THIS WEEK: No. 2 seed North Dakota State (13-1) is scheduled to face No. 8 seed Montana State (12-2) in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Game at 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 8, at Toyota Stadium (17,677) in Frisco, Texas. NDSU is in the FCS championship for the ninth time in 11 seasons, while MSU is making its first national title game appearance since beating Louisiana Tech in the 1984 FCS championship.
TELEVISION: Live coverage on ESPN2 and the ESPN app begins at 11 a.m. with play-by-play announcer Dave Flemming, analysts Jay Walker and Rod Gilmore, and sideline reporter Stormy Buonantony.
RADIO: National radio coverage on Westwood One Sports will begin at 10:30 a.m. with Jason Horowitz (play-by-play), Ross Tucker (analyst) and Olivia Dekker (sideline).
ONLINE: NDSU All Access offers free audio streams during the NCAA FCS playoffs through GoBison.com/allaccess and the NDSU Athletics mobile app. Live in-game statistics will be available on NCAA.com. Follow along with in-game Twitter updates @NDSUfootball and #FCSChampionship.
TICKETS: A limited number of standing room only tickets will go on sale at 12 p.m. CT on Tuesday, Jan. 4, on NCAATickets.com and will be $75 each. Reserved seats are sold out, but tickets are available through the NCAA Ticket Exchange on NCAATickets.com.
PARKING & TAILGATING: Spectators will be able to park in the Red, Blue, Green or White parking lots, which will open at 7 a.m. The charge for parking is $20 per spot. The maximum number of spots for RV or camper parking is four spots. Parking lots will stay open after the game, but all vehicles must be off property by 11:30 p.m. ADA parking is available in Platinum, Gold, Red, Green, and Blue lots on a first-come, first-serve basis.
CLEAR BAG POLICY: Toyota Stadium has a clear bag and purse policy. Each guest may enter with one large clear bag or one small clutch. Approved bags include clear plastic bags that do not exceed 14″ x 6″ x 14″, small clutches less than 5.5″ x 8.5″, or one-gallon clear plastic freezer bags. Email CustomerService@FCDallas.com to get special clearance for medically necessary items. More information is available on the Toyota Stadium policies webpage.
NDSU PEP FEST: The NDSU Pep Fest is a free, family-friendly event scheduled from 3 to 9 p.m. Friday, Jan. 7, at the Comerica Center in Frisco, Texas. Score giveaway items, hear live music from the Emerald City Band, purchase exclusive Bison wear from the NDSU Bookstore, and enjoy family-friendly activities including airbrush tattoos, caricature drawings, mechanical bull-riding, and more. The pep fest program begins at 7 p.m.
THE SERIES: This is the 37th meeting between North Dakota State and Montana State dating back to 1914. MSU has a 21-15 lead in the all-time series, but NDSU has a 3-1 edge in the series as Division I opponents including three straight wins in the FCS playoffs. The Bison won in Bozeman 42-17 in the 2010 second round and won in Fargo 52-10 in the 2018 second round and 42-14 in the 2019 semifinals.
BISON HOLD OFF DUKES IN SEMIFINALS: Hunter Luepke had 199 all-purpose yards and North Dakota State’s defense got two late stops to beat James Madison 20-14 in the semifinals. Destin Talbert made a leaping one-handed interception in the end zone with 3:05 left in the game, and Javier Derritt and Logan McCormick combined for a sack and pass breakup on the final two plays of the game. JMU scored two third-quarter touchdowns to erase a 13-0 halftime deficit. The Bison went back ahead on Luepke’s second touchdown catch of the game, a 22-yard pass from Cam Miller with 13:44 left to play. Miller was 10 of 19 passing for 165 yards. Tony Pierce had two of NDSU’s four sacks and Jackson Hankey made a team-high eight tackles.
BISON SMOTHER BUCS IN QUARTERFINALS: North Dakota State limited the nation’s leading rusher to 35 yards and the Bison defeated No. 7 seed East Tennessee State 27-3 in the quarterfinals. ETSU managed only 66 net rushing yards with its dual 1,000-yard backs Quay Holmes and Jacob Saylors. NDSU held a 401-165 advantage in total offense. Michael Tutsie made a team-high six tackles and intercepted a pass in the third quarter that set up a Bison touchdown four plays later as NDSU built a 20-0 lead. TaMerik Williams rushed 15 times for 91 yards and two touchdowns to lead seven Bison ball carriers who combined for 278 yards and 5.7 yards per carry.
BISON RUN PAST SALUKIS IN SECOND ROUND: North Dakota State rushed for 389 yards and controlled the ball for nearly 38 minutes in a 38-7 second round win over Southern Illinois. TaMerik Williams rushed 17 times for 112 yards and two touchdowns and quarterback Quincy Patterson had seven carries for 84 yards and one score. NDSU’s 62 rushing attempts and 23 first downs rushing were both Bison FCS playoff records. NDSU scored on its first four possessions and had five scoring drives nine plays or longer. Michael Tutsie made seven tackles and the Bison had three sacks, six tackles for loss and eight pass breakups while holding SIU to 2 of 13 on third down and just 281 yards of total offense, a season-low for the Salukis against FCS opponents.
16-TIME NATIONAL CHAMPIONS: North Dakota State has won 16 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 and 2019.
TITLE TOWN: North Dakota State is playing in its ninth FCS championship game in 14 years of Division I postseason eligibility. NDSU has won the national championship in 30 percent of its 53 years of postseason eligibility since the program’s first bowl game in 1964. (NDSU was ineligible for the playoffs while reclassifying to Division I from 2004-2007, a four-year span ending with back-to-back 10-1 seasons in FCS play.)
EIGHT FCS TITLES: North Dakota State has won a record eight FCS national championships and is making a record ninth appearance in the title game. The Bison are 13-2 overall in playoff title games with the only losses coming in the Division II championships in 1981 to Texas State (42-13) and 1984 to Troy (18-17).
Most FCS Championship Appearances
9 – North Dakota State (8-0)
8 – Georgia Southern (6-2)
7 – Youngstown State (4-3)
7 – Montana (2-5)
6 – Marshall (2-4)
Most FCS Championship Wins
8 – North Dakota State
6 – Georgia Southern
4 – Youngstown State
3 – Appalachian State
12th STRAIGHT POSTSEASON: North Dakota State is in the postseason for the 12th straight season dating back to 2010 when the Bison advanced to the FCS quarterfinals in their first appearance. NDSU has a 40-3 record in the FCS playoffs, including a 31-1 record in the Fargodome. This is North Dakota State’s 35th postseason appearance since 1964. The Bison are 75-16 all-time in the postseason including a 70-15 record in the NCAA playoff format since 1973.
Most Consecutive FCS Playoff Appearances
17 – Montana, 1993-2009
14 – New Hampshire, 2004-2017
12 – North Dakota State, 2010-2021
10 – Eastern Kentucky, 1986-1995
Most FCS Playoff Games Won
45 – Georgia Southern
40 – North Dakota State
34 – Montana
Highest FCS Playoff Winning Percentages
.930 – North Dakota State (40-3)
.793 – Marshall (23-6)
.777 – Youngstown State (28-8)
.776 – Georgia Southern (45-13)
SEED HISTORY: North Dakota State is a top-two seed for the ninth time in 12 appearances in the FCS playoffs. NDSU was seeded third in 2015, but still hosted a semifinal game en route to the national title that year after a quarterfinal loss by No. 2 seed Illinois State. NDSU was not seeded in 2010 and 2020, and both of those appearances ended with quarterfinal losses to the eventual national champion.
NCAA ELITE 90: The NCAA Elite 90 Award is presented to the student-athlete with the highest GPA at each of the NCAA’s 90 national championships across all divisions. North Dakota State has earned 14 awards across five different sports including seven at the FCS championship game: LB Esley Thorton (2013), QB Carson Wentz (2014-16), WR Daniel Polansky (2018), TE Ben Ellefson (2019) and LB Jackson Hankey (2020).
MOST OUTSTANDING PLAYER: The NCAA championship game Most Outstanding Player will be announced on stage following the game Saturday. An NDSU player has been named in all eight previous Bison trips: LB Travis Beck (2012), QB Brock Jensen (2013-14), QB Carson Wentz (2015-16), QB Easton Stick (2018), WR Darrius Shepherd (2019) and QB Trey Lance (2020).
EIGHT ALL-AMERICANS: North Dakota State had eight players named to FCS All-America teams this season including first-team honors for FB Hunter Luepke, WR Christian Watson, RT Cordell Volson and SS Michael Tutsie. Watson also earned second-team honors as an all-purpose player. LT Cody Mauch was a second team All-American, while DE Brayden Thomas, PR Jayden Price and TE Noah Gindorff earned third-team honors. A ninth player, DT Eli Mostaert, was named to the HERO Sports Sophomore All-America Team.
ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA: North Dakota State DT Lane Tucker was voted to the CoSIDA Academic All-America second team and FB Hunter Luepke and K Jake Reinholz were voted to the Academic All-District team for their combined athletic and academic performance. To qualify, a student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.30 cumulative grade-point average and sophomore athletic and academic standing.
CONFERENCE CHAMPS: North Dakota State won its 10th Missouri Valley Football Conference championship in 11 years and its sixth outright title since joining the league in 2008. The Bison won nine straight conference titles from 2011-2019 including five outright (2012, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2019). NDSU has won 37 total conference titles in program history.
THE SENIORS: North Dakota State has 12 seniors who will not return to the program next season. The list includes former tight end and current student assistant Austin Avery, defensive tackles Michael Buetow, Costner Ching and Lane Tucker, tight end Josh Babicz, linebackers Jackson Hankey and Mason Hofstedt, defensive ends Logan McCormick and Brayden Thomas, kicker Jake Reinholz, offensive tackle Cordell Volson and wide receiver Christian Watson. Buetow, Thomas and Volson are currently in their extra year of eligibility due to COVID-19’s impact on the 2020 season. Thirteen other NDSU seniors are eligible to return for an extra season in 2022.
FOUR ALL-STAR INVITES: Tight ends Noah Gindorff and Josh Babicz have been invited to the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl at Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena on Jan. 29, and offensive lineman Cordell Volson and wide receiver Christian Watson have invites to the East-West Shrine Bowl at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Feb. 3 during NFL Pro Bowl week. Gindorff, who will miss the remainder of the 2021 playoffs with a leg injury, has announced he will return to NDSU for the 2022 season.
ALL-CONFERENCE: North Dakota State led all schools with seven first-team picks on the All-Missouri Valley Football Conference team. Christian Watson took two spots as the first team wide receiver and all-purpose player. FB Hunter Luepke, OL Cordell Volson and Cody Mauch, DE Brayden Thomas and SS Michael Tutsie also made the first team. NDSU had four second team selections: TE Josh Babicz, LB Jackson Hankey, LB Jasir Cox and RS Jayden Price. Honorable mentions included TE Noah Gindorff, DT Eli Mostaert and DT Lane Tucker.
ALL-NEWCOMER TEAM: North Dakota State RB TaMerik Williams, QB Quincy Patterson, DE Loshiaka Roques and CB Marques Sigle were named to the Missouri Valley Football Conference All-Newcomer Team.
PRICE AMONG NCAA LEADERS: Punt returner Jayden Price‘s 14.6 career average per return ranks second in school history and second among active players in FCS behind Samford’s Montrell Washington (16.4). Price, the first team All-MVFC return specialist, is sixth in FCS this season averaging 13.3 yards per punt return. He had a 45-yard touchdown against Valparaiso one week after having a 60-yard TD nullified by penalty in the season-opener against Albany. He has three punt returns of 40-plus yards and has moved into eighth all-time at NDSU with 453 career punt return yards.
VETERAN LINEMEN: Offensive lineman Cordell Volson will appear in his 65th career game this week, an NDSU record. This will be the 66th career game for Bison defensive tackle Michael Buetow, who played in 43 contests over three seasons at Division II Minnesota State Mankato before transferring to NDSU last year. Both players are in their extra season of eligibility due to COVID-19’s impact on the 2020 season.
SCHOOL SACKS RECORD: North Dakota State has registered 49 sacks this year, breaking the school-record 47 sacks set by the 1974 and 2018 Bison teams. NDSU has five games with five sacks this year, and the Bison rank fourth nationally with a conference-best 3.5 sacks per game. Brayden Thomas, who finished second in the voting for MVFC Defensive Player of the Year, has a team-high 9.0 sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss despite missing two games with an elbow injury.
HANKEY TOP 10 IN TACKLES: North Dakota State LB Jackson Hankey has 319 career tackles and needs one stop to move into the school’s all-time top 10. Four players have surpassed 320 total tackles in NDSU’s Division I era: LB Carlton Littlejohn (345 from 2011-14), SS Colten Heagle (336 from 2010-14), LB Nick DeLuca (329 from 2013-17) and LB Grant Olson (326 from 2010-13). Hankey ranks ninth on NDSU’s solo tackles list (145). He leads this year’s team with 72 rushing tackles for the No. 3 rushing defense in FCS allowing just 82.7 yards per game.
GROUND GAME: North Dakota State has the No. 3 rushing offense in FCS averaging 273.6 yards per game. NDSU has seven backs averaging better than 5.0 yards per carry, and the team’s 6.13 yards per carry is fifth best in school history. This is the third time in the past four years the Bison have averaged more than six yards per rush. Yet, with seven players getting at least 30 carries, NDSU finished the regular season without a 500-yard rusher for the first time since 1975 (excluding the abbreviated 2020-21 season).
WATSON OVER 2,000: Senior wide receiver Christian Watson is the eighth player to reach 2,000 career receiving yards in NDSU history. Watson currently ranks eighth all-time at NDSU with 2,079 yards, 153 yards shy of seventh place Warren Holloway (2008-11). Watson’s 20.58 yards per catch average ranks fourth in school history. He has four TD catches of 65-plus yards this season.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: North Dakota State had three players earn five Player of the Week awards in the Missouri Valley Football Conference this season. Cordell Volson was a three-time Offensive Lineman of the Week, Jake Reinholz was Special Teams Player of the Week after kicking three FGs and one extra point in the 16-10 win at North Dakota, and Quincy Patterson was Newcomer of the Week after rushing for 100 yards and passing for 124 yards in the win at Illinois State. Additionally, the entire NDSU offensive line was honored as a unit for their performance in helping the Bison rush for 454 yards at Youngstown State.
BISON AT HOME: The Bison have a 176-27 record in the Fargodome, 31-5 at home against FCS Top 10 ranked teams, and winners of 74 of the last 76 home games over non-conference opponents. North Dakota State has a 31-1 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 went unbeaten at home for the 13th time in 29 seasons played in the Fargodome.
ON THE ROAD: North Dakota State has a 47-6 record in true road games since 2011, and that record is 57-6 including 10 neutral site games over the same span. NDSU’s 2-2 road record in the spring season of 2020-21 was the first time since 2010 the Bison have lost multiple road games.
