THIS WEEK: The No. 1-ranked North Dakota State football team returns home this week when the Bison (9-1, 6-0 MVFC) host the 14th-ranked Missouri State Bears (8-2, 6-0 MVFC) in the annual Harvest Bowl game at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16, at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome (18,700). The winner will take over sole possession of first place in the league and clinch at least a share of the Missouri Valley Football Conference championship.
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.
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). Streaming is available on GoBison.com/allaccess and the NDSU Athletics mobile app.
WEEKLY SHOWS: Fans are invited to join the 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).
HARVEST BOWL: This is the 49th game in 52 years of the Harvest Bowl, an agriculture recognition program started at NDSU in 1973. The Bison are 44-2-2 in the Harvest Bowl and have won 13 straight including last year’s 34-10 victory over Southern Illinois. This is Missouri State’s second appearance as the Harvest Bowl opponent. The Bears’ only win in Fargo came in the 2009 Harvest Bowl, 21-17.
THE SERIES: North Dakota State has won 12 straight against Missouri State to take a 13-2 lead in the all-time series dating back to 2008. The Bears are 1-6 in Fargo. This is the final scheduled meeting between the two teams. Missouri State is leaving the Missouri Valley Football Conference to begin FBS play in 2025 as a member of Conference USA.
LAST YEAR: North Dakota State racked up 534 yards of total offense and forced four turnovers to beat Missouri State 38-10 in Springfield last year. Zach Mathis had six receptions for a career-high 160 yards and two touchdowns, and Cam Miller finished 16 of 20 passing for 256 yards plus one rushing touchdown. The Bison built a 28-7 halftime lead with 351 total yards at intermission. Linebacker Logan Kopp had nine tackles, two of NDSU’s 11 pass breakups, a forced fumble and a recovery, and linebacker Julian Wlodarczyk made a team-high 10 stops.
TITLE CHASE: Tied atop the league standings with 6-0 records, Saturday’s winner between North Dakota State and Missouri State will claim at least a share of the Missouri Valley Football Conference championship. NDSU has won 10 MVFC titles with its last coming in 2021. Missouri State has won the league three times, most recently in the spring 2020-21 season in a three-way tie with South Dakota State and North Dakota. The Bears’ other titles came in fall of 1989 and 1990.
RARE MATCHUP: This is only the second time two Missouri Valley Football Conference teams with 6-0 league records have met. The first was Nov. 7, 2009, when Southern Illinois beat South Dakota State 34-15 in Brookings to claim the league’s automatic qualifier for the FCS playoffs.
LUCKY SEVEN: Saturday’s game guarantees either North Dakota State or Missouri State will be 7-0 in league play. Seven MVFC teams have started 7-0 and each of those teams won the league with an unbeaten record (SIU 7-0 in 2004 and 8-0 in 2009; NDSU 8-0 in 2013, 2018 and 2019; SDSU 8-0 in 2022 and 2023).
SENIOR DAY: Prior to Saturday’s game, NDSU will introduce at least 23 seniors playing in their final regular-season game with the Bison. Four additional seniors – DT Bryce Friday, C Hayden Johnston, WR/RS RaJa Nelson and S Cole Wisniewski – have an extra year of eligibility available due to the impact of COVID-19 on the 2020-21 season. Nelson and Wisniewski may return in 2025 only if they redshirt in 2024 by playing in four or less regular-season games.
LAST WEEK: North Dakota State had a bye last week after extending its winning streak to nine games with a 42-19 home victory over Northern Iowa on Nov. 2. TK Marshall returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, CharMar Brown had his third 100-yard rushing game with 18 carries for 124 yards and one score, and Cam Miller finished 17 of 20 passing for 216 yards and two TDs. NDSU opened a 35-3 lead in the third quarter.
LATE BYE: This is only the fifth time in 17 seasons NDSU has begun Missouri Valley Football Conference play without an off week. The Nov. 9 bye in NDSU’s conference schedule was Week 11 of the regular-season. It was the latest off week for the Bison since 2008 when the Bison had a Nov. 8 bye in Week 11, which was the second of two open weeks in NDSU’s 2008 conference schedule.
TOP 10 REVEAL: North Dakota State was ranked No. 1 in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Committee’s initial rankings announced Oct. 30. The 24-team playoff bracket with 10 automatic qualifiers and 14 at-large selections will be unveiled on the FCS Selection Show at 11:30 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 24, on ESPNU.
TURNOVERS: NDSU has committed the fewest turnovers in FCS this year (two) with one fumble and one interception. The FCS leader in turnover margin last season at plus-17, NDSU currently leads the FCS at plus-16. The best two seasons in turnover margin for the Bison at the Division I level were plus-19 during the 2017 and 2018 national championship seasons. NDSU scored its first defensive touchdown of the year at Murray State on Enock Sibomana‘s 34-yard interception.
LEAGUE LEADER: North Dakota State wide receiver Bryce Lance at Murray State became the first NDSU player since Kole Heckendorf in 2008 to catch three touchdown passes in a single game. That included a career-long 74-yard reception from Cam Miller. Lance is tied for the Missouri Valley Football Conference lead with nine touchdown catches, the most by an NDSU player since Darrius Shepherd‘s nine in 2018.
RICE CANDIDATE: North Dakota State’s CharMar Brown was named to the initial watch list for the Jerry Rice Award, presented annually to the top freshman player in the FCS. Brown ranks fourth in the Missouri Valley Football Conference with 11 rushing touchdowns and a team-high 798 rushing yards, the most yards by an FCS freshman and third most in Division I this year. Brown is averaging 5.1 yards per carry and has lost only nine yards in 156 attempts. He had three TDs in each of the wins over Towson and Murray State.
Most Rushing Yards, Division I Freshmen
915 – Ahmad Hardy, Louisiana-Monroe
800 – Isaac Brown, Louisville
798 – CharMar Brown, North Dakota State
699 – David Avit, Villanova
697 – Adam Jones, Montana State
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: North Dakota State has had seven players earn 12 Missouri Valley Football Conference player of the week awards this season.
— Cam Miller, Offense (9/2, 10/7)…Had 358 yards of total offense and three TDs at Colorado including a career-high 277 yards on 18 of 22 passing…Also carried 16 times for 81 yards with a 20-yard TD that pulled NDSU within five points with 2:19 to play…Had 207 total yards and three TDs against North Dakota, leading the Bison to points on six of their first seven drives.
— CharMar Brown, Newcomer (9/23, 9/30, 10/28, 11/4)…Rushed 24 times for 126 yards and three TDs in the win over Towson, including 41 yards on five straight carries in the fourth quarter as NDSU scored to make it a two-possession game…Ran for 100 yards on 17 carries at Illinois State the following week…Had 97 yards on 13 carries with 3 TDs at Murray State…Rushed for 124 yards and one TD on 18 carries against Northern Iowa.
—Jackson Williams, Special Teams (9/23)…Game-high 169 all-purpose yards in the win over Towson, including a 67-yard touchdown on his first collegiate punt return…Also averaged 21.3 yards on four kickoff returns.
—Eli Mostaert, Defense (9/30)…Had two of NDSU’s five sacks in the win at Illinois State, helping limit the Redbirds to eight net rushing yards and 4 of 12 on third down.
—Grey Zabel, Offensive Line (10/7, 11/4)…Graded 94% with zero sacks, hurries or TFLs allowed as the Bison rushed for 208 yards, converted 11 of 16 third downs and held the ball for more than 34 minutes in the win over North Dakota…Graded 94% with zero sacks, hurries, TFLs or missed assignments in the 42-19 win over Northern Iowa.
—Logan Kopp, Defense (10/21)…Made six tackles and sealed the 13-9 win over South Dakota State with an interception at the NDSU 38 with 1:00 left.
—Kaedin Steindorf, Special Teams (10/21)…Averaged 43.8 yards on five punts with two 47-yarders, one out-of-bounds at the SDSU 4 helping limit the Jacks to zero punt return yards.
NATIONAL TEAM OF THE WEEK: North Dakota State was named Stats Perform FCS National Team of the Week after the 41-17 win over North Dakota. The Bison scored on six of their first seven possessions led by MVFC Offensive Player of the Week Cam Miller, who accounted for 207 yards of total offense and three touchdowns. NDSU held UND to a season-low 101 rushing yards with safety Sam Jung making a team-high six tackles and defensive end Dylan Hendricks making three stops including one sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
CROSA ON RECORD PACE: NDSU’s Griffin Crosa, in his fourth season as NDSU’s top placekicker and his sixth year overall with the Bison, is on pace to break the NDSU scoring record and is also within reach of the MVFC and NCAA FCS extra-points record of 261 set by NDSU’s Cam Pedersen from 2015 to 2018. Crosa’s streak of 127 consecutive PAT conversions snapped in 2023 was the third longest in Missouri Valley Football Conference history. Crosa led the MVFC last season with 19 field goals, 70 extra points and 127 total points.
NDSU Career Points Scored
399 – Cam Pedersen, K, 2015-18
393 – Griffin Crosa, K, 2019-23
386 – Jeff Bentrim, QB, 1983-86
384 – Lamar Gordon, RB, 1998-01
359 – Adam Keller, K, 2011-14
NDSU Career PAT Kicks Made
261 – Cam Pedersen, 2015-18 (MVFC and FCS record)
246 – Griffin Crosa, 2019-23
191 – Adam Keller, 2011-14
NDSU Career FG Made
56 – Adam Keller, 2011-14
51 – Shawn Bibeau, 2006-09
49 – Griffin Crosa, 2019-23
46 – Cam Pedersen, 2015-18
42 – Aaron Pederson, 1998-01
FOURTH-YEAR STARTER: Quarterback Cam Miller has started 48 straight games for NDSU since the middle of the 2021 season. Miller has led NDSU to a 40-10 record as the starting QB, including two NCAA playoff games in the spring 2021 season.
RECORD SEASON: NDSU’s Cam Miller completed a school-record 72 percent of his passes last season going 208-for-289 with 19 touchdowns and four interceptions. That was the third best completion percentage in Missouri Valley Football Conference history. Miller set NDSU and MVFC records in 2023 with 23 consecutive completions vs. Central Arkansas (17) and South Dakota (6). Miller has five of the seven longest completion streaks in NDSU history including streaks of 14, 16 and 17 consecutive pass completions this year. Miller is the NCAA all-divisions leader with a .776 completion percentage this season. The conference record is .7523 by Northern Iowa’s Eric Sanders in 2007, and the FCS record is .766 by Samford’s Michael Hiers in 2022.
THREE MORE RECORDS: NDSU’s Cam Miller had his 16th career 200-yard passing game against Northern Iowa and has broken the school record set by Brock Jensen, who passed for 200-plus yards in 14 games from 2010 to 2013. Miller picked up his 42nd career rushing touchdown against North Dakota, breaking the Missouri Valley Football Conference record for quarterbacks set previously by NDSU’s Easton Stick with 41 from 2015 to 2018. Miller has passed for more than 200 yards in nine of NDSU’s last 16 games and has not thrown an interception in 311 attempts over that span, breaking the school record of 307 consecutive attempts by Trey Lance from 2018 to 2020.
NDSU Most Pass Attempts Without Interception
311 – Cam Miller, 2023-present (16 games)
307 – Trey Lance, 2018-2020 (19 games)
152 – Easton Stick, 2016-2017 (9 games)
TOP THREE PASSER: North Dakota State’s Cam Miller is among the top three passers in NDSU history for passing attempts, completions, yards and touchdowns. He also ranks first in career passing completion percentage (69.7%), third in pass efficiency (164.1), fourth in yards per passing attempt (8.9), and sixth in Bison history with 42 career rushing touchdowns, breaking the Missouri Valley Football Conference record of 41 rushing touchdowns by a quarterback set by NDSU’s Easton Stick from 2015 to 2018.
NDSU Career Pass Attempts
1,124 – Brock Jensen, 2010-13
980 – Easton Stick, 2015-18
953 – Cam Miller, 2020-23
841 – Steve Walker, 2004-07
612 – Carson Wentz, 2012-15
NDSU Career Pass Completions
703 – Brock Jensen, 2010-13
664 – Cam Miller, 2020-23
598 – Easton Stick, 2015-18
534 – Steve Walker, 2004-07
392 – Carson Wentz, 2012-15
NDSU Career Passing Yards
8,693 – Easton Stick, 2015-18
8,598 – Brock Jensen, 2010-13
8,481 – Cam Miller, 2020-23
7,033 – Steve Walker, 2004-07
5,115 – Carson Wentz, 2012-15
NDSU Career Passing TDs
88 – Easton Stick, 2015-18
72 – Brock Jensen, 2010-13
66 – Cam Miller, 2020-23
60 – Steve Walker, 2004-07
45 – Carson Wentz, 2012-15
NDSU Career TDs Responsible For
129 – Easton Stick, 2015-18
108 – Cam Miller, 2020-24
107 – Brock Jensen, 2010-13
88 – Jeff Bentrim, 1983-86
85 – Kevin Feeney, 1995-98
NDSU Career Total Offense Yards
11,216 – Easton Stick, 2015-18
10,394 – Cam Miller, 2020-24
9,838 – Brock Jensen, 2010-13
7,230 – Kevin Feeney, 1995-98
7,144 – Steve Walker, 2004-07
BISON PICKED SECOND: North Dakota State was picked to finish second in the Missouri Valley Football Conference behind two-time defending national champion South Dakota State. NDSU had 10 players on the MVFC preseason team. First-team picks were FB/LS Hunter Brozio, OT Grey Zabel, DE Dylan Hendricks, DT Eli Mostaert, LB Logan Kopp and S Cole Wisniewski. Second-team honorees were QB Cam Miller, TE Joe Stoffel, OT Mason Miller and K Griffin Crosa.
PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS: NDSU led the country with eight preseason FCS All-Americans selected by Stats Perform. NDSU DT Eli Mostaert, S Cole Wisniewski and LS Hunter Brozio were on the first team, QB Cam Miller, OT Grey Zabel, DE Dylan Hendricks and LB Logan Kopp were second team, and K Griffin Crosa was third team. The Missouri Valley Football Conference had 24 of the 106 preseason honorees, the most of all 13 FCS conferences.
AWARD CANDIDATES: North Dakota State had six players on preseason watch lists for national player of the year honors. QB Cam Miller is listed for the Walter Payton Award, presented annually to the FCS Offensive Player of the Year. Miller finished 11th in the voting last year. DT Eli Mostaert, LB Logan Kopp and S Cole Wisniewski are up for the Buck Buchanan Award, presented to the FCS Defensive Player of the Year. Kopp tied for 22nd in the voting last year. Kaedin Steindorf is on the FCS Punter of the Year watch list, and Griffin Crosa is on the preseason list for the Fred Mitchell Award, presented to the top placekicker among the FCS, Division II, III, NAIA and NJCAA.
NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS: North Dakota State is 84-6 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 loss the past 13 years.
BISON AT HOME: The Bison have a 194-29 record in the Fargodome, 35-6 at home against FCS Top 10 ranked teams, and winners of 84 of the last 86 home games over non-conference opponents. North Dakota State has a 35-1 record in the Fargodome during the NCAA playoffs and has won 17 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.
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