THIS WEEK: Top-ranked North Dakota State is on the road for three of its next four contests including this Saturday, Oct. 4, when the Bison (4-0, 1-0 MVFC) take on sixth-ranked Illinois State (3-1, 0-0 MVFC). Game time is set for 6 p.m. at Hancock Stadium (12,440) in Normal, Ill.
 
TELEVISION: This is the Missouri Valley Football Conference Game of the Week with exclusive television coverage 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 5 p.m. including Bison 1660 and 107.9 The Fox in Fargo with Sam Neidermann (play-by-play), Phil Hansen (analyst) and Andy Rieckhoff (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: North Dakota State leads the all-time series 15-2 over Illinois State dating back to 2007. The Bison have won 13 in a row since 2011, including a 42-10 victory in Normal last season. NDSU is 6-1 at Hancock Stadium. This is the second time the Bison and Redbirds have met in a No. 1 vs. No. 6 matchup on Week 6 of the regular season. The other was on October 5, 2019, when the Bison won 37-3 in Normal.
 
LAST WEEK: Illinois State had a bye last week while North Dakota State opened conference play with a 51-13 homecoming victory over then 17th-ranked South Dakota. Quarterback Cole Payton went 14 of 18 passing for 273 yards and two touchdowns while rushing 11 times for 102 yards and one TD. The Bison scored touchdowns on their first five possessions including drives of 77, 90, 95 and 83 yards. NDSU had a 391-99 advantage in total yards by halftime with a 34-3 lead. The Bison held USD to three-and-out on four of its first seven series and linebacker Nathaniel Staehling scored on a 43-yard interception return to thwart the Coyotes' opening drive of the second half.
 
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: North Dakota State had four players earn Missouri Valley Football Conference player of the week awards after the win over South Dakota:
                — QB Cole Payton, Offensive (9/29)...Had 375 yards of total offense and three touchdowns against USD going 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.
                — 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)...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.
                — 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.
 
NATIONAL LEADERS: NDSU quarterback Cole Payton leads the FCS in passing yards per completion (18.47) and per attempt (13.41) and ranks second in passing efficiency (221.4) through his first four starts. Payton is also fifth in completion percentage (.726) and total offense (314.0 ypg). Barika Kpeenu is sixth in the FCS with seven rushing TDs, eighth in total touchdowns (7) and ninth with 10.5 points per game.
 
TEAM RANKINGS: North Dakota State ranks first in passing defense (111.0 ypg) and second in total defense (192.5 ypg) and scoring defense (7.5 ppg) in the latest FCS statistics. The Bison also rank eighth in tackles for loss (7.8/game), fifth in sacks (3.25/game), and second in third-down defense holding opponents to 22 percent (11 of 49). On offense, the Bison are third in total offense (515.3 ypg), fifth in scoring offense (47.3 ppg), sixth in rushing offense (233.8 ypg), ninth in passing offense (281.5 ypg), first in pass efficiency (215.61) and fifth in completion percentage (.713).
 
IT'S EARLY, BUT: North Dakota State is on a record pace offensively averaging 515.3 yards of total offense and 7.93 yards per play through four contests. The 2018 Bison averaged 7.37 yards per play and were fourth in school history with 471.7 yards per game, the most by an NDSU team at the Division I level. The Bison are also on a record pace in the passing game averaging 12.9 yards per attempt and 281.5 yards per game. The 2007 Bison set the record with 228.9 passing yards per game and last year's team was third with 224.2 passing yards per game. NDSU's current .713 completion percentage is second on the school single-season charts behind last year's .718.
 
PAYTON'S YARDS: Quarterback Cole Payton is averaging 11.32 yards per play through four games, more than two yards better than the school record 9.21 set by running back Ty Brooks in 2017. Payton is coming off two of the top five 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)
                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.
 
WATCH LISTS: North Dakota State has three players under consideration for national player of the year awards. Wide receiver Bryce Lance is on the preseason watch list for the Walter Payton Award, presented annually to the FCS offensive player of the year. Defensive end Toby Anene and linebacker 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 center Trent Fraley and kick returner Jackson Williams.
 
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 201-29 all-time record in the Fargodome since 1993, including 35-5 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 was fourth longest in FCS history.