THIS WEEK: No. 1-ranked North Dakota State (15-0) faces No. 2 James Madison (14-1) in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Game at 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 11, at Toyota Stadium (20,500) in Frisco, Texas. This is a rematch of the 2017 national championship game. NDSU has won two straight and seven of the last eight FCS championships with JMU taking the 2016 title after beating NDSU in the semifinals. JMU is making its third title game appearance in four years.
 
TELEVISION: Coverage begins at 11 a.m. on ABC and ESPN3 with Mark Jones (play-by-play), Dusty Dvoracek (analyst) and Olivia Dekker (reporter). The FCS Championship pregame show hosted by Kris Budden, Rene Ingoglia and Jay Walker begins at 10 a.m. on ESPNews.
 
RADIO: Coverage begins at 10:30 a.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 7:30-8:30 with Brad Jones and "Bison Game Day" from 8:30-10:30 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. National radio coverage on Westwood One Sports will begin at 10:30 a.m. with Jason Horowitz (play-by-play) and Al Groh (analyst).
 
ONLINE: NDSU All Access offers free audio streaming on GoBison.com/allaccess and the NDSU Athletics mobile app. Live stats are available on NCAA.com. Follow along with in-game updates on Twitter @NDSUfootball and the #FCSChampionship hashtag.
 
TICKETS: Tickets may be purchased via the NCAA Ticket Exchange, the official fan-to-fan marketplace. For details, visit NCAA.com/FCS and click on the Tickets and Hospitality link. A limited number of standing room only tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Monday, Jan. 6.
 
CLEAR BAG POLICY: New for 2020, Toyota Stadium will have a bag policy in effect. Any bag larger than a small clutch purse will not be permitted into the stadium unless it is a clear bag. Clear bags may not exceed 14" x 6" x 14" and small clutch purses or crossbody bags may not exceed 5.5" x 8.5" with or without straps. Email CustomerService@FCDallas.com to get special clearance for medically necessary items. More information is available on the Toyota Stadium policies webpage.
 
PARKING AND TAILGATING: General public parking is $20 per spot and opens at 6 a.m. Saturday in Toyota Stadium's red, blue and green parking lots. RVs and campers will be charged $40 per parking space occupied. ADA parking is available in all lots. All parking is on a first-come, first-serve basis. Parking lots will remain open for tailgating after the game. All vehicles must be off property by 11:30 p.m. Saturday.
 
TEAM ARRIVALS AND TAILGATE TOWN: Fans are invited to line up on Lamar Hunt Way from Toyota Stadium west to World Cup Way for team arrivals beginning with an NDSU pep rally at 8:15 a.m. and team arrival at 8:25 followed by JMU's team arrival at 8:45 and pep rally at 8:55. Tailgate Town, a free interactive fan festival, opens at 9 a.m. in the north plaza of Toyota Stadium and is open through halftime.
 
NDSU PEP FEST: The NDSU Pep Fest presented by Gate City Bank is a free, family-friendly event Friday, Jan. 10, at the Comerica Center in Frisco, Texas. Doors and beer garden open at 3 p.m. with live music from 5 to 9 p.m. by the Emerald City Band and the pep fest program beginning at 6:45. The first 4,000 fans will receive a commemorative NDSU rally towel.
 
BISON TRACKER MOBILE APP: North Dakota State's popular Bison Tracker mobile app presented by Gate City Bank launches Monday, Jan. 6. The app is a free download for Apple and Android devices and shows real-time counts of Bison fans checked-in on their way to Frisco or from watch locations around the country. Fans are encouraged to use the hashtag #FargoToFrisco on Twitter to share photos of themselves wearing Bison gear and showing Bison pride between Monday and Saturday as they travel to the game for a chance to win officially licensed NDSU gear.
 
GOLD RUSH: North Dakota State is the home team and will be on the west sideline near the press box. The Bison will wear gold jerseys with green pants and helmets for the third time this season. NDSU is 32-0 in gold jerseys since their first appearance in the 2011 season opener, 19-0 in green helmets since their November 2015 debut, and 13-0 in the gold jersey/green helmet combo.
 
THE SERIES: This is the fourth meeting between North Dakota State and James Madison, all in the FCS playoffs. NDSU leads the series 2-1 including a 17-13 victory in the 2017 national championship after JMU's 27-17 win at the Fargodome in the 2016 semifinals. The teams first met in the 2011 second round with the Bison winning 26-14 in Fargo. NDSU is 7-1 against Colonial Athletic Association opponents including a pair of wins over Delaware in 2018 and 2019.
 
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: North Dakota State is the No. 1 overall seed for the FCS playoffs and hosted through the semifinal round for the ninth straight year. NDSU has been the No. 1 seed for five of its 10 FCS playoff appearances (2012, 2013, 2016, 2018, 2019) and was seeded No. 2 three times (2011, 2014, 2017) and No. 3 once (2015).
 
TENTH STRAIGHT POSTSEASON: North Dakota State is in the postseason for the 10th straight season dating back to 2010 when the Bison advanced to the FCS quarterfinals in their first appearance. NDSU has a 35-2 record in the FCS playoffs, including a 27-1 record in the Fargodome. This is North Dakota State's 33rd postseason appearance since 1964. The Bison are 70-15 all-time in the postseason including a 65-14 record in the NCAA playoff format since 1973.
        Most Consecutive FCS Playoff Appearances
        17 - Montana, 1993-2009
        14 - New Hampshire, 2004-2017
        10 - Eastern Kentucky, 1986-1995
        10 - North Dakota State, 2010-2019

        Most FCS Playoff Games Won
        45 - Georgia Southern
        35 - North Dakota State
        33 - Montana

        Highest FCS Playoff Winning Percentages
        .946 - North Dakota State (35-2)
        .793 - Marshall (23-6)
        .777 - Youngstown State (28-8)
        .776 - Georgia Southern (45-13)
 
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 via the national polls, five Division II playoff 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 and 2018.
 
TITLE TOWN: North Dakota State is playing in its eighth FCS championship game in 12 years of Division I postseason eligibility. NDSU has won the national championship in 29 percent of its 52 years of postseason eligibility since the program's first bowl game in 1964. (NDSU was ineligible for the playoffs while reclassifying to Division I from 2004-2007, a four-year span ending with back-to-back 10-1 seasons in FCS play.)
 
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 and 12-2 overall in playoff title games with the only losses coming in the Division II championships in 1981 to Texas State (42-13) and 1984 to Troy (18-17).
        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)
 
NINE STRAIGHT TITLES: North Dakota State won its ninth straight Missouri Valley Football Conference championship dating back to 2011 and fifth outright crown including 2012, 2013, 2017 and 2018. North Dakota State has won 36 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)
        9 - North Dakota State (MVFC, 2011-19)
 
FIRST 16-GAME WINNERS? 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). The Bison can become the first modern-era college football team in any division to finish a season 16-0. The only other 16-0 team was at Yale in 1894. NDSU has played one other 16-game season. The Bison won the 2014 national title with a 15-1 record.
 
UNBEATEN SEASONS: Twelve teams have gone unbeaten in Missouri Valley Football Conference games since 1985, and only North Dakota State (2013, 2018, 2019) 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).
 
MVFC ROOKIE HEAD COACHES: Matt Entz has won his first 15 games as head coach, surpassing the NDSU and Missouri Valley Football Conference record 9-0 start in 2014 by Chris Klieman, who finished 15-1 in leading the Bison to their fourth straight national championship. Entz is the third MVFC head coach to win at least 12 games in his first year in the league, joining Youngstown State's Jim Tressel, who went 13-2 overall in 1997 and finished third in the MVFC with a 4-2 record.
 
UNDEFEATED FIRST-YEAR HEAD COACHES: With a victory in the FCS championship, North Dakota State's Matt Entz would become the first Division I head football coach to win all 16 games in his first season at the helm. Among other notable winning streaks for first-time head coaches, Walter Camp won his first 28 games at Yale in 1888 and 1889, Larry Coker won his first 24 games at Miami (Fla.) in 2001 and 2002, and current Ohio State coach Ryan Day had a 16-game winning streak snapped in this year's Playstation Fiesta Bowl loss to Clemson.
        Undefeated, Untied First-Year Head Football Coaches (Division I, minimum 10 games)
        15-0, Bob Pruett, Marshall, 1996 (FCS champions)
        15-0, Matt Entz, North Dakota State, 2019
        13-0, Walter Camp, Yale, 1888
        13-0, Chris Petersen, Boise State, 2006
        12-0, Larry Coker, Miami (Fla.), 2001
        11-0, Bill Thomas, Tennessee State, 1984
        10-0, Joe Susan, Davidson, 2000
        10-0, Ed Zubrow, Penn, 1986
 
NCAA ELITE 90 AWARD: NDSU student-athletes have claimed the NCAA Elite 90 award in six of seven previous trips to Frisco. This year's winner will be announced at Friday morning's NCAA championship banquet. The award, established in 2009, goes to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average among the participants at the finals site for each of the NCAA's 90 national championships. NDSU has 11 total winners across four sports, seventh most among all NCAA member institutions.
        NDSU's NCAA Elite 90 Award Winners
        2010-11 - Amy Anderson, women's golf
        2010-11 - Whitney Carlson, women's outdoor track and field
        2012-13 - Esley Thorton, football
        2013-14 - Carson Wentz, football
        2014-15 - Carson Wentz, football
        2015-16 - Carson Wentz, football
        2015-16 - Clay Ream, wrestling
        2016-17 - Clay Ream, wrestling
        2017-18 - Daniel Polansky, football
        2017-18 - Clay Ream, wrestling
        2018-19 - Ben Ellefson, football

        Most NCAA Elite 90 Awards
        20 - Stanford
        17 - MIT (D-I and D-III)
        16 - Alabama
        13 - Nebraska
        13 - North Carolina
        13 - Washington-St. Louis (D-III)
        11 - Baylor
        11 - North Dakota State
 
NCAA MOST OUTSTANDING PLAYERS: The NCAA championship game Most Outstanding Player will be announced on stage following the game Saturday, and an NDSU player has been named in all seven previous Bison trips. LB Travis Beck was selected in 2012, QB Brock Jensen in the 2013 and 2014 title games, QB Carson Wentz in the 2015 and 2016 title games, QB Easton Stick in 2018 and WR Darrius Shepherd in 2019.
 
BISON ON 36-GAME WINNING STREAK: North Dakota State's current 36-game winning streak is the fifth longest in Division I history and the longest in FCS history surpassing the record 33-game Bison winning streak from 2012-14.
        Longest Division I Football Winning Streaks
        47—Oklahoma, 1953-57
        40—Washington, 1908-14
        37—Yale, 1890-93
        37—Yale, 1887-89
        36—North Dakota State, 2017-present
        35—Toledo, 1969-71
        34—Miami (Fla.), 2000-03
        34—Penn, 1894-96
        33—North Dakota State, 2012-14
 
HOME STREAK AT 28 GAMES: North Dakota State has tied a school record with 28 straight home wins, which is tied for seventh longest in FCS history. It is the longest active home winning streak in Division I and a new Missouri Valley Football Conference record, topping NDSU's 26-game home winning streak from 2012-15. NDSU had a 36-game home unbeaten streak 1964-71 including a 1970 season-opening tie with Eastern Michigan.
        NDSU Longest Home Winning Streaks
        28—Started 9/12/1964 vs. Minn. St. Moorhead, ended 9/12/1970 by Eastern Michigan (T, 14-14)
        28—Started 9/2/2017 vs. Mississippi Valley State
        26—Started 10/27/2012 vs. Southern Illinois, ended 10/17/2015 by South Dakota (L, 24-21)
 
32 STRAIGHT AFTER OPEN WEEKS: North Dakota State has won 32 straight games after open weeks in the regular season and postseason including the 37-13 second round playoff win over Nicholls. The streak includes 19 home games, six road games and seven national championship games in Frisco, Texas.

WATSON SPARKS BISON PAST BOBCATS IN SEMIFINAL: Quarterback Trey Lance went 15 of 21 passing for 223 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for two TDs in NDSU's 42-14 rout of Montana State in the semifinals. Wide receiver Christian Watson accounted for 174 all-purpose yards—145 of them on two game-changing TDs early in the second quarter. Montana State tied the game 7-7 on Travis Jonsen's 1-yard run on fourth-and-goal, but the Bison went ahead for good on their next play from scrimmage when Lance hit Watson in stride for a 75-yard touchdown. After a three-and-out on defense, Watson took the first play 70 yards for his first career rushing touchdown.
 
BISON HOLD OFF ILLINOIS STATE IN QUARTERFINALS: North Dakota State got a fourth-down stop with 56 seconds left to seal a 9-3 victory over Illinois State in the quarterfinals. NDSU limited All-America running back James Robinson to 94 yards rushing and the Redbirds only crossed midfield twice. Freshman Griffin Crosa tied an NDSU FCS playoff record with three field goals made from 38, 33 and 22 yards all in the second quarter to give the Bison a 9-0 halftime lead. Sam Fenlason connected from 27 yards for Illinois State. NDSU receiver Christian Watson had a career-high seven receptions for 107 yards, linebacker Jackson Hankey made a game-high 10 tackles.
 
BISON TURN BACK NICHOLLS IN SECOND ROUND: Interceptions from safeties Michael Tutsie and James Hendricks on back-to-back possessions in the second half led to 10 points for North Dakota State in the 37-13 second round win over Nicholls. The Bison held Nicholls to 265 yards of total offense, the Colonels' lowest output in 12 games against FCS opponents. NDSU quarterback Trey Lance was 10 of 16 passing for 169 yards and two touchdowns while rushing 11 times for a game-high 88 yards and one TD. Wide receiver Jimmy Kepouros caught his first career touchdown pass to give the Bison a 14-10 lead before halftime, and Nicholls pulled within 14-13 before the Bison
 
ELLEFSON, TUSZKA TO SHRINE BOWL: North Dakota State tight end Ben Ellefson and defensive end Derrek Tuszka have accepted invitations to participate in the East-West Shrine Bowl on Saturday, Jan. 18, at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. NFL Network television coverage begins at 2 p.m. CT with live radio coverage at 1:15 p.m. CT on SiriusXM NFL Channel 88. This is the sixth time in seven years the Bison have been represented at the Shrine Bowl. Quarterback Easton Stick played in last year's game.
 
EIGHT ALL-AMERICANS: North Dakota State has eight All-Americans this year: LT Dillon Radunz (1st team AP, AFCA, STATS, HERO Sports, FCS ADA), quarterback Trey Lance (1st team HERO Sports, FCS ADA; 2nd team AP, AFCA; TBA STATS), DE Derrek Tuszka (1st team AP, STATS, HERO Sports; 2nd team AFCA), LB Jabril Cox (1st team HERO Sports; 2nd team STATS; 3rd team AP), RG Zack Johnson (1st team HERO Sports; 2nd team AP; 3rd team STATS), RT Cordell Volson (2nd team HERO Sports), S James Hendricks (2nd team HERO Sports) and TE Ben Ellefson (2nd team AFCA; 3rd team STATS, HERO Sports).
 
BISON SWEEP TOP VALLEY HONORS: North Dakota State swept the five major year-end awards in the Missouri Valley Football Conference with first-year head coach Matt Entz being named Bruce Craddock Coach of the Year, senior defensive end Derrek Tuszka the Defensive Player of the Year, and redshirt freshman quarterback Trey Lance named Offensive Player, Newcomer and Freshman of the Year. Lance is the league's first freshman to be named Offensive Player of the Year, and he is the fourth to sweep the Newcomer and Freshman of the Year awards.
 
ELEVEN ON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM: North Dakota State had eight first-team all-conference selections including Offensive Player of the Year Trey Lance at quarterback, Defensive Player of the Year Derrek Tuszka on the defensive line, tight end Ben Ellefson, offensive linemen Zack Johnson, Dillon Radunz and Cordell Volson, linebacker Jabril Cox, and defensive back James Hendricks. Bison wide receiver Christian Watson and cornerbacks Marquise Bridges and Josh Hayes were voted to the second team. Eight other NDSU players were listed as honorable mention: running backs Ty Brooks and Adam Cofield, fullbacks Hunter Luepke and Garrett Malstrom, return specialist Trevor Heit, offensive lineman Karson Schoening, defensive lineman Spencer Waege, and defensive back Michael Tutsie. Freshman running back Kobe Johnson and Lance were NDSU's two selections to the MVFC All-Newcomer Team.
 
BIG PLAY BISON: North Dakota State has scored six offensive touchdowns of 70-plus yards this season with three of those coming in the NCAA semifinal win over Montana State. One out of five offensive plays for North Dakota State this season (20%) have been a chunk play of at least 10 yards rushing or 15 yards passing. NDSU has 192 chunk plays (12.8 per game) with 126 rushing and 66 passing. There were a season-high 22 chunk plays against South Dakota as the Bison put up 700 total yards of offense, the third most yards in school history and most in NDSU's Division I era. That was one week after putting up 690 yards with 19 chunk plays against Western Illinois. Meanwhile, the Bison are allowing chunk plays at just a 12% rate.
 
LANCE, BISON LIMITING TURNOVERS: North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance has attempted 278 career passes without an interception, breaking the school record 152 set by Easton Stick. The Bison have committed the fewest turnovers in the FCS this season (6) and are tied with Weber State and Incarnate Word for second in the FCS with a plus-16 turnover margin. NDSU's fumble lost against Montana State is the only Bison turnover in the past seven games.
 
TUTSIE MAKES THIRD POSTSEASON PICK: Sophomore safety Michael Tutsie has made an interception in each of NDSU's first three playoff games this season to tie the school record for INTs in a single postseason set by Todd Zabel in 1988 and tied by Marcus Williams (2012), Christian Dudzik (2013) and Marquise Bridges (2017). Tutsie ranks sixth in the FCS with 0.5 interceptions per game.
HIs seven total picks are one shy of the NDSU record eight interceptions by Frank Esposito in 1953.
 
1,000-YARD RUSHERS: North Dakota State's last 1,000-yard rusher was Bruce Anderson in 2017. Running back Ty Brooks enters the championship game with 940 yards and quarterback Trey Lance enters with 934. NDSU hasn't had dual 1,000-yard rushers since 2013 with Sam Ojuri (1,398) and John Crockett (1,277).
 
TOP RUSHING BISON QUARTERBACKS: There have been five 1,000-yard rushing seasons by NDSU quarterbacks—three by Chris Simdorn and two by Jeff Bentrim—who were both Harlon Hill Trophy winners as the top player in Division II football. Here are the top five QB rushing seasons in NDSU history, adjusted to include playoffs (NCAA policy excluded postseason games until 2002).
        NDSU Single-Season Rushing by Quarterback
        1,547—Chris Simdorn, 1988 (1,129 in 9 games + 418 in 4 playoff games)
        1,183—Jeff Bentrim, 1984 (989 in 9 games + 194 in 3 playoff games)
        1,161—Chris Simdorn, 1990 (776 in 9 games + 385 in 4 playoff games)
        1,119—Chris Simdorn, 1989 (1,049 in 8 games + 70 in 2 playoff games)
        1,010—Jeff Bentrim, 1985 (785 in 8 games + 225 in 3 playoff games)
 
FOUR 600-YARD RUSHERS: North Dakota State has four 600-yard rushers for the third straight season. In the past five years of FCS football, only the triple-option offenses at Kennesaw State (2017) and The Citadel (2016) have finished the season with four rushers over 600 yards.
 
NEW RUSHING, TOTAL OFFENSE RECORDS: The Bison had 318 rushing yards against Montana State to run their season total to 4,320 yards, passing the 15-game total of 4,293 yards in 2018. NDSU's top five single-season rushing totals have come in the past seven years since the 2013 Bison ran for 3,860 yards to break the 1988 school record of 3,731 yards. North Dakota State also has a new single-season record 7,159 yards of total offense, topping last year's 7,076.
 
BISON TOP RETURN TEAM IN VALLEY: North Dakota State leads the Missouri Valley Football Conference in kickoff returns and punt returns. NDSU is eighth in FCS with 23.90 yards per kick return (sixth best in school history) and 21st nationally with 11.67 yards per punt return. Trevor Heit leads the MVFC and ranks ninth in the FCS averaging 12.0 yards per punt return. Heit's 28 punt returns this year are third most in NDSU history and his 336 punt return yards are tied for fourth.
       
LEAGUE LEADERS: Nine-time reigning champion North Dakota State is in a familiar position atop the Missouri Valley Football Conference standings. NDSU has played only eight conference games since the beginning of 2011 without holding at least a share of first place. The Bison fell out of first place for three weeks in 2012, three weeks in 2015 and two weeks in 2016.
 
AGAINST THE TOP 25: NDSU has nine victories this year against FCS Top 25 opponents, and the Bison have defeated 21 ranked teams on their current 36-game winning streak. That includes 14 teams ranked in the top 10 nationally, and NDSU has outscored those 14 by an average of 36-13.
 
TOP-FIVE OPPONENTS: North Dakota State is 18-1 since the beginning of the 2011 national championship season against opponents ranked in the top five of the Football Championship Subdivision. That includes a 10-1 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.
 
ELLEFSON SETS TIGHT END TOUCHDOWN RECORD: North Dakota State's Ben Ellefson ranks ninth in school history with 16 career touchdown receptions, a new NDSU record for tight ends passing the 14 TD catches by Jerimiah Wurzbacher from 2005 to 2008.
 
COX CLIMBING SOLO TACKLE LISTS: Linebacker Jabril Cox enters the FCS championship with 54 solo tackles, five shy of the school single-season record 59 set by safety Colten Heagle in 2014 and tied by linebacker Nick DeLuca in 2015. Cox is tied for fifth in NDSU career history with 155 solo tackles and is NDSU's active career leader with 250 total tackles in 44 games.
 
TUSZKA FIFTH IN CAREER SACKS: Senior defensive end Derrek Tuszka ranks 10th in the FCS averaging 0.89 sacks per game, which is third in the MVFC. Tuszka has recorded sacks in 10 of 14 games played this year. His career total of 28.5 sacks is fifth at NDSU. Tuszka is also eighth in NDSU history with 40.5 career tackles for loss.
 
ELLEFSON NAMED TO GOOD WORKS TEAM: North Dakota State tight end Ben Ellefson was named to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, which recognizes 22 players in college football for outstanding leadership and commitment to giving back in their local communities.
 
HANKEY CoSIDA ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICAN: North Dakota State linebacker Jackson Hankey was voted to the CoSIDA Academic All-America second team with a 4.0 GPA in agricultural economics. Fullback Garrett Malstrom (4.0 master's of business administration) and safety James Kaczor (3.77 manufacturing engineering) made the CoSIDA Academic All-District team.
 
FIVE BISON NAMED TO MVFC ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM: NDSU tight end Ben Ellefson and defensive end Derrek Tuszka were named to the Missouri Valley Football Conference All-Academic first team, and linebacker Jackson Hankey, safety James Kaczor and fullback Garrett Malstrom made the second team. Bison punter Garret Wegner earned honorable mention. Nominees for the all-academic team must be starters or important reserves who have sophomore athletic and academic standing, completed at least one calendar year at their current institution, participate in at least 50 percent of the team's games, and carry a minimum 3.20 cumulative grade-point average.
 
COORDINATORS NAMED TO 35 UNDER 35: North Dakota State offensive coordinator Tyler Roehl and defensive coordinator David Braun were selected to the 2020 class of the American Football Coaches Association's 35 Under 35 Coaches Leadership Institute, a prestigious program aimed at identifying and developing premier, future leaders in the football coaching profession. Selected participants are invited to attend the one-day institute that features a curriculum of interactive lectures focused on topics specifically tailored to emphasize leadership in the coaching profession, ethics, influential responsibilities, career progression, and family balance.
 
ENTZ AFCA REGION 4 COACH OF THE YEAR: First-year NDSU head coach Matt Entz is the American Football Coaches Association FCS Region 4 Coach of the Year and finished second in the national voting for the STATS FCS Eddie Robinson Award, presented annually to the FCS coach of the year. Entz inherited a team that lost 24 seniors and 15 full-time starters.
 
TUSZKA FIFTH IN BUCK BUCHANAN AWARD VOTING: Senior defensive end Derrek Tuszka was fifth in the voting for the STATS FCS Buck Buchanan Award, presented annually to the top defensive player in the Football Championship Subdivision. Tuszka was NDSU's ninth finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, including current linebacker Jabril Cox, who finished fourth in the voting last year, and former defensive end Kyle Emanuel, who was the 2014 winner.
 
LANCE WINS RICE AWARD, FINALIST FOR PAYTON: NDSU quarterback Trey Lance won the STATS FCS Jerry Rice Award as the top freshman player in the FCS. He is also a top-four finalist for the STATS FCS Walter Payton Award, which will be presented to the top offensive player in the FCS on Jan. 10 in Frisco, Texas. Lance was the only freshman finalist for the Walter Payton Award. Quarterback Easton Stick's third place finish in the 2018 Payton Award voting was NDSU's highest finish. Linebacker Jabril Cox finished sixth in the Rice Award voting in 2017.
 
BISON AT HOME: NDSU was 83-6 at home in the 2010-19 decade including a 27-1 mark in the FCS playoffs. The Bison have the longest active home winning streak in Division I at 28 games and NDSU has won 68 of the last 70 home games over non-conference opponents with its last home loss coming in the 2016 semifinals to James Madison. NDSU is 27-4 at home all-time against FCS Top 10 teams. North Dakota State ranked fifth in the FCS with an average attendance of 17,440 over nine home dates in 2019.
 
DECADE LEADER: North Dakota State's 136 wins this decade are more than any other program in college football. NDSU is 127-8 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 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.