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THIS WEEK:  No. 3 seed North Dakota State (11-2) hosts No. 7 seed Richmond (10-3) in the NCAA Division I FCS semifinal round Friday, Dec. 18.  Game time is 7 p.m. at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome (18,700).  The winner advances to the FCS title game Saturday, Jan. 9, in Frisco, Texas, against the winner of this Saturday's semifinal featuring Sam Houston State at No. 1 seed Jacksonville State.
 
TELEVISION:  Live coverage begins at 7 p.m. on ESPN2 with Anish Shroff calling the play-by-play and Ahmad Brooks as color analyst.  Video streaming will be on WatchESPN.com and the WatchESPN mobile app through participating TV providers.
 
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 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, commentary from KFGO's Jack Michaels, and NDSU's Jeremy Jorgenson reporting from the sideline.  Audio streaming will be available exclusively on GoBison.com/allaccess.
 
THE SERIES:  This is the first meeting between North Dakota State and Richmond.  NDSU is 3-0 against teams from the Colonial Athletic Association with a 2011 second round win over James Madison (26-14), a 2013 semifinal win over New Hampshire (52-14), and the 2013 championship victory over Towson (35-7).  Richmond is 4-0 against the Missouri Valley Football Conference including a 2000 first round home win over Youngstown State (10-3), a 2008 semifinal win at Northern Iowa (21-20), and last week's quarterfinal win at Illinois State (39-27).  The MVFC is 19-15 all-time against the CAA and 14-10 in the playoffs.
 
SIXTH STRAIGHT APPEARANCE:  This is North Dakota State's sixth straight appearance in the FCS playoffs.  NDSU is 20-1 including four straight national championships and a quarterfinal appearance in 2010.  This is NDSU's 29th postseason overall.  NDSU has a 55-14 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 50-13 in the NCAA playoff format since 1973.
 
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE:  NDSU is 15-0 at home in the FCS playoffs and has won 16 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.  The past six FCS national champions have played all their playoff games at home.
 
ROAD TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP:  The last FCS national champion to have to win a game on the road was Richmond in 2008.  The unseeded Spiders won a first round home game over Eastern Kentucky, a quarterfinal at Appalachian State and a semifinal at Northern Iowa before beating Montana in the title game.  No. 2 seed Villanova in 2009, No. 5 seed Eastern Washington in 2010, and all four No. 1 or 2-seeded NDSU teams hosted all of their preliminary round games.
 
BISON STOP UNI IN QUARTERFINAL:  Freshman Bruce Anderson returned the second half kickoff 97 yards for the go-ahead touchdown and North Dakota State's defense allowed just 71 yards in the second half to key a 23-13 victory over Northern Iowa in the quarterfinals.  King Frazier rushed for 107 yards and a touchdown, Easton Stick set a school playoff record for completion percentage going 13 of 17 for 116 yards, and Ben LeCompte averaged 45.0 yards on six punts with five inside the 20 and a long of 62 yards to boost the Bison defense.  NDSU limited 1,000-yard rushers Aaron Bailey and Tyvis Smith to a combined 91 yards on 34 carries and held UNI to a season-low 221 yards of total offense.
 
RETURNS, DEFENSE KEY SECOND ROUND WIN:  Interception returns for touchdowns by Jalen Allison (30 yards) and CJ Smith (32 yards) along with a 100-yard kickoff return by Bruce Anderson keyed North Dakota State's 37-6 second round win over Montana.  NDSU's defense set the tone early holding Montana to four yards on the game's opening drive and forcing the Grizzlies to go three-and-out on six of their first seven possessions.  Quarterback Easton Stick ran up the middle for a 49-yard touchdown on NDSU's third play and the Bison opened up a 21-0 lead by halftime with Allison's pick-six and a 15-yard touchdown run by Anderson, who led all players with 162 all-purpose yards.  Robbie Grimsley and Tre Dempsey each recorded interceptions, Dempsey and Smith combined for six pass breakups, and NDSU totaled three sacks, five QB hurries and six tackles for loss.  NDSU held Montana to a season-low 65 plays and 235 yards after the Griz totaled 92 plays and 544 yards in the season opener against NDSU.
 
PLAYOFF RECORDS:  North Dakota State set two NDSU playoff records and one NCAA FCS playoff record in the second round win over Montana.  Ben LeCompte boomed a 71-yard punt that broke the previous mark of 66 held by LeCompte and Matt Voigtlander.  NDSU's four interceptions on defense tied the school mark last accomplished in the second FCS national championship game against Sam Houston State.  Bruce Anderson's kickoff return touchdown tied the FCS playoff record set by Chris Fontenette of McNeese State in 1992.  In the quarterfinal win over Northern Iowa, quarterback Easton Stick completed 13 of 17 passes for 76 percent, breaking the completion percentage mark of 72 percent twice by Brock Jensen.
 
FRAZIER CLOSING IN ON 1,000:  North Dakota State has had at least one 1,000-yard rusher the past 12 seasons and could add King Frazier to that list this week.  Frazier enters the Richmond semifinal game with 984 yards and is averaging 5.4 yards on 181 carries.  He has three career 100-yard games including a career-high 177 at Southern Illinois and 107 in last week's quarterfinal victory over Northern Iowa.
        NDSU 1,000-Yard Rushers
            2014 - John Crockett (1994)
            2013 - John Crockett (1277) and Sam Ojuri (1398)
            2012 - John Crockett (1038) and Sam Ojuri (1047)
            2011 - DJ McNorton (1020) and Sam Ojuri (1105)
            2010 - DJ McNorton (1559)
            2009 - Pat Paschall (1397)
            2008 - Tyler Roehl (1053)
            2007 - Tyler Roehl (1431)
            2006 - Kyle Steffes (1250)
            2005 - Kyle Steffes (1071)
            2004 - Kyle Steffes (1055)
            2003 - Rod Malone (1251)
 
KICK RETURN TEAM FIRST NATIONALLY:  North Dakota State is first in the FCS in kickoff returns with an average of 29.41 yards per return.  Freshman Bruce Anderson's average of 38.4 yards per return would lead the FCS by more than seven yards, but he is two returns short of qualifying for the national rankings.  Anderson averaged 46.9 yards on eight returns over the past four games.  Junior Eric Perkins is averaging 26.6 yards and 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.
 
SCHOOL RECORD FOR KICK RETURNS:  Freshman Bruce Anderson's two kickoff return touchdowns is a new single-season NDSU record.  Only 14 other players in school history have kickoff return touchdowns.  The only other season in NDSU history with multiple kick return TDs was 2004 when Shamen Washington and Allen Burrell each scored from 90 yards.
 
BISON CHEW UP CLOCK:  North Dakota State leads the nation in time of possession and has only been out-clocked once in the last 29 games (South Dakota, 2015).  The Bison are averaging an FCS-best 36:19 over 13 games.  The Bison held the ball for 43:47 against Western Illinois, the most time of possession in NDSU's 12 seasons of Division I football.
 
LeCOMPTE LEADS BISON, FCS IN PUNTING:  North Dakota State ranks fourth nationally in net punting (39.37) thanks to All-America and three-time all-conference punter Ben LeCompte, who is NDSU's new career leader in punts (224), punting yards (9,982) and punting average (44.56).  LeCompte is second in the Football Championship Subdivision this season with a 46.0 average on 58 punts including a long of 73 in the Weber State game, 21 punts of 50-plus yards, and 27 downed inside the 20.  LeCompte ranks fourth in FCS history and is the MVFC leader in career punting average.  The previous NDSU 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)
            44.7 - Cory Carter, Texas Southern (2012-15)
            44.6 - Ben LeCompte, NDSU (2012-15)
            44.4 - Pumpy Tudors, Chattanooga (1989-91)
 
SMITH CLIMBING PASS DEFENSE LIST:  Senior cornerback CJ Smith is the FCS active leader and tied for sixth in the FCS record book (since 2000) with 53 career passes defended.  Smith has 46 pass breakups and seven interceptions in his career, second only to New York Jets defensive back Marcus Williams, who had 60 passes defended for NDSU (2010-13).
 
VRAA ALL-TIME RECEIVING LEADER:  Sixth-year wide receiver Zach Vraa has caught a pass in 52 of 56 career games and broken North Dakota State's career records for pass receptions, yards and touchdowns.  Among the Missouri Valley Football Conference career leaders, Vraa ranks ninth in receptions, seventh in receiving yards and sixth in receiving touchdowns.
            NDSU Career Receiving Yards
            2878 - Zach Vraa, 2011-15 (56g)
            2732 - Kole Heckendorf, 2005-08 (43g)
            2544 - TR McDonald, 1990-93 (39g)

            NDSU Career Receiving TDs
            27 - Zach Vraa, 2011-15
            26 - Tim Strehlow, 1996-99
            24 - Len Kretchman, 1985-88

            NDSU Career Receptions
            188 - Zach Vraa, 2011-15
            178 - Kole Heckendorf, 2005-08
            163 - Travis White, 2002-06
 
BISON AT HOME:  North Dakota State is 47-4 at home since 2010.  The Bison have won 51 of the last 52 home games over non-conference opponents including 41 straight since a 2003 loss to UC Davis.  NDSU is 11-2 at home all-time against FCS Top 10 teams.
 
BISON LAND 11 ON ALL-MVFC TEAM:  North Dakota State had 11 players named to the All-Missouri Valley Football Conference first and second teams.  NDSU led the league with seven selections on the first team.  They were fullback Andrew Bonnet, left tackle Joe Haeg, left guard Zack Johnson, defensive end Greg Menard, middle linebacker Nick DeLuca, cornerback CJ Smith and punter Ben LeCompte.  On the second team were running back King Frazier, tight end Luke Albers, right guard Jeremy Kelly and long snapper James Fisher.  Bison quarterback Carson Wentz, wide receiver RJ Urzendowski and defensive tackle Nate Tanguay were honorable mention.  LeCompte was all-conference for the third straight year, Bonnet and Haeg for the second straight year, and Johnson for the second time in three seasons.
 
DeLUCA SECOND IN VOTE:  Junior middle linebacker Nick DeLuca from North Dakota State was second in the voting for the Missouri Valley Football Conference Defensive Player of the Year award, which went to Northern Iowa cornerback Deiondre Hall.  DeLuca is NDSU's leading tackler with 120 stops including 7.0 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks.  He has one interception, five pass breakups, one quarterback hurry and one forced fumble.  DeLuca made double-digit tackles three times and was MVFC Defensive Player of the Week after a career-high 20 tackles at Southern Illinois.
 
FIVE ON MVFC ALL-NEWCOMER TEAM:  North Dakota State had a league-high five players selected to the Missouri Valley Football Conference All-Newcomer Team.  Running back Bruce Anderson, kicker Cam Pedersen, wide receiver Darrius Shepherd, quarterback Easton Stick, and safety Robbie Grimsley were five of the 20 freshmen named to the 24-man team.  It's the most newcomers NDSU has had selected to the team in eight years in the league.
 
HAEG 13th IN FCS VOTING:  North Dakota State left tackle Joe Haeg was 13th out of 25 in the final voting for STATS FCS Offensive Player of the Year honors.  He was 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 was 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.
 
WENTZ ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICAN® OF THE YEAR:  Senior quarterback Carson Wentz was voted CoSIDA Academic All-American® of the Year for Division I football (FBS and FCS) by the College Sports Information Directors of America.  It is the second straight year on the Academic All-America® first team for Wentz, who has a 4.0 in health and physical education.  He was joined on the first team by Greg Menard, who has a 3.9 in civil engineering.  Wentz is the fifth Academic All-American® of the Year from NDSU, joining track and field All-Americans Jill Theeler (2002) and Marc Steckler (2005), men's basketball all-time leading rebounder Brett Winkelman (2009), and baseball all-time hits leader Tim Colwell (2014).
 
FOUR EARN ACADEMIC HONORS:  North Dakota State had four players selected to the Missouri Valley Football Conference All-Academic Team.  Defensive end Greg Menard, wide receiver Zach Vraa and quarterback Carson Wentz were named to the first team, and running back Chase Morlock was named to the second team.  All four student-athletes previously were voted to the CoSIDA Academic All-District™ team.  Menard has a 3.90 in civil engineering, Vraa has a 3.56 and holds a bachelor's degree in sport management, Wentz has a 4.00 in health and physical education, and Morlock has a 3.80 in exercise science.
 
TWO ALL-STAR INVITES:  Two North Dakota State players have accepted invitations to postseason all-star games.  Left tackle Joe Haeg was selected to the 91st East-West Shrine Game in St. Petersburg, Fla., at 4 p.m. EST on Jan. 23.  Quarterback Carson Wentz was selected to the Reese's Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., at 1:30 p.m. CST on Jan. 30.  Both games will be televised on NFL Network.
 
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 outgained Western Illinois 528-205 while dominating the clock with a 43:47 to 16:13 advantage in time of possession.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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).
 
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.
 
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)
 
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 fifth straight Missouri Valley Football Conference championship this year tying Illinois State with a 7-1 record in conference play.  NDSU is the second school in Valley Football history to win five straight league titles behind Northern Iowa's run of seven straight from 1990 to 1996.  Last year, NDSU became 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.