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NDSU Notes
Indiana State Notes

THIS WEEK:  Indiana State, the last team to beat North Dakota State in football, returns to the scene of the crime this week when the No. 1-ranked Bison (6-0, 2-0 MVFC) put their 30-game winning streak on the line against the 22nd-ranked Sycamores (4-2, 1-1 MVFC).  Kickoff is scheduled for 2:37 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18, at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome (18,700).  Indiana State used a 48-yard field goal and two interception returns to spring the upset two years ago – the only loss in the last 41 games for NDSU.
 
TELEVISION:  NBC North Dakota, ESPN3 and ESPN GamePlan have live coverage with Brian Shawn calling the play-by-play, Lee Timmerman and Kevin Feeney providing analysis from the booth, and Jamal Spencer and Beth Hoole reporting from the sidelines.  Live video will be available by subscription at GoBison.com/allaccess.
 
RADIO:  KFGO-AM 790 and KRWK-FM 101.9 of Fargo along with the Peterson Farms Seed Bison Radio Network will have live coverage beginning at 12:30 p.m.  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 free of charge on GoBison.com/allaccess.
 
THE SERIES:  This is the seventh meeting between North Dakota State and Indiana State dating back to 2008.  NDSU has a 5-1 lead in the series after last year's 56-10 victory in Terre Haute.  The Bison scored on four passing plays, two Christian Dudzik punt returns, a 100-yard Ryan Smith kickoff return, and a Colten Heagle interception return.  Indiana State's only win was at the Fargodome on Oct. 13, 2012 when the Sycamores won 17-14 behind Tanner Fritschle's 48-yard field goal and Johnny Towalid's 27- and 31-yard interception returns.
            NDSU-Indiana State Series
            2008 - in Fargo, NDSU 34-7
            2009 - in Terre Haute, NDSU 56-17
            2010 - in Fargo, NDSU 27-15
            2011 - in Terre Haute, NDSU 27-16
            2012 - in Fargo, ISU 17-14
            2013 - in Terre Haute, NDSU 56-10
 
RECORD WINNING STREAKS:  North Dakota State's 30-game winning streak is an MVFC record, the longest in NDSU and Football Championship Subdivision history, and the third longest winning streak in Division I football over the past 50 years.  NDSU has beaten 14 ranked teams and outscored its last 30 opponents by an average of 34-11.  The Bison have also set an MVFC record with 15 consecutive victories in conference play.
            Active Division I Overall Winning Streaks
            30 - North Dakota State (MVFC)
            22 - Florida State (ACC)
            9 - Mississippi State (SEC)
            8 - Harvard (Ivy)
 
            Longest Division I Winning Streaks (Ended)
            47 - Oklahoma, 1953-57 (Notre Dame, 7-0)
            39 - Washington, 1908-14 (Oregon St., 0-0)
            37 - Yale, 1890-93 (Princeton, 6-0)
            37 - Yale, 1887-89 (Princeton, 10-0)
            35 - Toledo, 1969-71 (Tampa, 21-0)
            34 - Miami (Fla.), 2000-03 (Ohio St., 31-24, 2ot)
            34 - Penn, 1894-96 (Lafayette, 6-4)
            31 - Oklahoma, 1948-50 (Kentucky, 13-7)
            31 - Pittsburgh, 1914-18 (Cleveland Naval, 10-9)
            31 - Penn, 1896-98 (Harvard, 10-0)
            30 - North Dakota State, 2012-present
            30 - Texas, 1968-70 (Notre Dame, 24-11)
 
SECOND HALF SHUTDOWN:  NDSU's school- and FCS-record 30-game winning streak has been marked by second-half dominance.  The Bison have shut out 9 of their last 15 opponents after halftime allowing just 34 second-half points in those 15 games.  The fourth quarter has been even better with NDSU allowing just 16 points in the last 26 games, including seven straight scoreless fourth quarters.
 
BIG PLAYS BOOST BISON:  North Dakota State scored three second-half touchdowns to beat Southern Illinois 38-10 last week.  NDSU totaled 293 yards of offense in the second half and got a pair of explosive plays in the fourth quarter to put away the Salukis.  Quarterback Carson Wentz connected with wide receiver Trevor Gebhart on a 75-yard passing play to make it 31-10 with 11:50 to go, and Chase Morlock bounced off a tackler to rumble 48 yards for the final score of the game.
 
CROCKETT NOW 8th IN RUSHING:  Senior running back John Crockett moved into eighth place on North Dakota State's all-time rushing list with 99 yards in last week's victory over Southern Illinois.  Crockett has 2,978 yards in his third season with the Bison after back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns.  He has 12 career 100-yard games including a season-high 144 against Montana.  Crockett is on pace to finish as one of NDSU's top five rushers despite splitting the carries in 2012 and 2013.
            NDSU Career Rushing Leaders
            1. 4696 - Lamar Gordon, RB, 1998-01
            2. 3952 - Kyle Steffes, RB, 2003-06
            3. 3694 - Sam Ojuri, RB, 2009-13
            4. 3688 - Jake Morris, RB, 1994-97
            5. 3313 - Chris Simdorn, QB, 1987-90
            6. 3212 - Tony Satter, RB, 1987-90
            7. 2985 - DJ McNorton, RB, 2008-11
            8. 2978 - John Crockett, RB, 2012-14
            9. 2945 - Jeff Bentrim, QB, 1983-86
            10. 2837 - Chad Stark, QB, 1983-86
 
CHAMPION SHINING:  Junior cornerback Jordan Champion made seven tackles (four solo) against Southern Illinois including a key tackle for no gain on third-and-10, and also made two pass breakups.  He has made at least five tackles in each of the last five NDSU games and has totaled five pass breakups in the last three contests.  At Western Illinois two weeks ago, he made two tackles for no gain, a fourth-down stop, a kickoff tackle and a third down pass breakup to force a punt.
 
HAEG OFFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE WEEK:  Junior left tackle Joe Haeg was named Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Lineman of the Week for his performance against Southern Illinois.  He had four knockdowns, did not allow a sack or QB hurry, had zero assignment errors and graded out at 91 percent on technique and 100 percent on finish.  It was his second award of the season.  He was honored after grading out at 100 percent in the win at Iowa State.
 
EMANUEL ADDED TO BUCHANAN WATCH LIST:  Senior defensive end Kyle Emanuel was added to the Buck Buchanan Award watch list Sept. 30, joining NDSU strong safety Colten Heagle and 18 other players under consideration for the award, which is presented annually to the top defensive player in the Football Championship Subdivision.  Emanuel ranks 11th nationally in sacks (1.00/game) and 14th in tackles for loss (1.8/game).
 
50+ GAMES:  Three NDSU players will take the field for the 52nd time in their four-year careers Saturday against Indiana State.  Linebacker Travis Beck, free safety Christian Dudzik and defensive end Kyle Emanuel have each played in all 51 games and the Bison have a 49-2 record in that span.  Dudzik has made all 51 starts, Beck has 45 starts and Emanuel 44 starts.  The FCS record for games played is 62 by Appalachian State linebacker Pierre Banks, who made 47 starts from 2004 to 2008.
 
THORTON SEMIFINALIST: Senior linebacker Esley Thorton is a national semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy.  The award, a 25-pound bronze trophy in its 25th season, recognizes the best football scholar-athlete in the nation and the winner receives a postgraduate scholarship of $25,000.  Up to 16 of the candidates will receive $18,000 scholarships as part of the National Football Foundation National Scholar-Athlete program.
 
NATIONAL HONORS FOR KELLER:  Senior kicker Adam Keller was selected as a National All-Star by the College Sporting News and the National Placekicker of the Week by the College Football Performance Awards after kicking a school-record five field goals in NDSU's 22-10 home win over No. 3/4-ranked Montana.  He was the Missouri Valley Football Conference Special Teams Player of the Week.  Keller connected from 41, 22, 32 and a season-long 47 yards in the first half, and his 30-yarder in the second half snapped the record of four FGs set in 1983 by Ken Kubisz and tied by Keller in 2012 at Northern Iowa.
 
NATIONAL HONORS FOR EMANUEL, CROCKETT:  Defensive end Kyle Emanuel and running back John Crockett each earned national Player of the Week awards for their performances in North Dakota State's 34-14 win at Iowa State.  Emanuel was named the FCS National Defensive Player of the Week by The Sports Network after making a team-high nine tackles. He led the FCS with four tackles for loss including two sacks and also forced one fumble.  Crockett was selected as an FCS National All-Star by College Sporting News after rushing 17 times for 139 yards and a career-high three touchdowns.  His 80-yard touchdown run in the second quarter cut NDSU's deficit to 14-7 and sparked the Bison to 34 unanswered points.  The Missouri Valley Football Conference picked Crockett as Offensive Player of the Week and Emanuel as Defensive Player of the Week.
 
LITTLEJOHN NATIONAL ALL-STAR:  Middle linebacker Carlton Littlejohn was named a College Sporting News FCS National All-Star after making 12 tackles and scoring the go-ahead touchdown on a 5-yard fumble return in the 24-7 win at Weber State.  Littlejohn also had a key tackle at the NDSU 2 on a fake field goal that preserved a 21-7 lead early in the fourth quarter.  He had one tackle for loss and one pass breakup.
 
SUCCESS VS. THE FBS:  North Dakota State has an 8-3 record and has won five straight games against Football Bowl Subdivision opponents after beating Iowa State 34-14 in the season-opener.  The Bison are 5-0 against the FBS since 2010 with wins at Kansas (6-3), Minnesota (37-24), Colorado State (22-7), Kansas State (24-21) and Iowa State (34-14).
 
THREE PEAT:  North Dakota State is just the second team in FCS history to win three straight national championships joining the Appalachian State teams of 2005-07.  NDSU set a school record for wins with a 15-0 mark and become the first undefeated national champion since Southern Conference champion Marshall went 15-0 to win the 1996 title.
 
BULK OF DEFENSE RETURNS:  North Dakota State graduated 23 seniors but returned 10 of 22 starters including six defensive starters from the nation's No. 1 scoring defense last year.  Seven of the top nine tacklers are back led by linebacker Carlton Littlejohn (89 tackles) and All-America strong safety Colten Heagle (85 tackles) and including free safety Christian Dudzik (6 interceptions) and right end Kyle Emanuel (7.5 sacks).
 
DEFENSIVE LINE YOUNG:  North Dakota State returns a pair of defensive ends, all three linebackers, and 3 of 4 defensive backs that all played in last year's FCS championship game, but the Bison have a new look at defensive tackle, where junior Brian Schaetz is the only returner.  Redshirt freshmen Nate Tanguay has started all six games and Grant Morgan has played all six at defensive tackle, while sophomore Austin Farnlof has seen action in three contests after being sidelined by an injury last year.
 
TWO FRESHMEN PLAY:  Wide receiver RJ Urzendowski out of Creighton Prep in Omaha and defensive end Greg Menard from Lakeville North in Minnesota are the only true freshmen who have played for NDSU this season.  Urzendowski caught one pass for six yards in his debut at Iowa State in the season opener.  Menard joined the travel squad for Weber State, where he made one tackle in his first game.
 
WENTZ STEPS IN:  Junior quarterback Carson Wentz takes over the reins of the Bison offense in place of All-American Brock Jensen, who went 47-5 as NDSU's starter and totaled an FCS-record 48 victories at quarterback.  Wentz completed 18 of 28 passes for 204 yards and ran eight times for 38 yards at Iowa State in his first career start.  He ranks second in the Missouri Valley Football Conference and 20th nationally completing 65 percent of his passes.
 
VRAA AMONG NATION'S BEST:  Wide receiver Zach Vraa was third in the FCS last year with a school-record 15 touchdown catches, and ranked 10th nationally with a school-record 1,191 receiving yards.  Vraa had a streak of 26 consecutive games with a reception snapped against Southern Illinois, but has caught a pass in 33 of 35 games in his career.  He ranks fifth in NDSU career receiving yards (2028), sixth in career receptions (128), and fourth in touchdown catches (19).
            NDSU Career Receiving Yards
            1. 2732 - Kole Heckendorf, 2005-08
            2. 2544 - TR McDonald, 1990-93
            3. 2332 - Tim Strehlow, 1996-99
            4. 2232 - Warren Holloway, 2008-11
            5. 2028 - Zach Vraa, 2011-14

            NDSU Career Receptions
            1. 178 - Kole Heckendorf, 2005-08
            2. 163 - Travis White, 2002-06
            3. 161 - Warren Holloway, 2008-11
            4. 147 - Ryan Smith, 2010-13
            5. 134 - TR McDonald, 1990-93
            6. 128 - Zach Vraa, 2011-14

            NDSU Career Receiving TDs
            1. 26 - Tim Strehlow, 1996-99
            2. 24 - Len Kretchman, 1985-88
            3. 22 - TR McDonald, 1990-93
            4. 19 - Zach Vraa, 2011-14
 
VAADELAND BACK FOR SIXTH YEAR:  Tight end Kevin Vaadeland returned to the Bison program for a sixth season due to a 2010 injury and is coming off his most productive season.  Vaadeland caught 20 passes for 233 yards and his eight touchdown receptions ranked third overall in the Missouri Valley Football Conference and second in the FCS among tight ends.  He made a career-high five catches in the win over Montana, including his 11th career TD reception, which ranks second in NDSU history among tight ends.
 
O-LINE SHAKEUP:  North Dakota State has just one returning starter on the offensive line and that is junior Joe Haeg, who is moving from right tackle to left tackle in place of Miami Dolphins third round draft pick Billy Turner.  The Bison expected three starters back, but center Josh Colville gave up his final two years of eligibility due to injuries, and left guard Zack Johnson is missing the season due to injury.
 
WEARING THEM OUT:  North Dakota State has a habit of wearing out its opponents with its bruising running game in the fourth quarter.  NDSU has held the ball for over 10 minutes in the final quarter in 3 of 6 games and ranks first nationally in time of possession averaging 33:44.
 
KELLER BACK ON PLACE KICKING DUTIES:  Senior Adam Keller is back from an offseason hip surgery to handle North Dakota State's place kicking duties.  Keller set school records for PAT kicks made (76) and attempted (78) for the second straight season and led the Bison in scoring with 103 points.  Keller is 20 of 20 this year and has converted 79 straight PAT kicks dating back to the fourth game of 2013 at South Dakota State, a streak which is seventh longest in MVFC history.  He had a streak of 14 straight field goals over nine games snapped at Western Illinois.  His career-long is 49 yards against Youngstown State in 2012.
 
PUNT COVERAGE:  North Dakota State's Ben LeCompte has punted 22 times this season for an average of 41.2 yards that ranks second in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.  LeCompte has landed 11 of 22 punts inside the 20-yard line with four touchbacks and four punts of 50+ yards.  Opponents have been held to five punt returns totaling just 33 yards.  LeCompte's 43.02 career punting average is second in NDSU history and third in MVFC history.
 
PRESEASON PICKS:  North Dakota State, ranked No. 1 in the FCS coaches poll and No. 2 in the Sports Network media poll, was picked to win the Missouri Valley Football Conference ahead of South Dakota State and Northern Iowa.  NDSU had a league-high eight players on the preseason all-conference team including fullback Andrew Bonnet, wide receiver Zach Vraa, left guard Zack Johnson (out due to injury), defensive end Kyle Emanuel, linebacker Carlton Littlejohn, strong safety Colten Heagle and punter Ben LeCompte.  Free safety and punt returner Christian Dudzik was an honorable mention.
 
ON THE ROAD:  North Dakota State has won 17 straight true road games and 21 including three national championship games in Frisco, Texas, and one neutral site win against South Dakota in Sioux Falls, S.D.  The Bison have won 26 of their last 30 road games and are 18-7 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
            17 - North Dakota State (MVFC)
            10 - Ohio State (Big Ten)
            10 - Florida State (ACC)
            7 - Missouri (SEC)
            7 - Harvard (Ivy)
 
BISON AT HOME:  North Dakota State has won 17 straight home games and 46 of the last 47 non-conference home games including 36 straight since a 2003 loss to UC Davis.  NDSU is 9-2 at home against Top 10 teams after beating No. 3/4-ranked Montana.  The Bison have the longest home winning streak in Division I football.
            Division I Home Winning Streaks
            17 - North Dakota State (MVFC)
            13 - Auburn (SEC)
            13 - Baylor (Big 12)
            12 - Alabama (SEC)
            11 - Coastal Carolina (Big South)
            11 - Fordham (Patriot)
            11 - Marshall (C-USA)
            11 - Michigan State (Big Ten)
 
HOME GAMES SOLD OUT:  For the third straight season, all six North Dakota State home games sold out within an hour of single-game tickets going on sale Aug. 1.  The Bison have more than 12,000 season ticket holders plus 4,000 student tickets available at Gate City Bank Field, where capacity is 18,700.  Additional single-game tickets may become available Fridays of each home game week.
 
RECORD ATTENDANCE:  North Dakota State in 2013 set a school record for average home attendance for the third straight year drawing 18,622 over nine games, which ranked sixth in the FCS.  NDSU drew a record crowd of 19,108 for last year's homecoming game against Missouri State, and the crowd of 19,034 for homecoming this year vs. Southern Illinois was the fourth largest in school history.  The Bison have sold out 20 times since 2006 including all three home games this season.  NDSU ranks third in FCS average home attendance.
            2014 FCS average home attendance
            1. Montana - 25,423
            2. James Madison - 22,761
            3. North Dakota State - 18,981
            4. Montana State - 18,955
            5. Liberty - 17,822
 
THE COACH:  The 30th head coach in team history, Chris Klieman (Northern Iowa, 1992) takes over the North Dakota State program after spending the past three years on staff as the defensive backs coach and handling the defensive coordinator duties in 2012 and 2013.  The head coach at Division III Loras College in 2005, Klieman came to NDSU after five years at Northern Iowa. He also made coaching stops at Western Illinois (1994-96), Kansas (1997), Missouri State (1999) and Loras (2002-04).  He is a native of Waterloo, Iowa, and was a three-time all-conference defensive back at UNI from 1986-90.