THIS WEEK: No. 1-ranked North Dakota State (3-0) closes out non-conference play this week against No. 4 UC Davis (2-1). Game time is 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome (18,700). NDSU extended its winning streak to 24 games last week with a 47-22 victory at Delaware. UC Davis, which lost to Eastern Washington in the FCS quarterfinals last year, won its home opener 41-13 over Lehigh.
 
TELEVISION: KVLY and the NBC North Dakota network will carry the game with Brian Shawn joined by Lee Timmerman and sideline reporter Ryan Gellner. Pregame coverage hosted by Beth Hoole, Alex Egan and Kyle Emanuel begins at 1:30 p.m. The game will be available to ESPN+ subscribers on ESPN.com and the ESPN app.
 
RADIO: Coverage begins at 2 p.m. on the Peterson Farms Seed Bison Radio Network with fourth-year NDSU play-by-play voice Jeff Culhane joined by NDSU and Buffalo Bills hall of famer Phil Hansen and NDSU sideline reporter Jeremy Jorgenson. Extended coverage locally on 107.9 The Fox, Bison 1660 and 92.7 FM includes "Bison Tailgate" from 11:00-12:00 with Brad Jones and Nate Tanguay and "Bison Game Day" from 12:00-2:00 with Keith Brake and Cole Jirik. Brake and Jirik return for "Bison Hotline" with Chris Hanson and Kyle Emanuel for two hours following the network broadcast.
 
ONLINE: NDSU All Access offers free audio streaming of all NDSU football games as well as live video of Bison home games to subscribers on GoBison.com/allaccess and the NDSU Athletics mobile app. Live stats for NDSU home games are available on BisonStats.com. Follow along with in-game updates on Twitter @NDSUfootball.
 
TICKETS: Single-game tickets for all six NDSU home games went on sale Aug. 1 and sold out for the eighth straight year. A limited number of additional single-game tickets become available each game week and will go on sale Fridays at 7 a.m. online only at GoBison.com/tickets.
 
THE SERIES: This is the 11th meeting between North Dakota State and UC Davis dating back to 1982. NDSU leads the series 6-4, but the teams have split four games in Fargo with the Aggies holding a 2-1 advantage in three previous trips to the Fargodome. The Bison have won the last two straight meetings 28-24 on the road in 2006 and 35-16 at home in 2007.
 
GREAT WEST HISTORY: North Dakota State and UC Davis were founding members of the Great West Football Conference in 2004, the first year of Division I football for both programs. The Bison won 3 of 4 meetings as conference foes. NDSU won the Great West in 2006 and joined the Missouri Valley Football Conference in 2008. UC Davis won Great West titles in 2005 and 2009 and remained a league member through its final season in 2011 before joining the Big Sky Conference in 2012.
 
PLAYOFF HISTORY: UC Davis is one of four teams North Dakota State has played four times in the NCAA playoffs. The Bison are 3-1 against UC Davis in the playoffs, 2-2 against Pittsburg State, and 4-0 against both Sam Houston State and South Dakota State. The first four meetings between NDSU and UC Davis all came in the NCAA Division II playoffs. The Aggies hosted semifinal games in 1982 and 1983 winning the first meeting 19-14 before falling to Texas State in the 1982 title game. NDSU won 26-17 at Davis in 1983 before winning its first of five Division II crowns 41-21 over Central State (Ohio). The Bison won back-to-back quarterfinals against UC Davis at home in 1984 (31-21) before a runner-up finish and 31-12 on the road in the 1985 championship season.
 
BIG SKY-MVFC CHALLENGE: UC Davis at North Dakota State is one of 10 matchups in the third annual Big Sky-MVFC Challenge, which features five head-to-head contests this week between two of the premier conferences in the Football Championship Subdivision. The Big Sky has a 3-1 edge through the first three weeks including Montana State's 23-14 win at Western Illinois last week. The MVFC's win came two weeks ago when Northern Iowa beat Southern Utah 34-14. The Missouri Valley Football Conference has won the challenge series with a 5-3 record each of the past two years.
 
TOP-FIVE OPPONENTS: Heading into this week's game vs. No. 4-ranked UC Davis, North Dakota State has a 15-1 record since the beginning of the 2011 national championship season against opponents ranked in the top five of the Football Championship Subdivision. That includes an 8-1 record in the Fargodome, where the only loss in the past eight seasons to a top-five opponent came in the 2016 national semifinals to James Madison, 27-17.
 
BISON SHUT DOWN DELAWARE EARLY: North Dakota State's defense held Delaware to less than 100 yards of total offense through three quarters and cruised to a 47-22 road win last week, extending the third longest winning streak in FCS history to 24 games. Freshman quarterback Trey Lance was 18 of 23 passing for 195 yards and three touchdowns, and sophomore Phoenix Sproles had three receptions for 72 yards to lead 10 different Bison receivers. NDSU had a 340-92 advantage in total yards through three quarters. The Bison had eight players combine for seven sacks and four of those came before halftime. Strong safety Michael Tutsie had a career-high 11 tackles and made his third interception in two games to lead the Bison defense. NDSU is now 37-3 in true road games since the beginning of 2011, the program's first FCS national championship season.
 
TRUE FRESHMAN 100-YARD RUSHERS: North Dakota State's Kobe Johnson rushed 11 times for 101 yards and a touchdown at Delaware to become just the seventh NDSU true freshman to record a 100-yard rushing game. Johnson's was the 20th such performance joining quarterbacks Mark Speral (2 in 1977) and Jeff Bentrim (3 in 1983) and running backs Tony Satter (2 in 1987), Reggie Scott (7 in 1995), Lamar Gordon (4 in 1998) and Seth Wilson (1 in 2017). Wilson's 194 yards in the 2017 FCS semifinal win over Sam Houston State is the most single-game rushing yards by an NDSU true freshman with Scott's 189 against Morningside in 1995 a close second.
 
BISON LEAD NATION IN PASSING EFFICIENCY: NDSU continues to lead the FCS in team passing efficiency behind redshirt freshman quarterback Trey Lance, who has only 10 incompletions with nine passing touchdowns through three games. Lance is 39 of 49 passing for 542 yards while spreading the ball to 13 different receivers. Sophomore wide receiver Phoenix Sproles has a team-high six receptions and 146 yards with one touchdown. Sophomore tight end Noah Gindorff has three catches, all for TDs, on plays of 26, 34 and 4 yards. NDSU's pass efficiency rating of 224.4 outpaces the school record of 187.8 in 1988 and last year's 169.7 that ranked fourth in team history.
 
CROSA SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: True freshman kicker Griffin Crosa was named MVFC Special Teams Player of the Week after making five PAT kicks and field goals from 46 and 23 yards in the 47-22 win at Delaware. Crosa is a perfect 17-for-17 on PATs and 3-for-3 on field goals through the first three weeks.
 
JOHNSON LINEMAN OF THE WEEK: North Dakota State right guard Zack Johnson was named the Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Lineman of the Week after having 12 knockdowns and allowing zero pressures in North Dakota State's 38-7 win over North Dakota. Johnson graded out at 98 percent in his second career start at right guard helping NDSU rush for 266 yards and 5.3 yards per carry, convert 9 of 14 third downs, and keep the ball for more than 35 minutes in the contest. Johnson was a two-year starter at right tackle and an FCS All-American in 2018 before switching positions this year.
 
LANCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: North Dakota State's Trey Lance was the Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Player and Newcomer of the Week after accounting for 301 yards and six touchdowns in the 57-10 win over Butler. Lance was 10 of 11 passing for 185 yards and four touchdowns with five carries for 116 yards and two scores. He was the first freshman to start a season-opener at quarterback for NDSU.
 
10th LARGEST CROWD FOR BISON FOOTBALL: The crowd of 34,544 for NDSU-Butler in the first Division I game at Target Field in Minneapolis was the 10th largest crowd in Bison history. Only eight other schools outside of the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC and Pac-12 drew larger crowds on opening weekend: BYU, South Florida, Memphis, UCF, San Diego State, UAB, Cincinnati and UTEP.
 
BISON RETURN SEVEN FULL-TIME STARTERS: North Dakota State returns three offensive starters and four defensive starters from last year's 15-0 national championship team. Offensive linemen Dillon Radunz and Zack Johnson return with tight end Ben Ellefson on an offensive unit that will have a new quarterback and lost 65% of its rushing yards, 80% of its receptions and 84% of its receiving yards. NDSU still has depth at running back where Ty Brooks, Adam Cofield and Saybein Clark combined for 200 carries, 1,391 yards and 12 touchdowns last year. On defense, the Bison return their leading tackler in Buck Buchanan Award candidate Jabril Cox at linebacker, second-leading sack-getter in defensive end Derrek Tuszka, leading pass defender James Hendricks at safety, and cornerback Marquise Bridges.
 
12-GAME SCHEDULE: While 12-game regular season schedules are the norm for the Football Bowl Subdivision, this year's 12-game schedule in the Football Championship Subdivision is a rare departure from the usual 11-game slate based on the 2019 calendar. Teams are not required to play 12 games. NDSU opponents North Dakota and Missouri State each have 11-game schedules with two bye weeks. The last time NDSU played a 12-game regular season was 2014 when the Bison beat Iowa State 34-14 in the opener and went on to win their fourth FCS national championship. The next 12-game schedule opportunity is in 2024.
 
COX ON BUCHANAN WATCH LIST: Junior linebacker Jabril Cox was on the 25-man preseason watch list for the STATS FCS Buck Buchanan Award presented annually to the top defensive player in the FCS. Cox finished fourth in the voting last year after being selected as the Defensive Player of the Year in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. He led the Bison defense and ranked 10th in the MVFC with 91 total tackles in 2018 and finished with 9.5 tackles for loss, 4.0 sacks, four interceptions including two for touchdowns, three pass breakups and seven quarterback hurries. He was the 2017 MVFC Newcomer of the Year and Freshman of the Year.
 
WEGNER ON WATCH LIST FOR FCS PUNTER OF THE YEAR: Junior punter Garret Wegner is on the preseason watch list for the inaugural FCS Punter of the Year award by the Augusta Sports Council, which has been home to the Ray Guy Award since 2000 honoring the nation's best punters as the FBS level. Wegner was All-MVFC first team in 2018 averaging 43.0 yards on 59 punts, which was 11th in the FCS. He had 14 punts of 50-plus yards, a league-best 27 punts inside the 20-yard line, and another 16 fair catches. NDSU opponents returned 20 punts for just 3.3 yards per return and the Bison ranked sixth nationally in net punting with a 39.15 average.
 
FIVE PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS: North Dakota State has five preseason All-Americans including junior linebacker Jabril Cox and senior offensive lineman Zack Johnson, who were each named to first teams by HERO Sports, Athlon Sports and STATS FCS. Junior offensive lineman Dillon Radunz was second team by HERO Sports, senior defensive end Derrek Tuszka was named to the STATS FCS second team and HERO Sports third team, and junior punter Garret Wegner was third team by STATS FCS.
 
PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE: North Dakota State led the way with six players named to the Preseason All-Missouri Valley Football Conference team. Offensive linemen Zack Johnson and Dillon Radunz joined linebacker Jabril Cox, safety James Hendricks, defensive end Derrek Tuszka and punter Garret Wegner on the first team. NDSU had three honorable mentions in tight end Ben Ellefson, defensive tackle Cole Karcz and long snapper Ross Kennelly.
 
CAPTAINS: North Dakota State's six captains in 2019 selected by a vote of team members are safety James Hendricks, cornerback Marquise Bridges, running back Ty Brooks, tight end Ben Ellefson, offensive lineman Zack Johnson and defensive end Derrek Tuszka.
 
MERCADEL GETS SIXTH YEAR: After missing the 2018 season with a knee injury, North Dakota State linebacker Aaron Mercadel has received a sixth year of eligibility in 2020. That news brings NDSU's current senior class to just 14 after the Bison boasted their largest outgoing class ever with 24 seniors on the 2018 team.
 
BISON ON 24-GAME WINNING STREAK: North Dakota State's current 24-game winning streak is the second longest in Missouri Valley Football Conference history and third longest in FCS history behind the record 33-game Bison winning streak from 2012 to 2014.
        FCS Longest Winning Streaks
        33 - North Dakota State, 2012-14
        26 - James Madison, 2016-17
        24 - North Dakota State, 2017-present
        24 - Montana, 2001-02
        24 - Penn, 1992-95
 
15-TIME NATIONAL CHAMPIONS: North Dakota State won its 15th football national championship in 2018. NDSU claimed three College Division national championships in 1965, 1968 and 1969, five Division II titles in 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988 and 1990, and was the first team in college football history to win five straight national titles with FCS crowns in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 before winning again in 2017.
 
BISON WIN RECORD SEVENTH FCS TITLE: North Dakota State has won seven of the last eight FCS championships to surpass Georgia Southern's record of six FCS titles. The Bison are 7-0 in seven FCS title game appearances.
        Most FCS Championship Game Appearances
        8 - Georgia Southern (6-2)
        7 - North Dakota State (7-0)
        7 - Youngstown State (4-3)
        7 - Montana (2-5)
 
FIFTH UNDEFEATED, UNTIED FCS CHAMPION: Last year's 15-0 North Dakota State team was the fifth to go undefeated and untied in winning the FCS championship joining Eastern Kentucky in 1982 (13-0), Georgia Southern in 1989 (15-0), Marshall in 1996 (15-0) and NDSU in 2013 (15-0).
 
UNBEATEN SEASONS: Eleven teams have gone unbeaten in Missouri Valley Football Conference games since 1985, and only North Dakota State (2013 and 2018) and Southern Illinois (2009) have done it through an eight-game conference schedule. There have been 15 undefeated NDSU teams since 1894 including the 2018 national champions (15-0).
 
EIGHT STRAIGHT CONFERENCE TITLES: NDSU won its eighth consecutive Missouri Valley Football Conference championship in 2018, topping the league record seven straight by Northern Iowa in the early 1990s. NDSU won outright MVFC titles in 2012, 2013, 2017 and 2018. North Dakota State has won 35 football conference championships including 26 in the North Central Conference (last in 1994) and one in the Great West Football Conference (2006).
        Most Consecutive Conference Titles in Division I Football
        14 - Oklahoma (Big 8, 1946-59)
        12 - Montana (Big Sky, 1998-09)
        10 - BYU (WAC, 1976-85)
        9 - Florida State (ACC, 1992-00)
        8 - Nebraska (Big 8, 1910-17)
        8 - North Dakota State (MVFC, 2011-18)
 
BISON PICKED TO WIN VALLEY FOOTBALL CROWN: North Dakota State topped the Missouri Valley Football Conference preseason poll with 392 points and 32 of the 40 first-place votes from the league's coaches, media and sports information directors. South Dakota State earned the second spot in the poll, finishing with 348 total points and four first-place votes. Illinois State (289 points), Indiana State (279) and Northern Iowa (266) were tightly bunched for third, fourth and fifth place, while Illinois State (3) and Indiana State (1) also received first-place mentions. South Dakota came in sixth followed by Youngstown State, Western Illinois, Southern Illinois and Missouri State (80).
 
BISON AT HOME: NDSU is 75-6 at home since 2010 including a 24-1 mark in the FCS playoffs. The Bison have the longest active home winning streak in the FCS at 20 games and NDSU has won 65 of the last 67 home games over non-conference opponents with its last home loss coming in the 2016 semifinals to James Madison. NDSU is 24-4 at home all-time against FCS Top 10 teams. North Dakota State ranked fifth in the FCS last year with an average home attendance of 18,106.
 
DECADE LEADER:  North Dakota State's 124 wins this decade are more than any other program in college football. NDSU is 115-8 since the beginning of 2011, the first of five consecutive national championship seasons. North Dakota State holds the distinction of being the winningest Division II program of the 1980s, going 103-20-2 from 1980-89 with four national titles in that span.
 
SUCCESS VS. THE FBS: NDSU 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 has three future FBS games against Oregon in 2020, Arizona in 2022 and Colorado in 2024. NDSU's first three FBS wins were against Ball State (2006), Central Michigan (2007) and Minnesota (2007).
 
ANNIVERSARY SEASONS: Three milestones are being celebrated this year with the 150th anniversary of college football, the 125th anniversary of NDSU football, and the 35th anniversary of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. NDSU has commissioned artist Terrence Fogarty for a limited-edition commemorative painting on sale at GoBison.com/painting. It features iconic images from the program's humble beginnings in 1894 through NDSU's modern-day FCS dynasty.