Saturday, Nov. 16
Missouri State at #7 Illinois State, 12 pm CT | Normal, Ill. • NBCSCH/ESPN+
Youngstown State at Indiana State, 1 pm ET | Terre Haute, Ind. • ESPN+
RV Southern Illinois at Western Illinois, 1 pm CT | Macomb, Ill. • ESPN+
#4 UNI at #8 South Dakota State, 2 pm CT | Brookings, S.D. • ESPN3
South Dakota at #1 North Dakota St., 2:30 pm CT | Fargo, N.D. • NBC ND/Midco/ESPN+
Saturday, Nov. 23
Illinois State at Youngstown State, 11 am CT
Western Illinois at UNI, 1 pm CT
Indiana State at Missouri State, 2 pm CT
North Dakota State at Southern Illinois, 2 pm CT
South Dakota State at South Dakota, 2 pm CT
Weekly MVFC Notebook (PDF)
Magic Number = 1
With its next win, North Dakota State will claim at least a share of the Missouri Valley Football Conference title. It would mark the ninth consecutive MVFC crown for NDSU, extending its current league record. NDSU won its eighth consecutive league title in 2018, topping the league record seven straight by UNI in the early 1990s. Notably, 11 teams have gone unbeaten in MVFC games since 1985, and only North Dakota State (2013 and 2018) and Southern Illinois (2009) have done it through an eight-game conference schedule.
Most Consecutive League Titles in Division I
14 - Oklahoma (Big 8, 1946-59)
12 - Montana (Big Sky, 1998-09)
10 - BYU (WAC, 1976-85)
9 - Florida State (ACC, 1992-00)
8 - North Dakota State (MVFC, 2011-18)
8 - Nebraska (Big 8, 1910-17)
7 on Buchanan Award List
Three MVFC student-athletes have been added to the Buck Buchanan Award Watch List, including DL Elerson Smith of UNI; DL Derrek Tuszka of North Dakota State and DB Jeremy Chinn of Southern Illinois. They join DL Darin Greenfield of South Dakota; LB Jabril Cox of North Dakota State; LB Christian Rozeboom of South Dakota State; and LB Jonas Griffith of Indiana State on the list. The MVFC has more players on the list than any other conference.
4 on Payton Award List
QB Trey Lance of North Dakota State and RB Pierre Strong Jr. of South Dakota State have been added to the STATS FCS Walter Payton Award Watch List. They join RB James Robinson of Illinois State and WR Cade Johnson of South Dakota State, who were on the preseason list.
4 on Jerry Rice Award List
STATs announced its 24-player Jerry Rice Award Watch List on Nov. 5, and four MVFC players made the list. Representing the MVFC on the list are CB Omar Brown of UNI; QB Trey Lance of North Dakota State; QB Will McElvain of UNI; and RB Javon Williams Jr. of Southern Illinois.
SIU’s Chinn to Play in Senior Bowl
Southern Illinois safety Jeremy Chinn has accepted an invitation to play in the prestigious Reese’s Senior Bowl. He will be just the third player in school history and the first since TE Damon Jones in 1996 to play in the postseason all-star game.
4 MVFC Teams in Top 10
For the fifth time this season, the Missouri Valley Football Conference has four teams in the Top 10 of the Top-25 rankings. In the AFCA coaches poll, North Dakota State holds the top spot, followed by UNI (5), Illinois State (8) and South Dakota State (9). Southern Illinois is receiving votes. In the STATS FCS rankings, North Dakota State is No. 1, followed by UNI (4), Illinois State (7) and South Dakota State (8). Southern Illinois is 29th. The MVFC also holds four of the Top 9 spots in the Massey Ratings with North Dakota State (1), UNI (7), South Dakota State (8) and Illinois State (9) representing the league in that statistical metric.
Still Perfect
Just two FCS teams remain unbeaten in 2019. There are five perfect FBS teams. Notably, two of South Dakota State’s three losses have come vs. NDSU & Minnesota.
FCS Unbeaten Teams (2019)
10-0 -- North Dakota State
8-0 -- Dartmouth
FBS Unbeaten Teams (2019)
10-0 -- Clemson
9-0 -- Baylor, Ohio State, LSU, Minnesota
Winning Against No. 1
When North Dakota State knocked off top-ranked and previously unbeaten James Madison in the 2017 FCS title game, It marked the 17th time an MVFC member had recorded a win vs. the nation’s top-rated team (nine of those 17 wins were against a fellow league member). As an MVFC member, USD is 0-3 against No. 1-ranked teams. The Coyotes, however, did beat North Dakota State in 2014 when the Bison were ranked No. 2 in the nation. The last time NDSU was ranked No. 1 and lost to an unranked team was on Oct. 13, 2012, when it fell to Indiana State, 17-14.
Home Sweet Home
North Dakota State and UNI are both 5-0 at home this season. NDSU (24) leads the FCS for current consecutive wins at home. Clemson’s 21-game winning streak at home leads the FBS. UNI has a current 9-game home winning streak.
NCAA Leaders, Active Home Win Streaks
24 -- North Dakota State (MVFC)
15 -- Grambling State (SWAC)
13 -- Eastern Washington (Big Sky)
12 -- Southeast Missouri State (OVC)
Taking the Show on the Road
North Dakota State extended its FCS-leading road winning streak to nine with its victory at Youngstown State on Nov. 2. Illinois State, which lost its season-opener at Northern Illinois, has won its last four road games, including this past weekend at No. 4 South Dakota State.
NCAA Leaders, Active Road Win Streaks
9 - North Dakota State (MVFC)
7 - Princeton (Ivy)
5 - Dartmouth (Ivy)
4 - Illinois State (MVFC)
4 - James Madison (CAA)
4 - Kennesaw State (Big South)
NDSU During the Streak
North Dakota State closed the 2018 season with four-straight wins against ranked foes (#23 Montana State, #7 Colgate, #5 South Dakota State and #3 Eastern Washington). Notably, during its current 31-game winning streak, NDSU has beaten 17 teams ranked in the Top 25.
Yet Another FBS Win
Thanks to SIU’s 45-20 win at UMass on Sept. 7 the league has had at least one FBS win in each of the last 10 seasons. The MVFC has 46 FBS wins in its history. Southern Illinois (at UMass and at Arkansas State) was the only MVFC school to face two FBS opponents this season.
Great Start to a Career
Through the first 10 games of his career, North Dakota State rookie QB Trey Lance leads the FCS in pass efficiency (191.1 rating), and he’s 12th in ‘points responsible for’ (18.0 points per game). He’s the NCAA freshman leader in both categories. Former NDSU QB Easton Stick established the league single-season record with his 172.4 rating in 2018. Lance also leads the FCS with his 69.6 completion percentage. In the win against Western Illinois, Lance extended his streak to 181 consecutive passing attempts without an interception, surpassing the NDSU school record of 152 set by Easton Stick from 2016 to 2017.
Weston Leads the FCS
UNI’s Isaiah Weston leads the FCS in yards per catch (25.18), and he’s also among the FCS leaders in receiving TDs (7th), receiving yards (6th) and receiving yards per game (11th). He leads the MVFC in all four receiving categories. Weston had two catches for 58 yards in the win against Indiana State.
Kicking It
South Dakota’s Brady Schutt ranks third in the FCS with his 45.7 punting average. Schutt pinned three of his four punts inside the 15-yard line Saturday against Youngstown State. He dropped a punt inside the 5 just before halftime that bounced off a Penguin and the Coyotes recovered the muff and promptly scored to take a 35-14 lead into halftime.
Among the NCAA Rush Leaders
Two MVFC runningbacks are among the FCS leaders in rushing yards per game. James Robinson of Illinois State is 8th (107.9 yards per game) while Pierre Strong Jr. of South Dakota State is 14th (100.4 average). Strong ranks 5th in the FCS as he averages 7.17 yards per carry.
Bison on Top of the FCS
In addition to its perfect 10-0 record, North Dakota State tops the FCS in a number of team statistical categories. NDSU leads the FCS in kickoff return average (27.78 yards per return), fewest interceptions thrown (1), pass efficiency (183.92 points), pass efficiency defense (102.10 points), and fewest turnovers lost (5).
MVFC INT Leaders
A pair of MVFC student-athletes are among the FCS leaders in interceptions per game. All-American Jeremy Chinn of Southern Illinois and freshman Omar Brown of UNI are tied for sixth nationally with 0.5 interceptions per game. Chinn has four picks in his eight games played and Brown has five interceptions in 10 games.
Simmons Leads MVFC in Offense
QB Austin Simmons of South Dakota passed for 180 yards, ran for 72 and accounted for five touchdowns in three quarters of work against the nation’s 22nd-ranked defense in USD’s 56-21 win against Youngstown State. He surpassed his predecessor, Chris Streveler, for third place on the Coyotes’ all-time passing list with 6,162 yards. Simmons leads the MVFC in completions per game (23.6, 11th in the FCS); 25 passing TDs (9th in the FCS), 2,628 passing yards (15th in the FCS), points responsible for (182, 10th in the FCS).and total offense (311.8 yards per game, 7th in the FCS).
Total Defense Leaders
Seven MVFC schools rank among the Top 34 in the FCS for fewest yards allowed this season, led by North Dakota State (2nd in the FCS with 277.0 yards per game). Four MVFC schools rank in the Top 10 in scoring defense. North Dakota State leads the MVFC and ranks second in the FCS (12.6 points per game). South Dakota State (7th, 17.3 ppg), Illinois State (8th, 17.8 ppg) and UNI (10th, 19.0 ppg). NDSU’s 12.6 average would equal the fourth-best in MVFC history.
Going for No. 100
Coach Bo Pelini of Youngstown State will be aiming for victory No. 100 in his head coaching career on Saturday when the Penguins face Indiana State. Bob Nielson of South Dakota ranks fourth among active FCS coaches with 206 career wins.
Sack Masters
Three MVFC student-athletes are in the Top 10 in the FCS in sacks per game. Elerson Smith of UNI leads the MVFC and ranks 3rd nationally with 1.20 per game. Derrek Tuszka of North Dakota State (6th at 1.06 per game) and Justus Reed of Youngstown State (10th at 0.95 per game) also represent the league among the FCS leaders. A pair of MVFC schools rank among the Top 6 in team sacks per game. Illinois State leads the MVFC and ranks 4th in the FCS (3.50 per game). Southern Illinois is right behind ISU at 3.20 per game (good for 6th in the FCS). Three other MVFC schools are in the Top 15, including UNI (t-12th), South Dakota State (t-12th) and North Dakota State (15th).
Turnovers are a Key
Two MVFC schools rank among the FCS leaders in turnover margin this season. UNI and North Dakota State lead the MVFC and rank fourth in the FCS with a +1.20 margin. Last week, Illinois State took advantage of four costly turnovers by South Dakota State, as the Redbirds scored 17 unanswered points in the second half to defeat the fourth-ranked Jackrabbits, 27-18.