This Week in the MVFC
All 10 league teams are in action with five conference games on the slate, and the league will take its TV cameras to Vermillion for the Missouri State-South Dakota contest on Saturday, Oct. 6 (ESPN3). All four other league games this week will air on ESPN+
Saturday, Oct. 6
#1 North Dakota State at #22 UNI, 1 pm CT | Cedar Falls, Iowa • PSN / NBC ND / ESPN+
RV Western Illinois at #14 Illinois St., 2 pm CT | Normal, Ill. • NBCSCH / ESPN+
#24 Missouri St. at RV South Dakota, 2 pm CT | Vermillion, S.D. • ESPN3
Southern Illinois at Youngstown State, 6 pm ET | Youngstown, Ohio • ESPN+
Indiana State at #3 South Dakota St., 6 pm CT | Brookings, S.D. • MidcoSN / ESPN+
Weekly Notebook (PDF)
Back to Back, Jack
Missouri State picked up its second win against a top-25 team in as many games as the Bears knocked off No. 9 Illinois State on Saturday. It marks the first time since 1989 that Missouri State had beaten ranked teams in back-to-back games. [Missouri State had beaten then No. 20 Northern Arizona in its preceding game.] Missouri State’s drought was the longest for league members (Western Illinois now holds that distinction.) Here’s a list of the last time each current MVFC school has beaten ranked teams in back-to-back games:
Illinois State: Oct. 21-28, 2017
Indiana State: Sept. 27-Oct. 4, 2014
Missouri State: Sept. 15-29, 2018
North Dakota State: Dec. 15-Jan. 6, 2018
UNI: Oct. 14-21, 2017
South Dakota: Sept. 30-Oct. 7, 2017
South Dakota State: Dec. 2-9, 2017
Southern Illinois: Oct. 5-12, 2013
Western Illinois: Nov. 28-Dec. 5, 1998
Youngstown State: Dec. 10-17, 2016
Winning Against No. 1
When North Dakota State knocked off top-ranked and previously unbeaten James Madison in last year’s FCS title game, It marked the 17th time an MVFC member had recorded a win vs. the nation’s No. 1 team (9 of those 17 wins were against a fellow league member). As an MVFC member (since 1985), UNI owns a 3-6 record when playing a No. 1-ranked team, including a win against top-ranked NDSU in 2014.
Still Perfect
North Dakota State (4-0), Colgate (4-0), Dartmouth (3-0) and Princeton (3-0) still have perfect records through Sept. 29. Nine previously unbeaten teams lost their first games of the 2018 season last weekend.
Streaking
North Dakota State owns the nation’s longest active winning streak in the FCS, at 10 games. The 10-game streak is tied for the eighth-longest in MVFC history.
Ranked vs. Ranked
Prior to games of Oct. 6, there have been 168 games in which two league teams ranked in the top 25 played one another. Of those 168 games, 41 times the meeting involved teams that were both ranked in the Top 10 at the same time. Nine meetings have occurred in the playoffs. The SDSU-NDSU matchup on 9/29/18 marked just the third time in league history that two teams ranked in the Top 3 played one another.
Against Ranked FCS Teams
In non-league play, the league is 2-2 against ranked FCS teams in 2018, marking the 16th time in the league’s 34-year history with multiple regular-season top-25 non-conference wins. Since 2014, league schools have combined for a 39-18 record against non-conference top-25 teams.
Nielson Nabs No. 200
South Dakota’s 31-24 victory at Southern Illinois was the 200th career win for the Coyotes’ Bob Nielson, who becomes the 91st college football coach to reach the plateau. He is the 17th active NCAA coach with 200 wins and is 200-94-1 in 26 seasons.
5 Teams Ranked in Top 25
After winning back-to-back games against top-25 teams, Missouri State is back in the Top 25 for the first time since September 2014 (coaches poll), clocking in at No. 24 in the STATS FCS rankings this week. The Bears were last ranked in the STATS poll in the preseason poll of 1997. NDSU and SDSU remain at No. 1 and No. 3, respectively in the STATS poll, while Illinois State and UNI are also ranked.
Among conferences, the MVFC is the top-rated league in the FCS (Sagarin Rankings), and also ranks ahead of a number of FBS leagues, including the MAC (East Division), Conference USA (both the East and West divisions), and the Sun Belt (West Division).
Another League Shutout
UNI shut out Indiana State, 33-0, this past Thursday, in what was the 41st shutout in league play (in the MVFC’s 34th season). It marks the ninth shutout for UNI over a league opponent. Coupled with its 44-0 win over Hampton, UNI has now outscored its opponents 91-0 in the past nine quarters (including a 14-0 advantage in the fourth quarter vs. Iowa). The back-to-back shutouts are the first for the Panthers since 2008.
Jacks Lead the Nation
Through games of Sept. 29, South Dakota State leads the nation in total offense, averaging 598.3 yards per game. Southern Illinois is No. 5 nationally.
A Familiar Spot for NDSU
North Dakota State ranks No. 3 in the FCS in total defense, yielding just 231.5 yards per game. The Bison have led the league in five of the past six seasons, and NDSU led the nation in both 2012 and 2017. NDSU ranks fourth in the FCS in scoring defense. The Bison have led the MVFC in that stat category in each of the past eight seasons and topped the nation in 2011, 2012 and 2013.
Kicking It
Three league schools rank among the FCS best in net punting. South Dakota State tops the MVFC and ranks 4th in the NCAA, averaging 41.56. Missouri State (5th) and North Dakota State (8th) also rank in the Top 10.
In the Red Zone
UNI is one of just 5 schools in the FCS to convert on every Red Zone opportunity this year. The Panthers have 11 TDs and five FGs on their 16 trips through four games. Indiana State (10th in the FCS) and South Dakota (12th) have each scored on all but one of their Red Zone trips this year.
Turnovers a Key
Two league schools rank among the Top 5 in the FCS in turnover margin (and 5 rank in the Top 15). Illinois State ranks second nationally (+2.25), while South Dakota State is 5th (+2.00). Notably, three MVFC schools rank in the Top 6 for fewest turnovers lost, including South Dakota State (t3), Illinois State (t3) and Indiana State (t6).