Saturday, September 5
Fargo, N.D.
2:30 p.m.
North Dakota State
vs
Fordham
Photo by: Zachary Lucy
NDSU Hosts Fordham for Military and First Responders Appreciation Day
9/2/2026 10:55:00 AM | Football
THIS WEEK: North Dakota State (1-0) continues non-conference play this week when the Bison face the Fordham Rams (0-1) of the Patriot League at 2:30 p.m. CT at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome (18,700).
TICKETS: Tickets may be purchased 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 weekdays between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Game day ticket sales, if available, begin 5 hours prior to game time in the east lobby of the Fargodome.
MILITARY AND FIRST RESPONDERS: Saturday is Military and First Responders Appreciation Day. Free or discounted tickets are available through VetTix.org and 1stTix.org for currently serving military members, veterans, active first responders and their families. Fans purchasing tickets on GoBison.com may add on a ticket to be donated to military and first responders.
TELEVISION: Saturday's game will be televised by WDAY on statewide ABC stations with Dom Izzo (play-by-play), Kyle Emanuel (analyst) and Sam Goetzinger (sideline). Streaming will be on the MW+ app. Visit GoBison.com/MW+ to subscribe and watch.
RADIO: Statewide network coverage on all 25 stations across the Pioneer Seeds Bison Sports Network begins 1 hour prior to game time including Bison 1660 and 107.9 The Fox in Fargo with Sam Neidermann (play-by-play), Phil Hansen (analyst) and Noah Gindorff (sideline) describing the action. Streaming is available on GoBison.com/allaccess and the NDSU Athletics mobile app. Saturday's game can also be heard on SiriusXM 380 and the SiriusXM app.
COACHES SHOW: Fans are invited to join NDSU head coach Tim Polasek each Thursday night from 6:30 to 8 p.m. for the Bison Football Coaches Show live from Holiday Inn Fargo with host Sam Neidermann and other NDSU coaches and players. Watch the show on MW+ or listen on Bison 1660 in Fargo, KCJB-AM 910 in Minot, KSJB-AM 600 in Jamestown, KYCR-AM 1440 in Minneapolis, GoBison.com and the NDSU Athletics mobile app.
MW+ STREAMING: Visit GoBison.com/MW+ and subscribe to MW+ to watch live Bison press conferences, weekly episodes of The Bison Football Show, and other featured content and live games from around the Mountain West Conference including NDSU's home games vs. Fordham and UTEP. Sign up with the code WELCOME15 to save 15% on an annual subscription.
THE SERIES: This is the first meeting between North Dakota State and Fordham. The Bison are 3-0 against Patriot League teams with victories over Colgate, Lafayette and Lehigh.
HIT-A-THON: NDSU football head coach Tim Polasek and NDSU baseball assistant coach and former Major Leaguer Andy Young will be among the celebrity batters participating in the NDSU softball team's second annual Hit-A-Thon fundraiser starting at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at Tharaldson Park south of the Fargodome tailgating lots. Fans can pledge an amount for each foot their selected student-athlete, coach or celebrity can hit the softball ($1.00 pledge for a 250-foot hit is a $250.00 donation) and donations are tax deductible. Make a pledge online and stop by Tharaldson Park before tailgating on Saturday morning.
LAST WEEK: North Dakota State opened the season with a 33-7 victory over Conference USA member Jacksonville State last Saturday. The Bison scored on their opening drive with a 6-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Nathan Hayes to tight end Reis Kessel, took a 17-7 before halftime on a 44-yard TD from Hayes to wide receiver Jordan McCants, and the defense limited Jax State to just 170 total yards with two turnovers.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: NDSU swept all four Old Trapper Mountain West player of the week awards Monday. Quarterback Nathan Hayes (offense) completed 14 of 22 passes for 160 yards and two touchdowns, linebacker Donovan Woolen (defense) made a game-high 10 tackles, kicker Drew Klein (special teams) scored 15 points with field goals of 34, 44, 42 and 48 yards plus three PAT kicks, and defensive end Blake Schiltz (freshman) recovered a fumble for a touchdown and added a sack in his first collegiate game.
KLEIN'S KICKS: Fifth-year kicker Drew Klein starred in his first game as NDSU's No. 1 placekicker. He booted all seven kickoffs into the end zone with five touchbacks and was the first Bison since Adam Keller in 2014 to make four field goals in a single game. Klein entered the season 3-for-3 on PATs and 1-for-1 on field goals, all in the 2025 season. He redshirted in 2022 and made his Bison debut in 2023 handling 13 kickoffs in four games.
FIRST-TIME STARTERS: NDSU had nine players make their first start in the season-opener against Jacksonville State: QB Nathan Hayes, RB DJ Scott, RT Kene Anene, C Gage Schmidt, DE Matthew Stenbroten, LB Gavin Sell and Ray James Jr., and CB Marion Moore and DJ Voltz. Additionally, it was the second career start for TE Luke Kokat, LT Ryan Babatz and DT Logan Larson.
RECEIVING TARGETS: Seven players made at least one pass reception in quarterback Nathan Hayes' first start against Jacksonville State. Hayes completed his first five attempts including going 4-for-4 on the game's opening drive. Tight end Reis Kessel had a 17-yard catch on third-and-5 and capped the 8-play, 75-yard march with a 6-yard TD catch. Kessel finished with a career-high four receptions, wide receiver Jackson Williams had a career-high five catches, and running back DJ Scott had a new career-high with two catches out of the backfield.
TWO-MINUTE: NDSU executed its first 2-minute drill of the season in the first half against Jacksonville State. A fourth-and-1 stop by cornerback DJ Voltz gave the Bison the ball at their own 12-yard line with 1:42 left in the half. Nathan Hayes completed five straight passes to five different receivers and then bounced back from a sack to connect with Jordan McCants on an impressive throw to the sideline from the opposite hash for a 44-yard touchdown as the Bison went ahead 17-7.
MIDDLE EIGHT: North Dakota State has been excellent in the "middle eight" minutes under head coach Tim Polasek outscoring opponents 248-53 in the final 4:00 of the first half and first 4:00 of the second half. Most of that scoring has come at the end of the first half, where the Bison have a 172-50 advantage. NDSU has scored in the middle eight in 24 of 30 games since the beginning of the 2024 season.
TURNOVERS: After finishing last year with a plus-18 turnover margin, North Dakota State capitalized again in the season-opener with a 2-1 margin over Jacksonville State. Second-year cornerback Marion Moore had an interception that led to a field goal, and second-year defensive end Blake Schiltz recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown. The Bison have 19 takeaways over their last six games.
PRESEASON PICKS: NDSU return specialist Jackson Williams was named Mountain West Preseason Special Teams Player of the Year and claimed two spots on the preseason team as kick returner and punt returner. Other NDSU selections were offensive lineman Griffin Empey, defensive tackle Keenan Wilson and safety Darius Givance. Additionally, Williams and Empey were named to the HERO Sports G6 Preseason All-America second team and Wilson was third team.
BEDNARIK AWARD: NDSU defensive tackle Keenan Wilson was named to the preseason watch list for the Bednarik Award, presented annually to the most outstanding defensive player in college football since 1994. Wilson was an FCS All-American last year starting all 13 games and posting 8.0 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks.
PAUL HORNUNG AWARD: NDSU return specialist Jackson Williams was named to the preseason watch list for the 17th annual Paul Hornung Award, presented to the most versatile player in major college football. Williams was one of three players in all of Division I last season to have both a kick return touchdown and a punt return touchdown. He totaled 1,106 all-purpose yards.
MAXWELL AWARD: NDSU running back DJ Scott made the preseason watch list for the 90th Maxwell Award, presented annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Scott headlines the Bison backfield this year after rushing for 502 yards and six touchdowns in 2025.
FCS ERA BY THE NUMBERS: North Dakota State competed in the Football Championship Subdivision for 22 seasons from 2004 through 2025, spending the past 18 years in the Missouri Valley Football Conference after four years in the Great West Football Conference while reclassifying from Division II. Here are the final numbers from NDSU's FCS era:
— Overall record: 251-49 (.837)
— Record since 2011: 198-22 (.900)
— 13 conference championships (12 MVFC, 1 GWFC)
— 10 national championships (FCS record)
— 16 consecutive postseason appearances
— 51-6 in playoffs (FCS record for wins)
— 38-2 in playoffs at home
— 39-game winning streak (FCS record)
— 33-game winning streak (2nd in FCS)
— 9-5 record vs. FBS opponents
— 26 weeks of AP Top 25 votes
— 21 NFL draft picks (14 in past 8 years)
18 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS: North Dakota State has won 18 football national championships. NDSU claimed three College Division national championships in 1965, 1968 and 1969 via the national polls, five Division II playoff 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, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2024. The Bison lost to the eventual national champion in the 2010 and 2020 quarterfinals and 2016 semifinals.
CONFERENCE CHAMPS: NDSU won 12 conference championships in 18 years of Missouri Valley Football Conference membership, including the 2024 and 2025 titles. Overall, the Bison have 39 conference championships counting 26 at the Division II level in the North Central Conference and its first FCS title in 2006 as a member of the Great West Football Conference.
NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS: North Dakota State is 92-6 against non-conference opponents since the beginning of its first FCS national championship season in 2011. Two losses were to FBS opponents (31-28 at Arizona in 2021 and 31-26 at Colorado in 2024) and two were in the playoffs to the eventual national champion (27-17 to James Madison in 2016 and 24-20 at Sam Houston State in 2020-21). Montana's 31-29 double-overtime win in the 2023 FCS semifinals and 38-35 victory in the 2015 FCS Kickoff are NDSU's only other non-conference losses the past 13 years.
BISON AT HOME: The Bison have a 206-30 all-time record in the Fargodome since 1993, including 36-5 against FCS Top 10 ranked teams and 78-1 against FCS non-conference teams. North Dakota State had a 38-2 record in the Fargodome during the FCS playoffs and the Bison's 32-game home winning streak September 2017 through April 2021 is fifth longest in FCS history.
TICKETS: Tickets may be purchased 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 weekdays between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Game day ticket sales, if available, begin 5 hours prior to game time in the east lobby of the Fargodome.
MILITARY AND FIRST RESPONDERS: Saturday is Military and First Responders Appreciation Day. Free or discounted tickets are available through VetTix.org and 1stTix.org for currently serving military members, veterans, active first responders and their families. Fans purchasing tickets on GoBison.com may add on a ticket to be donated to military and first responders.
TELEVISION: Saturday's game will be televised by WDAY on statewide ABC stations with Dom Izzo (play-by-play), Kyle Emanuel (analyst) and Sam Goetzinger (sideline). Streaming will be on the MW+ app. Visit GoBison.com/MW+ to subscribe and watch.
RADIO: Statewide network coverage on all 25 stations across the Pioneer Seeds Bison Sports Network begins 1 hour prior to game time including Bison 1660 and 107.9 The Fox in Fargo with Sam Neidermann (play-by-play), Phil Hansen (analyst) and Noah Gindorff (sideline) describing the action. Streaming is available on GoBison.com/allaccess and the NDSU Athletics mobile app. Saturday's game can also be heard on SiriusXM 380 and the SiriusXM app.
COACHES SHOW: Fans are invited to join NDSU head coach Tim Polasek each Thursday night from 6:30 to 8 p.m. for the Bison Football Coaches Show live from Holiday Inn Fargo with host Sam Neidermann and other NDSU coaches and players. Watch the show on MW+ or listen on Bison 1660 in Fargo, KCJB-AM 910 in Minot, KSJB-AM 600 in Jamestown, KYCR-AM 1440 in Minneapolis, GoBison.com and the NDSU Athletics mobile app.
MW+ STREAMING: Visit GoBison.com/MW+ and subscribe to MW+ to watch live Bison press conferences, weekly episodes of The Bison Football Show, and other featured content and live games from around the Mountain West Conference including NDSU's home games vs. Fordham and UTEP. Sign up with the code WELCOME15 to save 15% on an annual subscription.
THE SERIES: This is the first meeting between North Dakota State and Fordham. The Bison are 3-0 against Patriot League teams with victories over Colgate, Lafayette and Lehigh.
HIT-A-THON: NDSU football head coach Tim Polasek and NDSU baseball assistant coach and former Major Leaguer Andy Young will be among the celebrity batters participating in the NDSU softball team's second annual Hit-A-Thon fundraiser starting at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at Tharaldson Park south of the Fargodome tailgating lots. Fans can pledge an amount for each foot their selected student-athlete, coach or celebrity can hit the softball ($1.00 pledge for a 250-foot hit is a $250.00 donation) and donations are tax deductible. Make a pledge online and stop by Tharaldson Park before tailgating on Saturday morning.
LAST WEEK: North Dakota State opened the season with a 33-7 victory over Conference USA member Jacksonville State last Saturday. The Bison scored on their opening drive with a 6-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Nathan Hayes to tight end Reis Kessel, took a 17-7 before halftime on a 44-yard TD from Hayes to wide receiver Jordan McCants, and the defense limited Jax State to just 170 total yards with two turnovers.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: NDSU swept all four Old Trapper Mountain West player of the week awards Monday. Quarterback Nathan Hayes (offense) completed 14 of 22 passes for 160 yards and two touchdowns, linebacker Donovan Woolen (defense) made a game-high 10 tackles, kicker Drew Klein (special teams) scored 15 points with field goals of 34, 44, 42 and 48 yards plus three PAT kicks, and defensive end Blake Schiltz (freshman) recovered a fumble for a touchdown and added a sack in his first collegiate game.
KLEIN'S KICKS: Fifth-year kicker Drew Klein starred in his first game as NDSU's No. 1 placekicker. He booted all seven kickoffs into the end zone with five touchbacks and was the first Bison since Adam Keller in 2014 to make four field goals in a single game. Klein entered the season 3-for-3 on PATs and 1-for-1 on field goals, all in the 2025 season. He redshirted in 2022 and made his Bison debut in 2023 handling 13 kickoffs in four games.
FIRST-TIME STARTERS: NDSU had nine players make their first start in the season-opener against Jacksonville State: QB Nathan Hayes, RB DJ Scott, RT Kene Anene, C Gage Schmidt, DE Matthew Stenbroten, LB Gavin Sell and Ray James Jr., and CB Marion Moore and DJ Voltz. Additionally, it was the second career start for TE Luke Kokat, LT Ryan Babatz and DT Logan Larson.
RECEIVING TARGETS: Seven players made at least one pass reception in quarterback Nathan Hayes' first start against Jacksonville State. Hayes completed his first five attempts including going 4-for-4 on the game's opening drive. Tight end Reis Kessel had a 17-yard catch on third-and-5 and capped the 8-play, 75-yard march with a 6-yard TD catch. Kessel finished with a career-high four receptions, wide receiver Jackson Williams had a career-high five catches, and running back DJ Scott had a new career-high with two catches out of the backfield.
TWO-MINUTE: NDSU executed its first 2-minute drill of the season in the first half against Jacksonville State. A fourth-and-1 stop by cornerback DJ Voltz gave the Bison the ball at their own 12-yard line with 1:42 left in the half. Nathan Hayes completed five straight passes to five different receivers and then bounced back from a sack to connect with Jordan McCants on an impressive throw to the sideline from the opposite hash for a 44-yard touchdown as the Bison went ahead 17-7.
MIDDLE EIGHT: North Dakota State has been excellent in the "middle eight" minutes under head coach Tim Polasek outscoring opponents 248-53 in the final 4:00 of the first half and first 4:00 of the second half. Most of that scoring has come at the end of the first half, where the Bison have a 172-50 advantage. NDSU has scored in the middle eight in 24 of 30 games since the beginning of the 2024 season.
TURNOVERS: After finishing last year with a plus-18 turnover margin, North Dakota State capitalized again in the season-opener with a 2-1 margin over Jacksonville State. Second-year cornerback Marion Moore had an interception that led to a field goal, and second-year defensive end Blake Schiltz recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown. The Bison have 19 takeaways over their last six games.
PRESEASON PICKS: NDSU return specialist Jackson Williams was named Mountain West Preseason Special Teams Player of the Year and claimed two spots on the preseason team as kick returner and punt returner. Other NDSU selections were offensive lineman Griffin Empey, defensive tackle Keenan Wilson and safety Darius Givance. Additionally, Williams and Empey were named to the HERO Sports G6 Preseason All-America second team and Wilson was third team.
BEDNARIK AWARD: NDSU defensive tackle Keenan Wilson was named to the preseason watch list for the Bednarik Award, presented annually to the most outstanding defensive player in college football since 1994. Wilson was an FCS All-American last year starting all 13 games and posting 8.0 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks.
PAUL HORNUNG AWARD: NDSU return specialist Jackson Williams was named to the preseason watch list for the 17th annual Paul Hornung Award, presented to the most versatile player in major college football. Williams was one of three players in all of Division I last season to have both a kick return touchdown and a punt return touchdown. He totaled 1,106 all-purpose yards.
MAXWELL AWARD: NDSU running back DJ Scott made the preseason watch list for the 90th Maxwell Award, presented annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Scott headlines the Bison backfield this year after rushing for 502 yards and six touchdowns in 2025.
FCS ERA BY THE NUMBERS: North Dakota State competed in the Football Championship Subdivision for 22 seasons from 2004 through 2025, spending the past 18 years in the Missouri Valley Football Conference after four years in the Great West Football Conference while reclassifying from Division II. Here are the final numbers from NDSU's FCS era:
— Overall record: 251-49 (.837)
— Record since 2011: 198-22 (.900)
— 13 conference championships (12 MVFC, 1 GWFC)
— 10 national championships (FCS record)
— 16 consecutive postseason appearances
— 51-6 in playoffs (FCS record for wins)
— 38-2 in playoffs at home
— 39-game winning streak (FCS record)
— 33-game winning streak (2nd in FCS)
— 9-5 record vs. FBS opponents
— 26 weeks of AP Top 25 votes
— 21 NFL draft picks (14 in past 8 years)
18 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS: North Dakota State has won 18 football national championships. NDSU claimed three College Division national championships in 1965, 1968 and 1969 via the national polls, five Division II playoff 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, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2024. The Bison lost to the eventual national champion in the 2010 and 2020 quarterfinals and 2016 semifinals.
CONFERENCE CHAMPS: NDSU won 12 conference championships in 18 years of Missouri Valley Football Conference membership, including the 2024 and 2025 titles. Overall, the Bison have 39 conference championships counting 26 at the Division II level in the North Central Conference and its first FCS title in 2006 as a member of the Great West Football Conference.
NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS: North Dakota State is 92-6 against non-conference opponents since the beginning of its first FCS national championship season in 2011. Two losses were to FBS opponents (31-28 at Arizona in 2021 and 31-26 at Colorado in 2024) and two were in the playoffs to the eventual national champion (27-17 to James Madison in 2016 and 24-20 at Sam Houston State in 2020-21). Montana's 31-29 double-overtime win in the 2023 FCS semifinals and 38-35 victory in the 2015 FCS Kickoff are NDSU's only other non-conference losses the past 13 years.
BISON AT HOME: The Bison have a 206-30 all-time record in the Fargodome since 1993, including 36-5 against FCS Top 10 ranked teams and 78-1 against FCS non-conference teams. North Dakota State had a 38-2 record in the Fargodome during the FCS playoffs and the Bison's 32-game home winning streak September 2017 through April 2021 is fifth longest in FCS history.
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