North Dakota State Hosts Northern Iowa in Harvest Bowl Game Saturday

Saturday, November 15

Fargo, N.D.

2:30 p.m.

North Dakota State Athletics

Northern Iowa

Photo by: Tim Sanger

North Dakota State Hosts Northern Iowa in Harvest Bowl Game Saturday

11/11/2025 3:13:00 PM | Football

Tickets Live Stats Live Audio ESPN+NDSU Notes UNI Notes MVFC Notes

THIS WEEK: It's the annual Harvest Bowl game this week when No. 1-ranked North Dakota State (10-0, 7-0 MVFC) hosts Northern Iowa (3-7, 1-5 MVFC) at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15, at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome.

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 weekdays between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Game day ticket sales begin at 9:30 a.m. in the east lobby of the Fargodome.

TELEVISION: Saturday's game will be televised on ABC stations statewide in North Dakota with Dom Izzo (play-by-play), Kyle Emanuel (analyst) and Sam Goetzinger (sideline) handling the call. The broadcast will be available to ESPN+ subscribers on ESPN.com and the ESPN app.

RADIO: Statewide network coverage on all 25 stations across the Pioneer Seeds Bison Sports Network begins at 1:30 p.m. including Bison 1660 and 107.9 The Fox in Fargo with Sam Neidermann (play-by-play), Phil Hansen (analyst) and Noah Gindorff (sideline) describing the action. Streaming is available on GoBison.com/allaccess and the NDSU Athletics mobile app.

WEEKLY SHOWS: Fans are invited to join NDSU head coach Tim Polasek each Thursday night from 6:30 to 8 p.m. for the Bison Football Coaches Show live from Holiday Inn Fargo with host Sam Neidermann and other NDSU coaches and players. The show can be heard on Bison 1660 in Fargo, KSJB-AM 600 in Jamestown, KYCR-AM 1440 in Minneapolis, GoBison.com and the NDSU Athletics mobile app. On television, The Bison Football Show airs statewide each Sunday night at 10:35 p.m. on WDAY (Fargo), WDAZ (Grand Forks), KBMY (Bismarck) and KMCY (Minot).

THE SERIES: This will be the 58th meeting in the all-time series between North Dakota State and Northern Iowa dating back to 1938. NDSU has won 10 straight and leads the series 31-26, including a 13-4 mark as Division I opponents. UNI is 1-8 in the Fargodome with eight straight losses since a 2009 win over NDSU.

HARVEST BOWL: North Dakota State has a 45-2-2 record in the Harvest Bowl game, which was established in 1974. The Bison have won 14 straight including a 59-21 victory over Missouri State last year. Northern Iowa has been the opponent for one other Harvest Bowl, losing 27-19 in 2011.

LAST WEEK: North Dakota State claimed its 12th Missouri Valley Football Conference championship with a 15-10 road win over North Dakota last week. Eli Ozick converted field goals from 24, 38 and 33 yards and NDSU took its first lead with 2:22 left in the game on Cole Payton's 8-yard touchdown run. Donovan Woolen made a career-high 18 tackles to lead the Bison defense, which sealed the win with Anthony Chideme-Alfaro's interception with 11 seconds left. Keenan Wilson and Darius Givance also had interceptions in the second half and Logan Kopp had 4.0 tackles for loss as the Bison held UND 3.5 yards per play on a season-high 81 defensive plays.

CONFERENCE TITLES: NDSU has 12 championships in 18 years of Missouri Valley Football Conference membership winning seven outright titles (2012, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2025) and sharing five (2011, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2024). Overall, the Bison have 39 conference championships counting 26 at the Division II level in the North Central Conference and its first FCS title in 2006 as a member of the Great West Football Conference.

WINNING STREAKS: North Dakota State's 17-game home winning streak is second longest in the FCS behind Villanova's 20 and Rhode Island is third with 13 straight home wins. Overall, NDSU's 14-game winning streak also ranks second among current FCS streaks behind Tennessee Tech's 15 and Lehigh and Montana are third with 10 straight victories each.

REMEMBER NOVEMBER: North Dakota State is 10-0 for the first time since 2019 and the fifth time as a Division I program. While the 2007 Bison were ineligible for the FCS playoffs, the other three teams went on to win national championships in 2013, 2018 and 2019. One of those teams (2014) suffered a November loss but maintained a top-four ranking and No. 2 seed for the FCS playoffs. NDSU is 51-11 in regular-season November games since 2004 including 37-6 since 2011.

COMMITTEE RANKINGS: North Dakota State was No. 1 in both mid-season rankings released by the NCAA Division I Football Committee. The 24-team playoff bracket will be announced on the FCS Selection Show scheduled for 11 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 23, on ESPNU. The top eight seeds will have a bye for the first round of FCS playoffs Saturday, Nov. 29.

ELITE COMPANY: NDSU's Jackson Williams is currently the FCS active career leader and second in NDSU history with an average of 31.07 yards per kickoff return, and is just the sixth player in Bison history with two kickoff return touchdowns joining school record holders Tony Satter (1987-90), Shamen Washington (2004-09), Marcus Williams (2010-13), Bruce Anderson (2015-18) and Christian Watson (2018-21). Jackson Williams has two of NDSU's seven 100-yard kickoff returns.

PASS CATCHERS: Bison wide receiver Bryce Lance is currently sixth on the NDSU career list for receiving touchdowns with 21, the third most in NDSU's Division I history behind school record holder Zach Vraa's 28 TD catches from 2011-15 and RJ Urzendowski, who is tied with TR McDonald for fourth in school history with 22 TD catches from 2014-17. Lance ranks 10th in NDSU history with 115 career receptions and 1,842 receiving yards.

NATIONAL LEADERS: NDSU quarterback Cole Payton leads the FCS in completion percentage (.727) and passing yards per completion (10.99) and per attempt (11.62), ranks second in passing efficiency (185.8), and is ninth in total offense (283.5 ypg). Barika Kpeenu is fifth in the FCS for total touchdowns (15) and points (90) and ranks third in rushing touchdowns (15). Eli Ozick ranks first among FCS kickers in scoring with 85 points and is tied for the Missouri Valley Football Conference lead with 13 field goal conversions.

TEAM RANKINGS: In this week's FCS statistics, North Dakota State ranks first in total defense (242.1 ypg), second in passing defense (142.9 ypg) and scoring defense (11.7 ppg) and eighth in rushing defense (99.2 ypg). Offensively, NDSU is 10th in total offense (454.7 ypg), seventh in scoring (39.6 ppg), sixth in rushing (222.8 ypg), and second in passing completion percentage (.719) and efficiency (184.09). The Bison are fourth in FCS with a plus-12 turnover margin.

RECORD PACE: Quarterback Cole Payton's 9.48 yards per play, 283.5 total offense yards per game, 212.7 passing yards per game, 11.6 yards per pass attempt and 185.8 efficiency rating would all be school single-season records, and his .727 completion percentage would rank second. Payton has three of the top six single-game offensive performances in school history, and his 348 passing yards against Southeast Missouri State were third most in NDSU single-game history.
                NDSU Single-Game Total Offense Yards
                466 - Graig Gorder at Omaha, 11/9/2002 (50 rush, 416 pass)
                455 - Steve Walker at Ball State, 9/23/2006 (4 rush, 451 pass)
                401 - Cole Payton, Southeast Missouri State, 9/13/2025 (53 rush, 348 pass)
                382 - Carson Wentz, Northern Iowa, 10/10/2015 (47 rush, 335 pass)
                380 - Cole Payton, at South Dakota State, 10/25/2025 (137 rush, 243 pass)
                375 - Cole Payton, South Dakota, 9/27/2025 (102 rush, 273 pass)

GOOD WORKS TEAM: Senior linebacker Logan Kopp was one of 22 players in college football named to the 2025 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team. Kopp is the 10th NDSU player named to the team, which recognizes extraordinary commitment to community service. Read more about the team members at ESPN.com/allstate.

NATIONAL AWARDS: North Dakota State was named Stats Perform FCS National Team of the Week following the 38-7 victory over then No. 2-ranked and unbeaten South Dakota State. NDSU punter Aaron Bickerton was named FCS Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance at North Dakota with a season-high five punts for 55.6 yards per punt, the second highest single-game punting average in NDSU's 22-year Division I history.

WATCH LISTS: NDSU has three players under consideration for national player of the year awards. WR Bryce Lance is on the preseason watch list for the Walter Payton Award, presented annually to the FCS offensive player of the year. DE Toby Anene and LB Logan Kopp are on the watch list for the Buck Buchanan Award, presented to the FCS defensive player of the year. Other preseason All-Americans from NDSU are C Trent Fraley and RS Jackson Williams.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: North Dakota State has had seven players earn 10 Missouri Valley Football Conference player of the week awards this season:
                — QB Cole Payton, Offensive (9/29, 10/13, 10/27)...Had 375 yards of total offense and three TDs against South Dakota...Went 14 of 18 passing for 273 yards and two TDs with 11 carries for 102 yards and one score...Picked up six first downs in the run game including one on fourth-and-short and three third down conversions including a 21-yard scramble on third-and-17...Had 291 total yards and three TDs including a 41-yard scramble against Southern Illinois...Picked up eight first downs on 13 of 16 passing for 243 yards...Totaled 380 yards at South Dakota State rushing 17 times for 137 yards and four TDs while going 18 of 23 passing for 243 yards.
                — LB Nathaniel Staehling, Defensive (9/29)...Scored on a 43-yard interception return to end USD's opening drive of the second half, assisted on two tackles for loss and finished with a team-high five tackles.
                — RS Jackson Williams, Special Teams (9/29, 11/3)...Had 107 all-purpose yards including two 21-yard punt returns, a 21-yard kickoff return, a 35-yard pass reception from NDSU's 10 to spark a 90-yard scoring drive in the first quarter, and a 9-yard touchdown run...Scored a 100-yard kickoff return to extend a four-point lead against Youngstown State and finished with 194 all-purpose yards.
                — RG Griffin Empey, Offensive Line (9/29)...Played 66 snaps against USD with no penalties or sacks allowed and had a 94 percent overall grade with three key blocks to help the Bison rush for 274 yards, 5.5 yards per carry and four touchdowns.
                — C Trent Fraley, Offensive Line (10/26)...Played 67 snaps at SDSU with a 91 percent overall grade and three key blocks to help the Bison rush for 257 yards, 5.2 yards per carry and five touchdowns while going 9 of 16 on third down and controlling the ball for more than 38 minutes.
                — LB Donovan Woolen, Defensive (11/10)...Career-high 18 tackles in 15-10 win at UND, the most tackles by a Bison player since 2015...Assisted on one TFL and had a key stop on second-and-goal at the NDSU 1 before UND missed a field goal to end the drive.
                — P Aaron Bickerton, Special Teams (11/10)...Season-high five punts and 278 yards with a long of 64 at UND...Had the second best single-game average (55.6) in NDSU's 22-year Division I history...Also held for three successful field goal conversions before NDSU took its first lead on a touchdown with 2:22 left in the game.

18 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS: North Dakota State has won 18 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, 2019, 2021 and 2024. The Bison lost to the eventual national champion in the 2010 and 2020 quarterfinals and 2016 semifinals.

NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS: North Dakota State is 90-6 against non-conference opponents since the beginning of its first FCS national championship season in 2011. Two losses were to FBS opponents (31-28 at Arizona in 2021 and 31-26 at Colorado in 2024) 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 31-29 double-overtime win in the 2023 FCS semifinals and 38-35 victory in the 2015 FCS Kickoff are NDSU's only other non-conference losses the past 13 years.

BISON AT HOME: The Bison have a 203-29 all-time record in the Fargodome since 1993, including 36-5 against FCS Top 10 ranked teams and 77-1 against FCS non-conference teams with 33 straight wins over non-MVFC teams since 2017. North Dakota State has a 38-1 record in the Fargodome during the NCAA playoffs and has won 20 straight home playoff games since the 2016 semifinal loss to eventual national champion James Madison. NDSU's 32-game home winning streak September 2017 through April 2021 is fifth longest in FCS history.