THIS WEEK: No. 4-ranked North Dakota State (7-2, 5-1 MVFC) is back on the road in Missouri Valley Football Conference play this week to face third-place Southern Illinois (5-4, 4-2 MVFC). Game time is 1 p.m. at Saluki Stadium (15,000) in Carbondale, Ill.
TELEVISION: The statewide ABC network of WDAY (Fargo), WDAZ (Grand Forks), KBMY (Bismarck/Dickinson) and KMCY (Minot/Williston) will have live coverage beginning at 1 p.m. with Dom Izzo (play-by-play), Kyle Emanuel (analyst) and Logan Campbell (sideline). The Southern Illinois broadcast will 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 15th meeting between North Dakota State and Southern Illinois dating back to 1963. NDSU leads the series 10-4. The teams did not meet in the regular season last fall, but the Bison won 38-7 in the second round of the NCAA playoffs rushing for 389 yards and five touchdowns. TaMerik Williams had a game-high 112 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries and Cam Miller rushed for two TDs.
BACK-TO-BACK ON THE ROAD: North Dakota State is playing back-to-back road games for the second time this year, but the first time in Missouri Valley Football Conference action. NDSU won back-to-back road games in the MVFC in 2009, 2013, and each year from 2015 through 2019 but haven’t done it since. The Bison lost at Southern Illinois in 2020-21 before a win at Missouri State, and lost at South Dakota State in 2021 before a win at Youngstown State.
SALUKIS TOUGH UP FRONT: Southern Illinois has proven to be strong on the defensive line this year with a No. 4 national ranking in sacks per game (3.56) and No. 9 in rushing defense (100.1 ypg). Sophomore defensive end Richie Hagarty leads the Salukis and ranks second in the Missouri Valley Football Conference with 6.5 sacks. Only three of SIU’s first nine opponents have rushed for more than 100 yards — Northern Iowa (131), Northwestern (167) and South Dakota (205).
BIG DAY ON THE GROUND: North Dakota State rushed 55 times for a season-high 453 yards and seven touchdowns in last week’s 56-17 victory at Western Illinois. MVFC Offensive Player of the Week TaMerik Williams had 120 yards and two TDs on 12 carries and TK Marshall rushed for 118 yards and two TDs on six carries. It was the first time the Bison had two 100-yard rushers in the same game since Marshall (146) and Williams (137) at Youngstown State in November 2021.
NOT A PASSING DAY: With a game time temperature of 45 degrees and winds gusting 20-30 mph last week at Western Illinois, the Bison opted to keep the football on the ground. NDSU quarterbacks were a combined 3-for-5 passing for 27 yards. It was the fewest passing attempts in NDSU’s Division I era and the fewest completions since going 2-for-8 in a rainy and eventually snowy November 2017 game at Illinois State.
PICK CITY: The Bison intercepted more passes than they completed last week with cornerback Marques Sigle scoring on a 43-yard interception return, cornerbacks Courtney Eubanks and Anthony Coleman each making their first career picks, and linebacker Logan Kopp snaring a late interception to close out the game. It was the second straight trip to Western Illinois that NDSU intercepted four passes, and the first time since that 2018 game in Macomb that the Bison have had four picks.
TITLE TALK: South Dakota State has already clinched a Missouri Valley Football Conference championship and the league’s automatic qualifier for the NCAA FCS playoffs, but the Bison can still claim a share of the conference title. NDSU (5-1) will need to win its final two games against Southern Illinois and North Dakota, an get help from Illinois State at South Dakota State this week. With a loss, SDSU would finish 7-1 in the conference with a bye in the final week of regular-season play. NDSU has won at least a share of 10 of the last 11 league titles.
MILLER RANKED: Quarterback Cam Miller ranks seventh in the FCS and second in the conference this week with a 69.7 completion percentage, which is ahead of his own school-record 67.8 percent last year. Miller is third in the conference in passing efficiency (154.0) and fourth in yards per attempt (8.02). He ranks fifth among active FCS passers with a career 154.18 efficiency rating.
CROSA CONNECTS: Placekicker Griffin Crosa has made eight straight field goals dating back to March 2021 and he’s made 64 consecutive PAT kicks dating back to 2019. Crosa ranks 10th in NDSU career history for FGs made (19) and PATs made (100) and is ninth all-time at NDSU in PAT kicks made and attempted. His 99.1 career PAT percentage (108-for-109) ranks second behind Jake Reinholz (87-for-87). Crosa’s 82.6 career FG percentage is fifth-best among active FCS kickers.
PRICE ON THE RETURN: Punt returner Jayden Price ranks fourth in NDSU career history with 13.83 yards per punt return, which is fourth best among FCS active players. Price’s three career punt return TDs is tied for second in school history behind Richard Lewis, who had four punt return TDs from 2000 to 2001.
TUTSIE MOVING UP: Sixth-year safety Michael Tutsie is rising the NDSU career list for unassisted tackles with 157, which ranks fifth in school history. Tutsie needs only three more solo tackles to move into second place behind safety Colten Heagle, who made a school-record 191 solo stops from 2010 to 2014.
NDSU Career Unassisted Tackles
191 – Colten Heagle, 2010-14
159 – Joe Mays, 2004-07
159 – Robbie Grimsley, 2015-18
158 – Jabril Cox, 2017-19
157 – Michael Tutsie, 2018-22
WINNING UP FRONT: North Dakota State’s offensive line is not only getting the job done in the running game, but the “Rams” have also been solid in the passing game. NDSU ranks fourth in the FCS with 263.0 rushing yards per game and third with 0.67 sacks allowed per game. The Bison are No. 1 nationally with only 3.22 tackles for loss allowed per game.
LUEPKE FOR SIX: Sixteen different players have scored touchdowns in the first nine games for North Dakota State, but Hunter Luepke is doing it more often than almost everybody in the FCS. Luepke leads the league and ranks 10th nationally with 13 total TDs including a team-leading four touchdown receptions. He is third in the MVFC with a team-high nine rushing TDs. Luepke has 21 total TDs in his past 16 games played.
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 four players combine to earn five 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.
— Will Mostaert, Special Teams (10/9)…Blocked a 30-yard FG attempt to preserve a four-point NDSU lead late in the third quarter at Indiana State…Also had a sack and QB hurry in the 31-26 win.
— TaMerik Williams, Offense (11/7)…Rushed 12 times for 120 yards and two touchdowns at Western Illinois as the Bison ran for a season-high 453 yards and seven touchdowns.
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 and left tackle Cody Mauch are on the 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 are on 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 180-28 record in the Fargodome, 31-6 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.
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), Vikings TE Ben Ellefson (3rd), Ravens practice squad OL Zack Johnson (3rd), Chargers 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 Packers practice squad TE Josh Babicz (1st). Former Broncos practice squad WR Darrius Shepherd (4th) is a free agent.
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