Three Missouri Valley Football Conference programs are among the national FCS leaders for consecutive home victories (active streaks).  South Dakota State has the nation’s longest streak with 32-straight wins in Brookings, S.D.

Weekly Notebook (PDF)

MISSOURI VALLEY FOOTBALL
MVFC Stats  – Click Here   |  MVFC Composite Schedule -- Click Here  |  NCAA Statistics –  Click Here    |  NCAA FCS Records -- Click Here
MVFC Records  -- Click Here    |    MVFC Draft Database -- Click Here  |  MVFC in the Playoffs -- Click Here  |  MVFC All-Time Honors -- Click Here
Top-25 Polls -- Click Here  |  Stats Perform --  Click Here   |   HERO Sports -- Click Here   |   FCS Nation -- Click Here
 
TOP-25 POLLS THIS WEEK:  Click Here
 

Saturday, Oct. 11
*#23/RV South Dakota at Indiana State [ESPN+]	12 PM CT
*UNI at #2/2 SDSU [Midco Sports/ESPN+]	2 PM CT
*#8/9 S. Illinois at #1/1 NDSU [ABC ND/ESPN+]	2:30 PM CT
*RV/20 Youngstown St. at #13/12 UND [Midco/ESPN+]	3 PM CT
*#9/10 Illinois State at Murray State [ESPN+]	6 PM CT

 
FCS rankings listed are Stats Perform/AFCA Coaches polls;
 

• 7 MVFC Teams Ranked -- Seven different MVFC teams are ranked this week.  Five schools are ranked in both the Stats Perform and AFCA Coaches polls (NDSU, SDSU, SIU, ILS, UND), while USD clocks in at No. 23 in the Stats Perform rankings, and YSU is No. 20 in the AFCA poll. NDSU (1) and SDSU (2) hold the top two positions in both rankings. 
• MVFC On Top of the FCS -- Missouri Valley Football teams have combined for a 22-6 record against FCS teams from other conferences - best in the FCS.
• In the Metrics -- Seven of the Missouri Valley Football Conference’s 10 programs rank in the top 25 of the Massey FCS Ratings.  In Sagarin, the MVFC has four in the top eight of that ranking metric (among FCS programs), and seven MVFC teams are in the Top 25 of FCS schools in the Sagarin rankings.  North Dakota State ranks 44th among all DI programs and tops the FCS; while SDSU is No. 2 in the FCS-only ranks, and 51st in DI.
• Ranked vs. Ranked -- This week, there are two MVFC games that feature ranked teams playing one another.  In Conference history, there have been 247  games in which two league teams ranked in the top 25 played one another. Of those previous 247 games, 72 times the meeting involved teams that were both ranked in the Top 10 at the same time. Twenty meetings have occurred in the playoffs. The home team is 138-107 in those games; the higher-ranked team is 157-89. Those figures include two neutral-site games, and one game in which the teams were both No. 25.

         #8/9 Southern Illinois at #1/1 NDSU [ABC ND/ESPN+] -- 2:30 PM CT
        RV/20 Youngstown St. at #13/12 UND [Midco/ESPN+] -- 3 PM CT 

• Winning Against No. 1 -- Southern Illinois is looking to earn the league’s 23rd MVFC victory against a No. 1 team as it visits NDSU on Saturday.  Thirteen of the previous 22 MVFC wins vs. a top-ranked team have been league games.  Two of those were by SIU.  MVFC programs have a 9-15 all-time mark against non-conference No. 1-ranked teams.
• And Then There Were Eight -- Only eight FCS programs enter this weekend with unblemished records -- two of those eight are from the MVFC (NDSU, SDSU)
• What’s the Rush? -- For the fourth time this season, Youngstown State QB Beau Brungard rushed and passed for more than 100 yards with 22 carries for 130 yards on the ground and 275 through the air vs. South Dakota State.  Brungard ranks third nationally in rushing yards per game, but he leads all FCS QBs (131.2 ypg).  His 656 rush yards (in 5 games) is already creeping up the all-time single-season bests for an MVFC QB. 
• Home Sweet Home -- Three Missouri Valley Football Conference programs are among the national FCS leaders for consecutive home victories (active streaks).  South Dakota State has the nation’s longest streak with 32-straight wins in Brookings, S.D.
• Catching It -- Illinois State’s Daniel Sobkowicz’s TD catch vs. NDSU on Saturday was his team-leading sixth of the season and the 28th of his career, one shy of tying Laurént Robinson for third on the ISU career receiving TD list.  Meanwhile, YSU senior Max Tomczak moved into second place on the YSU career receiving yards chart with 2,401 yards, and he needs just three move receptions to break the Youngstown State all-time receptions record of 186.  Against SDSU last week, Tomczak also set school record for most MVFC touchdown catches and became the second YSU player since 1979 to record three touchdown receptions in game since 1979.
• Racer Rarity -- Against South Dakota on Oct. 4, Murray State’s JK Carter had the rare day of catching a TD pass and throwing a TD pass.  He is the first Racer to catch and throw for a TD in a game since Maikhail Miller, MSU’s QB in the season opener at Missouri in 2013.
• Fumble Stuff -- UND’s Kaden Vig scored on a 63-yard strip-sack fumble return for TD against UNI on Oct. 4. It was the first score by a UND player on a fumble recovery since Devon Krzanowski dove on a loose ball in the end-zone at Southern Illinois in 2021.  In the same game, UNI’s Tucker Langenberg recorded the first fumble recovery of his career.
• On the Clock -- Led by South Dakota State (34:36), three MVFC teams rank among the national leaders in time of possession.  SDSU ranks fourth in the FCS, while UNI (33:14, 8th) and NDSU (33:03, 9th) represent the MVFC.
• Mighty Defenses -- North Dakota State is among the national top 10 in three key defensive categories.  NDSU leads the FCS in scoring defense (9.2 ppg); ranks 2nd in the FCS in total defense (219.6 ypg); and is 7th in the FCS by yielding 92.6 rushing yards per game.
• 200-Yard Plateau -- A pair of MVFC RBs eclipsed 200 rush yards on Saturday, Oct. 4.  L.J. Phillips Jr. of South Dakota erupted for 244 yards on 24 carries (10.2 yards per carry) against Murray State. He posted four rushing touchdowns while also reeling off a career-best 67-yard touchdown run. Indiana State’s Nick Osho broke loose for the first 200-yard rushing game of his collegiate career at Southern Illinois. Osho’s 211 rushing yards marked a new career-high for the Sycamore running back and the first 200-yard rushing game most by an Indiana State player since Plez Lawrence rushed for 203 yards on Sept. 30, 2023, at Murray State.
• MVFC in the NFL -- A total of 43 alums from current Missouri Valley Football schools made NFL opening-day rosters in 2025.
• 2024:  Another Title -- Last season, the MVFC extended its FCS-record to 14-straight title-game appearances as NDSU defeated No. 1 seed Montana State in Frisco for the crown.  Notably, the 2024 season marked the 20th title appearance for a league team. The league is 14-6 in title games, although Youngstown State (1991, 1992, 1993, 1994) and Southern Illinois (1983) both played in the championship prior to joining the league.  All 20 of the league’s title-game appearances have occurred since 1997.
• MVFC Playoff Dominance -- The league has established itself as a leader among FCS conferences.  Counting last year, an MVFC member has reached the FCS semifinals 23 times in the past 14 seasons (and 37 times overall).  The MVFC has had two semifinal teams eight times since 2014 (and three in 2024).  The MVFC is 107-48 (.690) since 2010 in the playoffs -- which includes 18 intra-conference games (meaning the league is 89-30 against teams from other leagues for a phenomenal .748 winning percentage).