THIS WEEK: The No. 4-ranked North Dakota State football team goes on the road for the first time this fall when the Bison (2-0) face the Towson Tigers (1-1) on Saturday, Sept. 18. Game time is 6 p.m. ET at Johnny Unitas Stadium (11,198) in Towson, Md. It’s the home-opener for the Tigers, who lost 26-14 at New Hampshire last week in their first Colonial Athletic Association game of the season.
THE SERIES: This is the third meeting between North Dakota State and Towson. NDSU has a 2-0 lead in the series. The Bison won the 2013 FCS national championship 35-7 in Frisco, Texas, and won the 1983 Division II quarterfinal 24-17 in Fargo, N.D.
CONFERENCE MATCHUPS: NDSU is 9-1 all-time against Colonial Athletic Association opponents including this year’s 28-6 season-opening win over Albany. This is Towson’s second game against a Missouri Valley Football Conference opponent.
NO. 1 RUSHING ATTACK: North Dakota State ranks No. 1 in the FCS this week averaging 358.5 rushing yards per game. The Bison averaged 10.7 yards per carry last week against Valparaiso and ran for 458 yards, the most for NDSU since the 2018 season-opening win over Cal Poly. TaMerik Williams and TK Marshall led the Bison with eight carries apiece as 11 different players had at least one carry. Quarterback Quincy Patterson led the Bison with 94 rushing yards including a 52-yard TD late in the second quarter.
NINETEEN BISON DEBUTS: Twelve NDSU players made their collegiate debut in last week’s 64-0 win over Valparaiso, highlighted by true freshman quarterback Cole Payton’s 37-yard rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter. Payton led NDSU’s only offensive possession of the fourth quarter and marched the Bison 80 yards in 10 plays for the final score of the game. Seven other players made their NDSU debut in the season-opener against Albany, including four transfers – quarterback Quincy Patterson (Virginia Tech), cornerback Jerodd Vines (Eastern Michigan), fullback Luke Waters (Iowa Western CC) and running back TaMerik Williams (SMU). A fifth transfer, offensive guard Luke LaCilento (San Diego), made his first appearance against Valparaiso.
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 in each of its first two games against Albany and Valparaiso, 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. It’s the first two-game stretch with six turnovers gained since 2018 when NDSU forced seven against Western Illinois (5) and Illinois State (2).
NEW INDOOR FACILITY: Construction began in mid-September on the Nodak Insurance Company Football Performance Complex, the new indoor practice facility for NDSU athletic teams. The entire cost of the estimated $37.2 million building project is being privately funded. The complex will have two artificial turf football fields. The indoor field will be a full 120 yards long and 60 yards wide with a roof clearance of 72 feet at the peak. Seven overhead doors will open from the indoor facility onto the outdoor practice field, scoreboards and play clocks will be provided on both fields, and LED lighting systems will be installed indoors and outdoors.
