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THIS WEEK:  No. 2 seed North Dakota State (13-1) hosts 19th-ranked Sam Houston State (11-4) in an NCAA Division I semifinal game at 7:10 p.m. Friday, Dec. 19, at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome (18,700).  The winner advances to face Illinois State or New Hampshire in the national championship game Saturday, Jan. 10, at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.
 
TELEVISION:  Live coverage begins at 7:05 p.m. on ESPN2 and the WatchESPN mobile app with Anish Shroff calling the play-by-play and Kelly Stouffer as color analyst.
 
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 6:30 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 free audio stream will be available on GoBison.com/allaccess.
 
TICKETS:  Friday's FCS semifinal game between North Dakota State and Sam Houston State is sold out.  Season ticket holders have until 5 p.m. Tuesday to purchase their same seats.  Unclaimed season tickets go on sale to the public at 8 a.m. Wednesday.  Additional tickets may become available Thursday at 8 a.m. on GoBison.com/tickets or at the NDSU ticket office in the Fargodome east lobby.  Box office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday or call toll free 1-888-231-NDSU.
 
THE SERIES:  North Dakota State has a 3-1 lead in the series with Sam Houston State, including a wild 41-38 victory in Fargo in the teams' first meeting in 2007.  Oklahoma transfer Rhett Bomar was 36 of 61 passing for 358 yards and four TDs for Sam Houston State, including the go-ahead score with 26 seconds left.  The Bison marched 54 yards in three plays with Kole Heckendorf catching a 27-yard TD from Steve Walker with 7 seconds to play for the win.  NDSU won its first two FCS national championships over Sam Houston State in 2011 and 2012.
            Series History
            9/15/2007 in Fargo - NDSU 41, Sam Houston State 38
            9/12/2009 in Huntsville - Sam Houston State 48, NDSU 45
            1/7/2012 in Frisco - NDSU 17, Sam Houston State 6
            1/5/2013 in Frisco - NDSU 39, Sam Houston State 13
 
DEFENSE HOLDS FOR QUARTERFINAL WIN:  One week after its offense executed a game-winning drive, No. 2 seed North Dakota State's defense held on the final drive to clinch a 39-32 win over No. 7 seed Coastal Carolina in the quarterfinals.  Kyle Emanuel and Mike Hardie combined on a second down sack and Colten Heagle's interception on fourth-and-12 sealed it.  NDSU got a 45-yard touchdown from running back John Crockett and quarterback Carson Wentz ran in the two-point conversion to erase a 32-31 deficit with 9:28 to play.
 
BISON RALLY PAST JACKS: Two freshmen made game-changing plays in North Dakota State's 27-24 second round win over South Dakota State.  RJ Urzendowski's 12-yard touchdown catch with 54 seconds left and Tre Dempsey's first career interception on the ensuing possession allowed the Bison to run out the clock with one first down.  John Crockett rushed for 102 yards on 23 carries and Carson Wentz was 14 of 25 passing for 235 yards with two TDs to Urzendowski, including a 27-yard strike in the first quarter.  Urzendowski made four catches for 109 yards and Wentz had a 27-yard TD run and finished with 13 carries for 70 yards.  Carlton Littlejohn led the Bison defense with 11 tackles including seven solo stops.
 
POSTSEASON HISTORY:  This is North Dakota State's fifth straight appearance in the FCS playoffs and its second as the No. 2 overall seed (2011).  NDSU is 16-1 in the FCS playoffs including three straight national titles and a quarterfinal appearance in 2010.  This is North Dakota State's 28th postseason appearance overall.  NDSU has a 51-14 record all-time in the postseason including three College Division national championships in 1965, 1968 and 1969 and five Division II titles in 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988 and 1990.  NDSU is 46-13 in the NCAA playoff format since 1973.
 
FOURTH MVFC TITLE:  North Dakota State earned a share of its fourth straight Missouri Valley Football Conference championship.  NDSU and Illinois State were both 7-1.  The Bison earned the league's automatic qualifier by virtue of a No. 1 national ranking in the Gridiron Power Index.  NDSU is the second school in Valley Football history to win four straight league titles behind Northern Iowa's run of seven straight from 1990 to 1996.
 
FOUR STRAIGHT SEMIFINALS:  North Dakota State is just the fourth team to advance to the FCS semifinal round four straight seasons since 1981.  Marshall and Youngstown State were the first in the early 1990s followed by Georgia Southern.
            Consecutive FCS Semifinals
            6 - Marshall, 1991-1996
            5 - Georgia Southern, 1998-2002
            4 - Youngstown State, 1991-1994
            4 - North Dakota State, 2011-2014
 
FOUR TITLE TRIPS:  The only two FCS teams to play in four consecutive title games were Eastern Kentucky (1979-82) and Youngstown State (1991-94).  Three-time defending FCS champion North Dakota State is looking to become the second football team in NCAA history to win four straight national championships.  Augustana College of Rock Island, Ill., won four NCAA Division III titles from 1983-86.  Coincidentally, NDSU won Division II football titles in 1983, 1985 and 1986 with a runner-up finish in 1984.  The women's basketball program at NDSU won four straight Division II titles from 1993 to 1996.
 
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE:  North Dakota State is the No. 2 overall seed for the FCS playoffs and has home field advantage through the semifinals for the fourth straight season.  NDSU is 12-0 at home during the FCS playoffs and has won 13 straight home playoff games including a 1992 Division II first round game against Northeast Missouri State at Dacotah Field.  Minnesota State Mankato was the last team to beat NDSU at home in the playoffs, a 27-7 defeat in the 1991 Division II first round.
 
EMANUEL WINS BUCHANAN AWARD:  All-America defensive end Kyle Emanuel was voted as this year's winner of the Buck Buchanan Award as the top defensive player in the Football Championship Subdivision.  Emanuel leads the FCS in tackles for loss (28.5) and is second in sacks (17.0).  In eight games against Top 25 opponents, he has 47 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss, 10.0 sacks and nine quarterback hurries.  Emanuel ranks ninth in FCS history and fourth in Valley Football history with 33.0 career sacks, and is three sacks from tying the NDSU career record established in 1974 and 1990.  All-America strong safety Colten Heagle also was a finalist for the award.
            NDSU Career Sacks (half sacks counted as whole)
            41 - Phil Hansen, DT, 1987-90
            41 - Jerry Dahl, DE, 1973-74
            38 - Kyle Emanuel, DE, 2011-14
            31 - Coulter Boyer, DE, 2008-11
 
HAEG, EMANUEL, HEAGLE ALL-AMERICA:  Left tackle Joe Haeg, defensive end Kyle Emanuel and strong safety Colten Heagle were named to the American Football Coaches Association FCS All-America team Monday.  It was the first All-America award for both Haeg and Emanuel; Heagle was named All-America third team by The Sports Network last season.  The Missouri Valley Football Conference led the FCS with seven AFCA All-Americans.  NDSU is just the fourth team in FCS history to have three players selected in the same season.
 
FOUR ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICANS:  North Dakota State led the nation with four student-athletes selected to the Capital One Academic All-America Division I football team by a vote of the College Sports Information Directors of America.  Defensive end Kyle Emanuel (3.66 construction management), linebacker Esley Thorton (3.92 exercise science) and quarterback Carson Wentz (4.00 health/physical education) were voted to the first team.  Center Jesse Hinz (3.71 criminal justice/Spanish) was selected to the second team.  Wide receiver Zach Vraa (3.51 sport management) was an Academic All-District honoree.  Those five were all voted to the Missouri Valley Football Conference all-academic first team, and safety Christian Dudzik (3.48 sport management/philosophy) was second team.
 
ALL-CONFERENCE:  Defensive Player of the Year Kyle Emanuel headlined a list of 10 NDSU players named to the All-Missouri Valley Football Conference team.  Emanuel was one of eight NDSU players on the first team joining fullback Andrew Bonnet, left tackle Joe Haeg, center Jesse Hinz, linebacker Carlton Littlejohn, safeties Christian Dudzik and Colten Heagle, and punter Ben LeCompte.  Running back John Crockett and linebacker Travis Beck were selected to the second team.  Quarterback Carson Wentz, wide receiver Zach Vraa and kicker Adam Keller were honorable mentions.
 
RECORD DAY FOR CROCKETT:  It was a 45-yard touchdown run for the record books.  John Crockett's second TD of the game not only provided the eventual winning score against Coastal Carolina, but also vaulted him past Lamar Gordon for the NDSU single-season rushing record, established a new career single-game high, and broke DJ McNorton's NDSU playoff rushing record of 207 yards at Montana State in 2010.  Crockett finished with 227 yards on 26 carries and also moved into second on NDSU's all-time career rushing chart.  It was Crockett's first career 200-yard game and fourth straight 100-yard game.  He has rushed for 100 yards in 10 of 14 games this year and is fifth in school history with 19 games over 100 yards.
            NDSU Career Rushing Yards
            1. 4696 - Lamar Gordon, RB, 1998-01 (41g)
            2. 4069 - John Crockett, RB, 2012-14 (44g)
            3. 3952 - Kyle Steffes, RB, 2003-06 (41g)
            4. 3694 - Sam Ojuri, RB, 2009-13 (51g)
            5. 3688 - Jake Morris, RB, 1994-97 (35g)

            NDSU Career Rushing Attempts
            1. 800 - Kyle Steffes, 2003-06
            2. 782 - Lamar Gordon, 1998-01
            3. 704 - John Crockett, 2012-14

            NDSU Career 100-Yard Games
            1. 31 - Lamar Gordon, RB, 1998-01
            2. 20 - Jake Morris, RB, 1994-97
            3. 20 - Chris Simdorn, QB, 1987-90
                20 - Kyle Steffes, RB, 2003-06
            5. 19 - Tony Satter, RB, 1987-90
                19 - John Crockett, RB, 2012-14

            NDSU Single-Season Rushing Yards
            1. 1754 - John Crockett, 2014 (14g)
            2. 1723 - Lamar Gordon, 2000 (11g)
            3. 1710 - Jake Morris, 1997 (11g)

            NDSU Single-Season Rushing Attempts
            1. 320 - John Crockett, 2014
            2. 280 - DJ McNorton, 2010
                280 - Jake Morris, 1997
 
MORE RECORDS FOR KELLER:  Senior Adam Keller broke NDSU's career records for PAT kicks (184) and field goals made (53) in the second round win over South Dakota State.  He is also the NDSU record holder for PAT attempts (190) and ranks second in field goal attempts (67) six shy of tying the record.  Keller is 51 of 51 on PATs and has converted 110 straight PAT kicks over the past 26 games, a streak which is third longest in MVFC history.
 
FCS FIELD GOAL RECORD IN SIGHT:  North Dakota State's Adam Keller has a school-record 26 field goals this year, one shy of the FCS record of 27 set this year by Northern Iowa All-American Michael Schmadeke.  Keller made a school-record five field goals in the 22-10 home win over Montana, and booted a career-long 50-yarder against Indiana State.  Keller is 9-for-12 from 40 yards and beyond this season.
 
VRAA MOVING UP:  North Dakota State wide receiver Zach Vraa had a career-high nine receptions and season-high 119 yards against Indiana State and continues to move up the NDSU record book.  He has caught a pass in 40 of 42 games in his career and ranks fourth in NDSU career receptions (152) and third in receiving yards (2,390) and touchdown catches (23).
            NDSU Career Receiving Yards
            1. 2732 - Kole Heckendorf, 2005-08 (43g)
            2. 2544 - TR McDonald, 1990-93 (39g)
            3. 2390 - Zach Vraa, 2011-14 (42g)

            NDSU Career Receiving TDs
            1. 26 - Tim Strehlow, 1996-99
            2. 24 - Len Kretchman, 1985-88
            3. 23 - 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. 152 - Zach Vraa, 2011-14
 
WENTZ CLIMBING SEASON PASSING CHARTS:  First-year starting quarterback Carson Wentz is quickly climbing North Dakota State's single-season lists for passing.  Wentz is sixth in NDSU history for passing attempts (317), fifth in completions (200), second in passing yards (2,522), and second in passing touchdowns (23).  He is the Missouri Valley Football Conference leader and ranks 21st nationally in completion percentage (.631), and also ranks eighth nationally in passing efficiency (152.8), 14th in passing TDs (23), 17th in yards per completion (13.48), and 10th in yards per attempt (8.50).
            NDSU Single-Season Passing Attempts
            1. 338 - Brock Jensen, 2012
            2. 336 - Graig Gorder, 2002
            3. 329 - Brock Jensen, 2013
            4. 326 - Brock jensen, 2011
            5. 325 - Tony Stauss, 2003
            6. 317 - Carson Wentz, 2014

            NDSU Single-Season Completions
            1. 220 - Tony Stauss, 2003
            2. 219 - Brock Jensen, 2011
            3. 218 - Brock Jensen, 2013
            4. 207 - Brock Jensen, 2012
            5. 200 - Carson Wentz, 2014

            NDSU Single-Season Passing Yards
            1. 2793 - Brock Jensen, 2013
            2. 2695 - Carson Wentz, 2014
            3. 2524 - Brock Jensen, 2011
            4. 2331 - Brock Jensen, 2012
            5. 2327 - Steve Walker, 2007

            NDSU Single-Season Passing TDs
            1. 34 - Brock Jensen, 2013 (MVFC record)
            2. 23 - Carson Wentz, 2014
            3. 20 - Steve Walker, 2007
            4. 18 - Ryan Johnson, 1999
            5. 17 - Brock Jensen, 2012
 
TOP SCORING DEFENSE:  North Dakota State is allowing just 13.9 points per game and ranks third in the FCS in scoring defense behind only Harvard (12.3 ppg) and North Carolina A&T (13.9 ppg).  NDSU led the nation in scoring defense the past three years allowing 12.7 points per game in 2011, then 11.5 points in 2012 and 11.3 points last season.  The Bison returned six defensive starters and seven of the top nine tacklers from last year's squad.
 
FOUR TOP TACKLERS:  Strong safety Colten Heagle, a Buck Buchanan Award finalist, is NDSU's career leader with 184 solo tackles, while free safety Christian Dudzik is fourth and linebacker Carlton Littlejohn is fifth.  Heagle is sixth and Littlejohn eighth in total tackles.  Linebacker Travis Beck, who suffered a season-ending injury against Youngstown State, finished seventh in solo tackles (128) and 10th in total tackles (308).
            NDSU Career Solo Tackles
            184 - Colten Heagle, SS, 2010-14
            159 - Joe Mays, LB, 2004-07 (Kansas City Chiefs)
            147 - Ramon Humber, LB, 2005-09 (New Orleans Saints)
            145 - Christian Dudzik, FS, 2011-14
            144 - Carlton Littlejohn, LB, 2011-14
            132 - Craig Dahl, SS, 2003-06 (San Francisco 49ers)
            128 - Travis Beck, LB, 2011-14

            NDSU Career Total Tackles
            398 - Rick Budde, 1974-76
            391 - Jim Dick, 1982-86
            363 - Sean Fredricks, 1994-97
            337 - Steve Nelson, 1971-73
            331 - Todd Lecy, 1978-81
            326 - Colten Heagle, 2010-14
            326 - Grant Olson, 2010-13
            325 - Carlton Littlejohn, 2011-14
 
50+ GAMES:  North Dakota State has six players who have played in at least 50 career games including free safety Christian Dudzik, who has made all 59 career starts, and defensive end Kyle Emanuel, who has played in all 59 games with 52 starts as the Bison have gone 56-3 in that span.  Linebacker Travis Beck played in 56 of 57 games including before a season-ending injury against Youngstown State.  Linebacker Carlton Littlejohn has played in 57 contests, and strong safety Colten Heagle and tight end Kevin Vaadeland have each played in 56 games.   The FCS record for games played is 62 by Appalachian State linebacker Pierre Banks, who made 47 starts from 2004 to 2008.
 
CHEWING UP CLOCK:  North Dakota State ranks first in the FCS in time of possession averaging 34:05 per game.  The Bison held the ball for 41:12 against Indiana State, one of only four games in NDSU's Division I history that has happened:
            NDSU Time of Possession 40+ Minutes
            41:12 - Indiana State, 2014
            40:48 - Southern Illinois, 2012
            40:20 - at South Dakota State, 2013
            40:17 - Cal Poly, 2006
 
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.
 
VAADELAND BACK FOR SIXTH YEAR:  Tight end Kevin Vaadeland, one of 24 seniors on last year's team, returned to the Bison program for a sixth season due to a 2010 injury.  Vaadeland made a career-high five receptions in the win over Montana and his 12 career touchdown catches rank second in NDSU history among tight ends behind Jerimiah Wurzbacher's 14 TDs from 2005-09.
 
BISON AT HOME:  North Dakota State has won 22 straight home games and 47 of the last 48 home games over non-conference opponents including 37 straight since a 2003 loss to UC Davis.  NDSU is 10-2 at home against Top 10 teams after beating No. 3/4-ranked Montana and No. 6/6 Coastal Carolina.  The Bison have the longest home winning streak in Division I football.
            Division I Home Winning Streaks
            22 - North Dakota State (MVFC)
            16 - Alabama (SEC)
            16 - Baylor (Big 12)
            14 - Florida State (ACC)
            14 - Boise State (Mountain West)
            14 - New Hampshire (Colonial)
            14 - Fordham (Patriot)
 
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 21 times since 2006 including four games this season.  NDSU ranks third in FCS average home attendance.
            2014 FCS average home attendance
            1. Montana - 23,777
            2. James Madison - 19,816
            3. North Dakota State - 18,639
            4. Montana State - 17,056
            5. Liberty - 17,016
 
THE COACH:  The 30th head coach in team history, Chris Klieman (Northern Iowa, 1992) took over the Bison in January after spending the previous three seasons as the defensive backs coach including 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.  Klieman's 9-0 start was the best by any first-year coach in school and conference history.  He was a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award for FCS Coach of the Year.
 
CONFERENCE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK:  The following players were recognized as Player of the Week by the Missouri Valley Football Conference for their performances:
        - Kyle Emanuel, 3x Defense (Team-high nine tackles at Iowa State including 4.0 TFLs, 2.0 sacks and a forced fumble...Had 4 of 5 tackles go for negative yardage in win over Indiana State with 2.5 sacks, 3.5 TFLs and two QB hurries...Career-high 10 tackles, 4.0 sacks, 4.5 TFL with a FF and QBH against South Dakota State)
        - John Crockett, Offense (17 carries for 139 yards and a career-high three touchdowns at Iowa State, including an 80-yard TD to spark Bison to 34 unanswered points in 34-14 win)
        - Joe Haeg, 2x Offensive Line (Graded out at 100% in win at Iowa State with six knockdown blocks as NDSU put up 506 total yards of offense including 302 on the ground...Graded 91% technique and 100% assignment at Southern Illinois with four knockdowns)
        - Adam Keller, Special Teams (School-record five field goals in the 22-10 win over
No. 3/4-ranked Montana, connecting from 41, 22, 32, 47 and 30 yards)
        - Christian Dudzik, Defense (Forced fumble and two interceptions led to three NDSU touchdowns in win over Youngstown State...Also a team- and season-high eight tackles)
 
NATIONAL HONORS: The following players earned national recognition this season for their performances:
        - Kyle Emanuel, 2x Sports Network FCS Defensive Player of the Week (Team-high nine tackles at Iowa State including 4.0 TFLs, 2.0 sacks and a forced fumble...Career-high 10 tackles, 4.0 sacks, 4.5 TFL with a FF and QBH against South Dakota State); 2x College Sporting News FCS National All-Star (Had 4 of 5 tackles go for negative yardage in win over Indiana State with 2.5 sacks, 3.5 TFLs and two QB hurries...Career-high 10 tackles, 4.0 sacks, 4.5 TFL with a FF and QBH against South Dakota State); 2x CFPA FCS Defensive Lineman of the Week (Career-high 10 tackles, 4.0 sacks, 4.5 TFL with a FF and QBH against South Dakota State...Career-high 10 tackles, 2.0 sacks, 3.5 TFL and 27-yard INT return at Missouri State)
        - John Crockett, College Sporting News FCS National All-Star (17 carries for 139 yards and a career-high three touchdowns at Iowa State, including an 80-yard TD to spark Bison to 34 unanswered points in 34-14 win)
        - Carlton Littlejohn, College Sporting News FCS National All-Star (Scored go-ahead touchdown on 5-yard fumble return in 24-7 win at Weber State, where one of his 12 tackles came at the NDSU 2 on a fake field goal to preserve a 21-7 lead)
        - Adam Keller, College Sporting News FCS National All-Star (School-record five field goals in the 22-10 win over No. 3/4-ranked Montana, connecting from 41, 22, 32, 47 and 30 yards) and CFPA FCS Placekicker of the Week (Scored 17 points including four FGs in 47-7 win at South Dakota)
        - Ben LeCompte, CFPA FCS Punter of the Week (Two punts averaging 64.5 yards in home win over South Dakota State, including season-long 66-yarder)
        - Christian Dudzik, College Sporting News FCS National All-Star (Forced fumble and two interceptions led to three NDSU touchdowns in win over Youngstown State...Also a team- and season-high eight tackles)