THIS WEEK: The North Dakota State football team returns to action this week when the Bison (1-0) host the Valparaiso Beacons (0-1) from the Pioneer Football League. Game time is 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 11, at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome (18,700).
 
TICKETS: Tickets for NDSU home games are available online at GoBison.com/tickets or by calling the Bison Ticket Office in the south lobby of the Sanford Health Athletic Complex at (701) 231-6378 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Game day ticket sales at the Fargodome begin 5 hours prior to kickoff.
 
FULL CAPACITY: There are no seating capacity restrictions for the 2021 NDSU football season at the Fargodome. Masks are optional for fans, and proof of vaccination is not required. Stadium doors will open 90 minutes prior to game time.
 
TAILGATING: Reserved tailgating lots open 5 1/2 hours prior to game time in Fargodome lots E, F and G. Non-reserved tailgating opens 5 hours prior to game time in NDSU lot NQ west of the Fargodome. Non-reserved tailgating is $5 per spot with minimum of two and maximum of four spots. Alcohol is allowed in Fargodome lots E, F and G, and NDSU lot NQ. Consumption and possession of alcohol is prohibited in Fargodome lots A, AA, B, C, D, and all other NDSU lots.
 
PROGRAMS: The new Bison football yearbook will be available for sale at the NDSU Bookstore location inside the Fargodome while supply lasts. A digital game day program will be available free of charge each game through GoBison.com/publications and the NDSU Athletics mobile app. Free roster cards will be available for pickup inside stadium entrances each game day.
 
TELEVISION: The statewide ABC network of WDAY (Fargo), WDAZ (Grand Forks), KBMY (Bismarck/Dickinson) and KMCY (Minot/Williston) will have live coverage beginning at 2:30 p.m. with Dom Izzo calling the play-by-play, Kyle Emanuel as color analyst, and Logan Campbell reporting. The broadcast will also be available to ESPN+ subscribers on ESPN.com and the ESPN app.
 
RADIO: Coverage begins at 1:30 p.m. on the Peterson Farms Seed Bison Radio Network including 107.9 The Fox in Fargo with Jeff Culhane (play-by-play), Phil Hansen (analyst) and Cole Jirik (sideline). Extended coverage locally on Bison 1660 and 92.7 FM includes "Bison Tailgate" from 10:30-11:30, "Bison Game Day" from 11:30-1:30 and the "Bison Hotline" call-in show following the network broadcast.
 
ONLINE: Free audio streaming of all NDSU football games and is available on NDSU All Access through GoBison.com/allaccess and the NDSU Athletics mobile app. Live in-game statistics will be available on BisonStats.com. Follow along with in-game updates on Twitter @NDSUfootball.
 
THE SERIES: This is the second meeting between North Dakota State and Valparaiso. NDSU's first Division I game in 2004 was a 52-0 Bison win over Valpo at the Fargodome. Kyle Steffes ran for 175 yards and four touchdowns, starting quarterback Tony Stauss went 8 of 17 passing for 112 yards and two touchdowns to wide receivers Travis White and Marques Johnson, and tight end AJ Cooper caught a TD pass from backup QB Steve Walker. Five different players recorded sacks and defensive end Alvin Robinson led the Bison with 10 total tackles.
 
CONFERENCE MATCHUPS: NDSU is 4-0 against Pioneer Football League opponents, including the 2004 home win over Valparaiso, two NCAA playoff victories over San Diego in 2016 and 2017, and the 2019 season opener against Butler at Target Field in Minneapolis. Valparaiso is 0-6 against Missouri Valley Football Conference opponents Youngstown State (0-3), Western Illinois (0-2) and Illinois State (0-1). The MVFC is 45-3 against the Pioneer Football League including Illinois State's 49-7 win over Butler last week.
 
THE INAUGURAL SEASON: This week's game is a rematch of NDSU's first game as a Division I program in 2004. The Bison won that contest 52-0 before a crowd of 18,665 at the Fargodome, which at the time was a home-opener record and fifth largest home crowd on record. NDSU went 8-3 in that inaugural Division I season, but was ineligible for postseason play until 2008 due to NCAA reclassification rules. The Bison won 25-7 at No. 20/21 UC Davis in the regular-season finale to crack the FCS national rankings for the first time and finished the year ranked No. 23.
 
MORE HISTORY: Saturday will be the 20th anniversary of 9/11, which impacted the sporting world with widespread cancellations. North Dakota State, still a Division II program in 2001 at the time of the attacks, was 2-0 on the season and scheduled to host FCS opponent Maine at the Fargodome on Sept. 15. The game was not made up, and the Bison resumed play the following Saturday, Sept. 22, with a 27-3 North Central Conference win at Augustana.
 
BISON TOP ALBANY 28-6 IN OPENER: North Dakota State won its sixth straight season opener and 23rd straight home opener 28-6 over Albany last week. Dominic Gonnella rushed for 135 yards and two touchdowns, including a 75-yard TD on the first play of the second half. The Bison scored 21 points off three Albany turnovers, outgained Albany 259-22 in rushing yards, and sacked quarterback Jeff Undercuffler three times while holding Colonial Athletic Association leading rusher Karl Mofor to 21 yards on 11 carries.
 
FORCING TURNOVERS: North Dakota State forced three turnovers against Albany, which was the most by a Bison opponent in 16 games since Western Illinois committed four turnovers in a 57-21 Bison win at the Fargodome in 2019. Safety Dawson Weber notched his second career interception, cornerback Destin Talbert made his first interception, and linebacker Jackson Hankey recorded his first forced fumble and fumble recovery.
 
JOHNSON TOPS 1,000-YARD MARK: Junior running back Kobe Johnson, NDSU's active leading rusher, surpassed 1,000 career rushing yards in the season-opener against Albany carrying 11 times for 77 yards in the win. Johnson is averaging 6.4 yards per carry over his 21-game career with a career-long 75 yard TD run at Youngstown State. He had a career-high 114 yards on 16 carries in last February's home win over Youngstown State.
 
BISON PICKED SECOND: North Dakota State was picked to finish second in the Missouri Valley Football Conference behind South Dakota State in a preseason poll of the league's media, head coaches and sports information directors. SDSU had 24 first-place votes and NDSU had 18. North Dakota was picked third, Southern Illinois fourth and Northern Iowa fifth with one first-place vote.
 
PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE: The Bison took 10 spots on the Preseason All-MVFC team highlighted by senior wide receiver Christian Watson, who was named to the first team as a wide receiver and return specialist. Six other NDSU first team picks included fullback Hunter Luepke, offensive linemen Cordell Volson and Cody Mauch, defensive end Spencer Waege, linebacker James Kaczor and safety Michael Tutsie. Bison tight end Noah Gindorff and defensive tackle Eli Mostaert were named to the preseason second team. Tight end Josh Babicz was honorable mention.
 
PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS: NDSU has seven preseason All-Americans including fullback Hunter Luepke and offensive lineman Cordell Volson, who were both named to the Stats Perform and HERO Sports first teams. Christian Watson was listed as first team kick returner by Stats Perform, and second team returner and third team wide receiver by HERO Sports. Tight end Noah Gindorff was second team by HERO Sports and Stats Perform. Defensive end Spencer Waege and linebacker James Kaczor were second team picks by Stats Perform, and safety Michael Tutsie was a third team selection by HERO Sports.
 
SENIOR BOWL WATCH LIST: NDSU wide receiver Christian Watson and offensive lineman Cordell Volson were named to the preseason watch list for the Reese's Senior Bowl, the nation's most prestigious college all-star game. NDSU has had 10 Senior Bowl participants and seven in the past eight years including 2021 offensive lineman Dillon Radunz and linebacker Jabril Cox.
 
BUTKUS AWARD WATCH LIST: Bison linebacker Jackson Hankey was on the preseason watch list for the Butkus Award, presented annually to the top linebacker in college football. Hankey was the only nominee from the Football Championship Subdivision and one of only five mid-major players on the list. Former NDSU linebacker Nick DeLuca was named to the preseason watch list in 2016.
 
16-TIME NATIONAL CHAMPIONS: North Dakota State has won 16 football national championships. 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, 2018 and 2019.
 
BISON AT HOME: The Bison have a 168-27 record in the Fargodome, 29-5 at home against FCS Top 10 ranked teams, and winners of 71 of the last 73 home games over non-conference opponents. North Dakota State has a 28-1 record in the Fargodome during the NCAA playoffs since 2010 with the only loss coming to eventual national champion James Madison in the 2016 semifinals. NDSU's 32-game home winning streak in the Fargodome from September 2017 through April 2021 was the fourth longest in NCAA FCS history. The Bison have gone unbeaten at home in 12 of 28 seasons played in the Fargodome.
 
BISON RETURNING TO TWIN CITIES: North Dakota State will host Eastern Washington on the opening weekend of the 2023 season at U.S. Bank Stadium, home of the Minnesota Vikings. NDSU drew a crowd of 34,544 fans to the 2019 season opener against Butler at Target Field, home of the Minnesota Twins.
 
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's first three FBS wins were against Ball State (2006), Central Michigan (2007) and Minnesota (2007). North Dakota State has three future FBS games against Arizona (2022), Colorado (2024) and Oregon (2028).