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THIS WEEK: No. 1-ranked North Dakota State (7-0, 4-0 MVFC) takes a 13-game winning streak to South Dakota (3-4, 2-2 MVFC) this Saturday, Oct. 27. Game time is 2 p.m. at the DakotaDome (10,000) in Vermillion, S.D.
 
TELEVISION: Coverage begins at 2 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 Midco Sports Network telecast with Jay Elsen, Andre Fields and Kelly Stewart on ESPN.com and the ESPN app with subscriptions starting at $4.99/month.
 
RADIO: Coverage begins at 1:30 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 10:30-11:30 a.m. with Brad Jones, "Bison Game Day" from 11:30-1:30, 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 83rd meeting between North Dakota State and South Dakota dating back to 1903. NDSU leads the series 54-26-2 including a 23-16-1 mark in Vermillion. The Bison have won the last two meetings 28-21 in Vermillion in 2016 and last year 49-14 in Fargo.
 
LAST YEAR: Easton Stick completed his first 11 passing attempts – the fifth longest streak in school history – and finished 11 of 12 for a career-high 307 yards passing and one touchdown in last year's 49-14 NDSU win in Fargo. Ty Brooks rushed for a career-high 152 yards and three touchdowns as NDSU rolled up 647 yards of total offense, seventh best in NDSU history. The Bison limited USD to its lowest scoring output in two years. Jalen Allison made a career-high 10 tackles and had one of NDSU's four sacks. The Bison added nine quarterback hurries and four pass breakups against USD quarterback Chris Streveler, who was 30 of 47 for 232 yards and rushed for 93 yards and two TDs.
 
SHEPHERD SPARKS BISON WIN OVER ILLINOIS STATE: Missouri Valley Football Conference Special Teams Player of the Week Darrius Shepherd had 236 all-purpose yards and Lance Dunn rushed for three touchdowns to lead North Dakota State to a 28-14 win over Illinois State last week. Shepherd caught six passes for a career-high 126 yards and added two punt returns totaling 103 yards. His 69-yard punt return set up a three-play scoring drive on NDSU's first possession of the second half and put the Bison ahead 28-0. NDSU put up 279 yards in the first half against ISU's league-leading defense and converted 10 of 16 third downs while outgaining the Redbirds 385-364.
 
TARGET FIELD TICKETS ON SALE NOV. 8: The NDSU football team will host Butler in the 2019 season opener at 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 31, at Target Field presented by Pioneer. Tickets go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 8, with special presale opportunities for season ticket holders beforehand. General seating will range from $20 to $58 and tickets will only be available through the Minnesota Twins. Student tickets will be made available at a later date through NDSU. For more information, visit TwinsBaseball.com/football.
 
KLIEMAN THIRD IN NDSU COACHING WINS: North Dakota State head coach Chris Klieman has moved into a tie with Ron Erhardt for third in all-time coaching wins at NDSU. Klieman is 61-6 in his fifth season trailing Craig Bohl (104-32 from 2003-2013) and Rocky Hager (91-25-1 from 1987-1996). Erhardt was 61-7-1 from 1966-1972.
 
BISON WINNING STREAK AT 13: North Dakota State owns the longest active winning streak in the FCS at 13 games, which is tied with Western Kentucky (2002-2003) and Northern Iowa (2006-2007) for third longest in Missouri Valley Football Conference history behind NDSU's streaks of 33 wins (2012-2014) and 14 wins (2015-2016).
 
ANOTHER 7-0 START: North Dakota State is the only team in Missouri Valley Football Conference history to win its first seven games in back-to-back seasons, and the Bison have done it a second time coupled with last year's 8-0 start. NDSU went 15-0 in 2013 and started 9-0 in 2014.
 
HALFWAY POINT: NDSU is the 36th team to start 4-0 in MVFC play. All but one of the previous 35 teams finished second or better in the league standings (Western Kentucky, 2005) and 26 won the conference title. NDSU is 33-7 in the second half of the MVFC schedule over the previous 10 years.
 
TURNOVER MARGIN LEADER: NDSU is tied with Southeast Missouri State and Dartmouth for the FCS lead with a plus-11 turnover margin. NDSU has scored a conference-best 73 points off 16 opponent turnovers, including two interceptions last week by Robbie Grimsley and Jalen Allison.
 
RED ZONE SUCCESS: North Dakota State leads the MVFC in red zone defense this year allowing opponents inside the 20-yard line only 11 times with four touchdowns and two field goals. On offense, the Bison have converted 27 of 30 red zone chances with 24 TDs.
 
SHEPHERD CLIMBS RECEIVING LISTS: Senior wide receiver Darrius Shepherd last week passed Warren Holloway for sixth on NDSU's all-time receiving yards list and now has 2,288 yards, 44 shy of Tim Strehlow's 2,332 yards from 1996-1999. Shepherd passed RJ Urzendowski in career receptions and is now fifth in school history with 154 catches, seven shy of Holloway's 161 from 2008-2011. Shepherd also ranks eighth with 16 career TD catches behind Kole Heckendorf (17 from 2005-08) and Eric Nelson (18 from 1997-00).
 
SHEPHERD THIRD NATIONALLY IN PUNT RETURNS: NDSU punt returner Darrius Shepherd ranks third in the FCS this week with a 19.3 punt return average on 11 attempts. Shepherd's career punt return average of 13.72 is currently fourth best in school history. He ranks seventh at NDSU in career punt return attempts (36) and is sixth in yards (494).
 
BISON LEAD LEAGUE IN SACKS: NDSU leads the Missouri Valley Football Conference with 22 sacks and the Bison rank 11th in FCS averaging 3.14 sacks per game. Cole Karcz and Greg Menard lead the Bison with 4.5 sacks each. NDSU is second in the league for sacks allowed (8).
 
MENARD FOURTH IN CAREER SACKS: Defensive end Greg Menard is fourth in career sacks at NDSU with 33, eight shy of the school record 41 total sacks held by Jerry Dahl (1973-74), Phil Hansen (1987-90) and Kyle Emanuel (2011-14). Menard is the FCS active career leader with 28.5 sacks counting solo and assisted sacks as defined by the NCAA.
 
ACTIVE 2,000-YARD RUSHERS: North Dakota State is the only FCS team in the nation with three active 2,000-yard rushers. Lance Dunn (2,590) ranks eighth, Bruce Anderson (2,494) is 11th and Easton Stick (2,112) is 24th. North Dakota's John Santiago (3,643) and Brady Oliveira (2,496) along with James Madison's Marcus Marshall (2,494) and Cardon Johnson (2,355) are the only other active 2,000-yard rushing duos in FCS.
 
LONGEST WINNING STREAK IN FCS: North Dakota State has the longest active winning streak in the FCS with 13 straight victories dating back to last November. Colgate is second on that list with 11 straight wins. UCF (20) and Alabama (10) have the two longest active winning streaks in FBS. NDSU's 14-game home winning streak is second longest in the FCS behind San Diego's 19.
 
PEDERSEN CLIMBING CHARTS: Senior Cam Pedersen is NDSU's new career record holder for PAT kicks made (215) and attempted (221) and ranks second in MVFC history behind Craig Coffin of Southern Illinois, who made 229 PAT kicks from 2002-06. Pedersen also ranks fourth in field goals made (41) and is third in attempts (66) at NDSU. His 338 career points rank ninth in the MVFC, fourth overall at NDSU, and second among NDSU kickers behind Adam Keller (359 from 2011-14). Pedersen has made 55 consecutive PAT kicks since a block at Illinois State in the 2017 regular-season finale.
        NDSU Career FG Made
        56 - Adam Keller, 2011-14
        51 - Shawn Bibeau, 2006-09
        42 - Aaron Pederson, 1998-01
        41 - Cam Pedersen, 2015-18

        NDSU Career FG Attempts
        73 - Shawn Bibeau, 2006-09
        70 - Adam Keller, 2011-14
        66 - Cam Pedersen, 2015-18

STICK PASSES WALKER IN CAREER YARDS: Easton Stick is 41-3 as NDSU's starting QB and last week passed Steve Walker for second in career passing yards at NDSU with 7,122 trailing only Brock Jensen (8,598 yards 2010-2013). Stick's 70 passing TDs rank sixth in MVFC history and second at NDSU behind Jensen's 72. Stick also ranks third at NDSU in completions (496) and attempts (828). Stick's 9,234 yards of total offense are second behind Jensen (9,838) and Stick is second in career TDs responsible for with 101 behind Jensen (107).
 
RUSHING QUARTERBACKS: NDSU's Easton Stick enters the South Dakota game 164 yards shy of 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)
        2,112 - 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)
        2,112 - Easton Stick (2015-18)
 
GRIMSLEY AMONG INTERCEPTION LEADERS: Senior Robbie Grimsley made his 13th career interception against Illinois State and is tied with Dayton's David Leisring for second among active FCS players behind James Madison's Jimmy Moreland (14). Grimsley is in a four-way tie for fourth all-time at NDSU behind Marcus Williams (21 from 2010-2013), Steve Krumrei (16 from 1967-1969) and Tre Dempsey (16 from 2014-2017). Grimsley also ranks seventh at NDSU with 136 solo tackles.
 
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: North Dakota State has had seven players earn eight Player of the Week awards 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, 10/7)...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...Completed nine passes for 179 yards and four TDs and ran for two TDs in the comeback win at Northern Iowa.
        —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.
        —James Hendricks, Defensive (10/14)...Two interceptions, one pass breakup and four tackles in the win at Western Illinois as the Bison forced five turnovers.
        —Darrius Shepherd, Special Teams (10/21)...Totaled 236 all-purpose yards against Illinois State including six catches for 126 yards and two punt returns for 103 yards...Had receptions of 55 and 44 yards on NDSU's first two drives and a 69-yard punt return to start the third quarter.
 
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 69-6 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 22-4 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 113 wins this decade are more than any other program in college football. NDSU is 104-8 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)
        113 - North Dakota State (113-13)
        90 - Sam Houston State (90-30)
        83 - Eastern Washington (83-30)
        81 - Jacksonville State (81-26)
        78 - James Madison (78-31)

        FCS Winningest Teams, 2010s (by pct.)
        .897 - North Dakota State (113-13)
        .779 - Harvard (67-19)
        .757 - Jacksonville State (81-26)
        .750 - Sam Houston State (90-30)
        .735 - Eastern Washington (83-30)
 
MORE THAN 700 WINS: NDSU has played 1,122 games with a 717-371-34 record in its 122nd season of football, good for a .654 winning percentage. Only four Ivy League teams each with at least 20 more years of football have more wins at the FCS level: Yale (906), Harvard (872), Penn (854) and Princeton (827). Northern Iowa has the second most wins among Missouri Valley Football Conference programs with 667. NDSU's 104 victories since 2011 are more than any other team in Division I ahead of Alabama (97), Clemson (89), Ohio State (86) and Sam Houston State (84).
 
SUCCESS VS. THE FBS: NDSU 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).