Live Video |
Live Audio |
Live Stats |
NDSU Notes
THIS WEEK: Top-ranked North Dakota State (8-0, 5-0 MVFC) returns from a bye week to host third-place Illinois State (5-4, 4-2 MVFC) in the 40th annual Harvest Bowl game Saturday, Nov. 9. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:37 p.m. at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome (18,700).
TELEVISION: Live coverage in high definition begins at 2:30 p.m. on the NBC North Dakota network, Fox Sports North (except in North Dakota), and Fox College Sports Pacific with KVLY's
Brian Shawn calling the play-by-play, KFYR's
Lee Timmerman and former Bison quarterback
Kevin Feeney as color analysts, and KVLY's
Jamal Spencer reporting from the sideline. A live video stream will be available on
GoBison.com/allaccess.
RADIO: Live coverage begins at 2 p.m. CST on KFGO-AM 790 and KRWK-FM 101.9 of Fargo along with the
North Dakota Corn Growers Bison Radio Network. KFGO's
Scott Miller will describe the play-by-play with NDSU and Buffalo Bills Hall of Famer
Phil Hansen as color analyst and NDSU's
Jeremy Jorgenson reporting from the sidelines. A live audio stream will be available on
GoBison.com/allaccess.
THE SERIES: This is the seventh meeting between North Dakota State and Illinois State dating back to 2007. The Bison have won two straight to take a 4-2 lead in the series. The Redbirds are 1-2 in three trips to Fargo with their only win coming in 2009 by score of 27-24. This is Illinois State's first appearance in the Harvest Bowl game.
HARVEST BOWL: This is the 39th Harvest Bowl game in 40 years of the event celebrating excellence in agriculture, education and athletics. NDSU is 34-2-2 all-time and has won three straight Harvest Bowl games including last year's 23-17 victory over Southern Illinois. The event began in 1974 with NDSU beating Wisconsin-Milwaukee 14-7. The 1991 game with Nebraska-Omaha on Nov. 2 of that year was canceled due to a blizzard.
BYE, BYE: North Dakota State is coming off its second bye week of the year with only an 11-game regular season schedule. The Bison have won nine straight games after idle weeks with their last lost after a bye coming in 2005 in a 20-14 home setback to UC Davis.
LAST GAME: North Dakota State scored four return touchdowns and rolled to its 17th straight victory 56-10 over Indiana State two weeks ago.
Colten Heagle had a 35-yard interception return,
Ryan Smith tied a 1923 school record with a 100-yard kickoff return, and
Christian Dudzik had punt return touchdowns from 43 and 68 yards out. Quarterback
Brock Jensen finished 13 of 14 passing for 186 yards and a career-high four touchdowns for NDSU. He connected with
Zach Vraa from 11 and 29 yards, Smith on a 20-yard play, and
Trevor Gebhart from the 3-yard line. NDSU's four returns for touchdown and 49 halftime points were both the most since the 2000 home win over Minnesota State Moorhead.
NATIONAL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: North Dakota State had two players recognized as Football Championship Subdivision national performers of the week by The Sports Network and the College Football Performance Awards on Oct. 28.
Christian Dudzik was named Sports Network Special Teams co-Player of the Week and CFPA National Punt Returner of the Week after scoring his first two career touchdowns on punt returns of 43 and 68 yards in Saturday's 56-10 win over Indiana State.
Ryan Smith was named FCS National Kickoff Returner of the Week by the CFPA. Smith returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, answering Indiana State's kickoff return touchdown on the previous play. He tied the NDSU kickoff return record of 100 yards set in 1923 by Elmer Parisien against South Dakota.
O-LINEMAN OF THE WEEK: North Dakota State's
Billy Turner was named Offensive Lineman of the Week by the Missouri Valley Football Conference following NDSU's season-high 331-yard rushing performance at Southern Illinois. Turner graded out at 92 percent with 10 knockdowns and no quarterback hurries or sacks. It was NDSU's second straight award and third of the year. Turner was recognized after the Kansas State win (96% with 10 knockdowns) and
Joe Haeg was named following the Missouri State game (98% with eight knockndowns).
RUNNING GAME: North Dakota State racked up a season-high 331 rushing yards in the win at Southern Illinois. It was the most rushing yards for NDSU since 376 in the NCAA second round win at Montana State in 2010 and the third most in a Missouri Valley Football Conference game behind 413 at Illinois State and 354 at Missouri State both during the 2008 season.
PUNT COVERAGE: North Dakota State's
Ben LeCompte has punted 31 times for a 43.5 average this year including eight touchbacks and 14 inside the 20-yard line. Only 3 of 31 punts have been returned and NDSU tacklers have limited those returns to 0 yards (
Jordan Champion), minus-2 yards (
Colten Heagle) and 0 yards (
Bryan Shepherd).
FOURTH QUARTER SUCCESS: North Dakota State has held 7 of 8 opponents scoreless in the fourth quarter with Missouri State's 11-yard TD pass from Ashton Glaser to Dorian Buford being the only fourth-quarter points allowed. Buford's touchdown and a Sam Houston State field goal in last year's national title game are the only fourth-quarter points NDSU has allowed in the last 13 games.
OJURI CLIMBS RUSHING CHART: Senior running back
Sam Ojuri has moved into seventh place on North Dakota State's all-time rushing chart with 2,969 yards passing former Bison players Paul Hatchett, Doug Lloyd, Kevin Feeney,
Tyler Roehl, Pat Paschall, Chad Stark and Jeff Bentrim over the first eight games of the season. Ojuri needs 17 yards to pass D.J. McNorton for sixth. Only five NDSU players have rushed for 3,000 yards in a career with the last being Kyle Steffes, who finished second in school history with 3,952 yards from 2003-06.
SMITH CRACKS TOP FIVE IN RECEPTIONS: Senior wide receiver
Ryan Smith moved into fifth place in career pass receptions at North Dakota State with his fourth catch against Missouri State. Smith has 129 career receptions for 1,450 yards.
NDSU Top Five Career Pass Receptions
1. Kole Heckendorf, 178 (2005-08)
2. Travis White, 163 (2002-06)
3. Warren Holloway, 161 (2008-11)
4. T.R. McDonald, 134 (1990-93)
5.
Ryan Smith, 129 (2010-present)
FLIPPING THE FIELD: North Dakota State ranks 16th nationally and is second in the Missouri Valley Football Conference in net punting behind Southern Illinois thanks to sophomore punter
Ben LeCompte, who has been flipping the field with an impressive 43.5 yards per punt average that ranks 14th in the NCAA FCS statistics. LeCompte had seven punts and four inside the 20 – both career highs – in the Northern Iowa game. He had a career-long punt of 75 yards and another for 74 yards at South Dakota State, and a 65-yarder against UNI. LeCompte's career average of 43.3 would rank second in school history behind Mike Dragosavich's 44.46 from 2004-07.
SMITH AMONG PUNT RETURN LEADERS: North Dakota State wide receiver
Ryan Smith is the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision active career leader in punt returns (76), punt return yards (881), is tied for first in punt return touchdowns (3), and is fourth in punt return average (11.6). Junior free safety
Christian Dudzik handled the first 13 punt returns this year before Smith took his first return 85 yards for a TD in the first quarter against Missouri State.
JENSEN ON THE NCAA CAREER LIST: North Dakota State quarterback
Brock Jensen is among the NCAA active career leaders ranked fifth in total TDs responsible for (84). Jensen is 40-5 as NDSU's starting quarterback and with 41 total victories (including 2010 off the bench against Morgan State) he is closing in on the FCS record of 43 wins by Armanti Edwards at Appalachian State from 2006-09. Jensen is NDSU's career leader in pass attempts (973), pass completions (604) and passing yards (7,253) and total offense yards (8,226).
Most Wins by FCS Quarterbacks
43, Armanti Edwards, Appalachian State (2006-09)
42, J.R. Revere, Georgia Southern (1998-01)
41,
Brock Jensen, North Dakota State (2010-present)
41, Eric Ward, Richmond (2006-09)
STREAKING: North Dakota State's 17-game winning streak is a Missouri Valley Football Conference record, the longest active streak in the Football Championship Subdivision, and the second longest streak in all of Division I behind Ohio State. The Bison have won nine straight at home (second best in the FCS) and 41 of the last 42 non-conference home games including 31 straight since a 2003 loss to UC Davis.
Division I Overall Winning Streaks
1. Ohio State (Big Ten) 21
2. North Dakota State (MVFC) 17
3. Alabama (SEC) 12
4. Baylor (Big 12) 11
5. Oregon (Pac-12) 10
Florida State (ACC) 10
Division I Home Winning Streaks
1. Sam Houston State (Southland) 20
2. South Carolina (SEC) 15
3. Ohio State (Big Ten) 14
4. Stanford (Pac-12) 13
5. Fresno State (Mountain West) 11
6. North Dakota State (MVFC) 9
Eastern Illinois (OVC) 9
Northern Illinois (MAC) 9
ON THE ROAD: North Dakota State has won 13 straight true road games and 16 including two national championship games in Frisco, Texas, and one neutral site win against South Dakota in Sioux Falls, S.D. The Bison have won 21 of their last 25 road games and are 41-20 on the road since head coach
Craig Bohl took over in 2003. NDSU is 16-7 in MVFC road games. The Bison have not lost away from Fargo since the 38-31 overtime loss to eventual national champion Eastern Washington in the 2010 NCAA quarterfinals.
Division I Road Winning Streaks
1. Oregon (Pac-12) 18
2. Northern Illinois (MAC) 14
3. North Dakota State (MVFC) 13
4. Alabama (SEC) 11
5. Texas A&M (SEC) 8
BISON FIFTH IN ATTENDANCE: North Dakota State's record crowd of 19,108 for the homecoming game against Missouri State was the fifth straight regular season sellout and the 17th sellout overall since 2006. NDSU is fifth in the Football Championship Subdivision with an average attendance of 18,981 through four home games.
FCS average home attendance
1. Montana - 25,941
2. Southern - 22,080
3. James Madison - 21,518
4. Montana State - 19,627
5. North Dakota State - 18,981
THREE UNBEATENS REMAIN: Division I has 10 teams with perfect records and three of those are in the Football Championship Subdivision. North Dakota State (8-0) represents the Missouri Valley Football Conference:
Remaining Unbeaten Teams in the FCS
Fordham (Patriot) 9-0
Coastal Carolina (Big South) 9-0
North Dakota State (MVFC) 8-0
FBS unbeaten teams: Ohio State 9-0, Northern Illinois 9-0, Alabama 8-0, Florida State 8-0, Oregon 8-0, Fresno State 8-0, Baylor 7-0.
NDSU, MVFC TOP GRIDIRON POWER INDEX: North Dakota State had the top spot for the fifth straight week in the Gridiron Power Index (GPI), the index ranking for the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision and a top indicator of at-large playoff selection. The Missouri Valley Football Conference had five teams in the top 25 and was tops among all 14 conferences ahead of the Colonial Athletic Association and Southland Conference.
Gridiron Power Index - Oct. 30
1. North Dakota State 1.00
2. Eastern Illinois 2.00
3. McNeese State 5.71
4. Eastern Washington 5.86
5. Towson 6.00
Conference GPI - Oct. 30
1. Missouri Valley 27.52
2. Colonial 32.65
3. Southland 33.79
4. Ohio Valley 36.49
5. Big Sky 40.77
VRAA, SMITH NATIONAL PERFORMERS OF WEEK: North Dakota State had two players recognized as national performers of the week by the College Football Performance Awards following the Missouri State game.
Zach Vraa was named FCS National Wide Receiver of the Week after catching five passes for a career-high 179 yards and two touchdowns. He caught TD passes of 36 and 23 yards and had two other catches go for 56 and 52 yards.
Ryan Smith, the Missouri Valley Football Conference Special Teams Player of the Week, was named FCS National Punt Returner of the Week. Smith turned his first punt return of the year into an 85-yard touchdown to give the Bison a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. He is the Division I active leader with three career punt return TDs.
OLSON NATIONAL ALL STAR: Middle linebacker
Grant Olson was chosen as a National All-Star by College Sporting News after posting eight tackles and a career-high two sacks totaling 14 yards at South Dakota State. Olson was the leading tackler for the NDSU defense which held SDSU to minus-32 yards rushing.
LeCOMPTE NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Punter
Ben LeCompte was selected by The Sports Network as the FCS National co-Special Teams Player of the Week after the South Dakota State game, where he had seven punts for 310 yards, averaged 44.3 yards per punt, placed three punts inside the 20 and had two touchbacks in North Dakota State's 20-0 win. LeCompte blasted a career-long 75-yard punt from his own 25 in the first quarter and added a 74-yarder from NDSU's 8-yard line at the end of the first quarter. He also handled four kickoffs with a 59.0 average including one touchback. He was the Missouri Valley Football Conference Special Teams Player of the Week.
GOOD COMPANY: In the past two-plus seasons, North Dakota State has the best winning percentage of any Division I school:
Win Percentage, Division I (2011-present)
1. North Dakota State (MVFC) 36-2 .947
2. Alabama (SEC) 33-2 .943
3. Oregon (Pac-12) 32-3 .914
WILLIAMS AND INTERCEPTIONS: North Dakota State's
Marcus Williams has 20 career interceptions, which ranks third-best all-time on the MVFC list. He is the NCAA all-divisions active leader in career interceptions (20) and interception return yards (442).
His six career INT returns for touchdown tied the FCS record set by Murray State's William Hampton (1993-96).
MVFC Career Leaders - Interceptions
24, Adrion Smith, Missouri St., 1990-93
21, Jeff Smith, Illinois St., 1985-88
20,
Marcus Williams, North Dakota St., 2010-present
18, Ty Talton, Northern Iowa, 1995-98
18, Dre Dokes, Northern Iowa, 2003-06
BISON IN NCAA TOP 10: North Dakota State leads the nation in rushing defense, punt return defense, total defense, time of possession, first downs allowed and third down defense, and the Bison are among the top 10 in several categories in the FCS statistics through Nov. 2:
NDSU in the FCS Statistics
1st - third down conversion defense (.243)
1st - first downs allowed (107)
1st - time of possession (34:37)
1st - punt return defense (-0.67)
1st - rushing defense (78.5)
1st - total defense (245.3)
2nd - scoring defense (12.5)
2nd - punt return average (18.76)
2nd - third down conversion percentage (.535)
3rd - passing efficiency defense (98.81)
4th - kickoff return average (26.30)
5th - turnovers lost (9)
6th - sacks per game (3.38)
7th - passing efficiency (160.66)
RUN DEFENSE: South Dakota State's minus-32 yards rushing was the lowest total allowed by North Dakota State in Division I football. The NDSU record is minus-85 yards against Morningside in 1974. SDSU's Zach Zenner, the leading rusher in the Football Championship Subdivision, had four yards on eight carries.
BACK-TO-BACK SHUTOUTS: North Dakota State's shutout victories over Delaware State and South Dakota State were the first back-to-back shutouts for NDSU since 1987 when the Bison won 34-0 at Augustana (S.D.) and 33-0 at home over Morningside.
NATIONAL TEAM OF THE WEEK: North Dakota State was named the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week by the Football Writers Association of America on Sept. 3 following its 24-21 win at Kansas State. NDSU is just the second Football Championship Subdivision team to be recognized. The other was Appalachian State in 2007 following its opening game win at No. 5-ranked Michigan.
FOUR IN A ROW: North Dakota State is the first team in Missouri Valley Football Conference history to win a game against an FBS foe in four straight years (Kansas-2010; Minnesota-2011; Colorado State-2012; Kansas State-2013). No other MVFC team has won three in successive seasons.
HEAGLE DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Strong safety
Colten Heagle was Missouri Valley Football Conference Defensive Player of the Week after the Kansas State win where he led NDSU with seven solo tackles including two stops for loss in his first game back since a knee injury at Colorado State in September 2012. He made a tackle in the backfield on third-and-2 in the first quarter to force a Kansas State punt and NDSU scored on the next possession for a 7-0 lead before going on to a 24-21 victory over the defending Big 12 champions.
JENSEN DELIVERS LATE: Quarterback
Brock Jensen was 21-for-30 with two touchdowns and one interception at Kansas State and scored the game-winning touchdown on a 1-yard run with 28 seconds left. Jensen completed 14 of 15 passes in the second half including 7 of 7 on the game's final drive which covered 80 yards in 18 plays over 8 minutes, 30 seconds.
LeCOMPTE KEYS SPECIAL TEAMS: Punter
Ben LeCompte averaged 42.2 yards on four punts at Kansas State including three inside the 20 (at the 3, 8 and 12). LeCompte also handled all five kickoffs, leaving the first four short to avoid returners and getting a touchback with 28 seconds left in the game. Senior middle linebacker
Grant Olson's first career interception with 19 seconds left in the game sealed NDSU's 24-21 victory.
BISON PICKED TO WIN VALLEY: North Dakota State has been picked to win the Missouri Valley Football Conference crown in 2013. NDSU, the defending national champion, has won 28 of its past 30 games (going 14-1 each year). The Bison were a unanimous choice to repeat, earning 39 of a possible 39 first-place votes, in a poll conducted by league coaches, media and sports information directors. The Bison return 18 total starters from a team that went 14-1 overall and 7-1 in the conference last year.
Named to the preseason all-MVFC offensive unit were quarterback
Brock Jensen, offensive tackle
Billy Turner, wide receiver
Ryan Smith and kicker
Adam Keller. Representing NDSU on the all-conference defensive squad were defensive end
Cole Jirik, defensive tackle
Leevon Perry, linebacker
Grant Olson, cornerback
Marcus Williams, punter
Ben LeCompte and return specialist
Ryan Smith. Linebacker
Travis Beck was honorable mention. Jensen is on the preseason
Payton Award (FCS Offensive Player of the Year) Watch List, and Olson and Williams are on the
Buchanan Award (FCS Defensive Player of the Year) Watch List.
A preseason favorite has claimed the league crown 15 times (in 27 previous polls). North Dakota State was picked to win the league last season.
2013 Valley Football Preseason Poll
Team (first-place votes) Points
1. North Dakota State (39) 390
2. South Dakota State 323
3. Northern Iowa 269
4. Illinois State 264
5. Youngstown State 253
6. Indiana State 197
7. Southern Illinois 188
8. Missouri State 123
9. Western Illinois 77
10. South Dakota 61
