WIU @ NDSU Battle of

[Gil Dobie]

..........3-1 teams.

WIU is highly ranked in almost every catagory, offense and defense.

WIU Link

WESTERN ILLINOIS LEATHERNECKS (3-1, 1-0)
at #13 NORTH DAKOTA STATE BISON (3-1, 0-1)
Saturday, October 2, 1 p.m., Fargo, N.D.
Fargodome (Artifical Turf/18,700 capacity)
All-Time Series: NDSU leads 2-1
Last Meeting: NDSU 14, @WIU 7 (10/31/09)

THE GAME: Western Illinois makes the first of two consecutive trips to the Dakotas to face 13th-ranked North Dakota State... In the three previous meetings, the road team has come away with a win (2007-09)... This will be the first ranked opponent Western will face this season... The Leathernecks enter the game second nationally in rushing offense, fourth in total offense, third in scoring offense, sixth in scoring defense and third in turnover margin... This marks Western's first road game at a NCAA FCS opponent... North Dakota State ranks fourth in scoring defense among the national leaders.

THE RANKINGS: Western received 129 points (34th place) in The Sports Network/Fathead.com 'Top 25 poll and 50 points in the FCS Coaches poll (29th place). North Dakota State is ranked 13th in both national polls.

THE SCHEMES: Western Illinois will line up in a multiple formation on offense and 3-4 alignment on defense... North Dakota State runs a West Coast style offense and 4-3 defensive alignment.

THE COACHES: Mark Hendrickson is in his 12th year with the Leatherneck Football program, first as the head coach. He owns a 3-1 record this season, 8-11 record in three years (parts of two years as acting head coach)... Craig Bohl is 55-26 in his eighth year with the Bison and overall as a head coach.

ALL-TIME SERIES: This is the fourth meeting all-time between Western Illinois and North Dakota State... The Leathernecks will look to continue the series trend as the road team has won all three meetings... The last two margins has been seven or fewer points.

SCOUTING THE BISON: North Dakota State opened the season with a defensive battle, 6-3 win at FBS Kansas... The Bison dropped their first MVFC game, 16-9 at Northern Iowa, but have rebounded to win two consecutive at home, against Morgan State (35-9) and #20 South Dakota (38-16)... NDSU leads the MVFC and ranks fourth nationally allowing just 11 points per game... The Bison ranks fifth in net punting (39.1), ninth in punt returns (17.9) and eighth in sacks per game (3.0)... John Prelvitz ranks eighth nationally averaging 43 yards per punt... Coulter Boyer is third in the league but tied for ninth nationally with a sack per game. He has 23 tackles, team-leading 6.0 TFL, 5.0 sacks and two fumble recoveries... D.J. McNorton averages 92 rushing yards per game - fourth in the league and 31st nationally. He has rushed for four touchdowns... Brock Jensen has thrown for four touchdowns and 300 yards in two games, completing 47.2 percent of his passes but turning in a 153.66 passing rating... Ryan Jastram converted 10-of-11 extra points and 4-of-6 field goals... Preston Evans leads the defense making 33 tackles, including two for a loss... North Dakota State's defense has picked off six recorded six interceptions, 26 tackles for a loss and 13 sacks in four games.

DIFFERENCE IN WINNING/LOSING MVFC OPENER: Looking over the previous 11 years Mark Hendrickson has been at Western Illinois, winning the Missouri Valley Football Conference opener has been a telling sign of the season... When Western won its conference-opener (five times), the team would eventually win or share two titles, tie for third twice and finish no worse than fourth... When the Leathernecks lost their opener, the squad finished no better than tied for fourth (two occasions)... Western captured its 2010 conference opener in convincing fashion defeating Indiana State 40-7 on Homecoming.

PROTECT THE BALL: Western Illinois committed its first offensive turnover of the year, but still ranks among the national leaders in turnover margin. The Leathernecks committed two miscues against Indiana State but made up for it by recording four takeaways... Western ranks first in the Missouri Valley Football Conference and third nationally in turnover margin (+7/1.75 pg). Last year Western finished at minus-12 in turnovers.

NATIONALLY-RANKED OFFENSE: Western's offense has been nothing short of impressive during the month of September. Head coach Mark Hendrickson, offensive coordinator Doug Ruse and the offense ranks among the national leaders (and leads the MVFC) in several categories...

2nd in rushing offense (287 ypg)
4th in total offense (480 ypg)
3rd in scoring offense (40.5 ppg)
Bryce Flowers leads the Valley and ranks ninth nationally averaging 109 yards on the ground... Matt Barr is 28th in total offense and 38th in passing efficiency.

TOUCHDOWN WESTERN ILLINOIS: That phrase has been said often during the first four games of the 2010 season. Western has scored 23 touchdowns this season - 16 rushing and 7 passing... The 40.5 ppg (162 points) leads the conference and ranks third nationally. This year's team already outscored last year's squad, which finished with 154 points and 21 TDs in 11 games.

DEFENSE MATCHING THE OFFENSE: The Leatherneck defense is keeping pace with the offense's national rankings... Western stands among the national rankings...

4th in passing efficiency defense (87.37)
6th in scoring defense (13.0 ppg)
3rd in turnover margin (+1.75)
5th in pass defense (114.5 ypg)
Senior linebacker Kyle Glazier enters the weekend tied for 34th nationally in tackles for a loss (1.38 p/g), 40th in tackles per game (9.5) and 79th in sacks (0.5 p/g).

HOME SWEET HOME: After going winless at Hanson Field last year, this year's Leathernecks have been simply dominating at home in the first three games.

The offense is scoring 47 points per game at home while the defense is allowing 7.0 ppg...
The offense has scored in all 12 quarters at home; the defense has shutout the opposition in 10 of the 12 quarters...
The rushing game has tallied at least 300 yards in all three home games; the defense allowed 180 or fewer yards of total offense twice...
The offense had kept control of the ball at least 34 or more minutes in two of the games...
The defense has recorded nine of the 10 takeaways at home.
And it has rained at some point during the day of every game. The Valparaiso and Indiana State games were played in a constant rain all game long.

[Gil Dobie]

NDSU Link

#13 Bison Host Western Illinois In Homecoming Clash
Courtesy: NDSU Athletic Media Relations
Release: September 28, 2010 NDSU Football Release (9-27-10)
Valley Football Weekly Release (9-27-10)

No. 13-ranked North Dakota State (3-1, 0-1 Valley Football) is scheduled to host Western Illinois University (3-1, 1-0 Valley Football) in a Missouri Valley Football Conference game at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 2, in the Fargodome ... It is Homecoming and Hall of Fame Weekend at NDSU ... The 39th class of the Bison Athletic Hall of Fame includes the 1970 football team (Hall of Champions), former NDSU president Jim Ozbun and first lady, Sonja Ozbun, and football inductees, honorable mention All-America fullback Dennis Preboski (1968-70), All-America offensive guard Matt Tracy (1985-88) and All-America linebacker Charlie Stock (1985-88) ... The induction ceremony is scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday, Oct. 1 ... On Sept. 25, the Bison defeated No. 20/21-ranked South Dakota 38-16 before 18,248, in the Fargodome ... D.J. McNorton rushed for a career-high 250 yards and 3 TDs for the Bison ... Western Illinois opened conference play with a 40-7 win over Indiana State during its homecoming game in Macomb ... North Dakota State has compiled a 50-36-3 record in homecoming games played since 1919 ... The Bison have won 35 of its last 40 homecoming games, but fell 27-24 to Illinois State in last season’s event.

TICKETS: Tickets for North Dakota State home football games are available in advance at the Bison Sports Arena ticket office, online at GoBison.com/tickets, or toll free at (888)
231-NDSU.

AT HOME: North Dakota State has compiled a 226-34-3 record at home since 1964 ... The Bison are 81-20-0 in the Fargodome since moving from Dacotah Field in 1993 ... NDSU is 2-0 this season at home and are 32-9 since head coach Craig Bohl took over in 2003.

SERIES RECORD: This is the fourth meeting between North Dakota State and Western Illinois ... NDSU leads the series 2-1 ... Each team has won on the road in the brief series ... At Hanson Field, the Bison have won 41-28 in 2007 and 14-7 in 2009 (see recap on page 4), while the Leathernecks posted a 27-22 win during the 2008 season in the Fargodome.

GoBISON.COM VIDEO/AUDIO/LIVE STATS: Follow on the Internet at GoBison.com with live streaming video, audio (Bison Radio Network) and live in-game statistics.

McNORTON RUSHES TO VALLEY FOOTBALL HONOR: North Dakota State running back D.J. McNorton was named Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Player of the Week after rushing for a career-high 250 yards and three touchdowns in the 38-16 win over No. 20/21-ranked South Dakota on Sept. 25 ... McNorton, a 5-foot-9 1/2, 203-pound junior from Channelview, Texas, followed the holes opened by the offensive line, tight ends and fullbacks to challenge Tyler Roehl’s school record 263 set in 2007 at Minnesota ... He scored on TD runs of 1, 53 and 27 yards. ... McNorton rushed 13 times for 202 yards in the second half. His previous career-high was 66 yards against Wagner in 2009 ... He had a career-long rush of 67 yards late in the fourth quarter ... It was the 18th time a NDSU running back went over 200 yards, fifth time over 250 ... McNorton’s effort is tops in the Valley and the second best in FCS this season ... Grambling’s Frank Warren ran for 256 yards vs. Jackson State on Sept. 18 ... McNorton moved up to 31st in rushing nationally, averaging 92 yards per game.

IN THE NCAA FCS STATISTICS: North Dakota State’s defense continues to rank 4th in scoring defense in the NCAA FCS at 11 points per game ... The Bison have limited opponents to 44 points compared to 134 points through four games last season ... Team-wise, NDSU is 5th in net punting (39.14 avg.), 8th in sacks (3.00 avg/g), 9th in attendance (17,794 avg/g), 9th in punt returns (17.88 avg/r), 10th in pass efficiency defense (93.38), 16th in turnover margin (+1.00 avg/g) and 25th in pass defense (163 ypg) ... Individually, John Prelvitz is 8th in punting (43.00 avg.), Ryan Smith is 9th in punt returns (17.20 avg/r), and Coulter Boyer is tied for 9th in sacks (1.00 avg/g) and tied for 22nd in tackles for loss (1.50 avg/g).

SPECIAL TEAMS X-FACTOR: Senior punter John Prelvitz punted three times for an average of 41.7 yards per attempt vs. South Dakota ... Prelvitz ranks 8th in NCAA FCS in punting at 43 avg. and the Bison are 5th in net punting at 39.14 ... He matched a career-high with eight punts for an average of 44.1 and net of 38.1 yards per kick (compared to 23 net per kick for Kansas) at KU (9-4-10) ... Against USD, Prelvitz placed one inside the 20 (36 in career) ... He has sixteen 50+ yard punts in his career.

BISON QUICK-HITTERS: North Dakota State’s defense has 10 takeaways through the first four games compared to 12 overall in 2009 ... Free safety Daniel Eaves picked off a pair of passes in the second half against South Dakota (9-25-10) ... The last time a Bison player picked off two passes came in 2007 when Kyle Belmont did it at Cal Poly (11-10-07) and Nick Schommer vs. Southern Utah (10-27-07) ... NDSU has six interceptions this season compared to only three overall in 2009 ... Redshirt freshman Brock Jensen came off the bench to throw three TD passes as North Dakota State defeated Morgan State 35-9 on Sept. 18 ... Making his first collegiate appearance, Jensen entered the game in the second quarter in relief of injured starter Jose Mohler ... Jensen completed 8 of 17 passes for 117 yards and rushed 13 times for 57 yards ... Cornerback Freddie Banks recorded his first career interception late in the second quarter at UNI (9-11-10) ... Tight end Landon Smith made a career best three receptions for 47 yards at Northern Iowa (9-11-10) ... Quarterback Jose Mohler completed 20 of 35 passes for 247 yards -- all career-highs -- in the loss at nationally-ranked UNI (9-11-10) ... Mohler, who completed passes to nine different receivers, also rushed 16 yards for NDSU’s first touchdown of the season ... The -41 yards rushing (including 11 sacks for -77 yards) against UNI is the lowest figure since the Bison had 3 yards in a 20-14 loss to UC Davis during the 2005 season. ... North Dakota State was ranked No. 18 in both national polls released Sept. 20 ... On Sept. 6, the Bison made their first appearance in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Coaches Poll since Nov. 17, 2008, and The Sports Network/Fathead.com poll since Oct. 13, 2008 ... Wide receiver Titus Mack made a career-high four receptions for 46 yards against Kansas (9-4-09) ... The 6-3 win over Kansas was the lowest combined output since NDSU’s 9-0 loss at Southern Illinois (11-19-05), while the three points allowed were the lowest since a 45-0 shutout vs. Mississippi Valley State (10-14-09), and the six points scored is the lowest since a 37-6 loss at Cal Poly (10-8-05) ... The 59 points vs. Wagner in 2009 were the most scored by NDSU since 2006 when the Bison defeated Concordia-St. Paul 66-7 in the season opener ... With a 55-26 record, NDSU head coach Craig Bohl is No. 5 on the school’s all-time win list ... He is two wins from matching mentor Don Morton (57, 1979-84) and Casey Finnegan (57, 1928-40) ... Bohl is one of four Bison coaches with 50 wins ... NDSU is 8-7 against nationally-ranked opponents over the past five seasons (2010: W South Dakota; L UNI; 2009: L Southern Illinois, L UNI; 2008, L South Dakota State; L, Youngstown State, W Southern Illinois, L Western Illinois; L UNI; 2007: W, Cal Poly, W, Western Illinois, W, Sam Houston State, 2006: W, Georgia Southern, W, Cal Poly, W, South Dakota State) ... North Dakota State was ranked in the top five for 19 weeks (including eight weeks at No. 1) during the 2007-08 seasons ... The Bison were ranked in the top 10 for 21 weeks in a row and were in the top 25 for 41 weeks in a row ... The 48-45 shootout with Sam Houston State was the most points allowed since 2002 when the Bison lost 49-42 at Nebraska-Omaha.

[lakesbison]

WIU is a joke, they havent beaten anyone.

its HOMECOMING< NDSU WILL CRUSH THEM!

[clenz]

WIU is a joke, they havent beaten anyone.

its HOMECOMING< NDSU WILL CRUSH THEM!

And Morgan state and USD ate teams worth bragging about

[Gil Dobie]

WIU is a joke, they havent beaten anyone.

its HOMECOMING< NDSU WILL CRUSH THEM!

And Morgan state and USD ate teams worth bragging about

That's because every team UNI plays is the best of the best with honors, and everyone NDSU plays is on the down-side, or has never done anything.

With that logic, UNI has not beaten anyone and should not be ranked.

[lakesbison]

I would agree Clenz, however the pollsters had usd ranked and Morgan st getting votes.

Ku beat a #16 team. Uni got lucky to face ndsu in thier offensive slump

Oh and we still tied the game in last seconds cept for a penalty

[Cap'n Cat]

WIU 44
Prairie Poopers 13

[clenz]

I would agree Clenz, however the pollsters had usd ranked and Morgan st getting votes.

Ku beat a #16 team. Uni got lucky to face ndsu in thier offensive slump

Oh and we still tied the game in last seconds cept for a penalty

USD was ranked for their win against a Minnesota team that will finish with about 2 wins this year...maybe, and for beating the hell out of an NAIA school.

Why Morgan State was getting votes I have no idea. Was that the TSN poll where everyteam in the nation seems to get a vote?


I'm not saying NDSU isn't a top 25 team, but to say that their victories have been against "good" competition is a little exagerated

[Theee Catrabbit]

WIU wins
24-10

Bison brought to reality.

[clenz]

Bison brought to reality.

Wait, you're being serious with thinking they'll ever come back to reality?

[DJH]

I really don't see how WIU could be any good. That team was garbage last year. NDSU should win this game, especially at home.

[mgbison]

Actually, reality is SDSU had one good season last year and will be 0 and 4 where they belong.

Bison 42
WIU 16

WIU oline gets beat up by Bison dline.

[Gil Dobie]

I would agree Clenz, however the pollsters had usd ranked and Morgan st getting votes.

Ku beat a #16 team. Uni got lucky to face ndsu in thier offensive slump

Oh and we still tied the game in last seconds cept for a penalty

USD was ranked for their win against a Minnesota team that will finish with about 2 wins this year...maybe, and for beating the hell out of an NAIA school.

Why Morgan State was getting votes I have no idea. Was that the TSN poll where everyteam in the nation seems to get a vote?


I'm not saying NDSU isn't a top 25 team, but to say that their victories have been against "good" competition is a little exagerated

Using the "Iowa Real Score" scenario, Minnesota is 4-0.

[JBB]

Hey Gill. I see you have a good thread going here, so I will make my call here and now:


This is the second conference game for NDSU. As far as the MVFC race is concerned it’s a must win for the Herd.

To be sure The Leathernecks have demonstrated explosive offensive power. Anybody looking at their cumulative season game averages would come to the conclusion you are looking at a very good offensive team and you are. 480 yds total offense/game.

Its a team that favors the rush, which favors NDSU. They can pass too with just under 200 yds/game. They look complete, but take a second look.

Because NDSU has a clear strength of schedule advantage over WIU the game of interest becomes the Purdue game. WIU was unable to rush against the Boilermakers. They passed for 285 yds but were still only able to muster 120 yds of their average 190/game rushing and they were held to half of their average 40 pts/game.

What's been consistent for WIU is the offense. The NDSU Defense has been there every game too. Neutralize these two forces. Each is good, but each is challenged by the other. Don't look for the difference here.

The BISON offense struggled early, went through a QB change, became a more complete attack and now appears to be ready to make a statement. Purdue didn't have to pass with 241 yds rushing. That's better than twice the league average for WIU Defense. NDSU needs to watch the Purdue films, they will and The BISON will run and the pass will follow.

I think NDSU can win this one. It might be closer than my original thoughts, but the Purdue game is out there for you to study too. The BISON have to stop their rush and make them live or die with the pass.

WIU will score some points, even on the BISON defense, so the over/under has to be high, say 50.

BISON 31 WIU 17

[SUUTbird]

Looking over the schedule i would have to agree that the Leathernecks have not played anyone really tough except for Purdue (who they played very well against) and Sam Houston State (the same bearcat team that beat the Bison last year ). I think that this game will be good despite what everyone says but im going to go with what apparently the pattern is and that is WIU winning by a decent marigin.

-Leathernecks: 38

-NDSU: 24

[lakesbison]

yea. ok SUU, stick with that conference WE created for you.

WIU O line is 287 lbs. NDSU Dline is that big, if not bigger. game over.

[Gil Dobie]

Looking over the schedule i would have to agree that the Leathernecks have not played anyone really tough except for Purdue (who they played very well against) and Sam Houston State (the same bearcat team that beat the Bison last year ). I think that this game will be good despite what everyone says but im going to go with what apparently the pattern is and that is WIU winning by a decent marigin.

-Leathernecks: 38

-NDSU: 24

That's funny, because that same NDSU team last year defeated WIU on the road.

[JBB]

BISON Defense has to stop senior QB Matt Barr. He only played 3 qtrs last week and rushed for 125 yds including a 60+ TD run. He passed for 221. NDSU has 13 sacks.

[JBB]

Looking over the schedule i would have to agree that the Leathernecks have not played anyone really tough except for Purdue (who they played very well against) and Sam Houston State (the same bearcat team that beat the Bison last year ). I think that this game will be good despite what everyone says but im going to go with what apparently the pattern is and that is WIU winning by a decent marigin.

-Leathernecks: 38

-NDSU: 24

Purdue is good, MAC good is about it though. NDSU is MAC good. They beat Kansas stopping a pretty good Big 12 team cold. Purdue lost to Notre Dame and Toledo and beat Ball State and WIU. That's MAC type football. This game will be MAC quality football or better.

[JBB]

This is going to be a bigger crowd than last weeks USD game-18,050. Last week was a virtual sellout. This week it will be an actual sellout. There were a lot of single seats available last week. This week much harder to come by with no premium reserved left. Look for the corners and plan on sitting up high. Nobody has seen the standing room only signs up but the student section tickets are gone.

[Cap'n Cat]

NDSU Link

#13 Bison Host Western Illinois In Homecoming Clash
Courtesy: NDSU Athletic Media Relations
Release: September 28, 2010 NDSU Football Release (9-27-10)
Valley Football Weekly Release (9-27-10)

No. 13-ranked North Dakota State (3-1, 0-1 Valley Football) is scheduled to host Western Illinois University (3-1, 1-0 Valley Football) in a Missouri Valley Football Conference game at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 2, in the Fargodome ... It is Homecoming and Hall of Fame Weekend at NDSU ... The 39th class of the Bison Athletic Hall of Fame includes the 1970 football team (Hall of Champions), former NDSU president Jim Ozbun and first lady, Sonja Ozbun, and football inductees, honorable mention All-America fullback Dennis Preboski (1968-70), All-America offensive guard Matt Tracy (1985-88) and All-America linebacker Charlie Stock (1985-88) ... The induction ceremony is scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday, Oct. 1 ... On Sept. 25, the Bison defeated No. 20/21-ranked South Dakota 38-16 before 18,248, in the Fargodome ... D.J. McNorton rushed for a career-high 250 yards and 3 TDs for the Bison ... Western Illinois opened conference play with a 40-7 win over Indiana State during its homecoming game in Macomb ... North Dakota State has compiled a 50-36-3 record in homecoming games played since 1919 ... The Bison have won 35 of its last 40 homecoming games, but fell 27-24 to Illinois State in last season’s event.

TICKETS: Tickets for North Dakota State home football games are available in advance at the Bison Sports Arena ticket office, online at GoBison.com/tickets, or toll free at (888)
231-NDSU.

AT HOME: North Dakota State has compiled a 226-34-3 record at home since 1964 ... The Bison are 81-20-0 in the Fargodome since moving from Dacotah Field in 1993 ... NDSU is 2-0 this season at home and are 32-9 since head coach Craig Bohl took over in 2003.

SERIES RECORD: This is the fourth meeting between North Dakota State and Western Illinois ... NDSU leads the series 2-1 ... Each team has won on the road in the brief series ... At Hanson Field, the Bison have won 41-28 in 2007 and 14-7 in 2009 (see recap on page 4), while the Leathernecks posted a 27-22 win during the 2008 season in the Fargodome.

GoBISON.COM VIDEO/AUDIO/LIVE STATS: Follow on the Internet at GoBison.com with live streaming video, audio (Bison Radio Network) and live in-game statistics.

McNORTON RUSHES TO VALLEY FOOTBALL HONOR: North Dakota State running back D.J. McNorton was named Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Player of the Week after rushing for a career-high 250 yards and three touchdowns in the 38-16 win over No. 20/21-ranked South Dakota on Sept. 25 ... McNorton, a 5-foot-9 1/2, 203-pound junior from Channelview, Texas, followed the holes opened by the offensive line, tight ends and fullbacks to challenge Tyler Roehl’s school record 263 set in 2007 at Minnesota ... He scored on TD runs of 1, 53 and 27 yards. ... McNorton rushed 13 times for 202 yards in the second half. His previous career-high was 66 yards against Wagner in 2009 ... He had a career-long rush of 67 yards late in the fourth quarter ... It was the 18th time a NDSU running back went over 200 yards, fifth time over 250 ... McNorton’s effort is tops in the Valley and the second best in FCS this season ... Grambling’s Frank Warren ran for 256 yards vs. Jackson State on Sept. 18 ... McNorton moved up to 31st in rushing nationally, averaging 92 yards per game.

IN THE NCAA FCS STATISTICS: North Dakota State’s defense continues to rank 4th in scoring defense in the NCAA FCS at 11 points per game ... The Bison have limited opponents to 44 points compared to 134 points through four games last season ... Team-wise, NDSU is 5th in net punting (39.14 avg.), 8th in sacks (3.00 avg/g), 9th in attendance (17,794 avg/g), 9th in punt returns (17.88 avg/r), 10th in pass efficiency defense (93.38), 16th in turnover margin (+1.00 avg/g) and 25th in pass defense (163 ypg) ... Individually, John Prelvitz is 8th in punting (43.00 avg.), Ryan Smith is 9th in punt returns (17.20 avg/r), and Coulter Boyer is tied for 9th in sacks (1.00 avg/g) and tied for 22nd in tackles for loss (1.50 avg/g).

SPECIAL TEAMS X-FACTOR: Senior punter John Prelvitz punted three times for an average of 41.7 yards per attempt vs. South Dakota ... Prelvitz ranks 8th in NCAA FCS in punting at 43 avg. and the Bison are 5th in net punting at 39.14 ... He matched a career-high with eight punts for an average of 44.1 and net of 38.1 yards per kick (compared to 23 net per kick for Kansas) at KU (9-4-10) ... Against USD, Prelvitz placed one inside the 20 (36 in career) ... He has sixteen 50+ yard punts in his career.

BISON QUICK-HITTERS: North Dakota State’s defense has 10 takeaways through the first four games compared to 12 overall in 2009 ... Free safety Daniel Eaves picked off a pair of passes in the second half against South Dakota (9-25-10) ... The last time a Bison player picked off two passes came in 2007 when Kyle Belmont did it at Cal Poly (11-10-07) and Nick Schommer vs. Southern Utah (10-27-07) ... NDSU has six interceptions this season compared to only three overall in 2009 ... Redshirt freshman Brock Jensen came off the bench to throw three TD passes as North Dakota State defeated Morgan State 35-9 on Sept. 18 ... Making his first collegiate appearance, Jensen entered the game in the second quarter in relief of injured starter Jose Mohler ... Jensen completed 8 of 17 passes for 117 yards and rushed 13 times for 57 yards ... Cornerback Freddie Banks recorded his first career interception late in the second quarter at UNI (9-11-10) ... Tight end Landon Smith made a career best three receptions for 47 yards at Northern Iowa (9-11-10) ... Quarterback Jose Mohler completed 20 of 35 passes for 247 yards -- all career-highs -- in the loss at nationally-ranked UNI (9-11-10) ... Mohler, who completed passes to nine different receivers, also rushed 16 yards for NDSU’s first touchdown of the season ... The -41 yards rushing (including 11 sacks for -77 yards) against UNI is the lowest figure since the Bison had 3 yards in a 20-14 loss to UC Davis during the 2005 season. ... North Dakota State was ranked No. 18 in both national polls released Sept. 20 ... On Sept. 6, the Bison made their first appearance in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Coaches Poll since Nov. 17, 2008, and The Sports Network/Fathead.com poll since Oct. 13, 2008 ... Wide receiver Titus Mack made a career-high four receptions for 46 yards against Kansas (9-4-09) ... The 6-3 win over Kansas was the lowest combined output since NDSU’s 9-0 loss at Southern Illinois (11-19-05), while the three points allowed were the lowest since a 45-0 shutout vs. Mississippi Valley State (10-14-09), and the six points scored is the lowest since a 37-6 loss at Cal Poly (10-8-05) ... The 59 points vs. Wagner in 2009 were the most scored by NDSU since 2006 when the Bison defeated Concordia-St. Paul 66-7 in the season opener ... With a 55-26 record, NDSU head coach Craig Bohl is No. 5 on the school’s all-time win list ... He is two wins from matching mentor Don Morton (57, 1979-84) and Casey Finnegan (57, 1928-40) ... Bohl is one of four Bison coaches with 50 wins ... NDSU is 8-7 against nationally-ranked opponents over the past five seasons (2010: W South Dakota; L UNI; 2009: L Southern Illinois, L UNI; 2008, L South Dakota State; L, Youngstown State, W Southern Illinois, L Western Illinois; L UNI; 2007: W, Cal Poly, W, Western Illinois, W, Sam Houston State, 2006: W, Georgia Southern, W, Cal Poly, W, South Dakota State) ... North Dakota State was ranked in the top five for 19 weeks (including eight weeks at No. 1) during the 2007-08 seasons ... The Bison were ranked in the top 10 for 21 weeks in a row and were in the top 25 for 41 weeks in a row ... The 48-45 shootout with Sam Houston State was the most points allowed since 2002 when the Bison lost 49-42 at Nebraska-Omaha.

Condensed version: Lots of "L's" versus UNI.

[JBB]

NDSU Sports Information has just announced 200 additional student tickets will be available tomorrow morning at 8 am.

This crowd is going to push the 19,000 mark. The Leathernecks at home draw 10,000+ and there were 47,000+ at the Purdue game.

This game should push NDSU home attendance close to the 18,000/game mark.

[lakesbison]

only 300 tickets left apparently and 200 students

[JBB]

It's official: THE FABULOUS FARGO DOME HAS SOLD OUT!!

NDSU Sports Information has announced a limited number of "Standing-Room-Only" tickets will be available at the FFD Box Office at 8 AM Tomorrow.

Crowd might be around 19,000.

[clenz]

If tickets are still available to sell it is clearly not a sell out.