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THIS WEEK:  No. 4 North Dakota State looks to bounce back from its first loss of the season this week when the Bison (5-1, 2-1 MVFC) face 12th-ranked Western Illinois (5-1, 2-1 MVFC) at 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22, at Hanson Field (16,368) in Macomb, Ill.
 
TELEVISION:  KVLY and the NBC North Dakota network will have live coverage with Brian Shawn calling the play-by-play, Lee Timmerman color analyst, and Beth Hoole on the sidelines.  ESPN3 will carry the telecast on WatchESPN.com and the ESPN app.
 
RADIO:  Coverage begins at 5:30 p.m. on KPFX-FM 107.9 The Fox and the Peterson Farms Seed Bison Radio Network with Jeff Culhane calling the play-by-play, NDSU and Buffalo Bills Hall of Famer Phil Hansen as color analyst, and NDSU's Jeremy Jorgenson reporting from the sideline.  Extended coverage on 107.9 The Fox and Bison 1660 includes "Bison Game Day" from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. and "Bison Hotline" for 2 hours following the network broadcast with hosts Keith Brake, Chris Hanson and former NDSU safety Christian Dudzik.
 
ONLINE:  NDSU All Access live video streaming for home games is by subscription on GoBison.com/allaccess.  Audio streaming of the Bison Radio Network broadcast for every NDSU football game is available free of charge.  Live stats for NDSU home games are available on BisonStats.com.  Follow @NDSUfootball on Twitter for game updates.
 
THE SERIES:  This is the eighth meeting between North Dakota State and Western Illinois since 2007.  NDSU has won three straight and leads the series 5-2 after last year's 59-7 victory in Fargo.  The Bison are 4-0 in Macomb.  Two of those road trips, the Bison won after home losses to Missouri State (2009) and Youngstown State (2011).
 
LAST YEAR:  Easton Stick went 12 of 20 passing for 197 yards with touchdowns to four different receivers in his first home start and the Bison rolled up 528 yards of total offense in a 59-7 rout of Western Illinois last year.  Bruce Anderson had a career-high 14 carries and 95 yards.  Zach Vraa, RJ Urzendowski, Andrew Bonnet and Darrius Shepherd caught TDs as NDSU built a 38-0 halftime lead.  Western Illinois had 1 rushing yard in the first half and 33 in the game.  Nikko Watson, the second-leading rusher in the Valley, had one yard on four carries.
 
RANKED OPPONENTS:  Western Illinois will be the sixth Top 25 opponent for North Dakota State this season, matching a regular-season high set in 2014 when the Bison faced 10 ranked opponents including the FCS playoffs.  NDSU opened this season with four straight wins over Top 25 competition, including the 11th-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes in FBS.  It was the first time since 2008 that NDSU has played four straight Top 25 teams in the regular season.
 
LAST WEEK:  Quarterback Taryn Christion passed for 303 yards and rushed for 141 as South Dakota State snapped an eight-game losing streak to NDSU with a 19-17 win in Fargo.  SDSU took its first lead on Christion's 2-yard TD pass to Jake Wieneke with 1 second left.  Wieneke had six catches for 108 yards and Dallas Goedert had 11 receptions for 150 yards and a TD.  NDSU quarterback Easton Stick rushed 12 times for 86 yards and two TDs and went 14 of 20 passing for 143 yards.  Robbie Grimsley had a career-high 14 tackles, Matt Plank a career-high 12 stops, and Tre Dempsey had seven tackles plus an interception in the end zone.
 
REMAINING UNBEATENS:  Only two teams remain unbeaten in the Football Championship Subdivision this week.  Sam Houston State from the Southland Conference moved to 6-0 with a 48-21 win over Abilene Christian and The Citadel from the Southern Conference is 6-0 after 22-14 victory over previously unbeaten Chattanooga (6-1).  North Dakota State (5-1) suffered its first loss 19-17 to South Dakota State and Harvard (4-1) lost 27-17 to Holy Cross.
 
BOUNCING BACK:  North Dakota State has won the next game after its last 12 losses, including road wins at Indiana State (2015), Missouri State (2014), South Dakota (2012), Western Illinois (2011) and Youngstown State (2010).  NDSU has not suffered consecutive losses since snapping a five-game losing streak in 2009 with a 14-7 victory at Western Illinois.
 
NARROW LOSSES:  North Dakota State's last three losses have all come on the last play of the game, and seven of the last eight losses have been by a combined 24 points.  NDSU has only three double-digit losses since the beginning of the 2010 season—Western Illinois (2010), at Illinois State (2010), and at Northern Iowa (2014).
            NDSU Losses, since 2010
            2016 - South Dakota State, 19-17*
            2015 - South Dakota, 24-21*
            2015 - at Montana, 38-35*
            2014 - at Northern Iowa, 23-3
            2012 - Indiana State, 17-14
            2011 - Youngstown State, 27-24
            2010 - at Eastern Washington, 38-31 (OT)
            2010 - at Missouri State, 3-0
            2010 - at Illinois State, 34-24
            2010 - Western Illinois, 28-16
            2010 - at Northern Iowa, 16-9
            *games won on final play
 
SECOND LONGEST STREAK:  NDSU's 14-game winning streak snapped by South Dakota State on Oct. 15 was the second longest in Missouri Valley Football Conference history behind NDSU's 33-game streak that spanned the 2012, 2013 and 2014 seasons.  The previous MVFC mark was 13 straight wins by Western Kentucky (2002-03) and Northern Iowa (2006-07).
 
CASHING IN ON TURNOVERS:  North Dakota State is third in the Missouri Valley Football Conference with a +4 turnover margin behind Northern Iowa (+8) and South Dakota State (+7). NDSU has a 41-10 advantage over opponents in points off turnovers, while SDSU has outscored opponents 56-7 off turnovers and UNI has outscored opponents 26-13.
 
RUSHING DEFENSE:  North Dakota State has the No. 10-ranked rushing defense in the nation thanks in part to a three-game stretch where the Bison allowed just 101 rushing yards against Iowa (34), Illinois State (37) and Missouri State (30).  NDSU opponents are averaging 99.3 yards per game on the ground and have only four rushing touchdowns.
 
BIG PLAY RJ:  Wide receiver RJ Urzendowski leads the Missouri Valley Football Conference and is 14th in the FCS in yards per reception with a 20.13 average through six games.  Urzendowski's 65-yard TD reception against Illinois State is NDSU's longest play of the year, and he has four of NDSU's eight longest plays, including a 47-yard TD catch against Charleston Southern and receptions of 43 yards against Missouri State and 42 against Eastern Washington.
 
ANDERSON KICK RETURN CAREER LEADER:  NDSU sophomore Bruce Anderson is the FCS active career leader in kickoff returns with a 30.4 average.  Anderson has 27 career returns for 821 yards and two touchdowns.  He had 585 yards and a school-record 36.56 yards per return last year, including 100- and 97-yard touchdowns in the NCAA playoffs.
 
PUNT COVERAGE LEADS FCS:  North Dakota State's punting average of 35.3 would be NDSU's lowest since 1994, but the Bison coverage team still leads the FCS in punt return defense with only one opponent punt return going for minus-4 yards.  Junior punter Jackson Koonce has punted 29 times with 18 fair catches and eight punts inside the 20.  He is averaging 35.8 yards per punt with a long of 48 at Missouri State.
 
MORLOCK SEMIFINALIST:  NDSU senior captain Chase Morlock is a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, recognizing the top scholar-athlete in college football.  The National Football Foundation will announce 12-14 finalists in November and each will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship.  The winner will be announced at the NFF Awards Dinner in December and have his scholarship increased to $25,000.  Candidates must have a 3.2 cumulative GPA in their final year of eligibility, outstanding football ability and demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship.
 
AP TOP 25 VOTES:  North Dakota State received an FCS-record 74 votes in the AP Top 25 poll after beating 11th-ranked Iowa and received votes for four weeks.  NDSU received votes after the 2011, 2012 and 2013 national championships and the first 10 weeks of the 2014 season after beating Iowa State.
 
SUCCESS VS. THE FBS:  North Dakota State has a 9-3 record against Football Bowl Subdivision opponents and has won six 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), Iowa State (34-14) and 11th-ranked Iowa (23-21).  NDSU did not play an FBS opponent in 2015 and does not have any other FBS opponents scheduled until Oregon in 2020 and Colorado in 2024.  NDSU's first three FBS wins were against Ball State (2006), Central Michigan (2007) and Minnesota (2007).
 
BACK-TO-BACK OVERTIMES:  After not playing a home overtime game in the history of NDSU football, the Bison started the season with back-to-back OT home wins over Charleston Southern (24-17) and Eastern Washington (50-44).  NDSU scored on its first offensive play in both games, getting a 25-yard run from King Frazier and a 25-yard run from Lance Dunn.  NDSU is the first Valley Football team to open a season with back-to-back OT wins.
 
FOURTH QUARTER MARCH:  North Dakota State held the ball for 10:45 and outgained Iowa 126 to minus-9 in the fourth quarter of NDSU's come-from-behind 23-21 victory.  The Bison pulled within 21-20 with a 15-play, 80-yard drive that took 8:39 off the clock before getting a three-and-out on defense to set up the game-winning field goal drive.  The 15-play march was reminiscent of NDSU's 18-play, 80-yard, 8:30 game-winning drive at Kansas State in 2013.
 
CONFERENCE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK:  The following players have earned Missouri Valley Football Conference player of the week awards this season:
            — Zack Johnson, Offensive Line...Six knockdowns with zero hurries or sacks allowed in 73 snaps against Charleston Southern...Graded out at 98.6% on assignment and led the Bison line in finish (88%) and technique (76%).
            — Nick DeLuca, Defensive...After missing the second half of the season opener with a shoulder separation, made a game-high 15 tackles in the win over Eastern Washington...Also scored on a 40-yard interception return.
            — MJ Stumpf, Defensive...Made three tackles and scored on a 21-yard interception return in the victory at Iowa...Downed a punt at the Iowa 2 to set up one of five three-and-outs...Part of a defensive unit that held Iowa to 34 yards rushing in the game and minus-7 after halftime.
            ­— Cam Pedersen, Special Teams...Converted 2 of 2 PAT kicks and made a 37-yard field goal on the final play of the fourth quarter to give NDSU a 23-21 win at Iowa one week after a game-tying 28-yarder to force overtime in the win over Eastern Washington.
            — Landon Lechler, Offensive Line...Five knockdowns with zero quarterback hurries or sacks in 70 snaps against Iowa...Led the Bison with a 100% assignment grade, 88% finish and 85% technique.
 
MENARD ON WATCH LIST:  North Dakota State junior defensive end Greg Menard is on the watch list for STATS FCS Defensive Player of the Year, which was won in 2014 by NDSU defensive end Kyle Emanuel.  Menard was STATS FCS All-America third team last year when he ranked second in the MVFC with 10.0 sacks and an additional 15 quarterback hurries.
 
DeLUCA OUT FOR SEASON:  Senior middle linebacker Nick DeLuca had a season-ending shoulder surgery following the Week 3 win at Iowa and can apply for a medical hardship to return to the Bison in 2017.  DeLuca was the only FCS player on the watch list for the 32nd annual Butkus Award, honoring the nation's best collegiate linebacker, and also was on the STATS FCS Defensive Player of the Year watch list.  He was first-team all-conference and runner-up for Missouri Valley Football Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 2015.
 
PLANK STEPS IN AT LINEBACKER:  North Dakota State junior Matt Plank made a career-high six tackles — all in the second half — filling in at middle linebacker after an injury to starter Nick DeLuca in the 24-17 overtime win over sixth-ranked Charleston Southern.  Plank assisted on a tackle for loss and was part of a defensive effort that held CSU to 2 of 12 on third down and 263 total yards, nearly 100 yards under its average from a year ago.
 
BISON CHEW UP CLOCK:  North Dakota State led the nation in time of possession with an average of 36:39 last year and the Bison have only been out-clocked twice in the last 37 games—South Dakota (2015) and South Dakota State (2016).  The Bison held the ball for 43:47 against Western Illinois last year, an NDSU record since beginning Division I football in 2004.
 
FRAZIER LEADS DEEP RUSHING ATTACK:  NDSU has had a 1,000-yard rusher 13 straight years after King Frazier's 1,158 yards last season.  Frazier leads a group of four returning running backs who each had at least 90 carries last year.  He averaged 94.0 yards over the final eight contests last season including back-to-back 100-yard games in the playoffs against Northern Iowa (107) and Richmond (121).  He has five career 100-yard games including a career-high 177 yards at Southern Illinois last year and a season-high 126 at Missouri State this year.
 
BISON AT HOME:  North Dakota State is 51-5 at home since 2010.  The Bison have won 53 of the last 54 home games over non-conference opponents including 44 straight since a 2003 loss to UC Davis.  NDSU is 14-3 at home all-time against FCS Top 10 teams.
 
COACHING STAFF INTACT:  After having at least one new assistant coach every year since beginning Division I play in 2004, North Dakota State has the same full-time coaching staff for the third straight season under head coach Chris Klieman.  NDSU made two changes to support staff adding former Bison defensive back Bryan Shepherd as defensive assistant and former Wisconsin-Stout assistant Kody Morgan in the offensive quality control position.
 
13-TIME NATIONAL CHAMPIONS:  North Dakota State won its 13th football national championship last season.  NDSU claimed three College Division national championships in 1965, 1968 and 1969, five Division II titles in 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988 and 1990, and is the first team in college football history to win five straight national championships with FCS titles in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015.
 
MOST WINS IN DIVISION I FOOTBALL:  NDSU has a record of 76-6 since the beginning of the 2011 national championship season.  The Bison went 14-1, 14-1, 15-0, 15-1 and 13-2 for the most wins in Division I football in that five-year span.  Fifteen FCS programs have multiple 10-win seasons since 2011, and only four have reached the 10-win mark at least three times—NDSU (5), Sam Houston State (4), Eastern Washington (3) and Jacksonville State (3).
            Most Wins Since 2011, Division I
            76 - North Dakota State
            69 - Alabama
            63 - Clemson
            63 - Florida State
            62 - Ohio State
            62 - Sam Houston State
 
VALLEY FOOTBALL PRESEASON PICKS:  North Dakota State had five players picked to the preseason all-Missouri Valley Football Conference team: running back King Frazier, offensive guard Zack Johnson, defensive end Greg Menard, linebacker Nick DeLuca, and free safety Tre Dempsey.  NDSU long snapper James Fisher, defensive tackle Nate Tanguay and strong safety Robbie Grimsley earned honorable mention.  NDSU was picked to win the league ahead of Northern Iowa, South Dakota State, Illinois State and Youngstown State.
 
#PROBISON:  North Dakota State has eight former players active in the NFL and two others in the CFL.  Three Bison from last season are still with NFL teams including No. 2 overall draft pick Carson Wentz, fifth-round pick Joe Haeg, and undrafted free agent CJ Smith.  On the sidelines, former Bison safety/punter (1984-1988) and longtime assistant coach (1996-2005) Gus Bradley is in his fourth season as the Jaguars' head coach.

NFL Players	Year	Team
John Crockett, RB	2nd	Green Bay Packers
Kyle Emanuel, LB	2nd	San Diego Chargers
Joe Haeg, OL	1st	Indianapolis Colts
Ramon Humber, LB	8th	Buffalo Bills
CJ Smith, CB	1st	Philadelphia Eagles
Billy Turner, OL	3rd	Denver Broncos
Carson Wentz, QB	1st	Philadelphia Eagles
Marcus Williams, CB	3rd	New York Jets
CFL Players	Year	Team
Brock Jensen, QB	2nd	Ottawa Redblacks
Ryan Smith, WR	3rd	Winnipeg Blue Bombers