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NDSU Notes | Missouri State Notes

THIS WEEK:  North Dakota State (8-2, 6-1 MVFC) can secure at least a share of its fifth straight Missouri Valley Football Conference title with a victory over Missouri State (1-9, 0-7 MVFC) in the regular season finale Saturday, Nov. 21.  Game time is 2:30 p.m. at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome (18,700).
 
TELEVISION:  Live statewide coverage in HD begins at 2:30 p.m. on NBC North Dakota, ESPN3 and ESPN College Extra with Brian Shawn calling the play-by-play, Lee Timmerman color analyst, and Beth Hoole on the sideline.  A live video stream will be available to subscribers on GoBison.com/allaccess.
 
RADIO:  KFGO-AM 790 and Mix 101.9 FM of Fargo along with the Peterson Farms Seed Bison Radio Network will have live coverage beginning at 2 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, commentary from KFGO's Jack Michaels, and NDSU's Jeremy Jorgenson reporting from the sideline.  A free audio stream will be available on GoBison.com/allaccess.
 
SENIOR DAY:  This is the final regular season home game for 14 Bison seniors, who will be introduced prior to kickoff Saturday.  It's the smallest senior class since 2012 when the Bison said farewell to seven seniors.  NDSU lost 15 seniors from last year's squad and 23 from the undefeated team of 2013.  This year's class includes Luke Albers, Darius Anderson, Andrew Bonnet, Jordan Champion, Jedre Cyr, Joe Haeg, Jeremy Kelly, Ben LeCompte, Nate Moody, Brock Russell, Brian Schaetz, CJ Smith, Zach Vraa and Carson Wentz.  Over the past four seasons, NDSU has a 52-4 record including 27-3 in conference play and 30-2 at home.
 
THE SERIES:  This is the eighth meeting between North Dakota State and Missouri State.  NDSU leads the series 5-2 and has won four straight including last year's 45-10 victory in Springfield.  The Bison are 2-1 at home in the series with the Bears winning 21-17 in their first trip to Fargo in 2009.  NDSU averaged 41 points per game in its five victories and has outscored the Bears by an average of 32-18 in the series.
 
LAST YEAR:  John Crockett rushed for 177 yards and Carson Wentz threw a school-record five touchdown passes to lead North Dakota State to a 45-10 win at Missouri State last year.  Defensive end Kyle Emanuel had a team-high 10 tackles with two sacks, 3.5 tackles for loss and an interception for the Bison.  Wentz started the game 1 of 6 with two interceptions before completing 14 of his final 16 passes including a pair of TD strikes to cousin Connor Wentz.  Andrew Bonnet, Trevor Gebhart and Zach Vraa also caught TDs.  Wide receiver Eric Perkins had kickoff returns of 32 and 37 yards, and also returned two punts with a long of 15 yards in his first game as NDSU's primary kick returner.
 
RARE ROAD SWEEP IN VALLEY FOOTBALL:  One week after all five home teams won games in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, last week marked the first time in league history that five teams won on the road in conference play on the same day.  Before 2012 when USD joined the league, the maximum number of wins in road conference games on the same day was four, and that was last accomplished on Nov. 19, 2011.
 
THREE TEAMS IN TITLE POSITION:  Illinois State (6-1), North Dakota State (6-1) and South Dakota State (5-2) are all in position to be Missouri Valley Football Conference champions in the final week of the regular season.  NDSU would be the league's automatic qualifier to the FCS playoffs with a victory over Missouri State or losses by NDSU, Illinois State and South Dakota State.  NDSU would be the outright league champion with a victory and an Illinois State loss.  South Dakota State would share the title and take the automatic qualifier with a win at Western Illinois and losses by NDSU and Illinois State.  The Redbirds host South Dakota.
 
BISON RALLY PAST PENGUINS:  North Dakota State outscored Youngstown State 17-0 in the fourth quarter and beat the Penguins 27-24 last week in Youngstown.  NDSU scored on a 7-yard touchdown run by King Frazier with 14:22 left in the game and a 40-yard field goal by freshman Cam Pedersen with 9:57 remaining to trim its deficit to 24-20.  Redshirt freshman quarterback Easton Stick darted up the middle for the game-winning, 4-yard touchdown run with 35 seconds left in the game.  Stick's TD capped a nine-play, 54-yard drive that took 4:51 off the clock and gave NDSU its first lead of the game.
 
ILLIES CONVERTS IN CLUTCH:  The Bison converted just 3 of 13 attempts on third down at Youngstown State, and sophomore tight end Jeff Illies was responsible for two of those conversions with a pair of difficult catches.  Illies made a sliding grab for 12 yards in the first quarter on a drive that eventually stalled, and he made a twisting 17-yard grab on the left sideline on third-and-9 to extend NDSU's game-winning drive in the fourth quarter.  Illies had a career-high two catches and 29 yards in place of senior Luke Albers, who was sidelined before the game with an illness.
 
DEFENSE ICES PENGUINS LATE:  North Dakota State's defense forced Youngstown State into three straight three-and-outs during the fourth quarter comeback and held the Penguins to minus-2 yards in the quarter.  The Bison held the ball for 10:03 in the final period and won the time of possession battle 32:16 to 27:44.  Junior linebacker Nick DeLuca led the Bison with seven tackles and junior defensive end Brad Ambrosius recorded two tackles for loss.
 
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYS FACTOR:  North Dakota State's average starting position was its own 33-yard line thanks to a big return day from freshman running back Bruce Anderson, who had three returns totaling 95 yards.  His long return went 53 yards and he had another long-gainer called back 48 yards by a holding penalty.  Anderson also led the NDSU rushing attack with 67 yards on four carries including a 57-yard scamper that set up King Frazier's fourth quarter touchdown.  In the punting game, Ben LeCompte averaged 47.0 yards on four punts and the Bison had a big advantage in net punting 41.8 to 34.5 yards.  Youngstown State's average starting position was its own 22.
 
KICK RETURN TEAM FOURTH NATIONALLY:  North Dakota State has moved to fourth in the FCS in kickoff returns with an average of 24.50 yards per return.  Freshman Bruce Anderson had three returns for 95 yards at Youngstown State and junior Eric Perkins had three returns for 69 yards at Southern Illinois.  Perkins also had 3 for 69 against Northern Iowa and 5 for 155 at Montana.  He has vaulted into sixth all-time in NDSU history with 631 kick return yards and a 25.24 average on 25 attempts since making his return debut against Missouri State last year.
 
PEDERSEN LEADS BISON IN SCORING:  Freshman kicker Cam Pedersen has gotten back on track after three field goal misses to convert his last three attempts.  Pedersen connected from 30 yards in the first quarter at Youngstown State and drilled a 40-yarder into the wind to pull NDSU within 24-20 in the fourth quarter.  Pedersen is 8 of 11 on field goals and 37 of 37 on PATs to lead the Bison in scoring with 61 points.  As a unit, the Bison are 45 of 45 on PAT kicks this year including eight by Ben LeCompte.
 
SMITH CLIMBING PASS DEFENSE LIST:  Senior cornerback CJ Smith remains second among all active players and is 12th in the FCS record book (since 2000) with 47 career passes defended.  Smith has 41 pass breakups and six interceptions in his career, second only to New York Jets defensive back Marcus Williams, who had 60 passes defended for NDSU (2010-13).
 
BISON SET MARKS FOR POINTS, POSSESSION:  North Dakota State's 59 points in the 59-7 home victory over Western Illinois were the most the Bison have scored in a Missouri Valley Football Conference game and the most since a 66-7 win over Prairie View A&M in 2012.  NDSU put up more than 500 yards of total offense for the second straight week and outgained Western Illinois 528-205 while dominating the clock with a 43:47 to 16:13 advantage in time of possession.  It was the most time of possession for NDSU in its Division I history.
 
HAEG ADDED TO WATCH LIST:  North Dakota State left tackle Joe Haeg was added to the STATS FCS Offensive Player of the Year watch list Nov. 4.  He is the first lineman on the watch list since Villanova's Ben Ijalana in 2010.  Haeg was first team All-America in 2014 and the Top Collegiate Offensive Lineman by the FCS Athletic Directors Association.  He has been named Offensive Lineman of the Week twice this season by the Missouri Valley Football Conference and has helped pave the way for the top rushing offense in the league.  NDSU quarterback Carson Wentz was a preseason nominee for the award, but was removed from consideration after being sidelined with a wrist injury after six games.
 
FCS AWARDS MOVE TO FRISCO:  The annual FCS awards program will be continued this year by STATS, which purchased The Sports Network last summer.  The STATS FCS Offensive Player of the Year, STATS FCS Defensive Player of the Year, STATS FCS Freshman of the Year, STATS FCS Coach of the Year and STATS Doris & Eddie Robinson FCS Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards will be presented Jan. 8 in Frisco, Texas, on the eve of the NCAA championship game.  The winners are selected by a panel of 160 voters who participate in the weekly FCS Top 25.
 
FOUR ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT:  Quarterback Carson Wentz, wide receiver Zach Vraa, running back Chase Morlock and defensive end Greg Menard were voted to the Academic All-District team by the College Sports Information Directors of America.  Starters and key reserves with at least sophomore standing and a 3.30 cumulative GPA are eligible.  Wentz has a 4.0 in health and physical education, Vraa has a 3.56 and holds a bachelor's degree in sport management, Morlock has a 3.80 in exercise science, and Menard a 3.90 in civil engineering.
 
VRAA TIES TOUCHDOWN RECORD:  Sixth-year wide receiver Zach Vraa tied the North Dakota State career record with his 26th touchdown catch against Western Illinois.  Vraa broke the career records for receiving yards against South Dakota and receptions against Northern Iowa.  Vraa is among the MVFC's top 10 in all three categories.  He has caught a pass in 50 of 53 career games.
            NDSU Career Receiving Yards
            1. 2853 - Zach Vraa, 2011-15 (53g)
            2. 2732 - Kole Heckendorf, 2005-08 (43g)
            3. 2544 - TR McDonald, 1990-93 (39g)

            NDSU Career Receiving TDs
            1. 26 - Zach Vraa, 2011-14
                 26 - Tim Strehlow, 1996-99
            3. 24 - Len Kretchman, 1985-88

            NDSU Career Receptions
            1. 185 - Zach Vraa, 2011-15
            2. 178 - Kole Heckendorf, 2005-08
            3. 163 - Travis White, 2002-06
 
BISON AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS:  North Dakota State leads the nation in time of possession and has only been out-clocked once in the last 26 games (South Dakota, 2015).  The Bison are averaging an FCS-best 36:51 over 10 games.  NDSU also ranks third in third down conversion defense (27%), fourth in kickoff returns (24.50) and net punting (39.43), fifth in third down conversions (50%) and first downs allowed (137).
 
LeCOMPTE LEADS BISON, FCS IN PUNTING:  All-America punter Ben LeCompte is NDSU's new career leader in punts (213), punting yards (9,499) and punting average (44.60).  LeCompte is first in the Football Championship Subdivision this season with a 46.5 average on 47 punts including a long of 73 in the Weber State game, 17 punts of 50-plus yards, and 19 downed inside the 20.  LeCompte ranks third in FCS history and is the MVFC leader in career punting average at 44.60.  The previous NDSU career record was 44.46 by Mike Dragosavich (2004-07) and the MVFC record was 43.62 by Indiana State's Lucas Hileman (2011-12).
            NCAA FCS Career Punting Leaders
            45.1 - Jonathan Plisco, Old Dominion (2009-12)
            44.8 - Mark Gould, Northern Arizona (2000-03)
            44.6 - Ben LeCompte, NDSU (2012-15)
            44.6 - Cory Carter, Texas Southern (2012-15)
            44.4 - Pumpy Tudors, Chattanooga (1989-91)

SLOWING DOWN HIGH-POWERED OFFENSES:  North Dakota State limited Western Illinois to 1 yard rushing in the first half and 33 yards on the ground altogether while holding Nikko Watson, the second-leading rusher in the MVFC, to just one yard on four carries.  WIU's no-huddle offense ran only 47 plays, 28 fewer than its average.  It was the third straight week the Bison defense has risen to the challenge.  NDSU limited the top-rated offense in the MVFC to a season-low 398 yards of total offense and 121 rushing yards at Southern Illinois and held an Indiana State team averaging 438 yards to just 201 yards of total offense.
 
100-YARD RUSHERS:  Redshirt freshman quarterback Easton Stick became the team's first 100-yard rusher of the year with 124 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries at Indiana State.  He followed that with 130 yards on 16 carries at Southern Illinois and is the first NDSU quarterback to have back-to-back 100-yard rushing games since October 1996 when Kevin Feeney rushed for 128 against South Dakota State and 145 against Minnesota State Mankato.  Running back King Frazier had a career-high 177 yards on 16 carries at SIU to give NDSU its first dual 100-yard rushers since last year's regular-season finale when John Crockett rushed for 168 and Carson Wentz rolled up 120 yards against Youngstown State.
 
26-GAME HOME STREAK ENDS:  North Dakota State's 26-game home winning streak was the longest active streak in Division I football when South Dakota ended it Oct. 17 with a 24-21 victory.  It was the longest home field streak in Missouri Valley Football Conference history, second longest in NDSU history, and eighth longest all-time in the Football Championship Subdivision.  Georgia Southern holds the top two FCS home win streaks at 39 and 38 games.  NDSU's longest home winning streak is 28 games from 1964-69 and longest home unbeaten streak is 35 games from 1964-71 (including 1970 season-opening tie with Eastern Michigan).
 
BEST DEFENSE IN 41 YEARS:  North Dakota State held North Dakota to 61 yards of total offense, which was the lowest output by an NDSU opponent in 41 years since allowing five yards in a 1974 home win over Morningside College.  The Bison did not allow a first down until less than five minutes remained in the third quarter and limited the UND offense to four yards rushing, the fewest since 2013 when NDSU held South Dakota State to minus-32 in Brookings.
 
FIRST HALF EXPLOSION:  North Dakota State rolled up 407 yards of total offense by halftime in the win over Weber State and went on to outgain the Wildcats by a 586-206 margin.  It was the most total offense by NDSU since a 2013 national quarterfinal win over Coastal Carolina when the Bison had 623 yards.  North Dakota State had nine different players combine to rush for 305 yards and quarterback Carson Wentz was 19 of 29 passing for 281 yards and three touchdowns.
 
CONFERENCE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK:  The following players were recognized as Player of the Week by the Missouri Valley Football Conference for their performances:
        - Nick DeLuca, Defense (Career-high 20 tackles with one TFL and one pass breakup at Southern Illinois...NDSU limited the league's top-rated offense to a season-low 398 yards of total offense and 121 rushing yards)
        - King Frazier, Offense (Ran 16 times for a career-high 177 yards and one TD at Southern Illinois...Had runs of 41, 50 and 51 yards)
        - Joe Haeg, 2x Offensive Line (Led the Bison with 12 knockdowns and graded out at 92 percent on technique against Weber State...Had eight knockdowns and a 94 percent grade at South Dakota State)
        - Jeremy Kelly, Offensive Line (Nine knockdowns and an 88 percent technique grade at Southern Illinois as the Bison rushed for a season-high 397 yards)
        - Cam Pedersen, Special Teams (Converted 4 of 4 PAT kicks and 28- and 49-yard field goals against North Dakota)
        - Easton Stick, Newcomer (Made his first collegiate start Oct. 24 at Indiana State...Ran for 124 yards and two touchdowns while passing for 126 yards and one score...Eighth of last 10 starting QBs since 1998 to win his first start at NDSU)
        - Carson Wentz, Offense (Four TD passes in 31-28 comeback victory over Northern Iowa...Led a 10-play, 79-yard drive in less than 2 minutes capped with an 18-yard TD pass to Darrius Shepherd with 35 seconds left...Finished a career-high 26 of 40 passing for 335 yards, fifth most passing yards in school history)
 
BISON AT HOME:  North Dakota State is 44-4 at home since 2010.  The Bison have won 50 of the last 51 home games over non-conference opponents including 40 straight since a 2003 loss to UC Davis.  NDSU is 11-2 at home all-time against FCS Top 10 teams.
 
FOUR TRUE FRESHMAN:  North Dakota State has played four true freshmen this year.  Safety Robbie Grimsley, running back Bruce Anderson and wide receiver Dimitri Williams all played in the season opener at Montana.  Kicker Cam Pedersen traveled to Montana and made his debut in Week 2 against Weber State.
 
SUCCESS VS. THE FBS:  North Dakota State has an 8-3 record against Football Bowl Subdivision opponents and has won five in a row against FBS foes since 2010 with wins at Kansas (6-3), Minnesota (37-24), Colorado State (22-7), Kansas State (24-21) and Iowa State (34-14).  NDSU is scheduled to play at Iowa next season and Oregon in 2020.
 
FOUR-PEATS:  North Dakota State earned a share of its fourth straight Missouri Valley Football Conference championship last year tying Illinois State with a 7-1 record in conference play.  NDSU was 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.  NDSU was just the second 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.  Carroll College of Helena, Mont., won four straight NAIA championships from 2002-05.
 
KLIEMAN INKED THROUGH 2020 SEASON:  North Dakota State head coach Chris Klieman (Northern Iowa, 1992) accepted a two-year contract extension in the offseason that will keep him with the Bison until January 2021.  Klieman led the Bison to a 15-1 record, a fourth straight Missouri Valley Football Conference championship with a 7-1 mark, and an unprecedented fourth straight NCAA Division I FCS national title.
 
NDSU didn't skip a beat in Klieman's first year despite losing 23 seniors and welcoming seven new assistant coaches.  The Bison scored 34 unanswered points to beat Big 12 member Iowa State in the season opener as part of an FCS-record 33-game winning streak that extended into November.
 
North Dakota State went 9-1 against Top 25 competition and earned the No. 2 national seed for the FCS playoffs.  NDSU had nine players named All-America, including Buck Buchanan Award-winning defensive end Kyle Emanuel, and four Capital One Academic All-America® selections.  Klieman was a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award and was named the Rawlings Football/American Football Monthly FCS Coach of the Year.
 
The head coach at Division III Loras College in 2005, Klieman came to NDSU from Northern Iowa in 2011 as the defensive backs coach and was the defensive coordinator in 2012 and 2013.  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.