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THIS WEEK: No. 1-ranked North Dakota State (4-0, 1-0 MVFC) makes its first road trip of the season this week to face the No. 22-ranked Northern Iowa Panthers (2-2, 1-0 MVFC). Game time is 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6, at the UNI-Dome (16,324) in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
 
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. Pregame coverage hosted by Alex Egan and Beth Hoole begins 1 hour prior to kickoff. ESPN+ will carry the Panther Sports Network telecast on ESPN.com and the ESPN app with subscriptions starting at $4.99/month.
 
RADIO: Coverage begins at 12:30 p.m. on the Peterson Farms Seed Bison Radio Network with third-year NDSU play-by-play voice Jeff Culhane joined by NDSU and Buffalo Bills hall of famer Phil Hansen and NDSU sideline reporter Jeremy Jorgenson. 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 two hours following the network broadcast with hosts Keith Brake, Chris Hanson and former NDSU defensive end Cole Jirik.
 
ONLINE: NDSU All Access offers free audio streaming of all NDSU football games as well as live video of Bison home games to subscribers on GoBison.com/allaccess. Live stats for NDSU home games are available on BisonStats.com. Follow @NDSUfootball on Twitter for game updates.
 
THE SERIES: This is the 52nd meeting between North Dakota State and Northern Iowa dating back to 1938. UNI leads the series 26-25 but NDSU has won four straight and seven of the last eight including last year's 30-14 victory in Fargo. UNI's last win in the series was 23-3 at the UNI-Dome in 2014. The Bison are 2-3 in Cedar Falls since joining the Missouri Valley Football Conference in 2008.
 
LAST YEAR'S MEETING: Northern Iowa intercepted two passes and blocked two field goal tries in the first half, but NDSU scored 30 straight points to beat UNI 30-14 in Fargo last year. Robbie Grimsley's 27-yard interception return touchdown tied the game 7-7 before halftime and Ty Brooks' 22-yard TD run capped an eight-play, 75-yard scoring drive to open the third quarter. The Bison scored 17 points off five UNI turnovers - interceptions by Grimsley and Tre Dempsey, two strip sacks by linebacker Nick DeLuca and another by defensive end Derrek Tuszka. Linebacker Levi Jordheim tied NDSU and MVFC records with three fumble recoveries.
 
BISON TAKE BACK DAKOTA MARKER: Darrius Shepherd caught five passes for a career-high 118 yards as NDSU won the Dakota Marker for the first time since 2015 with a 21-17 victory over South Dakota State. Shepherd caught a 41-yard TD pass in the second quarter to give NDSU its first lead 14-7, and the Bison went ahead for good early in the fourth quarter when Easton Stick's five-yard run capped an eight-play, 80-yard drive. Jabril Cox and Robbie Grimsley each made eight tackles and Jalen Allison intercepted a pass in the end zone to highlight NDSU's defensive effort. The Bison converted 8 of 16 third-down opportunities; SDSU was 3 of 12. The Bison lead the Dakota Marker series 9-6 since its beginning in 2004.
 
WEGNER SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: North Dakota State punter Garret Wegner was named Missouri Valley Football Conference Special Teams Player of the Week on Monday after averaging 47.4 yards on five punts with three inside the 20-yard line in NDSU's 21-17 win over South Dakota State. Wegner booted a 49-yard punt out-of-bounds at the SDSU 2 with just 1:15 left before halftime, and he launched a key 54-yarder to the SDSU 7 that led to a three-and-out on SDSU's final offensive possession. Wegner ranks sixth in the FCS with a league-best 44.9 punting average and the Bison are eighth in the FCS in net punting.
 
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: North Dakota State has had five players of the week in the Missouri Valley Football Conference this year.
        —Bruce Anderson, Offense (9/2)...Rushed 11 times for a career-high 185 yards averaging 16.8 yards per carry with two touchdowns against Cal Poly...Scored on runs of 10 and 86 yards...Finished with 239 all-purpose yards including kickoff returns of 23 and 24 yards and one reception.
        —Tanner Volson, Offensive Line (9/4)...Four knockdowns with zero penalties, sacks or hurries in the win over Cal Poly...Led the Bison OL with an 89% technique grade and 100% on assignment...NDSU rushed for 458 yards and seven TDs averaging 10.2 yards per carry.
        —Easton Stick, Offense (9/23)...Accounted for 321 yards of total offese and four TDs in the win over Delaware...Went 17 of 26 passing for 280 yards and rushed five times for 41 yards and two TDs.
        —Dillon Radunz, Offensive Line (9/24)...Helped lead NDSU to 527 yards of offense against Delaware's No. 9-ranked defense...Coaching grade of 97% assignment and 82% technique with two explosive blocks...Team allowed zero sacks for the third straight week.
        —Garret Wegner, Special Teams (10/1)...Averaged 47.4 yards on five punts with three inside the 20 against South Dakota State...Booted a 49-yard punt out-of-bounds at the SDSU 2 with just 1:15 left before halftime...Launched a key 54-yarder to the SDSU 7 that led to a three-and-out on SDSU's final offensive possession.
 
CAPITALIZING ON TURNOVERS: NDSU is tied for fourth in the MVFC with a plus-4 turnover margin, but the Bison have scored a conference-best 42 points off eight opponent turnovers through four games. Linebacker Jabril Cox became the first NDSU player since safety Del Gehrett in 1967 to record an interception return for touchdown in back-to-back games against North Alabama (43 yards) and Delaware (36 yards).
 
RED ZONE OPPORTUNITIES: North Dakota State leads the MVFC in red zone defense this year allowing opponents inside the 20-yard line only four times with one touchdown and one field goal. This week's opponent, Northern Iowa, is a perfect 16 of 16 scoring in the red zone with 11 touchdowns. NDSU has converted 16 of 18 red zone chances with 14 TDs and two field goals.
 
SHEPHERD PASSES 2,000 YARDS: Senior wide receiver Darrius Shepherd surpassed 2,000 career receiving yards in last week's win over South Dakota State. Shepherd had five catches for a career-high 118 yards and now ranks seventh in NDSU history with 2,003 receiving yards. He is 229 yards behind Warren Holloway (2008-11) for sixth place on that list.
 
BISON WINNING LINE OF SCRIMMAGE: NDSU leads the Missouri Valley Football Conference with 15 sacks and the Bison rank seventh in FCS averaging 3.75 sacks per game. Cole Karcz leads the Bison with four sacks and Greg Menard has three. NDSU is also the league leader in sacks allowed (3), rushing offense (274.2) and rushing defense (99.0) through four contests.
 
LONGEST WINNING STREAK IN FCS: North Dakota State has the longest active winning streak in the FCS with 10 straight victories dating back to last November. Colgate is second on that list with nine straight wins. UCF (17) and Ohio State (10) have the two longest active winning streaks in FBS.
 
LATE FIRST ROAD GAMES: October 6 is the latest first road game for an NDSU football team since 1961 when the Bison played three straight at home before going to Morningside October 7. This year, North Dakota State (4-0) and Campbell (3-1 home, 1-0 road) are the only teams in FCS to have played four home games in the first five weeks of the season. Jacksonville State, which lost the FCS Kickoff game at a neutral site, is playing its first true road game Saturday at Eastern Kentucky. NDSU hadn't played four straight regular-season home games since opening the 1997 season with West Georgia, Texas A&M-Commerce, Nebraska-Omaha and Augustana.
 
MENARD FOURTH IN CAREER SACKS: Defensive end Greg Menard picked up his 31st career sack against South Dakota State and is now tied with Coulter Boyer (2008-11) for fourth place on NDSU's all-time sacks list. The school record of 41 total sacks is held by Jerry Dahl (1973-74), Phil Hansen (1987-90) and Kyle Emanuel (2011-14).
 
NINE FRESHMEN PLAY: NDSU has played nine true freshmen in the first three contests of the season. Wide receiver Phoenix Sproles, safety James Kaczor and linebacker Jasir Cox all played in the opener against Cal Poly. Quarterback Trey Lance, wide receiver Kenneth Channelle, defensive end Tony Pierce Jr., cornerback Destin Talbert and linebacker Mark Stumpf debuted against North Alabama. Running back Saybein Clark played his first game against Delaware. A new NCAA football rule this year allows student-athletes to participate in up to four games and still take a redshirt year.
 
PEDERSEN OWNS CAREER PAT MARKS: Senior kicker Cam Pedersen is NDSU's new career record holder for PAT kicks made (199) and attempted (205), passing the previous marks of 191-for-198 set by Adam Keller (2011-14). Pedersen also ranks fourth in field goals made (39) and is third in attempts (64) at NDSU. His 316 career points rank 13th all-time in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, fifth overall at NDSU, and second among NDSU kickers.

FOURTH-YEAR STARTING QB: Fourth-year starting quarterback Easton Stick is 38-3 as NDSU's starting QB and has moved into third on the NDSU career lists for pass attempts, completions and yards and ranks second with 65 passing touchdowns. He is second in total offense with 8,618 yards trailing only Brock Jensen's 9,838 yards (2010-13).
 
RUSHING QUARTERBACKS: NDSU's Easton Stick is positioned to challenge the Missouri Valley Football Conference record for rushing yards by a quarterback.
        MVFC Career Rushing Yards by QB
        2,276 - DeAndre Smith, Missouri State (1987-90)
        2,176 - Tirrell Rennie, Northern Iowa (2010-11)
        2,005 - Easton Stick, North Dakota State (2015-18)
        1,880 - Jeff Ryan, Youngstown State (1998-01)

        NDSU Career Rushing Yards by QB
        3,313 - Chris Simdorn (1987-90)
        2,945 - Jeff Bentrim (1983-86)
        2,473 - Kevin Feeney (1995-98)
        2,264 - Mark Speral (1977-80)
        2,005 - Easton Stick (2015-18)
 
NATIONAL AWARD CANDIDATES: NDSU safety Robbie Grimsley and defensive end Greg Menard were named to the 25-man preseason watch list for the STATS FCS Buck Buchanan Award, presented annually to the FCS defensive player of the year. Bison quarterback Easton Stick and running back Bruce Anderson were nominated for the STATS FCS Walter Payton Award, presented to the FCS offensive player of the year.
 
SEVEN PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS: North Dakota State led all teams in the FCS with a school-record seven players named to the STATS FCS Preseason All-America team. Running back Bruce Anderson and safety Robbie Grimsley were named to the first team. Quarterback Easton Stick, center Tanner Volson and defensive end Greg Menard earned second-team honors. Offensive tackle Zack Johnson and linebacker Jabril Cox were on the third team.
 
LEAGUE-BEST 11 ON PRESEASON SQUAD: NDSU had a league-high 11 players named to the preseason All-Missouri Valley Football Conference teams. First-team offense picks were running back Bruce Anderson, fullback Brock Robbins, offensive tackle Zack Johnson and center Tanner Volson. Quarterback Easton Stick and receiver Darrius Shepherd were second team. First-team defense picks were defensive end Greg Menard, defensive tackle Aaron Steidl, linebacker Jabril Cox and safety Robbie Grimsley. Defensive end Derrek Tuszka was named to the second team.
 
BISON PICKED TO WIN VALLEY: North Dakota State was the unanimous pick to win the Missouri Valley Football Conference followed by South Dakota State in second, Northern Iowa third, Youngstown State fourth, Illinois State fifth and South Dakota sixth. Western Illinois, Southern Illinois, Missouri State and Indiana State rounded out the final four spots in order. NDSU's 2013 team was the only other team in league history to earn all of the preseason first place votes.
 
SEVEN STRAIGHT CONFERENCE TITLES: NDSU won its seventh consecutive Missouri Valley Football Conference championship last year, tying the league record set by Northern Iowa in the early 1990s. NDSU won outright MVFC titles in 2012, 2013 and 2017. The Bison shared the 2011 title with Northern Iowa and the 2014 and 2015 crowns with Illinois State. North Dakota State has won 34 football conference championships including 26 in the North Central Conference (last in 1994) and one in the Great West Football Conference (2006).
 
14-TIME NATIONAL CHAMPIONS: North Dakota State won its 14th football national championship in 2017. NDSU claimed three College Division national championships in 1965, 1968 and 1969, five Division II titles in 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988 and 1990, and was the first team in college football history to win five straight national titles with FCS crowns in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015.
 
BISON AT HOME: NDSU is 68-6 at home since 2010. The Bison have won 62 of the last 64 home games over non-conference opponents with its last home loss coming in the 2016 semifinals to James Madison. NDSU is 21-4 at home all-time against FCS Top 10 teams and 21-1 at home in the FCS playoffs. North Dakota State ranked seventh in FCS last year with an average home attendance of 18,333. The Bison drew 18,000-plus to 54 straight home contests from the 2011 quarterfinals through the 2017 second round.
 
DECADE LEADER:  North Dakota State's 110 wins this decade are more than any other program in college football. NDSU is 101-8 since the beginning of 2011, the first of five national championship seasons. North Dakota State holds the distinction of being the winningest Division II program of the 1980s, going 103-20-2 from 1980-89 with four national titles in that span.
        FCS Winningest Teams, 2010s (by wins)
        110 - North Dakota State (110-13)
        88 - Sam Houston State (88-29)
        82 - Eastern Washington (82-29)
        79 - Jacksonville State (79-25)
        77 - James Madison (77-30)

        FCS Winningest Teams, 2010s (by pct.)
        .893 - North Dakota State (109-13)
        .795 - Harvard (66-17)
        .760 - Jacksonville State (79-25)
        .752 - Sam Houston State (88-29)
        .739 - Eastern Washington (82-29)
 
MORE THAN 700 WINS: North Dakota State has played 1,119 games with a 714-371-34 record in its 122nd season of football, good for a .653 winning percentage. Only four Ivy League teams each with at least 20 more years of football have more wins at the FCS level: Yale (904), Harvard (871), Penn (852) and Princeton (824). Northern Iowa has the second most wins among Missouri Valley Football Conference programs with 665. NDSU's 101 victories since 2011 are more than any other team in Division I football ahead of Alabama (94), Clemson (87), Ohio State (84) and Sam Houston State (82).
 
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).