THIS WEEK: No. 1-ranked North Dakota State (5-0, 1-0 MVFC) hosts Missouri Valley Football Conference rival Northern Iowa (3-2, 1-0 MVFC) in the annual homecoming game this Saturday, Oct. 12. Game time is 1 p.m. at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome (18,700). The Panthers are ranked 10th in the STATS and AFCA polls this week after opening conference play with a 21-14 home win over previously unbeaten Youngstown State.
 
TICKETS: A limited number of additional single-game tickets become available each game week and will go on sale Fridays at 7 a.m. online at GoBison.com/tickets.
 
TELEVISION: KVLY and the NBC North Dakota network will carry the game with Brian Shawn joined by Lee Timmerman and sideline reporter Ryan Gellner. Pregame coverage hosted by Beth Hoole, Alex Egan and Kyle Emanuel begins at noon. The game will be available to ESPN+ subscribers on ESPN.com and the ESPN app.
 
RADIO: Coverage begins at 12:30 p.m. on the Peterson Farms Seed Bison Radio Network with fourth-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 and Nate Tanguay and "Bison Game Day" from 10:30-12:30 with Keith Brake and Cole Jirik. Brake and Jirik return for "Bison Hotline" with Chris Hanson and Kyle Emanuel for two hours following the network broadcast.
 
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 and the NDSU Athletics mobile app. Live stats for NDSU home games are available on BisonStats.com. Follow along with in-game updates on Twitter @NDSUfootball.
 
THE SERIES: This is the 53rd meeting between North Dakota State and Northern Iowa in the all-time series dating back to 1938. NDSU has won five straight to tie the series at 26-26. The Bison are 5-1 against UNI in the Fargodome, where the Panthers have lost five straight since a 42-27 victory on Oct. 10, 2009. NDSU has an 8-4 edge in the series as Division I opponents. The Bison and Panthers have been ranked in the FCS Top 25 for each of those 12 meetings except for NDSU in 2009 and UNI in 2016.
 
LAST YEAR: No. 1 North Dakota State scored four fourth-quarter touchdowns to beat No. 22 Northern Iowa 56-31 last year. It was the most points ever scored by an opposing team in the UNI-Dome. The Bison went ahead for good 35-31 on the first play of the fourth-quarter, a 75-yard passing play to Bruce Anderson that was one of four Easton Stick passing touchdowns. NDSU rushed for 344 yards and 7.2 yards per carry including Anderson's 170 and Lance Dunn's 104. UNI got a 64-yard touchdown reception from tight end Briley Moore on the third play of the game and went ahead 14-0 early in the first quarter when Marcus Weymiller's 8-yard run capped a nine-play, 92-yard drive. NDSU's Darrius Shepherd caught TD passes of 20 and 22 yards in the comeback.
 
HOMECOMING GAMES: This is the 97th homecoming game in 99 years dating back to 1921. NDSU has a 56-37-3 homecoming record and has won eight straight including last year's 38-10 victory over Delaware. The Bison are 22-4 in Fargodome homecoming games with the only losses coming to Northern Colorado (1998), UC Davis (2005), Illinois State (2009) and Western Illinois (2010). This is Northern Iowa's third appearance as the homecoming opponent. NDSU won the two previous meetings 42-14 in 1978 and 31-28 in 2015.
 
PEDERSON TO BE INDUCTED: Former NDSU kicker and punter Aaron Pederson (1998-2001) will be inducted with the 48th annual class of the Bison Athletic Hall of Fame this Friday, Oct. 11, at the Sanford Health Athletic Complex. Tickets are $30 for the 11:30 a.m. luncheon and induction ceremony and available by calling Helena Johnston at (701) 231-6172. Pederson is one of only three players in Bison football history to earn All-America honors in three different seasons with third-team selections as a kicker in 1999 and 2000 and as a punter in 2001. He was a six-time All-North Central Conference performer in four years—twice as first team punter, twice as second team punter, and twice as second team kicker. Pederson set an NCAA Division II record with 117 consecutive PAT kicks made. He graduated as NDSU's career leader in PATs (178-182), field goals (42-63) and punting average (41.72) and was fourth in career scoring (304 points). Other inductees include All-America softball second baseman Jenny (Bakke) Christians, All-America women's basketball forward Jaime Berry Adams, three-time NCAA Division II wrestling champion Todd Fuller, two-time NCAA Division II decathlon champion Nathan Schmidt, and 13-time NCAA track and field All-American and U.S. Olympic triple jumper Amanda (Thieschafer) Smock.
 
LAST WEEK: North Dakota State scored on its first four possessions in a 37-3 victory over sixth-ranked Illinois State last week. Ty Brooks rushed for 106 yards including a 53-yard touchdown on NDSU's second drive, and quarterback Trey Lance went 12 of 15 passing for 189 yards and three touchdowns. NDSU's defense bottled up Illinois State running back James Robinson for the final three quarters, holding the All-American to just 34 yards after the first period. The Bison outgained the Redbirds by a 482-200 margin in total yards. Defensive end Derrek Tuszka had two of NDSU's four sacks, and safety James Hendricks had four of the Bison's nine pass breakups. NDSU forced three fumbles including one by Marquise Bridges on the game's opening drive that linebacker Aaron Mercadel recovered to set up NDSU's first touchdown.
 
31 STRAIGHT AFTER OPEN WEEKS: The 37-3 victory at Illinois State was NDSU's 31st consecutive win after an open week in the regular season and playoffs dating back to a 2005 home loss to UC Davis. That streak includes 18 home games, six road games and seven national championship games in Frisco, Texas.
 
BISON ON 26-GAME WINNING STREAK: North Dakota State's current 26-game winning streak is the second longest in Missouri Valley Football Conference history and tied for second longest in FCS history behind the record 33-game Bison winning streak from 2012 to 2014.
        FCS Longest Winning Streaks
        33 - North Dakota State, 2012-14
        26 - James Madison, 2016-17
        26 - North Dakota State, 2017-present
 
ELLEFSON TIGHT END TOUCHDOWN LEADER: North Dakota State's Ben Ellefson caught his 14th career touchdown pass in the fourth quarter at Illinois State to tie Jerimiah Wurzbacher's NDSU career record for touchdowns receptions by a tight end. Ellefson and Wurzbacher are part of a three-way tie with wide receiver Warren Holloway for 10th place overall in NDSU career TD receptions.
 
BROOKS TURNING IN BIG PLAYS: Senior running back Ty Brooks has turned in three of NDSU's four longest plays of this season and two came last week at Illinois State. His 79-yard kickoff return is the longest play by the Bison this year and his 53-yard rushing touchdown is fourth longest behind a Trey Lance 61-yard rushing TD vs. Butler and a 57-yard rush by Brooks against UC Davis. Brooks is currently the NDSU career leader in yards per rush (7.94) and is third in total offense per play.
 
LANCE LEADING PASSER IN FCS: Redshirt freshman quarterback Trey Lance is the FCS leader in passing efficiency with a 204.7 rating through five starts. Lance is 64 of 87 passing for 887 yards, 12 touchdowns, zero interceptions and ranks second in FCS with a 73.6 completion percentage. He is one of five FCS quarterbacks yet to throw an interception this year (minimum 15 attempts/game). Lance ranks third in yards per pass attempt (10.20) and fifth in points responsible for (21.6/game).
 
BISON WINNING ON THIRD DOWN: North Dakota State and James Madison are the only two teams ranked among the FCS top 10 in both third down conversions and third down defense. NDSU is tied for fourth on offensive third down conversions at 54.4 percent (31 of 57) and ranks seventh in third down defense with opponents converting only 27.1 percent (19 of 70). Quarterback Trey Lance is 16 of 28 passing on third down with 13 conversions and six TDs, and Lance leads the Bison with nine first downs and three TDs on third-down rushing plays. Of NDSU's 57 third-down offensive plays, only half (28 of 57) have been third-and-5 or longer.
 
FEWEST TOUCHDOWNS ALLOWED: North Dakota State's five touchdowns allowed is the fewest in the FCS through five games this season. The Bison have played seven straight quarters without a touchdown against and have allowed only four offensive TDs—one rushing against North Dakota, two passing at Delaware, and one passing against UC Davis. NDSU and South Dakota State are tied for third in FCS allowing 11.6 points per game behind Dartmouth (8.0) and Georgetown (9.6).
 
TOP-FIVE OPPONENTS: With a 27-16 win over then No. 4-ranked UC Davis, North Dakota State improved to 16-1 since the beginning of the 2011 national championship season against opponents ranked in the top five of the Football Championship Subdivision. That includes an 9-1 record in the Fargodome, where the only loss in the past eight seasons to a top-five opponent came in the 2016 national semifinals to James Madison, 27-17.
 
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: North Dakota State has had three players combine for five Player of the Week awards in the Missouri Valley Football Conference this season:
        — Trey Lance, Offensive (9/1) & Newcomer (9/1, 10/6)...301 yards and six touchdowns in the 57-10 win over Butler...Went 10 of 11 passing for 185 yards and four touchdowns with five carries for 116 yards and two scores...First NDSU freshman to start a season opener at quarterback...Accounted for 232 yards at Illinois State including 12 of 15 passing for 189 yards and three TDs.
        — Zack Johnson, Offensive Line (9/9)...12 knockdowns and zero pressures in 38-7 win over North Dakota...Graded 98% in his second career start at right guard after an All-America junior year at right tackle...Helped NDSU rush for 266 yards and 5.3 yards per carry, convert 9 of 14 third downs, and keep the ball for more than 35 minutes in the contest.
        — Griffin Crosa, Special Teams (9/15)...Made five PAT kicks and two field goals from 46 and 23 yards in the 47-22 victory at Delaware.
 
ELLEFSON NAMED TO GOOD WORKS TEAM: North Dakota State tight end Ben Ellefson was named to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, which recognizes 22 players in college football for outstanding leadership and commitment to giving back in their local communities. Fans are invited to visit ESPN.com/Allstate to vote for the Good Works Team captain once per day through Nov. 22. The team will be recognized at this year's Allstate Sugar Bowl. Ellefson is the eighth NDSU player to be named to the Good Works Team.
 
ELLEFSON SEMIFINALIST FOR CAMPBELL TROPHY: North Dakota State tight end Ben Ellefson is one of 185 semifinalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy presented by Mazda. The award recognizes the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership. He is the 11th Bison player to be recognized as a semifinalist and follows 2018 finalist Easton Stick.
 
10th LARGEST CROWD FOR BISON FOOTBALL: The crowd of 34,544 for NDSU-Butler in the first Division I game at Target Field in Minneapolis was the 10th largest crowd in Bison history. Only eight other schools outside of the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC and Pac-12 drew larger crowds on opening weekend: BYU, South Florida, Memphis, UCF, San Diego State, UAB, Cincinnati and UTEP.
 
BISON RETURN SEVEN FULL-TIME STARTERS: North Dakota State returns three offensive starters and four defensive starters from last year's 15-0 national championship team. Offensive linemen Dillon Radunz and Zack Johnson return with tight end Ben Ellefson on an offensive unit that will have a new quarterback and lost 65% of its rushing yards, 80% of its receptions and 84% of its receiving yards. NDSU still has depth at running back where Ty Brooks, Adam Cofield and Saybein Clark combined for 200 carries, 1,391 yards and 12 touchdowns last year. On defense, the Bison return their leading tackler in Buck Buchanan Award candidate Jabril Cox at linebacker, second-leading sack-getter in defensive end Derrek Tuszka, leading pass defender James Hendricks at safety, and cornerback Marquise Bridges.
 
COX ON BUCHANAN WATCH LIST: Junior linebacker Jabril Cox was on the 25-man preseason watch list for the STATS FCS Buck Buchanan Award presented annually to the top defensive player in the FCS. Cox finished fourth in the voting last year after being selected as the Defensive Player of the Year in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. He led the Bison defense and ranked 10th in the MVFC with 91 total tackles in 2018 and finished with 9.5 tackles for loss, 4.0 sacks, four interceptions including two for touchdowns, three pass breakups and seven quarterback hurries. He was the 2017 MVFC Newcomer of the Year and Freshman of the Year.
 
WEGNER ON WATCH LIST FOR FCS PUNTER OF THE YEAR: Junior punter Garret Wegner is on the preseason watch list for the inaugural FCS Punter of the Year award by the Augusta Sports Council, which has been home to the Ray Guy Award since 2000 honoring the nation's best punters as the FBS level. Wegner was All-MVFC first team in 2018 averaging 43.0 yards on 59 punts, which was 11th in the FCS. He had 14 punts of 50-plus yards, a league-best 27 punts inside the 20-yard line, and another 16 fair catches. NDSU opponents returned 20 punts for just 3.3 yards per return and the Bison ranked sixth nationally in net punting with a 39.15 average.
 
FIVE PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS: North Dakota State has five preseason All-Americans including junior linebacker Jabril Cox and senior offensive lineman Zack Johnson, who were each named to first teams by HERO Sports, Athlon Sports and STATS FCS. Junior offensive lineman Dillon Radunz was second team by HERO Sports, senior defensive end Derrek Tuszka was named to the STATS FCS second team and HERO Sports third team, and junior punter Garret Wegner was third team by STATS FCS.
 
PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE: North Dakota State led the way with six players named to the Preseason All-Missouri Valley Football Conference team. Offensive linemen Zack Johnson and Dillon Radunz joined linebacker Jabril Cox, safety James Hendricks, defensive end Derrek Tuszka and punter Garret Wegner on the first team. NDSU had three honorable mentions in tight end Ben Ellefson, defensive tackle Cole Karcz and long snapper Ross Kennelly.
 
15-TIME NATIONAL CHAMPIONS: North Dakota State won its 15th football national championship in 2018. 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 before winning again in 2017.
 
BISON WIN RECORD SEVENTH FCS TITLE: North Dakota State has won seven of the last eight FCS championships to surpass Georgia Southern's record of six FCS titles. The Bison are 7-0 in seven FCS title game appearances.
        Most FCS Championship Game Appearances
        8 - Georgia Southern (6-2)
        7 - North Dakota State (7-0)
        7 - Youngstown State (4-3)
        7 - Montana (2-5)
 
FIFTH UNDEFEATED, UNTIED FCS CHAMPION: Last year's 15-0 North Dakota State team was the fifth to go undefeated and untied in winning the FCS championship joining Eastern Kentucky in 1982 (13-0), Georgia Southern in 1989 (15-0), Marshall in 1996 (15-0) and NDSU in 2013 (15-0).
 
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 through an eight-game conference schedule. There have been 15 undefeated NDSU teams since 1894 including the 2018 national champions (15-0).
 
EIGHT STRAIGHT CONFERENCE TITLES: NDSU won its eighth consecutive Missouri Valley Football Conference championship in 2018, 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 PICKED TO WIN VALLEY FOOTBALL CROWN: North Dakota State topped the Missouri Valley Football Conference preseason poll with 392 points and 32 of the 40 first-place votes from the league's coaches, media and sports information directors. South Dakota State earned the second spot in the poll, finishing with 348 total points and four first-place votes. Illinois State (289 points), Indiana State (279) and Northern Iowa (266) were tightly bunched for third, fourth and fifth place, while Illinois State (3) and Indiana State (1) also received first-place mentions. South Dakota came in sixth followed by Youngstown State, Western Illinois, Southern Illinois and Missouri State (80).
 
BISON AT HOME: NDSU is 76-6 at home since 2010 including a 24-1 mark in the FCS playoffs. The Bison have the longest active home winning streak in the FCS at 21 games and NDSU has won 66 of the last 68 home games over non-conference opponents with its last home loss coming in the 2016 semifinals to James Madison. NDSU is 25-4 at home all-time against FCS Top 10 teams. North Dakota State ranked fifth in the FCS last year with an average home attendance of 18,106.
 
DECADE LEADER:  North Dakota State's 126 wins this decade are more than any other program in college football. NDSU is 117-8 since the beginning of 2011, the first of five consecutive 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.
 
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).
 
ANNIVERSARY SEASONS: Three milestones are being celebrated this year with the 150th anniversary of college football, the 125th anniversary of NDSU football, and the 35th anniversary of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. NDSU has commissioned artist Terrence Fogarty for a limited-edition commemorative painting on sale at GoBison.com/painting. It features iconic images from the program's humble beginnings in 1894 through NDSU's modern-day FCS dynasty.