2018 Valley Football Standings (thru Saturday, Sept. 1)

Illinois State • Indiana State • Missouri State • North Dakota State • Northern IowaSouth Dakota • South Dakota State • Southern Illinois • Western Illinois • Youngstown State

1818 Chouteau Ave. • St. Louis, MO 63103 • (314) 444-4326 • (314) 435-4779 [Kern cell]

For Immediate ReleaseSeptember 4, 2018 Mike Kern

• • Media Services • • Players of the Week Each week a panel will select players of the week for offense, defense, newcomer, offensive line and special teams.

MVFC Media Vault By Wednesday of each week, the league will collect school weekly coach press con-ferences (audio/video links) and PDF links to weekly notes in the MVFC Media Vault.

Statistics Interactive school and league statistics are available, courtesy of the league’s part-nership with SIDEARM.

Weekly Features The league produces weekly video segments (Two Minute Drill and The Extra Point) and a bimonthly audio podcast (First and Goal). Each is available by visiting the league’s web site (valleyfootball.org) - under the Multimedia tab on the main menu bar.

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MVFC Points Overall PointsTeam W-L Pct. For Opp W-L Pct. For Opp H A Stk.

Illinois State 0-0 .000 0 0 1-0 1.000 46 0 1-0 0-0 W1Indiana State 0-0 .000 0 0 1-0 1.000 49 0 1-0 0-0 W1North Dakota St. 0-0 .000 0 0 1-0 1.000 49 3 1-0 0-0 W7Southern Illinois 0-0 .000 0 0 1-0 1.000 49 10 0-0 1-0 W1South Dakota St. 0-0 .000 0 0 0-0 .000 0 0 0-0 0-0 L1 Missouri State 0-0 .000 0 0 0-1 .000 17 58 0-0 0-1 L3Northern Iowa 0-0 .000 0 0 0-1 .000 23 26 0-0 0-1 L2South Dakota 0-0 .000 0 0 0-1 .000 24 27 0-0 0-1 L2Western Illinois 0-0 .000 0 0 0-1 .000 23 26 0-0 0-1 L2Youngstown State 0-0 .000 0 0 0-1 .000 21 23 0-1 0-0 L1

Schedule/ResultsThursday, Aug. 30 Indiana State 49, Quincy 0Southern Illinois 49, Murray State 10#25 Oklahoma State 58, Missouri State 17Montana State 26, Western Illinois 23

Saturday, Sept. 1 Butler 23, #24 Youngstown State 21#1 North Dakota State 49, Cal Poly 3Kansas State 27, South Dakota 24#20 Illinois State 46, St. Xavier (Ill.) 0#3 South Dakota State at Iowa State, canceled#24 Montana 26, #12 UNI 23

Thursday, Sept. 6 (Times CT, unless noted) Lincoln at Missouri State, 6 pm  Springfield, Mo.  •  ESPN3

Saturday, Sept. 8 (Times CT, unless noted) Northern Colorado at #23 South Dakota, 2 pm  Vermillion, S.D.  •  Midco SN / ESPN+RV Southern Illinois at Ole Miss, 3 pm   Oxford, Miss.  •  SEC NetworkRV Youngstown State at West Virginia, 6 pm ET  Morgantown, W.V.  •  AT&T Sports NetworkRV Montana State at #3 South Dakota St., 6 pm  Brookings, S.D.  •  Midco SN / ESPN+Indiana State at Louisville, 7 pm ET  Louisville, Ky.  •  ACC NetworkEastern Illinois at #19 Illinois State, 6:30 pm   Normal, Ill.  •  NBCSCH+ / ESPN+RV Western Illinois at Illinois, 6:30 pm  Champaign, Ill.  •  Big Ten Network

This Week in the MVFC Two MVFC teams have byes this week (UNI and North Dakota State), but the rest of the league is in action. League schools host four games, including three vs. FCS schools, and play four games on the road at FBS sites.

Against the FBS The MVFC recorded a 2-5 record last year against FBS schools. The Conference has had at least one FBS win in each of the last eight seasons. The FCS had nine wins against FBS schools overall in 2017. There were 10 FCS wins against FBS programs in 2016, and the FCS set a record in 2013 with 16 wins against FBS programs that year.

Big Sky-MVFC Challenge Series Two games this week are part of the Big Sky-MVFC Challenge series. The leagues play a total of eight regular-season games against one another in 2018. The Big Sky holds a 2-1 advantage in this year’s series. The MVFC won last year’s series, 5-3.

at Montana State 26, Western Illinois 23at #24 Montana 26, #12 UNI 23at #1 North Dakota State 49, Cal Poly 3S8 -- Montana State at South Dakota StateS8 -- Northern Colorado at South DakotaS15 -- Montana at Western IllinoisS15 -- Northern Arizona at Missouri StateS15 -- South Dakota at Weber State

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2018 Missouri Valley Football Conference Weekly Release (Sept. 4)

OffenseRB Bruce Anderson, North Dakota State5-11, 210, Sr., Ruskin, Fla. (Newsome HS) Anderson rushed 11 times for a career-high 185 yards averaging 16.82 yards per carry with two touchdowns in North Dakota State’s 49-3 home win over Cal Poly. He scored on runs of 10 and 86 yards and finished with 239 all-purpose yards including kickoff returns of 23 and 24 yards and one reception for seven yards. It was Anderson’s fifth career 100-yard rushing game. His per-carry average ranks 2nd in the FCS while his 185 yards is 3rd-best.

DefenseLB Alex Gray, South DakotaSr., LB, New Lenox, Ill. (Lincoln Way West HS) Returned an interception 25 yards for a touchdown to push South Dakota’s lead over Kansas State to 24-12 just before halftime of Saturday’s game. It was his first collegiate touchdown. Gray also recovered a fumble with 50 seconds left that gave the Coyotes a chance at a game-tying field goal. He added two sacks including one in the red zone that forced a Kansas State field goal and led the Coyotes with six tackles.

Special TeamsWR/RS Dakota Caton, Indiana StateFr., 5-10, 175, Sullivan, Ind. (Sullivan HS) Freshman WR Dakota Caton capped off the Sycamores’ 45-0 shutout of Quincy with a 71-yard punt return touchdown in the fourth quarter - his first touch in a Sycamore uniform. It marked the first punt return touchdown for the Sycamores since 2015 at Missouri State.

NewcomerQB Brady Davis, Illinois State6-4, 210, Jr., Columbus, Miss. (Memphis) Davis led the Redbirds to a victory in his first start under center at Hancock Stadium. Davis finished the night 12-for-19 (63.2 percent) for 123 yards with a touchdown, while compiling an efficiency rating of 134.91. He tossed his first career touchdown pass at ISU late in the first quarter, when he found senior tight end Tylor Petkovich in the end zone for a 15-yard score to put ISU up 14-0 at the time. Three different Redbirds saw action at QB in the season-opening blowout win.

Offensive LinemanC Tanner Volson, North Dakota State6-4, 306, Sr., Balfour, N.D. (Drake-Anamoose) Volson had four knockdowns with zero penalties and zero sacks or hurries allowed in North Dakota State’s 49-3 home win over Cal Poly. He led the Bison offensive line with an 89 percent technique grade and was 100 percent on assignment. NDSU had seven ball carriers rush for 458 yards and seven touchdowns in the victory, averaging 10.2 yards per carry.

Players of the Week Running With It Top-ranked North Dakota State had 458 rushing yards in its win against Cal Poly. That was the top performance in the FCS.FCS Leaders - Most Rushing Yards Per Game

Rank, Team (Conf.)  YPG

1 North Dakota State (MVFC) 458.02 Jacksonville (Pioneer) 424.03 Lamar University (Southland) 409.04  Eastern Kentucky (OVC)  404.05 Wofford (SoCon) 340.0

Stellar ‘D’ The Illinois State Redbirds outgained the St. Xavier Cougars 368 to 30 yards on Sat-urday, while SXU had negative 30 yards on the ground (fourth-lowest mark in school his-tory). The total defense and rushing defense both lead the FCS.FCS Leaders - Fewest Rushing Yards Allowed

Rank, Team (Conf.)  YPG

1 Illinois State (MVFC) -30.02 North Dakota (FCS Independent) -27.03  Maine (CAA)  -15.04  Florida A&M (MEAC)  -12.05  Hampton (FCS Independent)  9.0

FCS Leaders - Fewest Total Yards Allowed

Rank, Team (Conf.)  YPG

1 Illinois State (MVFC) 30.02  Maine (CAA)  108.03  Alabama A&M (SWAC)  115.04 Idaho State (Big Sky) 135.05 Jacksonville State (OVC) 148.0

Salukis Lead the FCS In the season opener at Murray State, the Salukis tied a school record with three defensive touchdowns. SIU forced six turn-overs in the game — the most since forcing six at Eastern Illinois on Nov. 28, 2009. The three defensive scores were the most in the FCS in Week 1, while the six total turnovers are second-best to North Carolina A&T (7, in two games). Illinois State and South Dakota each forced four turnovers in Week 1. FCS Leaders - Total Turnovers Gained

Rank, Team (Conf.)  G  W-L  Fum  Int  Tot

1  N.C. A&T (MEAC)  2  2-0  4  3  72 Southern Ill. (MVFC) 1 1-0 4 2 63  Hou. Baptist (SLand)  1  1-0  1  4  53  Duquesne (NEC)  2  1-1  3  2  55 Weber St. (Big Sky) 1 0-1 3 1 45 Lamar (Southland) 1 1-0 1 3 45 South Dakota (MVFC) 1 0-1 2 2 45  Georgetown (Patriot)  1  1-0  1  3  45  Norfolk St. (MEAC)  1  1-0  2  2  45  Bryant (NEC)  1  1-0  0  4  45 Illinois St. (MVFC) 1 1-0 1 3 45 Samford (SoCon) 1 1-0 1 3 4

5 Teams Ranked in Top 25 Five different MVFC schools are ranked in the top-25 polls of Sept. 3, and North Dakota State is No. 1 in both polls.

MVFC Team STATS AFCA

North Dakota State (1-0) 1 1South Dakota State (0-0) 3 3Illinois State (1-0) 19 19UNI (0-1) 21 18 South Dakota (0-1) 23 RVWestern Illinois (0-1) RV --Youngstown State (0-1) RV RVSouthern Illinois (1-0) RV --

Preseason Poll, RevisitedTeam (first-place votes) Points Last Year

1. North Dakota State (39) ..... 390 1st 2. South Dakota State ........... 340 t2nd 3. UNI ................................... 270 t2nd 4. Youngstown State .............. 258 t5th 5. Illinois State ...................... 248 t5th 6. South Dakota .................... 206 t5th 7. Western Illinois .................. 163 4th 8. Southern Illinois ................ 139 t8th 9. Missouri State ..................... 90 t8th 10. Indiana State ...................... 41 10th

Pitching a Shutout Illinois State (46-0 vs. St. Xavier) and Indiana State (49-0 vs. Quincy) both posted shutouts in Week 1. It marked the first shut-out win for Indiana State since 2015, while Illinois State had two shutouts last year (vs. Butler and vs. Youngstown State).

Two in Top 5 RB Bruce Anderson of North Dakota State and RB Tevin McCaster of Youngstown State are in the Top 5 in the FCS in rushing yards. Anderson ranks No. 5 in all-purpose yardage (239.0 ypg), and he is No. 2 in the FCS in rushing yards per carry (16.82 ypc).FCS Leaders - Fewest Rushing Yards Allowed

Player, Team  YPG

1 Ryan Fulse, Wagner (RB) 271  2  Calvin Turner Jr, Jacksonville (QB)  207 3 Bruce Anderson, NDSU (RB) 185  3  Sam McPherson, EWU (RB)  185 5 Tevin McCaster, Youngstown St. (RB) 166  6  Troy Andersen, Montana St. (RB)  145  7  Billy McCrary III, Abilene Christian (RB)  141  8  Tucker Yinger, Dayton (RB)  139 9 Dominick Bragalone, Lehigh (RB) 13710  A.J. Hines, Duquesne (RB)  13411 D.J. Davis, Southern Ill. (RB) 13211  Ulonzo Gilliam, UC Davis (RB)  13211  Jordan Meachum, Sacred Heart (RB)  132

2018 Missouri Valley Football Conference Weekly Release (Sept. 4)

Kicking It Several league punters had big weeks in the kicking game in Week 1. Two, in fact, rank in the Top 5 of the FCS.FCS Leaders - Punting Average

Player, Team  YPG

  1  Andrew Zecca, Saint Francis  53.0  2  Alec Chadwick, Houston Baptist  52.7 3 Adam Fellner, Western Illinois 48.8 4 Brady Schutt, South Dakota 47.3 5 Cade Coffey, Idaho 47.0

13 Brendan Withrow, Missouri State 44.614 Michael Kuntz, UNI 44.3

28 MVFC Alums in the NFL  A total of 28 student-ath-letes from Missouri Valley Football Conference institu-tions are on NFL opening day rosters.  The Philadel-phia Eagles, with three, 

have the most former MVFC players.

RB David Johnson, UNI Arizona CardinalsLB Chris Board, NDSU Baltimore RavensWR Jaelon Acklin, WIU Baltimore RavensLB Ramon Humber, NDSU Buffalo BillsCB Davontae Harris, ILS Cincinnati BengalsDE Shelby Harris, ILS Denver BroncosOG Billy Turner, NDSU Denver BroncosRB Zach Zenner, SDSU Detroit LionsTE Robert Tonyan, INS Green Bay PackersLB Dylan Cole, MSU Houston TexansTE MyCole Pruitt, SIU Houston TexansOT Joe Haeg, NDSU Indianapolis ColtsPK Adam Vinatieri, SDSU Indianapolis ColtsTE James O’Shaughnessy, ILS Jacksonville JaguarsDT Xavier Williams, UNI Kansas City ChiefsOT Bryan Witzmann, SDSU Kansas City ChiefsLB Kyle Emanuel, NDSU LA ChargersLB Chase Allen, SIU Miami DolphinsOT Tom Compton, USD Minnesota VikingsDE Derek Rivers, YSU New England PatriotsWR Cameron Meredith, ILS New Orleans SaintsQB Carson Wentz, NDSU Philadelphia EaglesCB Deiondre’ Hall, UNI Philadelphia EaglesTE Dallas Goedert, SDSU Philadelphia EaglesLB L.J. Fort, UNI Pittsburgh SteelersOG Michael Liedtke, ILS Tampa Bay BucsLB Nate Palmer, ILS Tennessee TitansCB Kenneth Durden, YSU Tennessee Titans

Team Pre S3

Illinois State 20 19 Indiana St. -- --Missouri St. -- --NDSU 1 1UNI 12 18S. Dakota rv 23SDSU 3 3S. Illinois rv rvW. Illinois rv rvYoungstown 24 rv*Rank represents highest position in the two polls (STATS or AFCA FCS Coaches polls)

2018 Valley Football Teams in the Top 25

4 on STATS Payton Watch List  A total of 25 players have been nominat-ed to the STATS FCS Walter Payton Award Watch List; including four from the MVFC. Representing the Conference are RB Bruce Anderson of North Dakota State, QB Taryn Christion of South Dakota State, RB Tevin McCaster of Youngstown State and QB Easton Stick of North Dakota State.

5 on STATS Buchanan Watch List  Darin Greenfield of South Dakota, Rob-bie Grimsley of North Dakota State, Greg Menard of North Dakota State, Christian Rozeboom of South Dakota State and Kha-len Saunders or Western Illinois are on the 2018 STATS FCS Buck Buchanan Award Watch List.

Home Cooking Last week, league member Youngstown State dropped a rare non-conference home game, falling to visiting Butler, 23-21. The Penguins had won 20-straight home games in September, dating back to 2009. League schools combined for a 16-1 home non-conference record last year and have twice recorded perfect records at home in non-league games (2011 and 2014). This year, MVFC schools have combined for a 3-1 start at home in non-league play. Four games this weekend are at home.

Best Non-Conference Home Records

24-0 (2014) - 1.00015-0 (2011) - 1.00020-1 (1999) - .95219-1 (1996) - .95017-1 (2012) - .94417-1 (2015) - .94416-1 (2017) - .94116-1-1 (1991) - .91720-2 (1993) - .909

Home: 3-1 / Away: 1-4 / Neut: 0-0

NCAA FCS Teams (2-3)Big Sky ................................................... 1-2 Cal Poly .......................................................1-0 Montana .....................................................0-1 Montana State ............................................0-1 Northern Arizona ........................................0-0 Northern Colorado .....................................0-0 Weber State ................................................0-0CAA Football........................................... 0-0 Delaware .....................................................0-0Independents ........................................ 0-0 Hampton .....................................................0-0 North Alabama ...........................................0-0Ohio Valley ............................................. 1-0 Eastern Illinois ............................................0-0 Murray State ...............................................1-0 SE Missouri State .......................................0-0Pioneer Football .................................... 0-1 Butler ..........................................................0-1 Valparaiso ...................................................0-0SWAC ...................................................... 0-0 Arkansas-Pine Bluff ....................................0-0

NCAA FBS Teams (0-2)ACC ......................................................... 0-0 Louisville .....................................................0-0Big Ten ................................................... 0-0 Illinois ..........................................................0-0 Iowa .............................................................0-0Big 12 ..................................................... 0-2 Iowa State ...................................................0-1 Kansas State ..............................................0-0 Oklahoma State..........................................0-1 West Virginia ...............................................0-0Mountain West ...................................... 0-0 Colorado State ............................................0-0SEC ......................................................... 0-0 Ole Miss ......................................................0-0

Non Division I Teams (2-0)Lincoln ................................................... 0-0St. Xavier ................................................ 1-0Quincy .................................................... 1-0

vs. Ranked (FCS) Teams (0-1) UNI at #24 Montana, L, 23-26

vs. Ranked (FBS) Teams (0-1) Missouri St. at #25 Okla. State, L, 17-58

vs. Non-Conference (4-5)

10 for 10 Ten seasons, ten wins in home openers for the Redbirds under the leadership of head coach Brock Spack. Thanks to a 46-0 shutout win over Saint Xavier, Illinois State has now picked up a victory in the home opener for 10-straight years dating back to Spack’s first career win, a 38-7 win over Austin Peay in the 2009 home opener. The home dominance is not a new trend for the Redbirds, who are a combined 44-11 at home during Spack’s tenure and 27-5 at Hancock Stadium since the renovation of the facility in 2013.

Interceptions Galore Not only did the Redbirds shut out the Cougars and hold them to -30 yards rushing, they also recorded three interceptions to go along with a fumble recovery in the contest. Ty DeForest, Luther Kirk and Mitchell Brees each recorded picks for ISU, which had not recorded three interceptions in a game since Oct. 29, 2016 when DraShane Glass, LaDarius Newbold and Willie Edwards each snagged INTs.

Four-Headed Monster? Heading into the season, much of the buzz surrounding the ISU offense centered on the dynamic running game and the three-headed monster of James Robinson, Markel Smith and Jordan Birch. How-ever, after Saturday’s win over Saint Xavier that group may need to make room for a fourth monster in senior Nick Kielbasa. Each record-ed a touchdown in the win over the Cougars, as ISU rushed for five scores on the ground and racked up 191 rushing yards. Kielbasa’s score, a seven-yard hard-fought effort, was the final touchdown of the day for ISU and the first in the career of the former walk-on turned 2018 team captain.

ILLINOIS STATE REDBIRDS(1-0, 0-0 MVFC)

S1 St. Xavier (Ill.) W, 46-0 1-0, 0-0S8 Eastern Illinois NBCSCH+/ESPN+ 6:30 p.m.S22 at Colorado State AT&T SportsNet 2:00 p.m.S29 *at Missouri State ESPN+ 2:00 p.m.O6 *Western Illinois NBCSCH/ESPN+ 2:00 p.m.O13 *Southern Illinois (HC) ESPN3 2:00 p.m.O20 *at North Dakota State ESPN+ 2:30 p.m.O27 *South Dakota State ESPN3 12:00 p.m.N3 *at UNI ESPN+ 1:00 p.m.N10 *at Indiana State ESPN3 12:00 p.m.N17 *Youngstown State NBCSCH/ESPN+ 12:00 p.m.*MVFC game

Snapping the Streak Thursday’s season opening win snapped a 14-game losing streak for the Sycamore football program dating back to the 2016 season. ISU’s last victory before the opener was a 22-14 win at Southern Illi-nois. The victory also marked the first win for head coach Curt Mallory and his staff since taking over the program in January of 2017.

Shutout Victory Indiana State recorded its first shutout victory since the 2015 during its opener against Quincy, The Sycamore defense was stout throughout, allowing just 159 yards of total offense. Following 60-minutes of action, the defense allowed just 2.8 yards per play, 81 rushing yards and 78 yards through the air. ISU also came away with a turnover while forcing two forced fumbles and a pair of sacks.

The Ground Game Indiana State finished Thursday’s opener with 423 yards of total offense but a vast majority of those yards came from the ground game where ISU recorded 339 yards and all six touchdowns. Eight Sycamores ran the ball, led by sophomore Titus McCoy who had 81 yards and a score, edging out senior Ja’Quan Keys who finished with 80 yards and two rushing touchdowns. Quarterback Jalil Kilpatrick added 69 yards and a touchdown while freshman Christian Covington had 10 carries for 64 yards and two scores. The Sycamores rank sixth in the country in total rushing yards after week one.

INDIANA STATE SYCAMORES(1-0, 0-0 MVFC)

A30 Quincy W, 49-0 1-0, 0-0S8 at Louisville ACC Network 7:00 p.m. ETS15 at Eastern Illinois ESPN+ 7:00 p.m. ETS27 *UNI ESPN3 7:00 p.m. ETO6 *at South Dakota State ESPN+ 7:00 p.m. ETO13 *Missouri State (HC) ESPN+ 2:00 p.m. ETO20 *at Southern Illinois ESPN+ 3:00 p.m. ETO27 *at Youngstown State ESPN+ 2:00 p.m. ETN3 *South Dakota ESPN+ 1:00 p.m. ETN10 *Illinois State ESPN3 1:00 p.m. ETN17 *at Western Illinois ESPN3 2:00 p.m. ET*MVFC game

Throwback Thursdays For the first time since 2007, the Bears will play back-to-back Thursdays to start the season. MSU brings a 21-16-3 all-time Thurs-day ledger into this week’s home opener against Lincoln University. Missouri State has played multiple Thursday games in the same season just five previous times -- 1921, 1922, 1939, 1952 and 2007.

Quarterback Attack Bears’ junior QB Peyton Huslig rushed for 109 yards in MSU’s season opener at No. 25 Oklahoma State last week, marking his fourth career 100-yard rushing game (in 12 games) with MSU. Huslig accounted for 259 of MSU’s 260 yards of total offense against the Cowboys and threaded two TD passes through the OSU defense. Only former Bear DeAndre Smith (1987-90), with six 100-yard rushing games, has more than Huslig from the QB position.

Home Cooking Missouri State begins a rare three-game home stand this week that runs through the month of September. The last time MSU hosted three games in a row was 2009, while the last time the Bears played out the month of September without a road game was 1954. The Bears will also play two of their four October games at home with one home contest slated for the month of November.

MISSOURI STATE BEARS(0-1, 0-0 MVFC)

A30 at #25 Oklahoma State L, 17-58 0-1, 0-0S6 Lincoln (Mo.) ESPN3 6:00 p.m.S15 Northern Arizona ESPN3 2:00 p.m.S29 *Illinois State ESPN+ 2:00 p.m.O6 *at South Dakota ESPN3 2:00 p.m.O13 *at Indiana State ESPN+ 1:00 p.m.O20 *Western Illinois (HC) ESPN+ 2:00 p.m.O27 *Southern Illinois ESPN+ 2:00 p.m.N3 *at South Dakota State ESPN+ 2:00 p.m.N10 *North Dakota State ESPN+ 2:00 p.m.N17 *at UNI ESPN+ 4:00 p.m.*MVFC game

Marlette Leads Defense Starting middle linebacker Dan Marlette led the Bison defense with nine tackles in his first game back after a knee injury in the fourth game of last season. Marlette had two of NDSU’s 11 tackles for loss. Two-time All-America defensive end Greg Menard had a pass breakup and one of NDSU’s five sacks in his first game since 2016. Menard moved into a tie for fifth all-time at NDSU with his 29th career sack. The Bison defense held Cal Poly’s triple-option attack to 82 yards on 52 carries for 1.6 yards per carry.

Bison Score Seven TDs on the Ground North Dakota State rushed for 458 yards and averaged 10.2 yards per carry against Cal Poly. NDSU’s seven rushing touchdowns tied last year’s opener against Mississippi Valley State for the most rushing TDs in NDSU’s Division I history and were the most since rushing for eight TDs in a 59-20 win at South Dakota on Nov. 2, 1996. Lance Dunn tied a career high with three TDs, Bruce Anderson had two, and quarterbacks Easton Stick and Holden Hotchkiss each scored once.

Early Bye Week Week 2 brings an early open week for the Bison this year, the product of a seven-game home schedule completed last October with the addition of last week’s opponent, Cal Poly. That addition included moving the Delaware game from Sept. 1 to Sept. 22 and the North Alabama game from Sept. 22 to Sept. 15. NDSU has won the last three times the Bison have played their second game after a bye week – in 2016 over Eastern Washington and 2015 over Weber State after FCS Kickoff games, and in 2006 over Northeastern. NDSU lost at UC Davis in 2002 following a Week 2 bye.

NORTH DAKOTA STATE BISON(1-0, 0-0 MVFC)

S1 Cal Poly W, 49-3 1-0, 0-0S15 North Alabama NBC ND/ESPN+ 2:30 p.m.S22 Delaware (HC) NBC ND/ESPN+ 1:00 p.m.S29 *South Dakota State NBC ND/ESPN+ 2:30 p.m.O6 *at UNI NBC ND/ESPN+ 1:00 p.m.O13 *at Western Illinois NBC ND/ESPN+ 6:00 p.m.O20 *Illinois State NBC ND/ESPN+ 2:30 p.m.O27 *at South Dakota NBC ND/ESPN+ 2:00 p.m.N3 *Youngstown State NBC ND/ESPN+ 2:30 p.m.N10 *at Missouri State ESPN+ 2:00 p.m.N17 *Southern Illinois NBC ND/ESPN+ 2:30 p.m.*MVFC game

Tale of Two Halves The Panthers fell to the University of Montana in the matchup of ranked teams in the FCS in week one. In a tale of two halves, the Griz-zlies jumped out to a 26-0 lead at the half, before the Panthers made adjustments and battled back to score 23 unanswered in the second half, but the comeback fell just short.

On a Bye; Against the Hawkeyes UNI takes an early bye week this week before traveling to the Uni-versity of Iowa on Sept. 15. UNI is 1-16 all-time against Iowa with the win coming in the first meeting in 1898. In the last three meetings, the games have all been close, including a 17-16 win by the Hawk-eyes in 2009.

Fumble Recovery Panther offensive tackle Cal Twait recovered three fumbles during the season debut.

NORTHERN IOWA PANTHERS(0-1, 0-0 MVFC)

S1 at Montana L, 23-26 0-1, 0-0S15 at Iowa Big Ten Network 6:30 p.m.S22 Hampton PSN/ESPN3 4:00 p.m.S27 *at Indiana State ESPN3 6:00 p.m.O6 *North Dakota State PSN/ESPN+ 1:00 p.m.O13 *at South Dakota ESPN+ 6:00 p.m.O20 *South Dakota St. (HC) ESPN3 4:00 p.m.O27 *at Western Illinois ESPN+ 1:00 p.m.N3 *Illinois State PSN/ESPN+ 1:00 p.m.N10 *at Youngstown State ESPN+ 11:00 a.m.N17 *Missouri State PSN/ESPN+ 4:00 p.m.*MVFC game

Falck Ties Single-Game Record All 16 of Levi Falck’s catches last season came in the team’s first four games. In the season opener at Kansas State Saturday, Falck tied a USD single-game record with 11 catches and compiled a career-high 140 yards. Six of his catches went for more than 10 yards. He had a leaping 34-yard grab that helped setup the Coyotes’ first touchdown.

Gray (Alex) Shines at Kansas State Andrew Gray is a returning all-MVFC safety, but his twin brother, Alex, stole the headlines in week one. Alex shocked a sellout crowd at Snyder Stadium after returning an interception 25 yards for a touchdown that gave USD a 24-12 lead heading into halftime (we won’t mention that he was supposed to blitz on the play). It was Alex’s fourth career interception and first returned for a score. He also had two of South Dakota’s four sacks and recovered a fumble with 50 seconds left that gave USD a chance at a tying field goal.

On to Northern Colorado South Dakota and Northern Colorado are meeting for the first time since 2010 as part of a home-and-home that concludes in Greeley, Colorado, next season. The two programs were in the NCC from 1980-2002 when Northern Colorado made the jump to Division I. Since 2002, the teams have met twice – in 2009 and 2010. The home team has won the last seven matchups.

Home Opener Streak South Dakota has won 15 consecutive home openers dating back to 2003 and is 34-5 in home openers inside the DakotaDome. The Coyotes upset defending Big Sky champion North Dakota 45-7 in their home opener last season.

SOUTH DAKOTA COYOTES(0-1, 0-0 MVFC)

S1 at Kansas State L, 24-27 0-1, 0-0S8 Northern Colorado Midco/ESPN+ 2:00 p.m.S15 at Weber State Pluto 235 7:00 p.m.S29 *at Southern Illinois ESPN+ 6:00 p.m.O6 *Missouri State (HC) ESPN3 2:00 p.m.O13 *UNI Midco/ESPN+ 6:00 p.m.O20 *at Youngstown State KELO/ESPN+ 5:00 p.m.O27 *North Dakota State Midco/ESPN+ 2:00 p.m.N3 *at Indiana State ESPN+ 12:00 p.m.N10 *Western Illinois Midco/ESPN+ 1:00 p.m.N17 *at South Dakota State Midco/ESPN+ 2:00 p.m.*MVFC game

Washed Out When thunderstorms forced the cancellation of South Dakota State’s Sept. 1 season opener at Iowa State, it marked the first time in 27 years the Jackrabbits were unable to play a football game due to weather. The previous time weather forced a cancellation was on the heels of the 1991 Halloween Blizzard which paralyzed the Upper Midwest and wiped out SDSU’s matchup with St. Cloud State.

Down to the Wire Each of the three meetings in the Division I era between South Dakota State and this week’s opponent, Montana State, have been decided by seven points or less. In 2004, Montana State kicked a field goal with two seconds remaining to defeat the Jackrabbits, 27-24. SDSU has claimed victories in each of the last two meetings, outlasting the Bobcats 47-40 in an FCS playoff game in 2014 and pulling out a 31-27 win last season. A 31-yard touchdown run by kicker Chase Vinatieri on a fake field goal proved to be the decisive score in the 2017 contest. Each of the three previous matchups took place at Bobcat Stadium in Bozeman, Montana, with this Saturday’s game marking MSU’s first trip to Brookings since 1964.

Christion Sets Sights on 10K QB Taryn Christion has his sights on another milestone as he en-ters Saturday’s game against Montana State within striking distance of becoming the first player in program history to reach 10,000 yards of total offense. Already the Jackrabbit career leader with 9,697 yards, Christion stands third on the all-time MVFC charts. He needs only 142 yards to pass North Dakota State’s Brock Jensen (9,838 yards from 2010-13) for second place. Illinois State’s Matt Brown, who tallied 10,952 yards of total offense (2009-12), holds the record.

SOUTH DAKOTA ST. JACKRABBITS(0-0, 0-0 MVFC)

S1 at Iowa State Canceled 0-0, 0-0S8 Montana State Midco/ESPN+ 6:00 p.m.S15 Ark.-Pine Bluff Midco/ESPN+ 6:00 p.m.S29 *at North Dakota State Midco/ESPN+ 2:30 p.m.O6 *Indiana State Midco/ESPN+ 6:00 p.m.O13 *Youngstown State (HC) Midco/ESPN+ 2:00 p.m.O20 *at UNI ESPN3 4:00 p.m.O27 *at Illinois State ESPN3 12:00 p.m.N3 *Missouri State Midco/ESPN+ 2:00 p.m.N10 *at Southern Illinois ESPN+ 1:00 p.m.N17 *South Dakota Midco/ESPN+ 2:00 p.m.*MVFC game

Chinn w/ 10 Turnovers in Last 13 In the last 13 games, S Jeremy Chinn (6-2, 211, Jr.) has four inter-ceptions and six forced fumbles. A preseason All-MVFC pick, he is tied for second all-time at Southern in forced fumbles (6), trailing only Tyler Williamson (8, 2012-14). Chinn has started 18-straight games at safety for SIU — the longest active starting streak on the team.

Salukis Tie School Record for Def TD In the season opener at Murray State, the Salukis tied a school record with three defensive touchdowns. Qua Brown (23-yard fumble return), Airan Reed (0-yard interception return) and Michael Elbert (77-yard fumble return) each recorded their first-career touchdowns. SIU forced six turnovers in the game — the most since forcing six at Eastern Illinois on Nov. 28, 2009.

Series vs. Ole Miss The Salukis and Ole Miss have met twice before, with Southern losing, 59-3, in 1994 and 42-24 in 2011. In the 2011 matchup, the Rebels scored three touchdowns in the first six minutes of the contest. From that point forward, Southern outscored Ole Miss, 24-21. For the game, the Salukis out-gained the Rebels in total yardage, 420-315.

Saluki Debuts Against Murray State, three players made their first-career starts (WR Landon Lenoir, LB Bryce Notree and S Qua Brown). Twenty-three players made their Saluki debut, including five true freshmen — QB Javon Williams, WR Je’Quan Burton, CB Chance Bush, LB Oliver Mc-Dowell and FB Jacob Garrett.

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS SALUKIS(1-0, 0-0 MVFC)

A30 at Murray State W, 49-10 1-0, 0-0S8 at Ole Miss SEC Network 3:00 p.m.S15 SE Missouri State ESPN+ 6:00 p.m.S29 *South Dakota ESPN+ 6:00 p.m.O6 *at Youngstown State ESPN+ 5:00 p.m.O13 *at Illinois State ESPN3 2:00 p.m.O20 *Indiana State (HC) ESPN+ 2:00 p.m.O27 *at Missouri State ESPN+ 2:00 p.m.N3 *Western Illinois ESPN3 1:00 p.m.N10 *South Dakota State ESPN+ 1:00 p.m.N17 *at North Dakota State ESPN+ 2:30 p.m.*MVFC game

Us vs. Them Western has eight FBS victories under its belt including one in each of the last two seasons. The Leathernecks scored 45 unanswered points en route to a 52-10 win at Coastal Carolina a season ago and defeated Northern Illinois, 28-23, in 2016.

FBS VictoriesNov. 7, 1986, at Northern Illinois, 10-0Sept. 7, 1996, at Northern Illinois,17-0Sept. 2, 1999, at Northern Illinois, 27-21Sept. 9, 2000, at Ball State, 24-14Sept. 21, 2002, at Northern Illinois, 29-26Sept. 4, 2003, at Eastern Michigan, 34-12Sept. 24, 2016, at Northern Illinois, 28-23Sept. 23, 2017, at Coastal Carolina, 52-10

Pinned Deep Adam Fellner began the 2018 season with two 50-plus yard punts, and his first kick traveled the farthest at 58 yards. Fellner is coming off of a sophomore slate where he averaged 38.6 yards per punt with nine going for 50+. At Montana State, he recorded 244 yards on five punts for a 48.80 average.

WESTERN ILLINOIS LEATHERNECKS(0-1, 0-0 MVFC)

A30 at Montana State L, 23-26 0-1, 0-0S8 at Illinois Big Ten Network 6:30 p.m.S15 Montana ESPN+ 3:00 p.m.S29 *Youngstown State [HC] ESPN3 3:00 p.m.O6 *at Illinois State ESPN+ 2:00 p.m.O13 *North Dakota State ESPN+ 6:00 p.m.O20 *at Missouri State ESPN+ 2:00 p.m.O27 *UNI ESPN+ 1:00 p.m.N3 *at Southern Illinois ESPN3 1:00 p.m.N10 *at South Dakota ESPN+ 1:00 p.m.N17 *Indiana State ESPN3 1:00 p.m.*MVFC game

Newcomers at WR The Penguins new-look wide receiving corps had a solid opener against Butler. Newcomers Kendric Mallory and Zach Farrar com-bined to catch seven passes for 101 yards. Mallory added a 44-yard touchdown reception in the contest. Samuel St. Surin caught a career-high five passes for 85 yards and a touchdown while Ryan Emans and Zack Torbert had receptions. For Emans, it was the first receptions of his YSU career. St. Surin, Darius Shackleford and Farrar all made their first career starts vs. Butler. True freshman Natavious Payne also played in the contest.

Plenty of Newcomers YSU had plenty of new faces see action in the contest with Butler. A total of 18 players made their Penguins debuts in the contest while 10 players made their first career starts. The Guins who made their first career starts were QB Montgomery VanGorder, OT Charles Baldwin, TE Miles Joiner, WR Darius Shackelford, WR Zach Farrar, WR Samuel St. Surin, SS Terray Bryant, NB Will Latham, DE Shereif Bynum and DT Wes Thompson. Three true freshmen played in the game (WR Natavious Payne, LB Grifin Hoak and TE Jake Benio).

VanGorder Debut In his Youngstown State debut, Notre Dame graduate transfer QB Montgomery VanGorder completed 18-of-27 passes for 234 yards and three touchdowns against Butler. His first touchdown came in the first quarter when he found Miles Joiner on a three-yard score. He had a pair of touchdown tosses in the third quarter. He connected on a 28-yard scoring toss to Samuel St. Surin then went deep to Kendric Mallory for a 44-yard score as the Penguins went in front 21-7.

Balanced Offense In the opener against Butler, the Penguins were almost perfectly balanced on offense (235 yards rushing, 234 yards passing). In the first half, YSU had 194 yards rushing while passing for 93. In the sec-ond half, the Penguins threw for 141 yards while rushing for 41. YSU averaged 7.1 yards per play with 469 total offensive yards.

YOUNGSTOWN STATE PENGUINS(0-1, 0-0 MVFC)

S1 Butler L, 21-23 0-1, 0-0S8 at West Virginia AT&T SN 6:00 p.m. ETS15 Valparaiso ESPN+ 2:00 p.m. ETS29 *at Western Illinois ESPN3 4:00 p.m. ETO6 *Southern Illinois [HC] ESPN+ 6:00 p.m. ETO13 *at South Dakota St. ESPN+ 3:00 p.m. ETO20 *South Dakota ESPN+ 6:00 p.m. ETO27 *Indiana State ESPN+ 2:00 p.m. ETN3 *at North Dakota St. ESPN+ 3:30 p.m. ETN10 *UNI ESPN+ 12:00 p.m. ETN17 *at Illinois State ESPN+ 1:00 p.m. ET*MVFC game