NOTES: No. 17/18 North Dakota Opens Season vs. Drake

No. 17/18 North Dakota vs. Drake
Grand Forks, N.D. (Alerus Center)
UND holds a 4-0 series lead
Kickoff: 3 p.m. (CT)
Radio: AM 740 FM 107.3 and Home of Economy Radio Network (Pregame Show @ 2 p.m.)

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – North Dakota will open the 2023 season on Sept. 2, hosting Drake inside the Alerus Center. Kickoff between the Fighting Hawks and Bulldogs is slated for 3 p.m. (CT). The game will be carried on AM 740 FM 107.3 and the Home of Economy Radio Network, with the pregame show starting at 2 p.m. (CT).

The Fighting Hawks are coming off a 7-5 season with a 5-3 standing in the Missouri Valley Football Conference in 2022. UND finished the year as the No. 3 team in the MVFC. North Dakota is riding a 36-year streak of consecutive wins in home openers, last falling to Texas A&M Kingsville in the 1986 Potato Bowl, 67-44.

The Bulldogs compiled an overall record of 3-8 and a Pioneer Football League mark of 3-5 in 2022. Drake finished the year on a three-game winning-streak, winning at Stetson (24-17), vs. Butler (27-24) and at Valparaiso (W, 24-0) to close the season. All of those victories came with Luke Bailey under center. As the field general, Bailey completed 55 passes for 637 yards and four touchdowns.

This will be the fifth all-time meeting between UND and DU, with North Dakota holding a perfect 4-0 record in the series. All games between the two squads have taken place inside the Alerus Center. The Fighting Hawks won the most recent contest, 38-0, on Sept. 18, 2021.