THIS WEEK: No. 2-ranked North Dakota State (3-0, 0-0 MVFC) opens Missouri Valley Football Conference play this week hosting South Dakota (2-1, 0-0 MVFC) in the annual homecoming game scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30, at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome (18,700).
 
TELEVISION: The statewide ABC network of WDAY (Fargo), WDAZ (Grand Forks), KBMY (Bismarck/Dickinson) and KMCY (Minot/Williston) will have live coverage beginning at 12:50 p.m. with Dom Izzo (play-by-play), Kyle Emanuel (analyst) and Logan Campbell (sideline). The broadcast will be available to ESPN+ subscribers on ESPN.com and the ESPN app.
 
RADIO: Statewide network coverage begins at 12 p.m. on the Pioneer Seeds Bison Sports Network including Bison 1660 and 107.9 The Fox in Fargo with Sam Neidermann (play-by-play), Phil Hansen (analyst) and James Hendricks (sideline). The network broadcast includes 1-hour pregame and 30-minute postgame shows. Streaming is available on GoBison.com/allaccess and the NDSU Athletics mobile app.
 
TICKETS: Tickets may be purchased 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. Game day ticket sales at the Fargodome begin 5 hours prior to kickoff.
 
THE SERIES: This is the 87th meeting between North Dakota State and South Dakota dating back to 1903. NDSU leads the all-time series 58-26-2 including a 10-1 advantage as Division I opponents. The Bison have won six straight since USD's 24-21 win in Fargo on Oct. 17, 2015.
 
HOMECOMING: NDSU has a 59-37-3 record in 99 previous homecoming games dating back 102 years to 1921. The Bison have won 11 straight on homecoming since back-to-back losses against Illinois State (27-24) in 2009 and Western Illinois (28-16) in 2010. South Dakota is the homecoming opponent for the first time since 1993, NDSU's first season in the Fargodome. The Coyotes are 0-4 in NDSU homecoming games.
 
CONFERENCE OPENERS: North Dakota State begins its 16th season in the Missouri Valley Football Conference with a 12-3 record in conference opening games and 12 straight wins including a 34-17 win at South Dakota last year. This is the sixth time in 16 seasons that NDSU will open conference play at home.
 
FIRST FULL WEEK: This is the first full week of league play in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, but one game is already on the books. Illinois State won 34-18 at Western Illinois in a Week 2 game. The Redbirds and Leathernecks both played non-conference games last week and have a bye this week. New league member Murray State makes its MVFC debut on Saturday night hosting Indiana State.
 
AFTER THE OPEN WEEK: North Dakota State had won 39 straight games after open weeks in the regular season and postseason prior to last January's loss to South Dakota State in the national championship game. NDSU still hasn't lost after a regular-season bye week since October 22, 2005, when UC Davis beat the Bison 20-14 in Fargo.
 
HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES: Wide receiver and return specialist Tim Strehlow (1996-1999), safety Jared Essler (2001-2004) and the 1983 NCAA Division II national championship football team will be inducted with the 51st class of the Bison Athletic Hall of Fame at a luncheon Friday at the Sanford Health Athletic Complex. The honorees will also be recognized at halftime of Saturday's football game at the Fargodome.
        Strehlow was a 1999 first team All-America all-purpose player and two-time All-North Central Conference wide receiver in 1998 and 1999. He graduated as NDSU's all-time leader in touchdown receptions (26), punt returns (58) and punt return yards (602) while finishing second in career receptions (121) and receiving yards (2,332).
        Essler, also a six-time track and field All-American and eight-time NCC champion, was a captain on the first Division I Bison football team in 2004 and led the 2002 team with 73 total tackles. He played in 42 career games with 197 tackles and 22 passes defended including nine interceptions.
        The 1983 Bison won the program's fourth national title and the first decided on-the-field through the NCAA playoffs. North Dakota State won the North Central Conference with an 8-1 record and finished 12-1 overall beating Towson and UC Davis in the playoffs before a 41-21 victory over Central State (Ohio) in the Palm Bowl national championship game in McAllen, Texas. The team had nine future Bison Hall of Famers.
        Other inductees in the 51st class include 2003 national champion 157-pound wrestler Paul Carlson (2000-2004), All-America outfielder Jess (Christensen) Hodgson (2000-2003) from the 2000 Division II national championship team, two-time Academic All-American and three-time All-NCC volleyball middle hitter Jeni (Jost) Gunderson (1992-1995), 16-time All-America sprinter and 4x400 relay national champion Tamara Brudy (1998-2002) from the 2002 Division II indoor national title team, and seven-time All-America sprinter and jumper Lisa Kresky-Griffin (1993-1996).
 
MILLER LEADS ALL PASSERS: Quarterback Cam Miller is the NCAA all-divisions leader with an 80.6 completion percentage through three games. Miller was 18-for-19 against Central Arkansas and his 94.7 completion rate was an NDSU single-game record for passers with more than 10 attempts. Miller completed his last 17 passes, the third-most consecutive completions by an NDSU passer behind Brock Jensen, who had 21 straight against Kansas State (14) and Ferris State (7) in 2013 and 19 straight against Southern Illinois (4) and Missouri State (15) in 2011. Miller also ranks sixth in the FCS in points responsible for (18.0/game) and seventh in passing efficiency (170.5), and he is the conference co-leader in total touchdowns and rushing touchdowns with five.
 
CAREER DAY FOR GREEN: Wide receiver and kick returner Eli Green had a career day with 171 all-purpose yards in the 49-31 win over Central Arkansas. Green averaged 22.7 yards per kick return with 68 yards on the first three returns of his career. His returns of 18, 29 and 21 yards sparked three touchdown drives for NDSU. Green also had a career-high four receptions and 86 yards with all four catches going for first downs including a long of 35 yards.
 
MULTIPLE TARGETS: NDSU has 17 players with at least one pass reception through the first three games of the season led by Zach Mathis with 11 catches and Eli Green and Joe Stoffel with eight apiece. Last year's team also had 17 players with at least one catch, but the Bison didn't reach that mark until Game 6 when TaMerik Williams caught an 8-yard pass at Indiana State on Oct. 8. NDSU completed passes to eight different receivers and targeted 11 players against Eastern Washington, connected with nine of 11 targets against Maine, and all 11 players targeted against Central Arkansas made at least one catch.
 
CROSA CONNECTS: Bison kicker Griffin Crosa has made 106 consecutive PATs dating back to 2019. He is fifth all-time at NDSU in PATs made and sixth in attempts (150-for-151) and his career PAT percentage of 99.3 is second in school history behind Jake Reinholz, who was 87-for-87 from 2018 to 2021. Crosa is seventh all-time at NDSU with 26 field goals made and ranks first with an 83.9 career field goal percentage (26-for-31).
 
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: North Dakota State has had three players earn Missouri Valley Football Conference Player of the Week honors in 2023:
        – Cole Wisniewski, Defense (9/4)...Game- and career-high 11 tackles with his first career interception and one pass breakup against Eastern Washington in his first game at strong safety.
        – Kaedin Steindorf, Special Teams (9/4)...Averaged 47.2 yards per punt with three inside the 20 (two inside the 10) and held for five PAT conversions against Eastern Washington.
        – Griffin Crosa, Special Teams (9/11)...Converted field goals from 27, 40 and 31 yards to stake the Bison to a 9-0 lead and added five extra-point kicks in the 44-7 win over Maine.
 
HOME SWEET HOME: North Dakota State will not play a true road game until next Saturday, Oct. 7, at Missouri State, which will be the latest date for a first road game since 1961 when the Bison lost 7-6 at Morningside on Oct. 7.
 
SUNDELL ON SENIOR BOWL LIST: North Dakota State left tackle Jalen Sundell was named to the preseason watch list for the Reese's Senior Bowl, widely regarded as the top college football all-star game. Sundell the past three seasons has been NDSU's starting center, a position he hadn't played prior to the 2020-21 season. The Bison have had 12 players selected to the Senior Bowl, including left tackle Cody Mauch last year.
 
WATCH LISTS: NDSU has three players on watch lists for national player of the year awards. Running back TaMerik Williams is on the preseason list for the Walter Payton Award, presented to the FCS offensive player of the year. Defensive tackle Eli Mostaert is on the preseason list for the Buck Buchanan Award, presented to the FCS defensive player of the year. Punter Kaedin Steindorf is on the list for FCS Punter of the Year.
 
PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS: NDSU defensive tackle Eli Mostaert, long snapper Hunter Brozio, offensive lineman Jalen Sundell and running back TaMerik Williams were named to the Stats Perform FCS Preseason All-America Team. Mostaert was also named to the HERO Sports All-FCS preseason team, and Mostaert and Sundell made Phil Steele's FCS Preseason All-America Team.
 
BISON PICKED NO. 2: North Dakota State was picked to finish second in the Missouri Valley Football Conference behind defending national champion South Dakota State. NDSU took 14 spots on the MVFC preseason team, including four first-team picks in FB Hunter Brozio, OL Jalen Sundell, DL Eli Mostaert and RS Jayden Price. Second team picks were RB TaMerik Williams, TE Joe Stoffel, OL Jake Kubas and Brandon Westberg, DL Will Mostaert, LB Cole Wisniewski, CB Jayden Price and K Griffin Crosa. WR Zach Mathis and LB Nick Kubitz were honorable mention.
 
NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS: North Dakota State is 79-4 against non-conference opponents since the beginning of its first FCS national championship season in 2011. One loss was to a Pac-12 opponent (31-28 at Arizona in 2021) and two were in the playoffs to the eventual national champion (27-17 to James Madison in 2016 and 24-20 at Sam Houston State in 2020-21). Montana's 38-35 home win in the 2015 FCS Kickoff is NDSU's only other non-conference loss the past 12 years.
 
BISON AT HOME: The Bison have a 186-28 record in the Fargodome, 33-6 at home against FCS Top 10 ranked teams, and winners of 81 of the last 83 home games over non-conference opponents. North Dakota State has a 34-1 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 September 2017 through April 2021 was fourth longest in FCS history.