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THIS WEEK: No. 1-ranked North Dakota State (13-0) hosts fifth-ranked South Dakota State (10-2) this Friday, Dec. 14, in the semifinal round of the NCAA Division I Football Championship. Game time is 7 p.m. at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome (18,700). The winner advances to the national championship game Saturday, Jan. 5, at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, against the winner of this Saturday afternoon's semifinal featuring No. 7 seed Maine (10-3) at No. 3 seed Eastern Washington (11-2).
 
TELEVISION: ESPN2 live coverage begins at 7 p.m. with Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (analyst) and Kris Budden (reporter). NDSU is 24-2 in 26 previous appearances on national television as a Division I program. The Bison are appearing in the Friday night semifinal for the seventh straight season.
 
RADIO: Coverage begins at 6:30 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 3:30-4:30 p.m. with Brad Jones, "Bison Game Day" from 4:30-6:30 p.m. 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 on GoBison.com/allaccess and the NDSU Athletics mobile app. Live stats are available on NCAA.com. Follow @NDSUfootball on Twitter for game updates.
 
TICKETS: Season ticket holders have until 5 p.m. Tuesday to renew their same seats for the game. The Bison Ticket Office is open in the south lobby of the Sanford Health Athletic Complex from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Unclaimed tickets will go on sale to the public beginning at 7 a.m. Wednesday online at GoBison.com/tickets. NDSU student tickets were sold out by early Monday afternoon.
 
TAILGATING: Reserved tailgating pass holders have until 5 p.m. Tuesday to renew their passes for the game. Unclaimed reserved tailgating passes go on sale to the public at 8 a.m. Wednesday at the Bison Ticket Office in the south lobby of the Sanford Health Athletic Complex or by calling 701-231-6172 or 701-231-5990. Tailgating passes must be picked up at the SHAC by noon Friday.
 
GOLD RUSH: North Dakota State will wear its alternate gold jersey and green "Harvest Helmet" Friday for the second time this season. The Bison are 28-0 in gold jerseys since the 2011 season opener, 12-0 in green helmets since their November 2015 debut, and 9-0 in the yellow jersey and green helmet combo.
 
THE SERIES: This is the 109th meeting between North Dakota State and South Dakota State dating back to 1903. NDSU leads the series 61-42-5 including this season's 21-17 win in Fargo on Sept. 29. This is the fourth playoff meeting between NDSU and SDSU, which met in the 2012 and 2014 second round and 2016 quarterfinals. The teams have played for the Dakota Marker annually since beginning Division I competition in 2004, but the trophy is not at stake in the postseason. NDSU has a 9-6 edge in Dakota Marker games.
 
LAST MEETING: Darrius Shepherd caught five passes for a career-high 118 yards as No. 1 North Dakota State reclaimed the Dakota Marker with a 21-17 victory over third-ranked South Dakota State in the conference opener for both teams Sept. 29. 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 quarterback Easton Stick's five-yard run capped an eight-play, 80-yard scoring drive. Stick passed for 182 yards and two touchdowns. Jabril Cox and Robbie Grimsley each made eight tackles to lead the NDSU defense. South Dakota State threatened to add to its 7-0 lead in the first quarter when NDSU's Jalen Allison intercepted Taryn Christion in the end zone. Stick found Shepherd on passes of 34 and 24 yards on the ensuing drive, then rushed for 22 yards on third-and-21 before hitting tight end Ben Ellefson with a 17-yard touchdown pass to tie the game 7-7. It was 14-7 at the half before the Jackrabbits got a 39-yard field goal from Chase Vinatieri and a 61-yard TD run from Isaac Wallace on their first two drives of the third quarter to go ahead 17-14. NDSU had a 389-357 edge in total yards and the Bison converted 8 of 16 third-down opportunities compared to 3 of 12 for the Jacks. Christion was 19 of 29 passing for 202 yards, Wallace had a game-high 110 yards on the ground, and linebacker Christian Rozeboom made a game-high 12 tackles for SDSU.
 
BISON SHUT OUT COLGATE IN QUARTERFINALS: Easton Stick passed for 205 yards and three touchdowns and North Dakota State shut out a playoff opponent for the first time in seven years beating Colgate 35-0 in the quarterfinals. Stick completed passes to nine different receivers and finished 14 of 19 with touchdown passes to Ben Ellefson, Darrius Shepherd and Phoenix Sproles, who scored his first career TD. Ty Brooks scored on a 26-yard run to cap a four-play, 96-yard scoring drive on NDSU's first possession. Bruce Anderson rushed 12 times for 124 yards including a 42-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. NDSU put up 443 yards of total offense against a Colgate team that came in ranked first in the nation in defense allowing just 7.0 points and 219.0 yards per game. The Bison were 7 of 13 on third down and limited the Raiders to 1 of 12 on third down and 0-for-3 on fourth down. Colgate's 157 total yards were the fewest ever allowed by NDSU in the FCS playoffs. Linebacker Jabril Cox made a team-high six tackles, safety Robbie Grimsley had five tackles and a pass breakup, and defensive end Derrek Tuszka had 2.5 sacks. Safety James Hendricks intercepted a pass in the end zone to help preserve the shutout, which was NDSU's first in the playoffs since a 24-0 win over another Patriot League opponent, Lehigh, in the 2011 quarterfinals.
 
BISON RUN PAST MONTANA STATE IN SECOND ROUND: North Dakota State rushed for 407 yards and scored on its first six possessions to beat Montana State 52-10 in the second round of the FCS playoffs. Lance Dunn carried 11 times for 127 yards and an NDSU postseason record-tying four touchdowns, Bruce Anderson went 13 times for 118 yards and one TD, and Ty Brooks had six carries for 103 yards and a score. Montana State connected on a 71-yard pass to the NDSU 4 on the game's first offensive play but couldn't get in the end zone. James Hendricks broke up a third-down pass in the end zone and the Bison forced a 24-yard field goal after an MSU false start penalty. The Bobcats got only three more first downs before halftime and went 0-for-7 on third-down conversions while the Bison opened a 35-3 halftime lead. NDSU linebacker Jabril Cox made a game-high 10 tackles, Dan Marlette added eight stops, cornerback Marquise Bridges made his second interception of the year, and Michael Tutsie blocked a punt for NDSU.
 
THREE 100-YARD RUSHERS: NDSU averaged 9.2 yards per carry against Montana State and had three 100-yard rushers for the first time since 1996 when Reggie Scott (170), Kevin Feeney (145) and Jake Morris (109) did it against Minnesota State Mankato. Dunn scored on runs of 1, 11, 1 and 46 yards all in the first half, tying the NDSU postseason mark of four rushing TDs set by DJ McNorton in the 2010 second round playoff game at Montana State. NDSU's seven total rushing TDs tied a school postseason record set in 1988 against Augustana (S.D.).
 
STICK AMONG TOP 3 FOR WALTER PAYTON AWARD: North Dakota State quarterback Easton Stick is one of the top three finalists for the STATS FCS Walter Payton Award, which goes to the FCS Offensive Player of the Year and will be presented Jan. 4 in Frisco, Texas. Stick joins Kennesaw State quarterback Chandler Burks and Samford quarterback Devlin Hodges as the top three vote-getters of the 25 finalists. All three were named Offensive Player of the Year in their respective conferences and are graduates working on master's degrees.
 
NATIONAL AWARD FINALISTS: North Dakota State head coach Chris Klieman is a finalist for the STATS FCS Eddie Robinson Award, presented annually to the top head coach in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision. Quarterback Easton Stick is one of 25 finalists for the Walter Payton Award, presented to the FCS offensive player of the year, and safety Robbie Grimsley and linebacker Jabril Cox are finalists for the Buck Buchanan Award for defensive player of the year.
 
STICK, COX TAKE TOP LEAGUE HONORS: Quarterback Easton Stick was named Offensive Player of the Year and linebacker Jabril Cox was named Defensive Player of the Year in the Missouri Valley Football Conference by a vote of the league's media, head coaches and sports information directors. Stick is the second NDSU player to earn the league's top offensive honor along with 2013 quarterback Brock Jensen, and Cox is the third NDSU player to be selected on defense behind 2012 cornerback Marcus Williams and 2014 defensive end Kyle Emanuel.
 
15 ALL-CONFERENCE PICKS: North Dakota State led all schools with 15 All-Missouri Valley Football Conference picks including nine first team and six second team. Darrius Shepherd was a first-team selection at both wide receiver and return specialist, just the second offensive player in league history to earn dual first-team honors. Other first team picks were QB Easton Stick, LB Jabril Cox, OL Tanner Volson and Zack Johnson, DE Greg Menard, S Robbie Grimsley and P Garret Wegner. Second-team honors went to RB Bruce Anderson and Lance Dunn, FB Brock Robbins, TE Ben Ellefson, OL Dillon Radunz and S James Hendricks. In addition, redshirt freshman DE Spencer Waege was named to the MVFC All-Newcomer Team and was third in the voting for Newcomer of the Year behind quarterbacks Ryan Boyle from Indiana State and Brady Davis from Illinois State.
 
ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICANS: Defensive end Greg Menard and quarterback Easton Stick were voted to the Google Cloud Academic All-America team by the College Sports Information Directors of America. Menard was named to the first team for the third time in his career and Stick was named to the second team. Nominees must have a 3.30 cumulative grade-point average and be starters or significant contributors with at least sophomore academic and athletic standing. Menard has a 3.85 GPA in civil engineering and Stick, currently in the master's of business administration program, graduated with a 3.92 GPA in sport management. Menard and Stick were named to the MVFC All-Academic first team along with tight end Ben Ellefson. NDSU safety Robbie Grimsley and wide receiver Darrius Shepherd made the MVFC All-Academic second team.
 
EIGHTH STRAIGHT SEMIFINAL: North Dakota State is in the FCS semifinals for the eighth straight season, the longest streak in FCS history. Only three other teams have made the FCS semifinals at least eight times: Georgia Southern (13), Montana (11) and Youngstown State (8).
        Consecutive FCS Semifinal Appearances
        8 - North Dakota State, 2011-2017
        6 - Marshall, 1991-1996
        5 - Georgia Southern, 1998-2002
        4 - Eastern Kentucky, 1979-1982
        4 - Youngstown State, 1991-1994
 
10-WIN MARK: North Dakota State has reached the 10-win mark for the eighth straight season. NDSU's eight 10-win seasons this decade are the most in FCS ahead of Sam Houston State (6), Eastern Washington (5), Jacksonville State (4), Wofford (3) and Lehigh (3).
 
LONGEST WINNING STREAKS: North Dakota State owns the longest active winning streak in the FCS at 19 games, which is second longest in Missouri Valley Football Conference history behind the 33-game Bison winning streak from 2012 to 2014. Princeton is second with a 10-game winning streak. UCF (25) and Alabama (15) have the two longest active winning streaks in FBS. NDSU's 18-game home winning streak is second longest in the FCS behind San Diego's 21.
 
LARGEST SENIOR CLASS: NDSU has 24 seniors playing their final season, the largest outgoing class in program history topping the 23 who played their final game in 2013. This year's class includes 20 fifth-year seniors who were part of Chris Klieman's first recruiting class as NDSU head coach in 2014, three who played as true freshmen in 2015—safety Robbie Grimsley, running back Bruce Anderson and kicker Cam Pedersen. Since 2015, the Bison are 52-5 overall including 33-3 at home and 29-3 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference with four league titles. NDSU won national championships in 2015 and 2017 and has a 12-1 record in the FCS playoffs.
 
UNBEATEN SEASONS: Eleven teams have gone unbeaten in Missouri Valley Football Conference games since 1985, and only North Dakota State (2013 and 2018) and Southern Illinois (2009) have done it with an eight-game conference schedule. There have been 14 undefeated NDSU teams since 1894 with the last being the 2013 national champions (15-0). Additionally, Bison teams went unbeaten in the regular season before postseason losses in 1967 (Pecan Bowl) and 1982 (Division II semifinal). NDSU is the only team in MVFC history to win its first seven overall games in back-to-back years, and the Bison have done it twice in 2013 (15-0), 2014 (9-0), 2017 (8-0) and 2018 (10-0).
 
STICK SECOND ON FCS QUARTERBACK WINS LIST: North Dakota State's Easton Stick has a 47-3 record as starting quarterback, the second most wins in FCS history behind NDSU's Brock Jensen, who went 47-5 as a starter with 48 total wins from 2010-13.
        Most Wins by FCS Quarterbacks
        48 - Brock Jensen, North Dakota State (2010-13)
        47 - Easton Stick, North Dakota State (2015-18)
        43 - Armanti Edwards, Appalachian State (2006-09)
        42 - J.R. Revere, Georgia Southern (1998-01)
        41 - Eric Ward, Richmond (2006-09)
 
STICK IN THE RECORD BOOKS: Quarterback Easton Stick has broken NDSU career records for total offense (10,581; 3rd in MVFC history), passing touchdowns (85; 2nd in MVFC history) and total touchdowns (120). He remains second on the NDSU career lists for passing attempts, completions and yards. Stick is also second in MVFC history for quarterback rushing yards (2,255) and TDs (35) behind Missouri State's DeAndre Smith (2,276 yards and 36 TDs from 1987-90).

PEDERSEN CLIMBING PAT, SCORING LISTS: NDSU's Cam Pedersen has converted 91 straight PAT attempts and owns the Missouri Valley Football Conference and NDSU records with 251 career PAT kicks made, 10 shy of the record 261 by Sam Houston State's Luc Swimberghe from 2013-16. Pedersen also has the NDSU record for points by kick (383), which is the most points among all active FCS players. His 70 PAT kicks this year are five shy of his total last year and six shy of the record 76 by Adam Keller in 2013. Pedersen ranks third at NDSU with 44 career field goals made behind Keller (56, 2011-14) and Shawn Bibeau (51, 2006-09).
        NDSU Career Points Scored
        386 - Jeff Bentrim, QB, 1983-86 (64 TD, 1 PAT)
        384 - Lamar Gordon, RB, 1998-01 (64 TD)
        383 - Cam Pedersen, K, 2015-18 (251 PAT, 44 FG)

        MVFC Career Points Scored
        416 - Zach Zenner, RB, South Dakota State, 2011-14
        384 - David Johnson, RB, Northern Iowa, 2010-14
        383 - Cam Pedersen, K, North Dakota State, 2015-18

        FCS Career Points Scored by Kicker
        413 - Dan Carpenter, Montana, 2004-07 (182 PAT, 75 FG)
        394 - Chris Snyder, Montana, 2000-03 (182 PAT, 70 FG)
        387 - Brody McKnight, Montana, 2008-11 (210 PAT, 59 FG)
        385 - Marty Zendejas, Nevada, 1984-87 (169 PAT, 72 FG)
        383 - Cam Pedersen, North Dakota State, 2015-18 (251 PAT, 44 FG)
 
GRIMSLEY AMONG NDSU CAREER LEADERS: Senior Robbie Grimsley's 16 career interceptions rank first among FCS active players and are tied for second all-time at NDSU behind Marcus Williams (21 from 2010-13) with Steve Krumrei (16 from 1967-69) and Tre Dempsey (16 from 2014-17). Grimsley also ranks fifth at NDSU with 154 solo tackles and is ninth in school history with 36 career passes defended.
        NDSU Career Solo Tackles
        191 - Colten Heagle, S, 2010-14
        159 - Joe Mays, LB, 2004-07
        156 - Nick DeLuca, LB, 2013-17
        155 - Carlton Littlejohn, LB, 2011-14
        154 - Christian Dudzik, S, 2011-14
        154 - Robbie Grimsley, S, 2015-18
 
MENARD FOURTH IN CAREER SACKS: Defensive end Greg Menard is fourth in career sacks at NDSU with 38, three 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 32.0 sacks counting solo and assisted sacks as defined by the NCAA.
 
NDSU SECOND IN FCS IN PICKS: North Dakota State is tied for second in FCS with a conference-best 20 interceptions this year. Safety Robbie Grimsley has five picks, safety James Hendricks has four, and linebacker Jabril Cox has four, one shy of the Bison record for interceptions by a linebacker (5) by Rick Budde in 1976.
 
TURNOVER MARGIN LEADERS: NDSU's plus-17 turnover margin is third in the FCS behind Southeast Missouri State (+24) and Dartmouth (+18). NDSU has scored a conference-best 108 points off 26 opponent turnovers.
 
BISON AMONG PUNT LEADERS: NDSU ranks eighth in FCS averaging 16.38 yards per punt return with return specialist Darrius Shepherd ranked fourth in FCS with an average of 16.5 yards per return. Shepherd's career punt return average of 13.40 is sixth best in school history. Meanwhile, punter Garret Wegner ranks 11th in FCS with a 43.1 punting average. The Bison are seventh in FCS with a net punting average of 39.09.
 
SHEPHERD TOP-THREE IN CAREER RECEIVING: Senior wide receiver Darrius Shepherd is in the top three all-time at NDSU in career receptions and yards. His 869 receiving yards this year rank fourth in NDSU single-season history.
        NDSU Career Receiving Yards
        2,957 - Zach Vraa, 2011-15
        2,732 - Kole Heckendorf, 2005-08
        2,645 - Darrius Shepherd, 2015-18

        NDSU Career Receptions
        195 - Zach Vraa, 2011-15
        179 - Darrius Shepherd, 2015-18
        178 - Kole Heckendorf, 2005-08

        NDSU Career Receiving TDs
        28 - Zach Vraa, 2011-15
        26 - Tim Strehlow, 1996-99
        24 - Len Kretchman, 1985-88
        22 - RJ Urzendowski, 2014-17
        22 - TR McDonald, 1990-93
        18 - Eric Nelson, 1997-00
        18 - Darrius Shepherd, 2015-18
 
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 (2,967) is ninth on NDSU's all-time rushing list, Bruce Anderson has 2,817 yards and Easton Stick (2,255) needs just 22 yards to break the conference record for rushing yards by a quarterback.
        MVFC Career Rushing Yards by QB
        2,276 - DeAndre Smith, Missouri State (1987-90)
        2,255 - Easton Stick, North Dakota State (2015-18)
        2,176 - Tirrell Rennie, Northern Iowa (2010-11)
        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)
        2,255 - Easton Stick (2015-18)
 
RED ZONE SUCCESS: North Dakota State leads the FCS in red zone defense this year allowing opponents inside the 20-yard line only 21 times with six touchdowns and four field goals. The Bison also are third nationally in red zone offense scoring on 49 of 53 chances with 44 TDs.
 
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: North Dakota State had eight players earn 11 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, 10/29)...Four knockdowns with zero sacks or hurries in each of the wins over Cal Poly and South Dakota...Graded 100% on assignment both games...NDSU rushed for 458 yards and seven TDs averaging 10.2 yards per carry vs. Cal Poly...Season-high 560 yards of total offense at USD with five rushing TDs and 8.0 yards per carry.
        —Easton Stick, Offense (9/23, 10/7, 11/11)...Accounted for 321 yards of total offense 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...School record-tying five TD passes all in the first half of win at Missouri State.
        —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.
        —Zack Johnson, Offensive Line (11/19)...Played 57 of 70 snaps with six knockdowns and zero sacks or hurries allowed against Southern Illinois...Led the Bison with an 86% technique grade and was 100% on assignment...NDSU put up a season-high 663 yards in the 65-17 win, the most yards and points by the Bison in an MVFC game.
 
EIGHT STRAIGHT CONFERENCE TITLES: NDSU won its eighth consecutive Missouri Valley Football Conference championship, topping the league record seven straight by Northern Iowa in the early 1990s. NDSU won outright MVFC titles in 2012, 2013, 2017 and 2018. North Dakota State has won 35 football conference championships including 26 in the North Central Conference (last in 1994) and one in the Great West Football Conference (2006).
        Most Consecutive Conference Titles in Division I Football
        14 - Oklahoma (Big 8, 1946-59)
        12 - Montana (Big Sky, 1998-09)
        10 - BYU (WAC, 1976-85)
        9 - Florida State (ACC, 1992-00)
        8 - Nebraska (Big 8, 1910-17)
        8 - North Dakota State (MVFC, 2011-18)
 
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 73-6 at home since 2010 including a 23-1 mark in the FCS playoffs. The Bison have won 64 of the last 66 home games over non-conference opponents with its last home loss coming in the 2016 semifinals to James Madison. NDSU is 23-4 at home all-time against FCS Top 10 teams. North Dakota State ranks fifth in the FCS this year with an average home attendance of 18,085.
 
DECADE LEADER:  North Dakota State's 119 wins this decade are more than any other program in college football. NDSU is 110-8 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)
        119 - North Dakota State (119-13)
        92 - Sam Houston State (92-32)
        89 - Eastern Washington (89-30)
        85 - Jacksonville State (85-28)
        82 - James Madison (82-33)

        FCS Winningest Teams, 2010s (by pct.)
        .902 - North Dakota State (119-13)
        .778 - Harvard (70-20)
        .752 - Jacksonville State (85-28)
        .748 - Eastern Washington (89-30)
        .742 - Sam Houston State (92-32)

MORE THAN 700 WINS: NDSU has played 1,128 games with a 723-371-34 record in its 122nd season of football, good for a .656 winning percentage. Only four Ivy League teams each with at least 20 more years of football have more wins at the FCS level: Yale (907), Harvard (875), Penn (856) and Princeton (831). Northern Iowa has the second most wins among Missouri Valley Football Conference programs with 670. NDSU's 110 victories since 2011 are more than any other team in Division I ahead of Alabama (102), Clemson (95) and Ohio State (91).
 
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).
 
TARGET FIELD TICKETS ON SALE: NDSU will host Butler in the 2019 football season opener at 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 31, at Target Field presented by Pioneer. Tickets for general seating range from $20 to $58 and are only available through the Minnesota Twins at the Target Field box office or TwinsBaseball.com/football. Student tickets will be made available at a later date through NDSU.