover margin behind Northern Iowa (+11) and South Dakota State (+7). NDSU has a 41-13 advantage over opponents in points off turnovers, while SDSU has outscored opponents 70-7 off turnovers and UNI has outscored opponents 42-13.
 
RUSHING DEFENSE:  North Dakota State has the No. 8-ranked rushing defense in the nation thanks in part to a three-game stretch where the Bison allowed just 101 rushing yards against Iowa (34), Illinois State (37) and Missouri State (30).  NDSU opponents are averaging 97.4 yards per game on the ground and have only five rushing touchdowns.
 
BIG PLAY RJ:  Wide receiver RJ Urzendowski leads the Missouri Valley Football Conference and is 11th in the FCS in yards per reception with a 20.13 average through seven games.  Urzendowski's 65-yard TD reception against Illinois State is NDSU's longest play of the year, and he has four of NDSU's nine longest plays, including a 47-yard TD catch against Charleston Southern and receptions of 43 yards against Missouri State and 42 against Eastern Washington.
 
ANDERSON KICK RETURN CAREER LEADER:  NDSU sophomore Bruce Anderson is the FCS active career leader in kickoff returns with a 30.4 average.  Anderson has 27 career returns for 821 yards and two touchdowns.  He had 585 yards and a school-record 36.56 yards per return last year, including 100- and 97-yard touchdowns in the NCAA playoffs.
 
PUNT COVERAGE LEADS FCS:  North Dakota State leads the FCS in punt return defense with only one opponent punt return going for minus-4 yards.  Junior punter Jackson Koonce has punted 32 times with 19 fair catches and nine punts inside the 20.  He is averaging 35.9 yards per punt with a long of 54 at Western Illinois.
 
MORLOCK SEMIFINALIST:  NDSU senior captain Chase Morlock is a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, recognizing the top scholar-athlete in college football.  The National Football Foundation will announce 12-14 finalists in November and each will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship.  The winner will be announced at the NFF Awards Dinner in December and have his scholarship increased to $25,000.  Candidates must have a 3.2 cumulative GPA in their final year of eligibility, outstanding football ability and demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship.
 
AP TOP 25 VOTES:  North Dakota State received an FCS-record 74 votes in the AP Top 25 poll after beating 11th-ranked Iowa and received votes for four weeks.  NDSU received votes after the 2011, 2012 and 2013 national championships and the first 10 weeks of the 2014 season after beating Iowa State.
 
SUCCESS VS. THE FBS:  North Dakota State has a 9-3 record against Football Bowl Subdivision opponents and has won six in a row against FBS foes since 2010 with wins at Kansas (6-3), Minnesota (37-24), Colorado State (22-7), Kansas State (24-21), Iowa State (34-14) and 11th-ranked Iowa (23-21).  NDSU did not play an FBS opponent in 2015 and does not have any other FBS opponents scheduled until Oregon in 2020 and Colorado in 2024.  NDSU's first three FBS wins were against Ball State (2006), Central Michigan (2007) and Minnesota (2007).
 
BACK-TO-BACK OVERTIMES:  After not playing a home overtime game in the history of NDSU football, the Bison started the season with back-to-back OT home wins over Charleston Southern (24-17) and Eastern Washington (50-44).  NDSU scored on its first offensive play in both games, getting a 25-yard run from King Frazier and a 25-yard run from Lance Dunn.  NDSU is the first Valley Football team to open a season with back-to-back OT wins.
 
FOURTH QUARTER MARCH:  North Dakota State held the ball for 10:45 and outgained Iowa 126 to minus-9 in the fourth quarter of NDSU's come-from-behind 23-21 victory.  The Bison pulled within 21-20 with a 15-play, 80-yard drive that took 8:39 off the clock before getting a three-and-out on defense to set up the game-winning field goal drive.  The 15-play march was reminiscent of NDSU's 18-play, 80-yard, 8:30 game-winning drive at Kansas State in 2013.
 
CONFERENCE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK:  The following players have earned Missouri Valley Football Conference player of the week awards this season:
            — Zack Johnson, Offensive Line...Six knockdowns with zero hurries or sacks allowed in 73 snaps against Charleston Southern...Graded out at 98.6% on assignment and led the Bison line in finish (88%) and technique (76%).
            — Nick DeLuca, Defensive...After missing the second half of the season opener with a shoulder separation, made a game-high 15 tackles in the win over Eastern Washington...Also scored on a 40-yard interception return.
            — MJ Stumpf, Defensive...Made three tackles and scored on a 21-yard interception return in the victory at Iowa...Downed a punt at the Iowa 2 to set up one of five three-and-outs...Part of a defensive unit that held Iowa to 34 yards rushing in the game and minus-7 after halftime.
            ­— Cam Pedersen, Special Teams...Converted 2 of 2 PAT kicks and made a 37-yard field goal on the final play of the fourth quarter to give NDSU a 23-21 win at Iowa one week after a game-tying 28-yarder to force overtime in the win over Eastern Washington.
            — Landon Lechler, Offensive Line...Five knockdowns with zero quarterback hurries or sacks in 70 snaps against Iowa...Led the Bison with a 100% assignment grade, 88% finish and 85% technique.
 
MENARD ON WATCH LIST:  North Dakota State junior defensive end Greg Menard is on the watch list for STATS FCS Defensive Player of the Year, which was won in 2014 by NDSU defensive end Kyle Emanuel.  Menard was STATS FCS All-America third team last year when he ranked second in the MVFC with 10.0 sacks and an additional 15 quarterback hurries.
 
DeLUCA OUT FOR SEASON:  Senior middle linebacker Nick DeLuca had a season-ending shoulder surgery following the Week 3 win at Iowa and can apply for a medical hardship to return to the Bison in 2017.  DeLuca was the only FCS player on the watch list for the 32nd annual Butkus Award, honoring the nation's best collegiate linebacker, and also was on the STATS FCS Defensive Player of the Year watch list.  He was first-team all-conference and runner-up for Missouri Valley Football Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 2015.
 
PLANK STEPS IN AT LINEBACKER:  North Dakota State junior Matt Plank made a career-high six tackles — all in the second half — filling in at middle linebacker after an injury to starter Nick DeLuca in the 24-17 overtime win over sixth-ranked Charleston Southern.  Plank assisted on a tackle for loss and was part of a defensive effort that held CSU to 2 of 12 on third down and 263 total yards, nearly 100 yards under its average from a year ago.
 
BISON CHEW UP CLOCK:  North Dakota State led the nation in time of possession with an average of 36:39 last year and the Bison have only been out-clocked three times in the last 38 games—South Dakota (2015), South Dakota State (2016) and Western Illinois (2016).  The Bison held the ball for 43:47 against Western Illinois last year, an NDSU record since beginning Division I football in 2004.
 
FRAZIER LEADS DEEP RUSHING ATTACK:  NDSU has had a 1,000-yard rusher 13 straight years after King Frazier's 1,158 yards last season.  Frazier leads a group of four returning running backs who each had at least 90 carries last year.  He averaged 94.0 yards over the final eight contests last season including back-to-back 100-yard games in the playoffs against Northern Iowa (107) and Richmond (121).  He has five career 100-yard games including a career-high 177 yards at Southern Illinois last year and a season-high 126 at Missouri State this year.
 
BISON AT HOME:  North Dakota State is 51-5 at home since 2010.  The Bison have won 53 of the last 54 home games over non-conference opponents including 44 straight since a 2003 loss to UC Davis.  NDSU is 14-3 at home all-time against FCS Top 10 teams.
 
COACHING STAFF INTACT:  After having at least one new assistant coach every year since beginning Division I play in 2004, North Dakota State has the same full-time coaching staff for the third straight season under head coach Chris Klieman.  NDSU made two changes to support staff adding former Bison defensive back Bryan Shepherd as defensive assistant and former Wisconsin-Stout assistant Kody Morgan in the offensive quality control position.
 
13-TIME NATIONAL CHAMPIONS:  North Dakota State won its 13th football national championship last season.  NDSU claimed three College Division national championships in 1965, 1968 and 1969, five Division II titles in 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988 and 1990, and is the first team in college football history to win five straight national championships with FCS titles in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015.
 
MOST WINS IN DIVISION I FOOTBALL:  NDSU has a record of 77-6 since the beginning of the 2011 national championship season.  The Bison went 14-1, 14-1, 15-0, 15-1 and 13-2 for the most wins in Division I football in that five-year span.  Fifteen FCS programs have multiple 10-win seasons since 2011, and only four have reached the 10-win mark at least three times—NDSU (5), Sam Houston State (4), Eastern Washington (3) and Jacksonville State (3).
            Most Wins Since 2011, Division I
            77 - North Dakota State
            70 - Alabama
            63 - Clemson
            63 - Florida State
            63 - Sam Houston State
            62 - Ohio State
 
VALLEY FOOTBALL PRESEASON PICKS:  North Dakota State had five players picked to the preseason all-Missouri Valley Football Conference team: running back King Frazier, offensive guard Zack Johnson, defensive end Greg Menard, linebacker Nick DeLuca, and free safety Tre Dempsey.  NDSU long snapper James Fisher, defensive tackle Nate Tanguay and strong safety Robbie Grimsley earned honorable mention.  NDSU was picked to win the league ahead of Northern Iowa, South Dakota State, Illinois State and Youngstown State.
 
BIG LEAGUE BISON:  North Dakota State will host Butler at Target Field in Minneapolis in the season opener August 31, 2019.  It will be the first Division I football game at the Major League Baseball stadium, which is hosting a Division III game next year between in-state rivals St. Thomas and Saint John's.  NDSU has more than 12,000 alumni in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area and nearly 26,000 alumni across Minnesota.  The game is in addition to a six-game home schedule at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome in 2019, which is a 12-game regular season.
 
#PROBISON:  North Dakota State has eight former players active in the NFL and two others in the CFL.  Three Bison from last season are still with NFL teams including No. 2 overall draft pick Carson Wentz, fifth-round pick Joe Haeg, and undrafted free agent CJ Smith.  On the sidelines, former Bison safety/punter (1984-1988) and longtime assistant coach (1996-2005) Gus Bradley is in his fourth season as the Jaguars' head coach.

NFL Players	Year	Team
John Crockett, RB	2nd	Green Bay Packers
Kyle Emanuel, LB	2nd	San Diego Chargers
Joe Haeg, OL	1st	Indianapolis Colts
Ramon Humber, LB	8th	Buffalo Bills
CJ Smith, CB	1st	Philadelphia Eagles
Billy Turner, OL	3rd	Denver Broncos
Carson Wentz, QB	1st	Philadelphia Eagles
Marcus Williams, CB	3rd	New York Jets
CFL Players	Year	Team
Brock Jensen, QB	2nd	Ottawa Redblacks
Ryan Smith, WR	3rd	Winnipeg Blue Bombers