NCAA Championship Info:  Selection Sunday is on ESPNU at 11:30 am CT on Sunday, Nov. 24.  First-round games take place Saturday, Nov. 30.  The top eight seeds receive a first-round bye.  The title game will take place Saturday, Jan. 11, in Frisco, Texas (11 am CT, ABC) 

Valley Football Weekly Notebook (PDF)





Saturday, Nov. 23
#6 Illinois State at Youngstown State, 11 am CT  |  Youngstown, Ohio • ESPN+
Western Illinois at #9 UNI, 1 pm CT  |  Cedar Falls, Iowa • ESPN3
Indiana State at Missouri State, 2 pm CT  |  Springfield, Mo. • ESPN+
#1 NDSU at #25 Southern Illinois, 2 pm CT  |  Carbondale, Ill. • NBC ND/ESPN+
#5 South Dakota State at South Dakota, 2 pm CT  |  Vermillion, S.D. • Midco Sports/ESPN+

Bison Claim 9th-Straight Crown
Top-ranked North Dakota State extended its record streak of MVFC championships to nine with a 49-14 victory over South Dakota on Saturday.  The Bison (11-0, 7-0 MVFC) clinched the title outright for the fifth time and third-straight year with second-place UNI taking its second loss of the conference season, 38-7 at South Dakota State. NDSU will take a 32-game winning streak to Southern Illinois for the regular-season finale this Saturday, Nov. 23.  NDSU won its eighth consecutive league title in 2018, breaking 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 - North Dakota State (MVFC, 2011-present)
9 - Florida State (ACC, 1992-00)
8 - Nebraska (Big 8, 1910-17)

Title Town
North Dakota State has a league-record nine-straight Conference titles (shared or outright), and the total (also nine) is second-only to UNI’s 16.  The Panthers had a streak of seven-straight titles from 1990-96.

NDSU Streak Reaches 32 Games
NDSU set a league and FCS record with a 33-game win streak from 2012-14.  NDSU joins Yale as the only two Division I teams to put together two separate 32-game winning streaks.  Yale did it from 1887-89 and from 1890-93 with 37-game streaks both times.

Active FCS Winning Streaks
32 -- North Dakota State
10 -- James Madison

Longest FCS Winning Streaks (All Time)
33 -- North Dakota State (2012-14)
32 -- North Dakota State (2017-present)
26 -- James Madison (2016-17)
24 -- Penn (1992-95); 24 -- Montana (2001-02)

Longest Division I Winning Streaks (All Time)
47 -- Oklahoma (1953-57) - pre-FBS/FCS classification
40 -- Washington (1908-14) - pre-FBS/FCS classification
37 -- Yale (1887-89) -  pre-FBS/FCS classification
37 -- Yale (1890-93)  - pre-FBS/FCS classification
35 -- Toledo (1969-71) - pre-FBS/FCS classification
34 -- Penn (1894-96) - pre-FBS/FCS classification
34 -- Miami (2000-02) - FBS
33 -- North Dakota State (2012-14) - FCS
32 -- North Dakota State (2017-present) - FCS
31 -- 3 schools tied - pre-FBS/FCS classification

Active FCS Win Streaks in Conference Play
36 -- San Diego (PFL)
18 -- North Dakota State (MVFC)

All-Time Win Streaks in MVFC Games
18 -- North Dakota State, 2017-present
18 -- North Dakota State, 2012-14
14 -- Southern Illinois, 2008-09
13 -- UNI, 1993-95

Playoff Bids - MVFC History
The MVFC has had a league-record five teams selected to the playoffs three times (2014, 2015, 2017).  In the past five seasons, the MVFC has had a total of 22 bids.  CAA Football set a record in 2018 with 6 bids in the same season (they had achieved 5 bids three previous times).

Playoff Selections - MVFC History
5 -- 3x (2014, 2015, 2017)
4 -- 2x (2003, 2016)
3 or more -- 9x (03, 06, 10, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
2 or more -- 27 times (in 34 seasons)
2 or more playoff bids every year since 1995

2018 - Another Title Game Trip
An MVFC member has reached the FCS championship game 13 times since 1997.  Last year, NDSU extended the MVFC’s FCS record for having a title-game participant to eight-straight seasons (an FCS record).  The Bison beat Eastern Washington, 38-24.  The nine titles by MVFC members are more than any other league.  The SoCon has eight titles to rank second-best.

Still Perfect
NDSU, at 11-0, is the only FCS unbeaten team.  Dartmouth, which was 8-0, fell for the first time this past week.  Three FBS schools are perfect (Clemson, Ohio State, LSU)

MVFC Playoff Success
The league is 95-52 during the past 22 years in the FCS playoffs (since 1997). Overall, a league team has appeared in 13 championship games and in 26 semifinal games. This decade the league is 59-25 (.702) -- which includes nine intra-conference games (meaning the league is 50-16 against teams from other leagues in that span.)  Only one other conference has a winning record in the playoffs since 2010 (the CAA is 40-36.)

5 Losses, At-Large Bid?
In 2014, Indiana State became the first FCS team to earn a playoff bid despite five losses (the Sycamores were 7-5 that year.)  Other five-loss teams to earn an at-large bid into the field included Western Illinois (6-5 in 2015), Illinois State (6-5 in 2016) and UNI (6-5 in 2018).  No other league has earned an at-large bid after losing five games.  Only Illinois State failed to win its first-round game (the Redbirds lost at UCA by a TD in 2016.)

Is 5-3 in the MVFC Enough?
Since the FCS playoffs expanded to a 24-team field (2013), a total of 25 MVFC teams have recorded a 5-3 mark (or better) in league play.  Twenty one of those 25 -- including 21 of 22 in the past five seasons -- have made the playoffs.  Indiana State, in 2018, was the only 5-3 MVFC team not to make the playoff field since 2013.

Leagues With 4 or More Bids
Since the NCAA field expanded to 16 teams for the 1986 playoffs, a league has received four or more bids 18 times. The 2003 playoffs marked the first time the MVFC had four bids. A league has had six bids once, and five bids six times, including the MVFC in 2014, 2015 and 2017.

Most Bids, Single Season
6 Bids -- CAA (2018)
5 Bids -- CAA (2007, 08, 11); MVFC (2014, 15, 17)
4 Bids -- MVFC (2003, 16); Southern (2016); CAA (2004, 09, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17); Big Sky (2013, 15, 18); 

Most FCS Titles
North Dakota State claimed its 7th FCS Championship (in seven championship game visits) in January 2019 by defeating Eastern Washington in Frisco, Texas.  The seven FCS titles are the most in FCS history.

North Dakota State -- 7
Georgia Southern# -- 6
Youngstown State -- 4
Appalachian State# -- 3
#No longer in FCS

Ranked vs. Ranked
There have been 181 games in which two MVFC teams ranked in the top 25 played one another. Of the previous 181 games, 49 times the meeting involved teams that were both ranked in the Top 10 at the same time. Ten meetings have occurred in the playoffs.  The home team is 104-76, while the higher-ranked team is 114-67.  One game (between Illinois State and North Dakota State in Frisco, Texas, on Jan. 10, 2015) was played at a neutral site.  On Oct. 26, #1 North Dakota State beat #3 South Dakota State in what was just the fourth meeting between two MVFC schools ranked in the Top 3.

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).  During its 32-game streak, NDSU has beaten 17 teams ranked in the Top 25.

College GameDay at SDSU
College GameDay was at Brookings, S.D., for the Dakota Marker game between North Dakota State and South Dakota State on Oct. 26.  It marked the ninth time the iconic ESPN show has traveled to an FCS site -- the third time it has visited an MVFC school.

Nov. 16, 2002:  Harvard at Penn
Nov. 26, 2005: Southern vs. Grambling State
Nov. 15, 2008: Hampton at Florida A&M
Sept. 21, 2013: Delaware State at #1 NDSU
Sept. 13, 2014: Incarnate Word at #1 NDSU
Nov. 22, 2014: Yale at #14 Harvard 
Oct. 24, 2015: #11 Richmond at #4 James Madison
Oct. 14, 2017:  #11 Villanova at #1 James Madison
Oct. 26, 2019:  #1 NDSU at #3 SDSU

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.

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, Southern Illinois is 1-4 vs. No. 1-ranked teams.  The Salukis beat top-ranked Western Kentucky in a league game in 2005.  SIU lost to No. 1 UNI in 1992 and lost three times to NDSU when it was the No. 1-ranked team (in 2013, 2014 and 2018.)
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.

5 MVFC Teams in Top 25

• For the sixth 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 South Dakota State (5), Illinois State (6) and UNI (10).  Southern Illinois is 25th this week.
• It marks the first time since Nov. 10, 2014, that the Salukis have been ranked.  SIU was No. 23 in that 1/10/14 poll.
• In the STATS FCS rankings, North Dakota State is No. 1, followed by South Dakota State (5), Illinois State (7) and UNI (9).  Southern Illinois is 26th.
• The MVFC also holds five of the Top 15 spots in the Massey Ratings with North Dakota State (1), South Dakota State (6), UNI (7), Illinois State (11) and Southern Illinois (15) representing the Conference.

Home Sweet Home
North Dakota State (6-0) and UNI (5-0) are both perfect at home this season.  NDSU (25-straight) leads the FCS for current consecutive wins at home.  Clemson’s 22-game winning streak at home leads the FBS.  UNI has a current 9-game home winning streak.

NCAA Leaders, Active Home Win Streaks
25 - 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 its last road game (Nov. 9) at No. 4 South Dakota State.

NCAA Leaders, Active Road Win Streaks
9 - North Dakota State (MVFC)
7 - Princeton (Ivy)
5 - Dartmouth (Ivy)
5 - Kennesaw State (Big South)
4 - Illinois State (MVFC)
4 - five other schools

Great Start to a Career
Through the first 11 games of his career, North Dakota State rookie QB Trey Lance leads the FCS in pass efficiency (196.6 rating), and he’s 11th in ‘points responsible for’ (17.5 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 70.4 completion percentage.  Eric Sanders of UNI established an NCAA record in 2007 by completing 75.2 percent of his attempts.
In the win against Western Illinois, Lance surpassed the NDSU school record of 152 pass attempts without an interception, set by Easton Stick from 2016 to 2017.

FCS Leaders - Pass Efficiency Rating
1  Trey Lance, North Dakota St. (MVFC)    196.6
2  Reid Sinnett, San Diego (Pioneer)    178.5
3  Aaron Winchester, Central Conn. (NEC)    172.8
4  Ben DiNucci, James Madison (CAA)    171.4
5  Felix Harper, Alcorn (SWAC)    168.9

MVFC Single-Season Leaders, Comp. Pct.
1  Eric Sanders, UNI (2007) [NCAA record]    .752
2  Nick Hill, Southern Illinois (2007)    .715
3  Trey Lance, North Dakota St. (2019)    .704

Entire Season with no INT -- Most Pass Attempts
1  Trey Lance, North Dakota St. (2019)    *196
2  Ryan Fitzpatrick, Harvard (2002)    150
3  Michael German, Tenn. State (2013)    140
*Fitzpatrick would keep the record if Lance throws an interception this season.

Williams Jr. Sets Scoring Mark
Javon Williams Jr. of Southern Illinois leads all FCS freshmen with 18 touchdowns this season (16 rushing, two receiving).  Williams, who also has thrown for two scores this season, became the first player in SIU history to throw for a TD, catch a TD and rush for a TD in the same game, accomplishing the feat against No. 17 Youngstown State.  He established a league record with his 18th TD this year -- the previous freshman scoring record was 17.  When Williams amasses more than 100 yards of all-purpose yardage (rushing/receiving), the Salukis have won seven of eight games (losing only to FBS Arkansas State).

MVFC Leaders - Total Touchdowns (2019)
18, Javon Williams Jr., Southern Illinois
15, James Robinson, Illinois State
11, Adam Cofield, North Dakota State

MVFC Single-Season Leaders, TDs by Freshmen
18, Javon Williams Jr., S. Illinois, 2019 (10 games)
17, Martin Ruiz, Youngstown St., 2013 (12 games)
17, Jeff Stovall, UNI, 1993 (11 games)

Bison on Top of the FCS
In addition to its perfect 11-0 record, North Dakota State tops the FCS in a number of team statistical categories.

FCS - Team Statistical Leaders (NDSU)
1. Team Completion Percentage    .695 pct.
1. Kickoff Return Average    27.4 avg.
1. Fewest Passes Intercepted    1
1. Fewest Passing Yards Allowed    151.5 pg
1. Scoring Offense    41.7 ppg
1. Team Passing Efficiency    191.2
1. Team Pass Efficiency Defense    101.4
1. Total Defense    274.1 ypg
1. Fewest Turnovers Lost    5
1. Average Scoring Margin    +29.0

Closing in on 1,000 Yards
Two MVFC RBs have eclipsed the 1,000-yard plateau, and two others are closing in.  James Robinson of Illinois State leads the league with 1,234 yards, while Pierre Strong Jr. of South Dakota State is second (1,108).  If D.J. Davis (969) and Javon Williams Jr. (921) both reach 1,000 yards it will mark the first time since the 2013-14 seasons in which the league had four or more 1,000-yard rushers in back-to-back seasons.

Total Tackle Leaders
Three MVFC linebackers are among the active leaders in the FCS for career total tackles.  Christian Rozeboom of SDSU enters this week’s regular-season finale with 452 career tackles -- tops of any active player.  Rozeboom needs six more to climb into the MVFC’s all-time Top 10.

FCS Active Leaders - Career Tackles
1. Christian Rozeboom, S. Dakota State    452
2. Zach Hall, SE Missouri State    385
3. Jonas Griffith, Indiana State    370
4. Dante Olson, Montana    352
5. McNeece Egbim, Missouri State    328

MVFC Career Leaders - Total Tackles
580, Boomer Grigsby, Illinois State, 2001-04
565, Tim Carver, Eastern Illinois, 1992-95
528, Galen Scott, Illinois State, 1997-00
500, P.J. Jones, Missouri State, 1998-01
487, Corky Martin, Missouri State, 1997-00
475, Lee Russell, Western Illinois, 2000-03
472, Edgerton Hartwell, Western Illinois, 1998-00
470, Wilbert Brown, Illinois State, 1988-91
470, Brett Taylor, Western Illinois, 2014-17
457, Dylan Cole, Missouri State, 2013-16
453, Ryan Doak, UNI, 1997-00

What’s the Purpose?
Southern Illinois RB D.J. Davis continues to climb the career charts for all-purpose yardage.  He’s second among active FCS players with 5,333 in his career, and he ranks eighth on the all-time MVFC charts.

MVFC Career Leaders, All-Purpose Yardage
8,211, Zach Zenner, South Dakota St., 2011-14
6,822, David Johnson, UNI, 2011-14
5,800, Marshaun Coprich, Illinois State, 2012-15
5,602, Arkee Whitlock, Southern Illinois, 2004-06
5,583, Jamie Jones, Eastern Illinois, 1988-91
5,466, Travis Glasford, Western Illinois, 2002-05
5,341, David Wright, Indiana State, 1992-95
5,333, D.J. Davis, Southern Illinois, 2016-19
5,292, Jake Wieneke, South Dakota St., 2014-17

FCS Active Leaders, All-Purpose Yardage
1. Earnest Edwards, Maine    5,354
2. D.J. Davis, Southern Illinois    5,333
3. A.J. Hines, Duquesne    5,215
4. Chris Rowland, Tennessee State    4,995
5. Shane Simpson, Towson    4,751

Big-Play Guys
UNI’s Isaiah Weston leads the FCS in yards per catch (25.18), and he’s joined by North Dakota State’s Christian Watson and Youngstown State’s Jermiah Braswell in the Top 10 for yards per catch.

FCS Leaders - Yards Per Reception
1. Isaiah Weston, UNI (MVFC)    25.18
2. Talolo Limu-Jones, EWU (Big Sky)    24.83
3. Raleigh Webb, The Citadel (SoCon)    23.25
4. Earnest Edwards, Maine (CAA)    23.04
5. Christian Watson, NDSU (MVFC)    22.82
6. Jalen Staples, Davidson (Pioneer)    22.23
7. Andrew Trent, Stony Brook (CAA)    21.73
8. Shaqaun Davis, S. Carolina St. (MEAC)    21.48
9. Jermiah Braswell, YSU (MVFC)    21.46

Among the NCAA Rush Leaders
Two MVFC runningbacks are among the FCS leaders in rushing yards per game.  James Robinson of Illinois State is 7th (112.2 yards per game) while D.J. Davis of Southern Illinois ranks 10th (107.7 average). 

FCS Leaders - Rushing Yards Per Game
1. Pete Guerriero, Monmouth (Big South)    129.8
2. Julius Chestnut, Sacred Heart (NEC)    123.1
3. Jah-Maine Martin, N.C. A&T (MEAC)    121.4
4. Jordan Bentley, Alabama A&M (SWAC)    118.8
5. Alex Ramsey, VMI (SoCon)    114.5
6. Karekin Brooks, Penn (Ivy League)    113.5
7. James Robinson, Illinois St. (MVFC)    112.2
8. Ailym Ford, Chattanooga (SoCon)    108.1
9. Ulonzo Gilliam, UC Davis (Big Sky)    108.0
10. D.J. Davis, Southern Illinois (MVFC)    107.7

Active Career FCS Leaders - Rushing Yards
1. A.J. Hines, Duquesne    4,616
2. James Robinson, Illinois State    *3,779
3. Pete Guerriero, Monmouth    3,407
4. Elijah Ibitokun-Hanks, Chattanooga    3,325
*ranks 17th best all-time in MVFC history