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THIS WEEK:  No. 2-ranked North Dakota State (3-0) begins its Missouri Valley Football Conference schedule when the Bison host Missouri State (1-3, 0-1 MVFC) in the annual homecoming game at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30, at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome (18,700).
 
TELEVISION:  Coverage begins at 1 p.m. on KVLY and the NBC North Dakota network with Brian Shawn calling the play-by-play, Lee Timmerman color analyst, and Ryan Gellner on the sidelines.  ESPN3 will carry the game on WatchESPN.com and the WatchESPN app.  Pregame coverage hosted by Alex Egan begins one hour prior to kickoff.
 
RADIO:  Coverage begins at 12:30 p.m. on 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 locally on 107.9 The Fox, Bison 1660 and 92.7 FM includes "Bison Tailgate" from 9:30-10:30 a.m. with Brad Jones, "Bison Game Day" from 10:30-12:30 and "Bison Hotline" for 2 hours following the network broadcast with hosts Keith Brake, Chris Hanson and former NDSU defensive end Cole Jirik.
 
THE SERIES:  This is the 10th meeting between North Dakota State and Missouri State since the Bison joined the Missouri Valley Football Conference in 2008.  NDSU leads the series 7-2 and has won six straight including last year's 27-3 win in Springfield.  Missouri State is 1-3 in four trips to Fargo with its only win coming in the 2009 Harvest Bowl game, 21-17.
 
HOMECOMING:  NDSU has a 54-37-3 record in homecoming games since 1921 and has won six straight including last year's 31-10 victory over Illinois State.  A Bison win Saturday would match the longest homecoming winning streak in school history set from 1964-1970 and 1980-1986.  Missouri State, which lost 41-26 in the 2013 game, is making its second homecoming appearance.  This is the 95th homecoming game in 97 years (war 1943-44).  Visit NDSUHomecoming.com for details on the week's events.
 
HALL OF FAME:  Former North Dakota State fullback/linebacker Bill Sturdevant (1963-64) and defensive lineman (1971-73), wrestler, assistant football coach (1978-84), and current Team Makers executive director (1998-present) Pat Simmers will be inducted into the Bison Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday at the Sanford Health Athletic Complex.  Lunch begins at 11:30 a.m. followed by the induction ceremony at noon. Tickets are sold out.  Sturdevant and Simmers join women's cross country and track & field All-American Pam Drietz Olsen (1991-95); baseball all-region pitcher Justin Fletschock (1994-97); volleyball All-American middle hitter Carrie (Jacobson) Motschenbacher (1996-99); women's soccer All-American midfielder Lisa (Leach) Mueller (1997-00); men's track & field All-American Brent Parmer (1992-1995); three-time wrestling national champion Steve Saxlund (1997-01) in the 46th annual class.
 
COACH TO CURE MD:  North Dakota State's coaches will be wearing special arm patches Saturday in honor of the American Football Coaches Association's Coach to Cure MD program. This is the 10th year coaches around the country join together to raise funds and awareness for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Fans are encouraged to donate by texting "CURE" to 50555 or visiting CoachtoCureMD.org.
 
STICK MOVING UP RECORD BOOK:  Junior quarterback Easton Stick has moved into fifth place all-time in career passing yards at NDSU with 3,864 yards.  Stick also ranks fifth in passing TDs (36), sixth in completions (288), seventh in attempts (475).
 
NO PICKS:  Quarterback Easton Stick has not yet thrown an interception this season and has 85 straight passing attempts without a pick dating back to last year's national quarterfinal win over South Dakota State.  Stick had a streak of 113 attempts without interception over a seven-game span in his freshman year 2015.  NDSU's school record is 143 passing attempts without interception by Carson Wentz in seven games from the 2014 semifinals into 2015.
 
DUNN LEADS FCS IN TOUCHDOWNS:  Junior running back Lance Dunn scored four touchdowns on four plays against Robert Morris and has taken over the FCS lead with eight rushing TDs and nine total TDs this season.  Dunn is the leading rusher in the Missouri Valley Football Conference and ranks fifth nationally with 133.7 ypg and 10th with 401 yards.
 
DEFENSE SPARKS ROUT OF RMU:  North Dakota State converted three consecutive first-quarter turnovers into points and went on to a 56-0 win over Robert Morris last week, the first NDSU shutout victory since November 2015 against Missouri State.  Logan McCormick and Dan Marlette forced fumbles, and Tre Dempsey had a 23-yard interception return for touchdown as the Bison stormed out to a 35-0 lead in the first quarter.  NDSU held Robert Morris to 57 yards of total offense, four first downs and only one trip past midfield in 14 possessions.
 
APPROACHING 700th WIN:  North Dakota State has played 1,103 games with a 699-370-34 record in 120 seasons of football, good for a .649 winning percentage.  Only four Ivy League teams each with at least 20 more years of football have more wins at the FCS level: Yale (895), Harvard (865), Penn (846) and Princeton (818).  Northern Iowa has the second most wins among Missouri Valley Football Conference programs with 656.  In the FBS, 24 teams have reached the 700-win mark.  NDSU's 86 victories since 2011 are more than any other team in Division I football ahead of Alabama (80), Clemson (74), Sam Houston State (71), Ohio State (70) and Florida State (68).
 
EARLY-SEASON SCORING:  North Dakota State's 168 points scored through the first three games is the most in NDSU's Division I history and second most in the modern era of the program.  The 2000 NCAA playoff team scored 169 over its first three contests.  NDSU's previous Division I high through three games was 140 points by the 2012 team.
 
AFTER THE OPEN WEEK:  North Dakota State's victory over Robert Morris was the 25th straight after an open week in the regular season and playoffs since a 2005 home loss to UC Davis.  That streak includes 15 home games, five road games and five national championship games in Frisco, Texas.
 
BISON RUN PAST EASTERN WASHINGTON:  North Dakota State rushed for 375 yards and outgained Eastern Washington 532-204 two weeks ago in a 40-13 road win.  Bruce Anderson had 160 yards and one touchdown and Lance Dunn ran for 148 yards and three TDs.  Robbie Grimsley had two interceptions and two pass breakups for the Bison, who slowed Eastern Washington to only 54 plays on offense.  NDSU converted 6 of 8 third downs in the second half and held the ball  for more than 24 minutes after halftime, including a 17-play, 81-yard drive that ran out the final 11:50 of the contest.
 
TOP 10 ROAD GAMES:  NDSU's win at Eastern Washington was the ninth time NDSU has faced an FCS Top 10 team on the road since 2004.  The Bison are 5-4 in those games and have road games this year against current Top 10 teams South Dakota State and Youngstown State.
                FCS Top 10 Opponents on Road
                2017–Won 40-13 at #6 Eastern Washington
                2015–Won 28-7 at #5 South Dakota State
                2013–Won 20-0 at #6 South Dakota State
                2010–Lost 38-31 at #1 Eastern Washington
                2010–Won 42-17 at #6 Montana State
                2009–Lost 24-14 at #8 Southern Illinois
                2008–Lost 23-13 at #4 Northern Iowa
                2005–Lost 37-6 at #9 Cal Poly
                2005–Won 35-7 at #9 Northwestern State
 
RECORD DAY FOR BISON OFFENSE:  North Dakota State set highs for points, rushing yards and total offense in 14 years of Division I football in the 72-7 win over Mississippi Valley State.  The 683 yards of total offense were the most for the Bison in 29 years and the fourth highest in school single-game history.  NDSU's 498 rushing yards ranked seventh in school history.  NDSU scored touchdowns on its first five possessions with only one drive longer than three plays, and the Bison built a 44-0 lead early in the second quarter.
 
TOP MARKS NATIONALLY:  NDSU's 498 rushing yards against Mississippi Valley State are the most by an FCS team this season, and the 683 yards of total offense tied for third with Sam Houston State.  NDSU's 72 points are fourth most.  On defense, NDSU's minus-31 rushing yards allowed is best in FCS and second in NDSU's Division I history (minus-32 at South Dakota State in 2013).
 
DEFENSE HOLDS TWO TOP PERFORMANCES:  North Dakota State's 57 total yards allowed against Robert Morris and 58 against Mississippi Valley State are the second and third best defensive performances in FCS this year behind only Illinois State (41 vs. Butler).  NDSU ranks first in the FCS in scoring defense (6.7), rushing defense (27.7), passing yards allowed (78.7), total defense (106.3) and first downs allowed (18).
 
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK:  North Dakota State has had four first-time Missouri Valley Football Conference players of the week this season:
                —Tanner Volson, Offensive Line...Graded 100% assignment and 87% technique with zero sacks against Mississippi Valley State...NDSU averaged 17.5 yards per carry while in the game.
                —Robbie Grimsley, Defensive...Two interceptions, two pass breakups and four tackles at Eastern Washington...Part of a defense that held EWU to 73 yards in the final three quarters.
                —Lance Dunn, Offensive...Scored four TDs on four plays against Robert Morris...Had runs of 61, 5 and 45 yards and a 10-yard catch for 121 all-purpose yards.
                —Jabril Cox, Newcomer...Team-high eight tackles including four on kickoff coverage, made a fumble recovery that led to a touchdown, and was in on a tackle for loss as NDSU held Robert Morris to 57 total yards, four first downs and one trip past midfield in a 56-0 win.
 
PAIR OF FRESHMEN PLAY:  Two true freshmen have played for NDSU this season.  Defensive end Logan McCormick from Appleton, Wis., and cornerback Josh Hayes from Lakeland, Fla., made their debut in the season opener against Mississippi Valley State.  They were the first true freshmen to play for NDSU since 2015.  NDSU redshirted its entire freshman class in 2016, the only time that has happened in 14 years of Division I football.
 
PEDERSEN TIES PAT RECORD:  Junior placekicker Cam Pedersen tied the 49-year old school record of 10 PAT kicks made in the 72-7 win over Mississippi Valley State.  The mark was set in 1968 by Ken Blazei against Augustana (S.D.).
 
BISON RETURN 16 STARTERS:  North Dakota State returns nine starters on defense and seven on offense from last year's NCAA semifinal team that finished 12-2 and won a sixth straight Missouri Valley Football Conference championship with a 7-1 league record.  Included is linebacker Nick DeLuca, a two-time nominee for the Butkus Award, who returns for a fifth season after being limited to three games last year with a shoulder injury.
 
THREE OUT FOR SEASON:  Two-time All-America defensive end Greg Menard will miss the 2017 season with a knee injury suffered during the opening week of fall camp.  Menard, who played his true freshman year 2014, is eligible to return to the Bison for a fifth season in 2018.  Redshirt freshman left tackle Dillon Radunz and sophomore running back Demaris Purifoy were lost for the season with knee injuries during the season-opener against Mississippi Valley State.
 
SIX STRAIGHT CONFERENCE TITLES:  North Dakota State won a share of its sixth straight Missouri Valley Football Conference championship last 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).
 
BISON PICKED TO WIN VALLEY FOOTBALL TITLE:  North Dakota State was picked to win the Missouri Valley Football Conference by a single vote over second-place South Dakota State.  NDSU earned 21 of 40 first-place votes and had 380 points followed by SDSU with 19 first-place votes and 379 points.  Youngstown State, national finalist a year ago, was picked third ahead of Northern Iowa, Illinois State, Western Illinois, South Dakota, Southern Illinois, Missouri State and Indiana State.
 
SEVEN ON PRESEASON TEAM:  Junior running back Lance Dunn, senior long snapper James Fisher, senior defensive end Greg Menard, senior defensive tackle Nate Tanguay, senior linebacker Nick DeLuca, senior safety Tre Dempsey, and junior safety Robbie Grimsley were voted to the Missouri Valley Football Conference preseason team by the league's coaches, sports information directors and media.  Wide receivers Darrius Shepherd and RJ Urzendowski and offensive lineman Austin Kuhnert earned honorable mention for NDSU.
 
BISON AT HOME:  North Dakota State is 57-6 at home since 2010.  The Bison have won 56 of the last 58 home games over non-conference opponents including a string of 45 straight before last year's NCAA semifinal loss to James Madison.  NDSU is 16-4 at home all-time against FCS Top 10 teams.  North Dakota State ranked fifth in the FCS last year with an average home attendance of 18,556 and has drawn 18,000-plus to 49 straight home contests.
 
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 has three future FBS games against Oregon in 2020, Arizona in 2022 and Colorado in 2024.  NDSU's first three FBS wins were against Ball State (2006), Central Michigan (2007) and Minnesota (2007).
 
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 hosted a Division III record crowd of 37,355 this year for 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.