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THIS WEEK: No. 1-ranked North Dakota State (14-0) and third-ranked Eastern Washington (12-2) meet in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Game at 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 5, at Toyota Stadium (20,500) in Frisco, Texas.
 
TELEVISION: Watch on ESPN2 and the ESPN app beginning at 11 a.m. with Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (analyst) and Kris Budden (reporter). NDSU is 25-2 in 27 previous appearances on national television as a Division I program. Pregame coverage begins at 10:30 a.m. on ESPNU, and the postgame trophy presentation will be streamed live on ESPN3.
 
RADIO: Coverage begins at 10:30 a.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 7:30-8:30 a.m. with Brad Jones, "Bison Game Day" from 8:30-10:30 a.m. and "Bison Hotline" for two hours following the network broadcast with hosts Keith Brake, Chris Hanson and former NDSU defensive end Cole Jirik. National radio coverage on Westwood One Sports will begin at 10:30 a.m. with Jason Horowitz play-by-play, Al Groh analyst and Olivia Dekker sidelines.
 
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: Tickets may be purchased via the NCAA Ticket Exchange, the official fan-to-fan marketplace. For details, visit NCAA.com/FCS and click on the Tickets and Hospitality link.
 
PARKING AND TAILGATING: General public parking is $20 per spot and opens at 7 a.m. Saturday in Toyota Stadium's red, blue and green parking lots. RVs and campers will be charged $40 per parking space occupied. ADA parking is available in the platinum, gold and blue lots. All parking is on a first-come, first-serve basis. Parking lots will remain open for tailgating after the game. All vehicles must be off property by 11:30 p.m. Saturday.
 
TEAM ARRIVALS AND TAILGATE TOWN: Fans are invited to line up on Lamar Hunt Way from Toyota Stadium west to World Cup Way for team arrivals beginning with an EWU pep rally at 8:15 a.m. and team arrival at 8:30 a.m. followed by NDSU's team arrival at 8:45 a.m. and pep rally at 8:55 a.m. Tailgate Town, a free interactive fan festival, opens at 9 a.m. in the north plaza of Toyota Stadium and is open through halftime.
 
GOLD RUSH: NDSU will be on the east sideline opposite of the press box as the home team and will wear its alternate gold jersey and green "Harvest Helmet" for the third time this season. The Bison are 29-0 in gold jerseys since their first appearance in the 2011 season opener, 13-0 in green helmets since their November 2015 debut, and 10-0 in the yellow jersey and green helmet combo.
 
NDSU PEP FEST: The NDSU Foundation and Alumni Association will host NDSU's official pep fest, the Bison Bash, starting at 6:15 p.m. Friday, Jan. 4, at the Legacy Food Hall in Plano, Texas. This is a free, all-ages event. Doors open at 3 p.m. and the first 2,000 fans will receive a complimentary NDSU stocking cap. Space is limited, and fans should dress appropriately for an indoor/outdoor venue. NDSU television sideline reporter Ryan Gellner will emcee the program featuring Bison 1660 radio personalities Jeff Culhane and Jeremy Jorgenson, remarks by NDSU president Dean Bresciani, the NDSU cheer team, NDSU pep band and more.
 
THE SERIES: North Dakota State has a 2-1 lead in the series with Eastern Washington. EWU was a 38-31 overtime winner at home in the 2010 FCS quarterfinals, NDSU won an overtime game 50-44 in Fargo in 2016, and the Bison won 40-13 last year in Cheney.
 
GROUNDING THE EAGLES: NDSU last year slowed EWU to 54 plays and 204 yards—the fewest offensive plays and yards by the Eagles in the past three-plus years since EWU's 14-13 home win over Weber State in October 2015. On offense, the Bison put up 532 total yards including 375 on the ground—Bruce Anderson had 160 rushing yards and one touchdown and Lance Dunn ran for 148 yards and three TDs for the Bison, who averaged 6.0 yards per carry.
 
MVFC, BIG SKY IN TITLE GAME: This is the first time the Missouri Valley Football Conference and Big Sky Conference will meet in the FCS championship game. The MVFC has had 13 teams reach the title game in the past 22 years with an 8-4 record and the league is in represented in the title game for the eighth straight year. Youngstown State (1997) and Western Kentucky (2002) are the two title-winning teams besides NDSU from the MVFC. The Big Sky is in the title game for the 13th time since 1978 with a 6-6 record and is back for the first time since 2010 when Eastern Washington won. Other FCS champions from the Big Sky are Boise State (1980), Idaho State (1981), Montana State (1984) and Montana (1995, 2001).
 
BISON VS. THE BIG SKY: North Dakota State is 12-3 against Big Sky Conference opponents since beginning Division I play in 2004. That includes this year's 49-3 season-opening home win over Cal Poly and the 52-10 second round home playoff win over Montana State. The Bison are 3-1 against the Big Sky in the FCS playoffs including second round victories in 2010 at Montana State (42-17) and in 2015 at home over Montana (37-6).
 
EAGLES VS. THE VALLEY: Eastern Washington is 5-13 against Missouri Valley Football Conference opponents since 1985 and the Eagles have lost five of their last six against the MVFC, including a 2014 home quarterfinal loss to Illinois State (59-46) and 2016 home semifinal loss to Youngstown State (40-38). EWU's last postseason win over an MVFC opponent was a 2013 home second round win over South Dakota State (41-17).
 
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. The Bison are 11-2 in playoff title games with the only losses coming in the Division II championships in 1981 to Texas State (42-13) and 1984 to Troy (18-17).
 
BISON IN THE POSTSEASON: This is NDSU's 32nd postseason appearance and the Bison are 66-15 overall including a 61-14 mark in the NCAA playoff format since 1973 and an incredible 31-2 record (24-1 at home) in the FCS playoffs since 2010. NDSU has won the national championship in 27 percent of its 51 years of postseason eligibility since the program's first bowl game in 1964. (NDSU was ineligible for the playoffs while reclassifying to Division I from 2004-2007, a four-year span ending with back-to-back 10-1 seasons in FCS play.
        Most Consecutive FCS Playoff Appearances
        17 - Montana, 1993-2009
        14 - New Hampshire, 2004-2017
        10 - Eastern Kentucky, 1986-1995
        9 - North Dakota State, 2010-2018

        Most FCS Playoff Games Won
        45 - Georgia Southern
        32 - Montana
        31 - North Dakota State
 
BISON SEEK RECORD SEVENTH FCS TITLE: North Dakota State has won six of the last seven FCS championships and has tied Georgia Southern's record of six FCS titles. The Eagles won back-to-back three times in 1985-1986, 1989-1990 and 1999-2000. NDSU beat Georgia Southern in the 2011 and 2012 FCS semifinals before the Eagles moved to the Football Bowl Subdivision in 2014.
        Most FCS Championship Game Appearances
        8 - Georgia Southern (6-2)
        7 - North Dakota State (6-0)
        7 - Youngstown State (4-3)
        7 - Montana (2-5)
        6 - Marshall (2-4)
 
UNDEFEATED, UNTIED FCS CHAMPIONS: Only four teams have gone undefeated and untied on their way to winning the FCS championship: Eastern Kentucky in 1982 (13-0), Georgia Southern in 1989 (15-0), Marshall in 1996 (15-0) and North Dakota State in 2013 (15-0). NDSU has twice spoiled perfect seasons in the FCS title game, beating a 14-0 Sam Houston State team to end the 2011 season and a 14-0 James Madison team last year.
 
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 (14-0).
 
KLIEMAN'S FINAL GAME WITH BISON: This will be Chris Klieman's final game as head coach at North Dakota State before taking over at Kansas State, where he was named the next head coach of the Wildcats on Dec. 10. Klieman is 68-6 in five seasons and will finish third on NDSU's all-time coaching wins list behind Craig Bohl (104-32 from 2003-2013) and Rocky Hager (91-25-1 from 1987-1996). Klieman has been part of NDSU's eight straight Missouri Valley Football Conference championships as the Bison defensive backs coach in 2011 and defensive coordinator in 2012 and 2013 before being elevated to head coach in 2014. He is this year's AFCA Region 4 FCS Coach of the Year.
        Most FCS Championships as Head Coach
        4 - Jim Tressel, Youngstown State
        3 - Erk Russell, Georgia Southern
        3 - Jerry Moore, Appalachian State
        3 - Craig Bohl, North Dakota State
        3 - Chris Klieman, North Dakota State
 
FOUR ASSISTANTS MOVING ON: Four NDSU assistant coaches will be joining Chris Klieman's staff at Kansas State after the championship game. Courtney Messingham has been the offensive coordinator and running backs coach since 2017, Conor Riley came to NDSU in 2013 as tight ends/fullbacks coach and has been offensive line coach since 2014, Joe Klanderman coached defensive backs since 2014, and Jason Ray is completing his first season as wide receivers coach. Hank Jacobs, NDSU's director of football operations since 2016 and part of the Bison program since 2009 as a student-athlete, offensive intern and recruiting director, will also join the Kansas State staff.
 
ENTZ NEXT HEAD COACH OF BISON: Defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Matt Entz was named as NDSU's 31st head football coach on Dec. 13. Entz, a three-time finalist for FCS Coordinator of the Year since coming to NDSU in 2014, leads a Bison defense that has allowed less than 14 points per game over the past five seasons and consistently ranked in the top five of FCS in scoring defense and total defense. He is a 21-year veteran assistant coach with 15 years of experience as a defensive coordinator and eight as an associate head coach in two programs.
 
NCAA ELITE 90 AWARD: NDSU student-athletes have claimed the NCAA Elite 90 award in five of six previous trips to Frisco. This year's winner will be anounced at Friday morning's NCAA championship banquet. The award, established in 2009, goes to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average among the participants at the finals site for each of the the NCAA's 90 national championships. NDSU has 10 total winners across four sports, seventh most among all NCAA member institutions.
        NDSU's NCAA Elite 90 Award Winners
        2010-11 - Amy Anderson, women's golf
        2010-11 - Whitney Carlson, women's outdoor track and field
        2012-13 - Esley Thorton, football
        2013-14 - Carson Wentz, football
        2014-15 - Carson Wentz, football
        2015-16 - Carson Wentz, football
        2015-16 - Clay Ream, wrestling
        2016-17 - Clay Ream, wrestling
        2017-18 - Daniel Polansky, football
        2017-18 - Clay Ream, wrestling

        Most NCAA Elite 90 Awards
        17 - Stanford
        15 - Alabama
        13 - MIT (D-I and D-III)
        13 - Nebraska
        11 - North Carolina
        11 - Washington-St. Louis (D-III)
        10 - North Dakota State
 
NCAA MOST OUTSTANDING PLAYERS: The NCAA championship game Most Outstanding Player will be announced on stage following the game Saturday, and an NDSU player has been named in all six previous Bison trips. LB Travis Beck was selected in 2012, QB Brock Jensen in the 2013 and 2014 title games, QB Carson Wentz in the 2015 and 2016 title games, and QB Easton Stick was the recipient for the 2018 title game.
 
BISON STICK IT TO JACKRABBITS IN SEMIFINALS: Quarterback Easton Stick rushed for 147 yards and three touchdowns and North Dakota State scored 30 second-half points to hand South Dakota State a fourth playoff loss in seven years 44-21 in the semifinals. Stick scored on runs of 5 and 34 yards in the first half as NDSU took a 14-7 lead by halftime. The Bison rolled for 382 yards of total offense in the second half and scored on all five second-half possessions before running out the clock on the final drive. Stick accounted for 316 yards of total offense including 12 of 15 passing for 169 yards. Middle linebacker Dan Marlette made eight tackles to lead a Bison defense that registered six tackles for loss, five quarterback hurries and six pass breakups. Defensive ends Stanley Jones and Derrek Tuszka each had sacks and cornerback Jalen Allison broke up three passes.
 
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 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.
 
AFTER THE OPEN WEEK: North Dakota State's win over Montana State in the second round of the playoffs was NDSU's 29th straight victory after an open week in the regular season and playoffs since a 2005 home loss to UC Davis. That streak includes 18 home games, five road games and six national championship games in Frisco, Texas.
 
RIMINGTON AWARD WINNER: North Dakota State senior Tanner Volson is the 2018 Rimington Award winner as the top center in the FCS. He is the third player in NDSU history to earn the award following Rob Hunt (2004) and Joe Lund (2012). Volson was named the FCS Top Offensive LIneman as one of 11 players selected to the FCS Athletic Directors Association All-America Team, and he was an All-America first team selection by the Associated Press, STATS, HERO Sports and the AFCA.
 
STICK AMONG TOP 3 FOR WALTER PAYTON AWARD: North Dakota State quarterback Easton Stick is one of the top three finalists for the Walter Payton Award, which goes to the FCS Offensive Player of the Year and will be announced Friday, Jan. 4, at the STATS FCS awards banquet in Frisco. 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 finished fifth in the voting for the Eddie Robinson Award for FCS Coach of the Year, which went to Dan Hawkins of UC Davis. Klieman was a finalist in four of his five seasons as NDSU head coach. Sophomore linebacker Jabril Cox finished fourth in the voting for the Buck Buchanan Award for FCS Defensive Player of the Year, and senior safety Robbie Grimsley was ninth in that vote.
 
EIGHT FCS ALL-AMERICANS: North Dakota State has the second most All-Americans in school history this year with eight players earning spots on at least one FCS All-America squad. First-team honorees include C Tanner Volson, QB Easton Stick, S Robbie Grimsley, DE Greg Menard, RT Zack Johnson and LB Jabril Cox. Punter Garret Wegner and punt returner Darrius Shepherd earned third-team honors. Additionally, Cox and LT Dillon Radunz were named to the HERO Sports FCS Sophomore All-America Team. Menard became just the third player in Bison history to earn All-America honors on any first, second or third team in three different seasons following P/K Aaron Pederson (1999-2001) and CB Marcus Williams (2011-2013).
 
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.
 
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 20 games, which is second longest in Missouri Valley Football Conference history and tied for eighth longest in FCS history behind the FCS record 33-game Bison winning streak from 2012 to 2014. UCF (25) and Alabama (16) have the two longest active winning streaks in FBS. NDSU's 19-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 53-5 overall including 34-3 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 13-1 record in the FCS playoffs.
 
TWO ALL-STAR GAME INVITES: Quarterback Easton Stick will play in the 94th East-West Shrine Game scheduled for Jan. 19 in St. Petersburg, Fla. The game will be televised live on NFL Network at 2 p.m. CT. Running back Bruce Anderson will play in the Reese's Senior Bowl on Jan. 26 in Mobile, Ala. That game will be televised live on NFL Network at 1:30 p.m. CT.
 
RECORD SETTING OFFENSE: North Dakota State has already broken school and conference single-season records for rushing yards and touchdowns, points scored, and total touchdowns in 2018 with several other top 10 marks in both record books:
        Rushing Yards: 4,003 - 2nd in NDSU and MVFC history (4,083 by NDSU in 2017)
        Rushing TDs: 51 - 1st in NDSU and MVFC history
        Yards Per Rush: 6.50 - 1st at NDSU
        Passing Yards: 2,585 - 6th at NDSU (3,152 in 2014)
        Passing TDs: 26 - tied for 4th at NDSU (35 in 2013)
        Total Offense Yards: 6,588 - 4th at NDSU (6,916 in 2014), 7th in MVFC (6,954 by ILS in 2014)
        Yards Per Play: 7.43 - 1st at NDSU
        All-Purpose Yards: 7,825 - 4th at NDSU (8,370 in 2013)
        Points Scored: 584 - 1st in NDSU and MVFC history
        TDs Scored: 80 - 1st in NDSU and MVFC history
        PAT kicks made: 78 - 1st in NDSU and MVFC history

STICK, JENSEN TIED ATOP FCS QUARTERBACK WINS LIST: North Dakota State's Easton Stick has a 48-3 record as starting quarterback and is tied for the most wins as quarterback 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)
        48 - 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: Easton Stick has broken NDSU career records for total offense (10,897; 3rd in MVFC history), passing TDs (86; 2nd in MVFC history) and total TDs (124). Stick's 201.8 yards of total offense per game and 7.95 yards per play are both atop the NDSU career lists entering the title game, and he remains second in school history for passing attempts, completions and yards. He needs 104 passing yards to break Brock Jensen's NDSU career record of 8,598 set from 2010-2013. Stick is the MVFC record holder for rushing yards (2,402) and TDs (38) by a quarterback. He is 18th on NDSU's all-time rushing list and seventh overall in career rushing TDs at NDSU.
        NDSU Career Rushing Yards by QB
        3,313 - Chris Simdorn (1987-90)
        2,945 - Jeff Bentrim (1983-86)
        2,473 - Kevin Feeney (1995-98)
        2,402 - Easton Stick (2015-18)

        NDSU Career Rushing TDs by QB
        64 - Jeff Bentrim (1983-86)
        53 - Chris Simdorn (1987-90)
        48 - Kevin Feeney (1995-98)
        38 - Easton Stick (2015-18)

PEDERSEN FIVE PATs SHY OF FCS RECORD: NDSU's Cam Pedersen has converted 96 straight PAT attempts and owns the Missouri Valley Football Conference and NDSU records with 256 career PAT kicks made, second all-time in the FCS and five shy of the record 261 by Sam Houston State's Luc Swimberghe from 2013-16. Pedersen is NDSU's all-time scoring leader with 391 points, the most points among all active FCS players and third all-time among FCS kickers. His 75 PAT kicks this year are one short of the NDSU and MVFC record 76 by Adam Keller in 2013.
        MVFC Career Points Scored
        416 - Zach Zenner, RB, South Dakota State, 2011-14
        391 - Cam Pedersen, K, North Dakota State, 2015-18
        384 - David Johnson, RB, Northern Iowa, 2010-14

        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)
        391 - Cam Pedersen, North Dakota State, 2015-18 (256 PAT, 45 FG)
 
HOW 'BOUT THAT BISON DEFENSE: North Dakota State holds the top four marks in MVFC history for single-season scoring defense including this year's 11.8 points per game, which ranks fourth. NDSU has allowed only 24 fourth-quarter points this season, including none over the past seven contests. Illinois State was the last team to score in the fourth quarter against the Bison on Oct. 20. NDSU has been just as good in the second quarter, allowing 24 points all season and none since Oct. 27 at South Dakota.
 
SCORING TRENDS: North Dakota State has allowed only 31 points once this season in a 56-31 road win over Northern Iowa. Eastern Washington, meanwhile, has scored 31 or more points in all but two games this year, a 54-29 loss at Washington State and a 14-6 loss at Weber State. Only six teams in NDSU's 33 FCS playoff games have reached the 20-point mark.
        Most Points vs. NDSU in FCS Playoffs
        38 - Eastern Washington, 2010 quarterfinal
        32 - Coastal Carolina, 2014 quarterfinal
        27 - Illinois State, 2014 championship
        27 - James Madison, 2016 semifinal
        24 - South Dakota State, 2014 second round
        20 - Georgia Southern, 2012 semifinal
 
GRIMSLEY SECOND IN PICKS: Safety Robbie Grimsley's 17 career interceptions rank first among FCS active players, second all-time at NDSU behind Marcus Williams (21 from 2010-13), and are tied for sixth in MVFC history. Grimsley also ranks fourth at NDSU with 155 solo tackles and is 10th in school history with 37 career passes defended. Cornerback Jalen Allison had three breakups in the semifinal win over South Dakota State and moved into a tie for eighth at NDSU with 38 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
        155 - Robbie Grimsley, S, 2015-18
 
MENARD FOURTH IN CAREER SACKS: Defensive end Greg Menard is fifth on the MVFC career sacks list and fourth 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 second in FCS with a conference-best 21 interceptions this year. Safety Robbie Grimsley has six 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-18 turnover margin is second in the FCS this year behind Southeast Missouri State (+24) and fourth-best in MVFC history. NDSU has scored a conference-best 108 points off 27 opponent turnovers. NDSU has yet to commit more than one turnover in a game this year and has only one turnover through the first three playoff games. The Bison's nine turnovers lost are second fewest in MVFC history since 1990.
 
BISON AMONG PUNT LEADERS: NDSU ranks ninth in FCS averaging 15.61 yards per punt return, which would be a new NDSU single-season record passing the mark of 15.29 by the 2008 Bison. All-America punt returner Darrius Shepherd ranks fourth in FCS with an average of 16.5 yards per return. Shepherd's career punt return average of 13.14 is sixth best in school history. Meanwhile, punter Garret Wegner ranks ninth in FCS with a 43.2 punting average. The Bison are sixth in FCS in net punting (39.19).
 
SHEPHERD ON RECEIVING CHARTS: Senior wide receiver Darrius Shepherd is in the top three all-time at NDSU in career receptions and yards. His 940 receiving yards and 57 receptions this year both rank fourth in NDSU single-season history, and he has a team-high seven TD catches this year after making his only TD catch of the 2017 season in last year's national championship win.
        NDSU Career Receiving Yards
        2,957 - Zach Vraa, 2011-15
        2,732 - Kole Heckendorf, 2005-08
        2,716 - Darrius Shepherd, 2015-18

        NDSU Career Receptions
        195 - Zach Vraa, 2011-15
        183 - 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 2,896 yards and Easton Stick has 2,402.

RED ZONE SUCCESS: North Dakota State leads the FCS in red zone defense this year allowing opponents inside the 20-yard line only 22 times with seven touchdowns and four field goals. The Bison also are fifth nationally in red zone offense scoring on 53 of 58 chances with 47 TDs.
 
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)
 
BISON AT HOME: NDSU is 74-6 at home since 2010 including a 24-1 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 24-4 at home all-time against FCS Top 10 teams. North Dakota State ranked fifth in the FCS this year with an average home attendance of 18,106.
 
DECADE LEADER:  North Dakota State's 120 wins this decade are more than any other program in college football. NDSU is 111-8 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)
        120 - North Dakota State (120-13)
        92 - Sam Houston State (92-32)
        90 - Eastern Washington (90-30)
        85 - Jacksonville State (85-28)
        82 - James Madison (82-33)

        FCS Winningest Teams, 2010s (by pct.)
        .902 - North Dakota State (120-13)
        .778 - Harvard (70-20)
        .752 - Jacksonville State (85-28)
        .750 - Eastern Washington (90-30)
        .742 - Sam Houston State (92-32)

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).