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NDSU Notes | SDSU Notes | Playoff Bracket

THIS WEEK:  No. 1 overall seed North Dakota State can avenge its only loss of the season this week when the Bison (11-1) host No. 8 seed South Dakota State (9-3) in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs.  Game time is 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 10, at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome (18,700).
 
TELEVISION:  ESPN will televise the game live with Anish Shroff calling the play-by-play and Ahmad Brooks as color analyst.  Video streaming will be available on WatchESPN.com and the ESPN app through participating television providers.
 
RADIO:  Coverage begins at 10:30 a.m. on KPFX-FM 107.9 The Fox and the Peterson Farms Seed Bison Radio Network with Jeff Culhane play-by-play, NDSU and Buffalo Bills Hall of Famer Phil Hansen analyst, and NDSU's Jeremy Jorgenson sidelines.  A free live audio stream of the Bison Radio Network broadcast is available on GoBison.com/allaccess.  Extended coverage on 107.9 The Fox and Bison 1660 includes "Bison Game Day" from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. and "Bison Hotline" for 2 hours following the network broadcast with hosts Keith Brake, Chris Hanson and former NDSU safety Christian Dudzik.
 
THE SERIES:  This is the 106th meeting between North Dakota State and South Dakota State dating back to 1903, a series that is the 14th most played among FCS schools.  NDSU leads the series 59-41-5 but had an eight-game series winning streak snapped in October with a 19-17 home loss to SDSU.  The Bison have a 35-15-3 advantage at home and have won 27 of the last 29 in Fargo including a 13-2 mark in the Fargodome.  SDSU's 25-24 win in Fargo in 2008 was the Jacks' first road win in the series since 1962.  This is the teams' third meeting in the FCS playoffs.  NDSU won 28-3 in the 2012 second round and 27-24 in the 2014 second round.
 
POSTSEASON REMATCHES:  This is the 17th postseason rematch in North Dakota State's history and the fifth in seven trips to the FCS playoffs.  Of the 17 opponents, NDSU lost six times in the regular season but only twice lost again in the playoffs—1994 at North Dakota in the Division II quarterfinals and 1976 at home against Montana State in the Division II semifinals.  NDSU is 4-0 in FCS playoff rematches with second round wins over South Dakota State (2012 and 2014) and Montana (2015) and a quarterfinal win over Northern Iowa (2015).
 
BISON BEAT SAN DIEGO IN SECOND ROUND:  Easton Stick passed for 208 yards and an NDSU postseason-record three TDs to lead NDSU to a 45-7 victory over San Diego in the second round.  Chase Morlock caught touchdowns of 16 and 49 yards, RJ Urzendowski caught an 11-yard TD, and running backs Lance Dunn and Bruce Anderson scored on fourth-quarter runs of 56 and 61 yards, respectively, to put an exclamation point on NDSU's 21st straight postseason victory.  The Bison averaged 9.6 yards per carry and rushed for 299 yards against the top-ranked defense in FCS.  MJ Stumpf had eight tackles plus a 40-yard interception return TD. 
 
SEVEN STRAIGHT POSTSEASONS:  This is NDSU's seventh straight FCS playoff appearance and 30th postseason trip overall.  The Bison are 58-14 in the postseason and 53-13 in the NCAA playoff format since 1973.  NDSU has won 21 straight FCS playoff games since the 2010 quarterfinal loss in overtime at Eastern Washington, the eventual national champion that year.
 
SIX STRAIGHT CONFERENCE TITLES:  North Dakota State won a share of its sixth straight Missouri Valley Football Conference championship this season, tying South Dakota State with a 7-1 record in league play.  NDSU won outright MVFC titles in 2012 and 2013.  The Bison shared the 2011 title with Northern Iowa and the 2014 and 2015 crowns with Illinois State.  North Dakota State has won 33 football conference championships including 26 in the North Central Conference (last in 1994) and one in the Great West Football Conference (2006).
 
FIVE STRAIGHT NATIONAL TITLES:  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.
 
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE:  NDSU is 17-0 at home in the FCS playoffs and has won 18 straight home playoff games including a 1992 Division II first round victory against Northeast Missouri State in the final game at Dacotah Field.  Minnesota State Mankato was the last team to beat NDSU at home in the playoffs, a 27-7 defeat in the 1991 Division II first round.  The past six FCS national champions have played all their playoff games at home, a luxury NDSU is enjoying for the sixth straight season.
 
BISON AT HOME:  North Dakota State is 54-5 at home since 2010.  The Bison have won 54 of the last 55 home games over non-conference opponents including 45 straight since a 2003 loss to UC Davis.  NDSU is 15-3 at home all-time against FCS Top 10 teams.  North Dakota State ranks fifth in the FCS with an average home attendance of 18,634 through seven games and has drawn 18,000-plus to 45 straight home contests.
 
LEAGUE-BEST 12 ALL-MVFC:  North Dakota State led all schools with 12 players named to the All-Missouri Valley Football Conference team plus three honorable mentions by a vote of the league's media, head coaches and sports information directors.  First team picks were running back King Frazier, fullback Chase Morlock, left guard Zack Johnson, right tackle Landon Lechler, linebacker MJ Stumpf, defensive end Greg Menard, and safeties Tre Dempsey and Robbie Grimsley.  Second team selections were right guard Jack Plankers, tight end Jeff Illies, defensive tackle Nate Tanguay, and long snapper James Fisher.  Linebacker Pierre Gee-Tucker, cornerback Jalen Allison and quarterback Easton Stick earned honorable mention.  The 12 honorees are NDSU's second most in nine years of conference membership behind only the 15-0 team of 2013 that landed 14 players between the All-MVFC first and second teams.
 
ALL-NEWCOMER KOONCE SHUTS DOWN PUNT RETURN GAME:  North Dakota State leads the FCS in punt return defense with only three opponent punt returns going for a net 0.0 yards.  The FCS record is 0.96 yards allowed per punt return by the 1988 Yale team that held opponents to 23 yards on 24 returns.  NDSU junior punter Jackson Koonce was named to the Missouri Valley Football Conference All-Newcomer Team and is averaging 37.0 yards on 54 punts with a long of 54 at Western Illinois, 33 fair catches and 12 punts inside the 20.
 
ACADEMIC AWARD WINNERS:  Defensive end Greg Menard (3.82 civil engineering) was a repeat pick to the CoSIDA Academic All-America® first team.  Safety Robbie Grimsley (3.58 exercise science) and running back Chase Morlock (3.81 exercise science) were voted to the CoSIDA Academic All-District 6 team.  Menard, Morlock and quarterback Easton Stick (3.90 sport management) were voted to the Missouri Valley Football Conference All-Academic first team and Grimsley was second team.
 
KLIEMAN FINALIST:  Third-year NDSU head coach Chris Klieman is a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award, presented to the FCS Coach of the Year.  Klieman has a 39-4 overall record, 21-3 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, and has guided the Bison to three conference titles and two national titles.  He was a finalist for the award in 2014.
 
DEFENSE CLAMPING DOWN:  NDSU ranks fifth in the FCS in red zone defense and fourth in scoring defense.  The Bison have held opponents to 27 scores in 40 trips (68%) inside the 20 with only 18 touchdowns.  Opponents are averaging only 16.3 points per game overall and 13.2 in conference play.
 
RUSHING DEFENSE:  NDSU has the No. 12 rushing defense in FCS with opponents averaging 104.3 yards per game on the ground with only eight rushing touchdowns.  The Bison held six opponents to season lows rushing—Iowa (34), Illinois State (37), Missouri State (30), Western Illinois (86), Northern Iowa (68) and Youngstown State (92).
 
INTERCEPTION LEADERS:  Junior free safety Tre Dempsey leads the Missouri Valley Football Conference with five interceptions and is fourth with 11 passes defended.  NDSU has picked off a pass in 10 of 12 games and leads the MVFC with 17 interceptions including three pick-sixes, one by Nick DeLuca against Eastern Washington two by MJ Stumpf against Iowa and San Diego.
 
MULTIPLE TARGETS:  Junior tight end Jeff Illies leads NDSU in touchdown receptions after catching his fifth TD in the win at South Dakota.  Eleven of NDSU's 18 passing touchdowns belong to tight ends and running backs and seven different players have caught TDs this year.
 
RUSHING GAME HEATING UP:  North Dakota State's rushing game has been heating up over the past five weeks.  The Bison have rushed for 1,368 yards the past five games (273.6 ypg) against Northern Iowa (217), Youngstown State (240), Indiana State (243), South Dakota (369) and San Diego (299).  NDSU is third in the FCS in tackles for loss allowed (3.42/game) and ninth in rushing offense with 258.5 ypg.
 
RANKED OPPONENTS:  NDSU's seven Top 25 regular season opponents this year were the most the Bison have faced in a Division I regular season.  NDSU faced six ranked opponents in 2014 and 10 including the playoffs.  NDSU opened this year 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.
 
TOUGHEST SCHEDULES:  Seven of the 20 toughest schedules in the FCS reside in the Missouri Valley Football Conference with North Dakota State ranked first, South Dakota fourth, South Dakota State fifth based on opponent win-loss records.

Team	Conf.	Opp. W%
1. North Dakota State (11-1)	MVFC	.657
2. Cal Poly (7-5)	Big Sky	.640
3. Charleston Southern (7-4)	Big South	.631
4. South Dakota (4-7)	MVFC	.629
5. South Dakota State (9-3)	MVFC	.625
—
7. Northern Iowa (5-6)	MVFC	.621
12. Youngstown State (10-3)	MVFC	.587
15. Illinois State (6-6)	MVFC	.577
20. Missouri State (4-7)	MVFC	.570

 
 
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
 
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.
 
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).
 
TURNOVER LEADERS:  North Dakota State leads the Missouri Valley Football Conference and is tied for 15th in the FCS with a +9 turnover margin.  NDSU has a 75-27 advantage over opponents in points off turnovers.  SDSU is second in the conference and tied for 18th in FCS with a +8 margin and the Jackrabbits are outscoring opponents 98-24 off turnovers.
 
ANDERSON KICK RETURN CAREER LEADER:  NDSU sophomore Bruce Anderson is the FCS active career leader in kickoff returns with a 29.8 average.  Anderson has 28 career returns for 835 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.
 
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 (2x)...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%)...Eight knockdowns in win at South Dakota...Graded 100% assignment and 84% technique as NDSU rolled to a season-high 369 yards rushing.
            — 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.
            — Tre Dempsey, Defensive...Two second-half interceptions, one pass breakup in the end zone, one tackle for loss and four total tackles in NDSU's 24-20 victory at Northern Iowa.
            — Austin Kuhnert, Offensive Line...Six knockdowns and did not allow a sack or hurry in 43 plays vs. Youngstown State...Graded 100% assignment, 87% technique and 84% finish as the Bison rushed for 240 yards against a YSU team allowing only 102.9 per game.
            — Darrius Shepherd, Special Teams...84-yard punt return touchdown after the game's opening drive sparked a 41-17 rout of Indiana State...NDSU's first special teams TD of the season and Shepherd's first career return TD...Fourth longest punt return in NDSU history...Also had four pass receptions for 40 yards.
 
DeLUCA, TANGUAY OUT FOR SEASON:  Senior middle linebacker Nick DeLuca had a season-ending shoulder surgery following the 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.  Junior defensive tackle Nate Tanguay suffered a knee injury against Youngstown State and will miss the remainder of the year.  Tanguay was second-team all-conference with 31 tackles including 5.5 tackles for loss in nine starts.
 
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.
 
MOST WINS IN DIVISION I FOOTBALL:  NDSU has the most wins in Division I football with an 82-6 record since the beginning of the 2011 national championship season.  The Bison went 14-1, 14-1, 15-0, 15-1 and 13-2 the past five years.  Fifteen FCS programs have multiple 10-win seasons since 2011, and only four have reached the 10-win mark at least three times—NDSU (6), Sam Houston State (5), Eastern Washington (4) and Jacksonville State (4).
            Most Wins Since 2011, Division I
            82 - North Dakota State
            75 - Alabama
            68 - Sam Houston State
            68 - Clemson
            67 - Florida State
            67 - Ohio 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