Saturday, September 12
Colorado Springs, Colo.
9:10 p.m.
North Dakota State
at
Air Force
Photo by: Zachary Lucy
Bison Make Mountain West Debut at Air Force Saturday Night on FS1
9/8/2026 5:10:00 PM | Football
THIS WEEK: North Dakota State (2-0) plays its first Mountain West Conference football game this week when the Bison face Air Force (1-0) at 8:10 p.m. MDT on Saturday, Sept. 12, at Falcon Stadium (39,441) in Colorado Springs, Colo.
TELEVISION: Fox Sports 1 will carry the game with Carlos Jimenez (play-by-play) and Petros Papadakis (analyst) on the call.
RADIO: Statewide network coverage on all 25 stations across the Pioneer Seeds Bison Sports Network begins 1 hour prior to game time including Bison 1660 and 107.9 The Fox in Fargo with Sam Neidermann (play-by-play), Phil Hansen (analyst) and Noah Gindorff (sideline) on the call. Streaming is available on GoBison.com/allaccess and the NDSU Athletics mobile app.
COACHES SHOW: 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. Watch the show on MW+ or listen on Bison 1660 in Fargo, KCJB-AM 910 in Minot, KSJB-AM 600 in Jamestown, KYCR-AM 1440 in Minneapolis, GoBison.com and the NDSU Athletics mobile app.
MW+ STREAMING: Visit GoBison.com/MW+ and subscribe to MW+ to watch live Bison press conferences, weekly episodes of The Bison Football Show, and other featured content and live games from around the Mountain West Conference including NDSU's home game vs. UTEP. Sign up with the code WELCOME15 to save 15% on an annual subscription.
THE SERIES: This is the first football meeting between North Dakota State and Air Force. The Bison were 1-1 against Mountain West opponents as an FCS program with a 16-13 loss at Wyoming in 2008 and a 22-7 win at Colorado State in 2012.
LAST WEEK: NDSU improved to 2-0 with a 38-0 win over FCS opponent Fordham last week. The Bison defense recorded four turnovers including a 37-yard interception return for touchdown by CB Marion Moore, interceptions by LB Keith Williams and S Walker Braaten, and a fumble recovery by DT Logan Larson. LB Gavin Sell made a team-high six tackles and had one of NDSU's three sacks. Nathan Hayes passed for a career-high 210 yards and two touchdowns, DJ Scott rushed 11 times for 60 yards and two scores, and Chris Kiel made four receptions for 50 yards and one TD.
CAREER DAY FOR KIEL: Wide receiver Chris Kiel made his first career start against Fordham and caught all four passes thrown his way, including a leaping 8-yard touchdown over a defender to cap NDSU's 9-play, 80-yard scoring drive in 1:24 at the end of the first half. Kiel had two first downs receiving including a fourth-and-1 catch in the red zone. He entered the Fordham game having only one kickoff return in his first four contests.
STENBROTEN ON THE STOP: NDSU has allowed only 104 net yards rushing through two games including just 19 yards against Fordham last week. Defensive end Matthew Stenbroten made a career-high five tackles against Fordham stopping rushers for gains of 0, 2, 2 and 3 yards and getting a sack and forced fumble for a loss of 17 on third-and-9 to force a punt. Stenbroten also had a quarterback hurry on third-and-8 that led to cornerback Marion Moore's 37-yard pick six.
THE AMERICAN WAY: When it comes to running the football, not many teams do it better than the U.S. service academies. Air Force and its option rushing attack carried the ball 71 times for 431 yards in last week's 34-0 win over FCS opponent Duquesne, and that's only fourth in the FBS rankings this week. Army West Point rushed 57 times for 569 yards in a 59-3 win over FCS member Bryant, and Navy rushed 73 times for 506 yards in a 42-15 win over FCS opponent Towson. Rice University ranks third in the FBS after running 70 times for 465 yards in a 31-3 win over FCS opponent Houston Christian. Last year, Air Force finished third in the FBS averaging 261.4 yards per game on the ground behind Navy (285.6) and Utah (266.3) with Army West Point fourth (254.9).
TURNOVERS: After finishing last year with a plus-18 turnover margin, North Dakota State is already plus-5 through two games including four takeaways last week against Fordham. NDSU leads the FBS in turnovers gained (6) and is tied with Southern Mississippi and Memphis for the national lead in interceptions (4). The Bison have 23 takeaways over their last seven games.
TWO-MINUTE SUCCESS: First-year starting quarterback Nathan Hayes has completed 73 percent of his passes through two games going 32 of 44 with four TDs and one interception. He went 4 of 4 on third down with three conversions last week against Fordham. The Bison executed the two-minute drill before halftime for the second consecutive week going 6 of 6 through the air passing for four first downs on a 9-play, 80-yard scoring drive that needed only 1:24 before Chris Kiel's 8-yard TD catch for a 17-0 lead. Against Jacksonville State, another drive of 1:24 went 88 yards in 8 plays with Hayes connecting on 6 of 7 attempts targeting seven different receivers including a 44-yard TD pass to Jordan McCants for a 17-7 lead.
MIDDLE EIGHT: North Dakota State has been excellent in the "middle eight" minutes under head coach Tim Polasek outscoring opponents 262-53 in the final 4:00 of the first half and first 4:00 of the second half. Most of that scoring has come at the end of the first half, where the Bison have a 179-50 advantage. NDSU has scored in the middle eight in 25 of 31 games since the beginning of the 2024 season.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: NDSU swept all four Old Trapper Mountain West player of the week awards in Week Zero after a 33-7 win over Jacksonville State. Quarterback Nathan Hayes (offense) completed 14 of 22 passes for 160 yards and two touchdowns, linebacker Donovan Woolen (defense) made a game-high 10 tackles, kicker Drew Klein (special teams) scored 15 points with field goals of 34, 44, 42 and 48 yards plus three PAT kicks, and defensive end Blake Schiltz (freshman) recovered a fumble for a touchdown and added a sack in his first collegiate game.
KLEIN'S KICKS: Fifth-year kicker Drew Klein starred in his first game as NDSU's No. 1 placekicker. He booted all seven kickoffs into the end zone with five touchbacks and was the first Bison since Adam Keller in 2014 to make four field goals in a single game. Klein entered the season 3-for-3 on PATs and 1-for-1 on field goals, all in the 2025 season. He redshirted in 2022 and made his Bison debut in 2023 handling 13 kickoffs in four games.
FIRST-TIME STARTERS: NDSU had nine players make their first start in the season-opener against Jacksonville State: QB Nathan Hayes, RB DJ Scott, RT Kene Anene, C Gage Schmidt, DE Matthew Stenbroten, LB Gavin Sell and Ray James Jr., and CB Marion Moore and DJ Voltz. Additionally, it was the second career start for TE Luke Kokat, LT Ryan Babatz and DT Logan Larson. Two more Bison players made their first starts against Fordham last week: WR Chris Kiel and RG Coy Okeson.
PRESEASON PICKS: NDSU return specialist Jackson Williams was named Mountain West Preseason Special Teams Player of the Year and claimed two spots on the preseason team as kick returner and punt returner. Other NDSU selections were offensive lineman Griffin Empey, defensive tackle Keenan Wilson and safety Darius Givance. Additionally, Williams and Empey were named to the HERO Sports G6 Preseason All-America second team and Wilson was third team.
BEDNARIK AWARD: NDSU defensive tackle Keenan Wilson was named to the preseason watch list for the Bednarik Award, presented annually to the most outstanding defensive player in college football since 1994. Wilson was an FCS All-American last year starting all 13 games and posting 8.0 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks.
PAUL HORNUNG AWARD: NDSU return specialist Jackson Williams was named to the preseason watch list for the 17th annual Paul Hornung Award, presented to the most versatile player in major college football. Williams was one of three players in all of Division I last season to have both a kick return touchdown and a punt return touchdown. He totaled 1,106 all-purpose yards.
MAXWELL AWARD: NDSU running back DJ Scott made the preseason watch list for the 90th Maxwell Award, presented annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Scott headlines the Bison backfield this year after rushing for 502 yards and six touchdowns in 2025.
FCS ERA BY THE NUMBERS: North Dakota State competed in the Football Championship Subdivision for 22 seasons from 2004 through 2025, spending the past 18 years in the Missouri Valley Football Conference after four years in the Great West Football Conference while reclassifying from Division II. Here are the final numbers from NDSU's FCS era:
— Overall record: 251-49 (.837)
— Record from 2011-2025: 198-22 (.900)
— 13 conference championships (12 MVFC, 1 GWFC)
— 10 national championships (FCS record)
— 16 consecutive postseason appearances
— 51-6 in playoffs (FCS record for wins)
— 38-2 in playoffs at home
— 39-game winning streak (FCS record)
— 33-game winning streak (2nd in FCS)
— 9-5 record vs. FBS opponents
— 26 weeks of AP Top 25 votes
— 21 NFL draft picks (14 in past 8 years)
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.
CONFERENCE CHAMPS: NDSU won 12 conference championships in 18 years of Missouri Valley Football Conference membership, including the 2024 and 2025 titles. 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.
NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS: North Dakota State is 93-6 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 207-30 all-time record in the Fargodome since 1993, including 36-5 against FCS Top 10 ranked teams and 78-1 against FCS non-conference teams. North Dakota State had a 38-2 record in the Fargodome during the FCS playoffs and the Bison's 32-game home winning streak September 2017 through April 2021 is fifth longest in FCS history.
TELEVISION: Fox Sports 1 will carry the game with Carlos Jimenez (play-by-play) and Petros Papadakis (analyst) on the call.
RADIO: Statewide network coverage on all 25 stations across the Pioneer Seeds Bison Sports Network begins 1 hour prior to game time including Bison 1660 and 107.9 The Fox in Fargo with Sam Neidermann (play-by-play), Phil Hansen (analyst) and Noah Gindorff (sideline) on the call. Streaming is available on GoBison.com/allaccess and the NDSU Athletics mobile app.
COACHES SHOW: 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. Watch the show on MW+ or listen on Bison 1660 in Fargo, KCJB-AM 910 in Minot, KSJB-AM 600 in Jamestown, KYCR-AM 1440 in Minneapolis, GoBison.com and the NDSU Athletics mobile app.
MW+ STREAMING: Visit GoBison.com/MW+ and subscribe to MW+ to watch live Bison press conferences, weekly episodes of The Bison Football Show, and other featured content and live games from around the Mountain West Conference including NDSU's home game vs. UTEP. Sign up with the code WELCOME15 to save 15% on an annual subscription.
THE SERIES: This is the first football meeting between North Dakota State and Air Force. The Bison were 1-1 against Mountain West opponents as an FCS program with a 16-13 loss at Wyoming in 2008 and a 22-7 win at Colorado State in 2012.
LAST WEEK: NDSU improved to 2-0 with a 38-0 win over FCS opponent Fordham last week. The Bison defense recorded four turnovers including a 37-yard interception return for touchdown by CB Marion Moore, interceptions by LB Keith Williams and S Walker Braaten, and a fumble recovery by DT Logan Larson. LB Gavin Sell made a team-high six tackles and had one of NDSU's three sacks. Nathan Hayes passed for a career-high 210 yards and two touchdowns, DJ Scott rushed 11 times for 60 yards and two scores, and Chris Kiel made four receptions for 50 yards and one TD.
CAREER DAY FOR KIEL: Wide receiver Chris Kiel made his first career start against Fordham and caught all four passes thrown his way, including a leaping 8-yard touchdown over a defender to cap NDSU's 9-play, 80-yard scoring drive in 1:24 at the end of the first half. Kiel had two first downs receiving including a fourth-and-1 catch in the red zone. He entered the Fordham game having only one kickoff return in his first four contests.
STENBROTEN ON THE STOP: NDSU has allowed only 104 net yards rushing through two games including just 19 yards against Fordham last week. Defensive end Matthew Stenbroten made a career-high five tackles against Fordham stopping rushers for gains of 0, 2, 2 and 3 yards and getting a sack and forced fumble for a loss of 17 on third-and-9 to force a punt. Stenbroten also had a quarterback hurry on third-and-8 that led to cornerback Marion Moore's 37-yard pick six.
THE AMERICAN WAY: When it comes to running the football, not many teams do it better than the U.S. service academies. Air Force and its option rushing attack carried the ball 71 times for 431 yards in last week's 34-0 win over FCS opponent Duquesne, and that's only fourth in the FBS rankings this week. Army West Point rushed 57 times for 569 yards in a 59-3 win over FCS member Bryant, and Navy rushed 73 times for 506 yards in a 42-15 win over FCS opponent Towson. Rice University ranks third in the FBS after running 70 times for 465 yards in a 31-3 win over FCS opponent Houston Christian. Last year, Air Force finished third in the FBS averaging 261.4 yards per game on the ground behind Navy (285.6) and Utah (266.3) with Army West Point fourth (254.9).
TURNOVERS: After finishing last year with a plus-18 turnover margin, North Dakota State is already plus-5 through two games including four takeaways last week against Fordham. NDSU leads the FBS in turnovers gained (6) and is tied with Southern Mississippi and Memphis for the national lead in interceptions (4). The Bison have 23 takeaways over their last seven games.
TWO-MINUTE SUCCESS: First-year starting quarterback Nathan Hayes has completed 73 percent of his passes through two games going 32 of 44 with four TDs and one interception. He went 4 of 4 on third down with three conversions last week against Fordham. The Bison executed the two-minute drill before halftime for the second consecutive week going 6 of 6 through the air passing for four first downs on a 9-play, 80-yard scoring drive that needed only 1:24 before Chris Kiel's 8-yard TD catch for a 17-0 lead. Against Jacksonville State, another drive of 1:24 went 88 yards in 8 plays with Hayes connecting on 6 of 7 attempts targeting seven different receivers including a 44-yard TD pass to Jordan McCants for a 17-7 lead.
MIDDLE EIGHT: North Dakota State has been excellent in the "middle eight" minutes under head coach Tim Polasek outscoring opponents 262-53 in the final 4:00 of the first half and first 4:00 of the second half. Most of that scoring has come at the end of the first half, where the Bison have a 179-50 advantage. NDSU has scored in the middle eight in 25 of 31 games since the beginning of the 2024 season.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: NDSU swept all four Old Trapper Mountain West player of the week awards in Week Zero after a 33-7 win over Jacksonville State. Quarterback Nathan Hayes (offense) completed 14 of 22 passes for 160 yards and two touchdowns, linebacker Donovan Woolen (defense) made a game-high 10 tackles, kicker Drew Klein (special teams) scored 15 points with field goals of 34, 44, 42 and 48 yards plus three PAT kicks, and defensive end Blake Schiltz (freshman) recovered a fumble for a touchdown and added a sack in his first collegiate game.
KLEIN'S KICKS: Fifth-year kicker Drew Klein starred in his first game as NDSU's No. 1 placekicker. He booted all seven kickoffs into the end zone with five touchbacks and was the first Bison since Adam Keller in 2014 to make four field goals in a single game. Klein entered the season 3-for-3 on PATs and 1-for-1 on field goals, all in the 2025 season. He redshirted in 2022 and made his Bison debut in 2023 handling 13 kickoffs in four games.
FIRST-TIME STARTERS: NDSU had nine players make their first start in the season-opener against Jacksonville State: QB Nathan Hayes, RB DJ Scott, RT Kene Anene, C Gage Schmidt, DE Matthew Stenbroten, LB Gavin Sell and Ray James Jr., and CB Marion Moore and DJ Voltz. Additionally, it was the second career start for TE Luke Kokat, LT Ryan Babatz and DT Logan Larson. Two more Bison players made their first starts against Fordham last week: WR Chris Kiel and RG Coy Okeson.
PRESEASON PICKS: NDSU return specialist Jackson Williams was named Mountain West Preseason Special Teams Player of the Year and claimed two spots on the preseason team as kick returner and punt returner. Other NDSU selections were offensive lineman Griffin Empey, defensive tackle Keenan Wilson and safety Darius Givance. Additionally, Williams and Empey were named to the HERO Sports G6 Preseason All-America second team and Wilson was third team.
BEDNARIK AWARD: NDSU defensive tackle Keenan Wilson was named to the preseason watch list for the Bednarik Award, presented annually to the most outstanding defensive player in college football since 1994. Wilson was an FCS All-American last year starting all 13 games and posting 8.0 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks.
PAUL HORNUNG AWARD: NDSU return specialist Jackson Williams was named to the preseason watch list for the 17th annual Paul Hornung Award, presented to the most versatile player in major college football. Williams was one of three players in all of Division I last season to have both a kick return touchdown and a punt return touchdown. He totaled 1,106 all-purpose yards.
MAXWELL AWARD: NDSU running back DJ Scott made the preseason watch list for the 90th Maxwell Award, presented annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Scott headlines the Bison backfield this year after rushing for 502 yards and six touchdowns in 2025.
FCS ERA BY THE NUMBERS: North Dakota State competed in the Football Championship Subdivision for 22 seasons from 2004 through 2025, spending the past 18 years in the Missouri Valley Football Conference after four years in the Great West Football Conference while reclassifying from Division II. Here are the final numbers from NDSU's FCS era:
— Overall record: 251-49 (.837)
— Record from 2011-2025: 198-22 (.900)
— 13 conference championships (12 MVFC, 1 GWFC)
— 10 national championships (FCS record)
— 16 consecutive postseason appearances
— 51-6 in playoffs (FCS record for wins)
— 38-2 in playoffs at home
— 39-game winning streak (FCS record)
— 33-game winning streak (2nd in FCS)
— 9-5 record vs. FBS opponents
— 26 weeks of AP Top 25 votes
— 21 NFL draft picks (14 in past 8 years)
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.
CONFERENCE CHAMPS: NDSU won 12 conference championships in 18 years of Missouri Valley Football Conference membership, including the 2024 and 2025 titles. 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.
NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS: North Dakota State is 93-6 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 207-30 all-time record in the Fargodome since 1993, including 36-5 against FCS Top 10 ranked teams and 78-1 against FCS non-conference teams. North Dakota State had a 38-2 record in the Fargodome during the FCS playoffs and the Bison's 32-game home winning streak September 2017 through April 2021 is fifth longest in FCS history.
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