THIS WEEK: North Dakota State (3-1, 1-0 MVFC) hosts Youngstown State (2-1, 0-0 MVFC) in the annual homecoming game this Saturday, Oct. 1. Game time is 1 p.m. at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome (18,700).
 
TICKETS: Tickets for NDSU home games are available online at GoBison.com/tickets or by calling the Bison Ticket Office in the south lobby of the Sanford Health Athletic Complex at (701) 231-6378 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Game day ticket sales at the Fargodome begin 5 hours prior to kickoff.
 
TELEVISION: The statewide ABC network of WDAY (Fargo), WDAZ (Grand Forks), KBMY (Bismarck/Dickinson) and KMCY (Minot/Williston) will have live coverage beginning at 12:50 p.m. with Dom Izzo (play-by-play), Kyle Emanuel (analyst) and Logan Campbell (sideline). The game will also be available to ESPN+ subscribers on ESPN.com and the ESPN app.
 
RADIO: Statewide coverage begins at 12 p.m. on the Pioneer Seeds Bison Radio Network including Bison 1660 and 107.9 The Fox in Fargo with Rob Hipp (play-by-play), Phil Hansen (analyst) and Cole Jirik (sideline). The network broadcast includes 1-hour pregame and 30-minute postgame shows. Streaming is available on GoBison.com/allaccess and the NDSU Athletics mobile app.
 
THE SERIES: This is the 17th meeting between North Dakota State and Youngstown State dating back to 1972. NDSU has won 10 straight to take a 12-4 lead in the series including a 49-17 victory in Youngstown last year. YSU is 2-5 in seven trips to the Fargodome with its last win coming in 2011 by a 27-24 score.
 
LAST YEAR: North Dakota State scored five touchdowns of 40-plus yards and rushed for 454 yards while outgaining Youngstown State 623-288 in total offense last year in a 49-17 road win. YSU, then ranked 12th in the FCS in rushing, managed just 59 yards on the ground as the Bison recorded five sacks. TK Marshall finished with a game-high 146 rushing yards on three carries and TaMerik Williams had a career-high 137 yards on 18 carries. Marshall had a 60-yard carry and an 84-yard TD, Williams scored on runs of 1 and 50 yards, Jalen Bussey had a 61-yard TD run, Hunter Luepke scored from 49 yards out, and Christian Watson caught a 71-yard TD pass from Cam Miller.
 
HOMECOMING: North Dakota State has a 58-37-3 record in 98 homecoming games since 1921. The game was not held in 1943, 1944 or 2020. This is Youngstown State's second appearance at NDSU homecoming. The Penguins lost 48-7 in the 2012 game. The Bison have won 10 straight on homecoming since back-to-back losses in 2009 to Illinois State (27-24) and 2010 to Western Illinois (28-16).
 
HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES: Three former members of the NDSU football program will be enshrined in the 50th class of the Bison Athletic Hall of Fame at a luncheon this Friday, Sept. 30. They are All-America linebacker and longtime NFL special teams coordinator Jerry Rosburg (1974-1977), two-time All-America center Brad Servais (1992-1995), and seven-time All-America sprinter Marques Johnson (2001-2005), a former wide receiver and return specialist for the Bison on the gridiron. The other inductees are five-time NCAA champion sprinter Kinsey (Coles) Essler (1999-2004), national champion wrestler Mark Pazdernik (1994-1998), faculty athletic representative Allan Fischer (1988-1998) and director of women's athletics Lynn Dorn (1977-2015). Luncheon tickets are $30 and advance reservations are required. Call (701) 231-6172 for tickets.
 
SECOND-HALF STAMPEDE: North Dakota State rushed for 200 yards and scored 24 unanswered points in the second half of last week's 34-17 win at South Dakota. Fullback Hunter Luepke had 118 of his 150 yards and two touchdowns after halftime as the Bison erased a 17-10 halftime deficit. NDSU kept the ball on the ground for 61 of its 80 plays and rushed for a season-high 356 yards and four TDs averaging 5.8 yards per carry. NDSU controlled the ball for nearly 40 minutes including 12:35 in the fourth quarter.
 
TURNOVER BATTLE: Last week was the sixth time in North Dakota State's Division I history that the Bison and their opponent have combined to commit seven or more turnovers in a single game. NDSU committed all three turnovers in the first half—two fumbles and one interception—which hadn't happened since the 2011 NCAA quarterfinal win over Lehigh. Dawson Weber forced two fumbles recovered by Michael Tutsie and Dom Jones, and linebackers Luke Weerts and Logan Kopp notched their first career interceptions.
 
CROSA CONNECTS: Placekicker Griffin Crosa earned his second career Missouri Valley Football Conference Special Teams Player of the Week award after making two field goals and four extra points against South Dakota. His 26-yard field goal tied the game in the second quarter and his 25-yarder with 8:27 left in the game gave NDSU its first two-possession lead. They were NDSU's first two field goals of the year and Crosa's first since the spring of 2021 after redshirting last fall. He has made 43 consecutive PAT kicks dating back to 2019.
 
BOUNCING BACK: North Dakota State has not lost back-to-back football games since a five-game losing streak in the middle of the 2009 season. The Bison rebounded from a 27-19 loss at South Dakota State last year with a 49-17 road win over Youngstown State. NDSU has not lost back-to-back road trips since its 0-2 start in 2009 with losses at Iowa State (34-17) and Sam Houston State (48-45).
 
EXPERIENCE UP FRONT: With a combined 203 career games of experience among five starters, North Dakota State's offensive line is a big part of a Bison offense that ranks No. 1 in the FCS this week allowing just 2.25 tackles for loss per game and is No. 3 in sacks allowed with 0.50 per game. NDSU is fifth nationally in rushing offense with 265.5 yards per game and fourth nationally in third-down conversions at 55 percent. The Bison are No. 8 in FCS averaging 6.1 yards per carry.
 
LUEPKE FOR SIX: Thirteen different players have scored touchdowns in the first four games for North Dakota State, but Hunter Luepke is doing it more often than almost everybody in the FCS. Luepke leads the MVFC and ranks fifth nationally with six rushing TDs. He also leads the league and ranks fourth nationally with eight total TDs including two touchdown receptions. Luepke has scored in seven consecutive games and has 16 total TDs in his past 11 games played.
 
PRICE AMONG LEADERS: NDSU's Jayden Price is fourth in the FCS in punt returns this week with a conference-best 17.0 yards per return. Price is the FCS active career leader with a punt return average of 14.9, which ranks second in school history behind Travis White's 16.0 average from 2002 to 2006. Price moved into a tie for second place all-time at NDSU with his third career punt return touchdown in the win over Drake. He is tied with Ryan Smith (2010-13) and Keith Krebsbach (1972-73) behind Richard Lewis, who had four punt return TDs over the 2000 and 2001 seasons.
 
SCHOOL-RECORD RETURN: Safety Dawson Weber's 79-yard fumble return touchdown against North Carolina A&T tied the NDSU school record set by Claudie Miller on Oct. 31, 1925, at North Dakota. After going nearly four years without a defensive touchdown, North Dakota State's defense scored in back-to-back games. Weber's strip sack against Drake led to a 5-yard fumble return touchdown for defensive tackle Will Mostaert.
 
LATE WEEK OFF: This year is only the fourth time NDSU has gone straight from non-conference to Missouri Valley Football Conference play without an off week and the first time since 2010. NDSU has a bye in week 8 this season, the third latest off week for the Bison behind 2009 (week 10) and 2010 (week 9).
 
GOOD WORKS TEAM: Linebacker James Kaczor was named to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, which recognizes 11 FBS players and 11 players from FCS, Division II, Division III and NAIA for outstanding contributions to their communities. Kaczor's activities include Feed My Starving Children, Charism, River City Church and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He is the ninth NDSU player named to the Good Works Team since 2004 and the third in the past five years. Fans can vote for the 2022 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team captain once a day through Nov. 22 at ESPN.com/Allstate.
 
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: North Dakota State has had two players combine to earn three weekly awards in the Missouri Valley Football Conference this season:
        — Cody Mauch, Offensive Line (9/5, 9/26)...Played 33 snaps against Drake with no sacks, quarterback pressures or tackles for loss allowed...Graded with 12 physicality points and helped the Bison rush for 274 yards and 7.4 yards per carry...Graded 93% with 25 physicality points in a 356-yard rushing performance at South Dakota.
        — Griffin Crosa, Special Teams (9/25)...Converted two field goals and four extra points in the win at South Dakota...Made a 26-yard FG and his 25-yard FG with 8:27 left in the game gave NDSU its first two-possession lead.

BISON PICKED TO WIN: North Dakota State received 39 of 41 first-place votes to claim the top spot in a preseason poll of the Missouri Valley Football Conference head coaches, media and sports information directors. South Dakota State had the remaining two votes in second place followed by Missouri State third, Southern Illinois fourth, Northern Iowa fifth, South Dakota sixth and North Dakota seventh. Illinois State, Youngstown State, Indiana State and Western Illinois rounded out the poll in order eighth through 11th.
 
PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE: Twelve NDSU players were named to the Preseason All-MVFC Team including four on the first team: fullback Hunter Luepke, left tackle Cody Mauch, defensive tackle Eli Mostaert and safety Michael Tutsie. NDSU's eight preseason second-team honorees were running back Kobe Johnson, tight end Noah Gindorff, left guard Nash Jensen, defensive end Spencer Waege, linebacker James Kaczor, cornerback Destin Talbert, safety Dawson Weber and return specialist Jayden Price.
 
PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS: North Dakota State had nine players named to preseason All-America teams. Fullback Hunter Luepke, tight end Noah Gindorff, left tackle Cody Mauch and safety Michael Tutsie, left guard Nash Jensen and defensive tackle Eli Mostaert were recognized by HERO Sports. Luepke, Mauch, Tutsie, defensive end Spencer Waege, linebacker James Kaczor and punt returner Jayden Price were recognized by Stats Perform.
 
SENIOR BOWL WATCH LIST: North Dakota State fullback Hunter Luepke, tight end Noah Gindorff and left tackle Cody Mauch were among the NFL prospects on the preseason watch list for the Reese's Senior Bowl, widely regarded as the top college football all-star game. The Bison have had 11 players selected including wide receiver Christian Watson last year.
 
AWARD WATCH LISTS: Fullback Hunter Luepke was named to the preseason watch list for the Walter Payton Award presented to the FCS Offensive Player of the Year, and defensive end Spencer Waege, linebacker James Kaczor and safety Michael Tutsie were named to the watch list for the Buck Buchanan Award presented to the FCS Defensive Player of the Year. Additionally, NDSU's Kaedin Steindorf was named to the FCS Punter of the Year watch list.
 
BISON AT HOME: The Bison have a 178-27 record in the Fargodome, 31-5 at home against FCS Top 10 ranked teams, and winners of 76 of the last 78 home games over non-conference opponents. North Dakota State has a 31-1 record in the Fargodome during the NCAA playoffs since 2010 with the only loss coming to eventual national champion James Madison in the 2016 semifinals. NDSU's 32-game home winning streak in the Fargodome from September 2017 through April 2021 was the fourth longest in NCAA FCS history.
 
ON THE ROAD: North Dakota State has a 48-7 record in true road games since 2011, and that record is 58-7 including 11 neutral site games over the same span. NDSU's 2-2 road record in the spring season of 2020-21 was the first time since 2010 the Bison have lost multiple road games.
 
BISON RETURNING TO TWIN CITIES: North Dakota State will host Eastern Washington on the opening weekend of the 2023 season at U.S. Bank Stadium, home of the Minnesota Vikings. NDSU drew a crowd of 34,544 fans to the 2019 season opener against Butler at Target Field, home of the Minnesota Twins.
 
#PROBISON: North Dakota State has 15 former players with NFL clubs including 12 on active rosters and three on practice squads. The list includes Broncos OL Billy Turner (9th year), Commanders QB Carson Wentz (7th), Browns OL Joe Haeg (7th), Lions LB Chris Board (5th), Chargers QB Easton Stick (4th), Broncos practice squad WR Darrius Shepherd (4th), Vikings TE Ben Ellefson (3rd), Titans LB Derrek Tuszka (3rd), 49ers QB Trey Lance (2nd), Titans OL Dillon Radunz (2nd), Cowboys LB Jabril Cox (2nd), Packers WR Christian Watson (1st), Bengals OL Cordell Volson (1st), Rams practice squad LB Brayden Thomas (1st) and Panthers practice squad TE Josh Babicz (1st).