THIS WEEK: The North Dakota State football team returns to action this week when the Bison (1-0) host the Valparaiso Beacons (0-1) from the Pioneer Football League. Game time is 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 11, at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome.
SERIES HISTORY: This is the second meeting between North Dakota State and Valparaiso. NDSU’s first Division I game in 2004 was a 52-0 Bison win over Valpo at the Fargodome. Kyle Steffes ran for 175 yards and four touchdowns, starting quarterback Tony Stauss went 8 of 17 passing for 112 yards and two touchdowns to wide receivers Travis White and Marques Johnson, and tight end AJ Cooper caught a TD pass from backup QB Steve Walker. Five different players recorded sacks and defensive end Alvin Robinson led the Bison with 10 total tackles.
CONFERENCE MATCHUPS: NDSU is 4-0 against Pioneer Football League opponents, including the 2004 home win over Valparaiso, two NCAA playoff victories over San Diego in 2016 and 2017, and the 2019 season opener against Butler at Target Field in Minneapolis. Valparaiso is 0-6 against Missouri Valley Football Conference opponents Youngstown State (0-3), Western Illinois (0-2) and Illinois State (0-1). The MVFC is 45-3 against the Pioneer Football League including Illinois State’s 49-7 win over Butler last week.
THE INAUGURAL SEASON: This week’s game is a rematch of NDSU’s first game as a Division I program in 2004. The Bison won that contest 52-0 before a crowd of 18,665 at the Fargodome, which at the time was a home-opener record and fifth largest home crowd on record. NDSU went 8-3 in that inaugural Division I season, but was ineligible for postseason play until 2008 due to NCAA reclassification rules. The Bison won 25-7 at No. 20/21 UC Davis in the regular-season finale to crack the FCS national rankings for the first time and finished the year ranked No. 23.
MORE HISTORY: Saturday will be the 20th anniversary of 9/11, which impacted the sporting world with widespread cancellations. North Dakota State, still a Division II program in 2001 at the time of the attacks, was 2-0 on the season and scheduled to host FCS opponent Maine at the Fargodome on Sept. 15. The game was not made up, and the Bison resumed play the following Saturday, Sept. 22, with a 27-3 North Central Conference win at Augustana.
BISON TOP ALBANY 28-6 IN OPENER: North Dakota State won its sixth straight season opener and 23rd straight home opener 28-6 over Albany last week. Dominic Gonnella rushed for 135 yards and two touchdowns, including a 75-yard TD on the first play of the second half. The Bison scored 21 points off three Albany turnovers, outgained Albany 259-22 in rushing yards, and sacked quarterback Jeff Undercuffler three times while holding Colonial Athletic Association leading rusher Karl Mofor to 21 yards on 11 carries.
FORCING TURNOVERS: North Dakota State forced three turnovers against Albany, which was the most by a Bison opponent in 16 games since Western Illinois committed four turnovers in a 57-21 Bison win at the Fargodome in 2019. Safety Dawson Weber notched his second career interception, cornerback Destin Talbert made his first interception, and linebacker Jackson Hankey recorded his first forced fumble and fumble recovery.
JOHNSON TOPS 1,000-YARD MARK: Junior running back Kobe Johnson, NDSU’s active leading rusher, surpassed 1,000 career rushing yards in the season-opener against Albany carrying 11 times for 77 yards in the win. Johnson is averaging 6.4 yards per carry over his 21-game career with a career-long 75 yard TD run at Youngstown State. He had a career-high 114 yards on 16 carries in last February’s home win over Youngstown State.
BISON AT HOME: The Bison have a 168-27 record in the Fargodome, 29-5 at home against FCS Top 10 ranked teams, and winners of 71 of the last 73 home games over non-conference opponents. North Dakota State has a 28-1 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 in the Fargodome from September 2017 through April 2021 was the fourth longest in NCAA FCS history. The Bison have gone unbeaten at home in 12 of 28 seasons played in the Fargodome.
*Courtesy Ryan Perreault, NDSU Athletics
