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EAKDOWN
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LEADERS
NDSU is fourth in Division I FCS statistics in passing yards allowed at just 135 6 yards per game
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Redbirds like to play field position game with punter Jack Takerian, who has 17 of 37 punts inside 20-yard line
Kolpack The Forum Record: 6-1 get back on track after the bye week with an efficient run game and quarterback Cam Miller NDSU U 17
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Bison have perfected the formula to play well after a bye They will need that today as Illinois State es to town red hot with some impressive QB play Look for the NDSU secondary to step up and make
Dom Izzo WDAY-TV Record: 266 165 116 94 120
3 3 0 1 0
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7-0 16 6 13 8 10 5 9 4 15 0
QB play Look for the
Mike McFeely The
Eric Peterson The Forum Record: 6-1 Logan Campbell WDAY-TV Record: 7-0 16 12 11 10 8
S C H E D U L E
M E D I A B L I T Z
That new JOB feeling.
Forum
BISON Eubanks RUSHING No Yds Avg Long TD Luepke TaMerik Williams Dominic Gonnella Kobe Johnson 538 266 216 214 6 1 8 9 7 2 6 5 47 38 27 23 8 3 1 2 PASSING Comp Att Yds Int TD Cam Miller 119 1033 1 8 PROBABLE STARTERS REDBIRDS RUSHING No Yds Avg Long Wenkers Wright Nigel White Ph leak Brown 96 40 27 413 149 105 4 3 3 7 3 9 48 20 13 1 0 0 PASSING Comp Att Yds Int TD Zack Annexstad 146 236 1548 6 10 BISON OFFENSE Pos No Name Ht Wt Yr WR LT LG C RG RT TE WR FB RB QB 0 70 66 77 63 73 82 9 44 22 7 Zach Mathis Cody Mauch Nash Jensen Brandon Westberg Jake Kubas Mason Miller Joe Stoffel DJ Hart Hunter Luepke TaMerik Williams Cam Miller 6-6 6-6 6-4 6-4 6-4 6-6 6-3 5-11 6-1 6-1 6-1 205 303 329 286 304 296 245 191 236 229 208 Sr Sr Sr Jr Sr Jr Jr Jr Sr Sr Jr BISON DEFENSE Pos No Name Ht Wt Yr DE DT NG DE OLB MLB OLB CB SS FS CB 99 91 58 90 26 47 20 6 25 2 1 Spencer Waege Will Mostaert Javier Derritt Tony Pierce James Kaczor Luke Weerts Julian Wlodarczyk Destin Talbert Michael Tutsie Dawson Weber Courtney Eubanks 6-5 6-2 6-1 6-1 6-0 6-1 6-3 6-0 5-11 6-2 5-10 282 260 279 242 215 218 207 187 189 190 187 Sr Jr Jr Sr Sr Jr Sr Sr Sr Sr Jr QUARTERBACKS This is a huge tipping point of the season for the Bison to show if they re a serious playoff-run contender or pretender I m on the fence on that one Dome field advantage wins it NDSU 23, ISU 17 Jeff Kolpack The Forum Record: 6-1 Bison get back on track after the bye week with an efficient run game and quarterback Cam Miller NDSU 28 ISU 17 Hart Annexstad Taula RUNNING BACKS RECEIVERS Phoenix Sproles left team in bye week but means more chances for DJ Hart Zach Mathis and Braylon Henderson OFFENSIVE LINE Bison depth tested this season with a couple of injuries, but unit has passed those obstacles with no issues M A T C H U P S P R E D I C T I O N S GAME DAY BREAKDOWN DEFENSIVE LINE Redbirds in their 3-4 alignment start three on defensive line who have combined to play 78 career games LINEBACKERS ISU fifth-year player Zeke Vandenburgh dangerous in the blitz game, leads team with 7 5 QB sacks SECONDARY NDSU is fourth in Division I FCS statistics in passing yards allowed at just 135 6 yards per game Redbirds like to play field position game with punter Jack Takerian who has 17 of 37 punts inside 20-yard line SPECIAL TEAMS RECEIVING Rec Yds Avg Long TD Tanner Taula Jalen Carr Daniel Sobkowicz 25 24 17 254 254 215 10 2 10 6 12 6 31 56 35 1 1 2 88 30 30 33 S T A N D I N G S BISON (5-2) Date Opponent NDSU Opp Sept 3 Sept 10 Sept 17 Sept 24 Oct 1 Oct 8 Oct 15 Oct 29 Nov 5 Nov 12 Nov 19 Drake North Carolina A&T at Arizona at South Dakota Youngstown State at Indiana State South Dakota State Illinois State at Western Illinois at Southern Illinois North Dakota REDBIRDS (5-2) T E A M S C H E D U L E S The Bison have perfected the formula to play well after a bye They will need that today as Illinois State comes to
M E D I A B L I T Z
L I T Z S C H E D U L E
ABC
(WDAY-Fargo WDAZ-Grand Forks KBMY-Bismarck and Dickinson KMCY-Williston and Minot) 2:15 p m : Gate City Bison Social Media Flow on InForum com After game: Gate City Media Blog Postgame Show with Mike McFeely Dom Izzo and Jeff Kolpack on Inforum com Games Saturday Northern Iowa at Southern Illinois noon (ESPN3) South Dakota at Youngstown State 1 p m (ESPN+) Western Illinois at Missouri State 2
10-11 a m : Bison Gameday pregame show with Dom Izzo Kyle Emanuel Logan Campbell and Jeff Kolpack on North Dakota statewi ABC network (WDAY-Fargo WDAZ-Grand Forks KBMY-Bismarck and Dickinson KMCY-Williston and Minot) 2:15 p m : Gate City Bison Social Media Flow on InForum com After game: Gate City Media Blog Postgame Show with Mike McFeely Dom Izzo and Jeff Kolpack on Inforum com Games Saturday Northern Iowa at Southern Illinois noon (ESPN3) South Dakota at Youngstown State 1 p m (ESPN+) Western Illinois at Missouri State 2 p m (ESPN+) Indiana State at South Dakota State 2 p m (Midco ESPN+) Illinois State at North Dakota State 2:30 p m (ND ABC ESPN+ WDAY+) Abilene Christian at North
ESPN+ WDAY+)
Christian at North Dakota 3 p m (Midco
ESPN+)
Dakota, 3 p m (Midco Two, ESPN+)
Fargo
The streak of note in the North Dakota State football program is 39, the number of consecutive victories by the Bison that is a Division I FCS record by a longshot.
It was the third longest in Division I history behind Oklahoma (47) and Washington (40), and broke their own FCS record of 33 straight from 2012-14 leaving third place in the FCS to James Madison at 26 in 2016-17. In other words, it may be a long time before 39 in a row is broken, if ever.
The Bison, at least, are working on another streak albeit not as newsworthy and certainly not as mystical. Heading into Saturday’s game against Illinois State at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome, the Bison have won 37 straight games after a bye week.
NDSU did not play last weekend.
The streak consists of 20 home games, eight road games and nine FCS national title games in Frisco, Texas.
There’s a formula to what the Bison coaching staff calls “Bison week,” although it’s not something anybody will see in a coaching manual. And NDSU has not deviated from it much over the years.
“Not really, very similar,” said head coach Matt Entz. “This year may be slightly different — not with the number of practices or anything like that — but because of the timing of the actual bye week.”
Most bye weeks in the Division I era have been in late September between the non-conference games and the start of Missouri Valley Football Conference play. As it is, it’s the third-latest bye week behind 2009 (week 10) and 2010 (week nine). Moreover, it’s the first time since 2009 that the Bison have had an off week after a loss.
“I think that was a little bit of an extra motivator this last bye week,” said linebacker James Kaczor. “It seemed like there was a little more intensity and intentionality with our work and that might be a product of that last loss.”
Now in his fourth season as the head coach, Entz didn’t change the format of practice since the Oct. 15 game against South Dakota State.
“Our kids buy into the process, too,” he said. “And I think getting a little time off is beneficial for everyone not just physically but from a mental standpoint as well after you’ve gone eight weeks now.”
Perhaps the biggest threat to the 37 straight came last year when NDSU had the week off prior to the Missouri Valley opener at the University of North Dakota. The Bison offense struggled all day, eventually getting a three-yard touchdown run from quarterback Quincy Patterson with 1:13 left in the game to take a two-possession lead.
The Fighting Hawks countered with a field goal with 16 seconds remaining, but NDSU recovered the onside kick in the 16-10 final.
About five months earlier, in the spring season of 2021, NDSU edged Northern Iowa
23-20 after the open week, which actually turned into two open weeks with the University of South Dakota game canceled because of COVID-19 protocol issues.
Ideally, the Bison would probably like to start the season in July and have a bye every other week. Whatever they do in the week off during the season, things seem to get accomplished.
“Back to the basics, focus on us,” Kaczor said. “What do we have to get better at?
Watching film and seeing where we’re failing or lacking and improving in those areas.”
When the NDSU players left Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome on the wrong side of a 23-21 loss to South Dakota State, the typical slogan applied: they had 24 hours to either celebrate a victory, or in this case, get over a loss.
In this case, however, it was about looking ahead to the week of practice with no game last Saturday. What did the Bison accomplish?
An open week is a big week for the younger NDSU players who don’t see the field on Saturdays. They end each practice with a scrimmage, a chance to show what they can do in game situations in front of the veteran players on the sideline. It often turns into a bragging rights situation between the offense and
defense.
“Most of the time, they’re playing ‘scout’ all week and not even tasting a part of our offense or defense,” Kaczor said. “So it’s good to refresh their memory on our defense and our offense, get them out and it’s always competitive.”
Said quarterback Cam Miller: “For the upperclassmen it’s a great way to teach and bring these young guys along and see what kind of improvement they’ve made over the last six weeks. And I think those young guys did some really good things last week.”
The off week gave the Bison coaches two weeks to address one of the team’s weaknesses in run defense. NDSU has seen four opposing running backs run for over 100 yards in seven games. In 2021, only four times did an opposing team reach that mark.
SDSU’s Isaiah Davis had 114, Indiana State’s Justin Dinka 156 and Youngstown State’s Jaleel McLaughlin 150 in the last three games. North Carolina A&T’s Bhayshul Tuten had 127 in the second game of the season.
The Bison head into the Illinois State game 62nd in rushing defense in the 123-team FCS, giving up 157.0 yards per game. Kaczor said the defense worked on tackling every day.
“Making it our priority … if you’re permitting it, you’re
promoting it,” Entz said. “We continue to keep practicing as hard as we can, continue to emphasize fundamentals and techniques, continue to emulate situational tackling as
best we can and that’s exactly what we did.”
That included a tackling drill that encompassed the entire team. NDSU routinely has offensive players playing special teams, especially on the kickoff and punt coverage teams.
“It’s just the level of preparation that we have week in and week out,” said linebacker
Cole Wisniewski.
“We got back to the fundamentals and that’s what the game comes down to so when we have time that we don’t have to completely dedicate to one team we can focus on ourselves and focus on the fundamentals.”
Readers can reach Forum reporter Jeff Kolpack at jkolpack@ forumcomm.com. Twitter@ KolpackInForum
North Dakota State
junior Brandon
Westberg will once again get the start at center Saturday when the Bison host Illinois State. But it’s not as if he just stepped off the bus from high school and it may not be long before the situation becomes permanent.
Veteran starter Jalen Sundell underwent a surgical procedure on his foot last week and his status for this season is unknown. Sundell will use his pandemic year and return next season and when he does, some are speculating that it may be at another position, like left tackle.
With Westberg, that move would make sense. He made four starts last season for the injured Sundell and will be making his third start this year for the 2:30 p.m. kickoff at Gate City Bank Field.
“It’s definitely different than just getting your first snaps,” Westberg said. “When I get out there, you can definitely notice that, hey, I’ve been out here before. This isn’t something new so you get those nerves out of the way and get ready for the first hit.”
Westberg was a coveted recruit out of CambridgeIsanti High School north of the Twin Cities. He was a Minnesota Mr. Football finalist. He’s part of a veteran NDSU offensive line that has senior guards Jake Kubas and Nash Jensen on both sides of him while left tackle Cody Mauch is a sixth-year senior.
“Sometimes I’m getting
ready to call out the (defensive) front combos and Nash and Jake are already saying it for me,” Westberg said. “I’m like, oh, all I have to do now is snap the ball. Having guys like that who have had a lot of snaps under their belt and are phenomenal players as well
helps too.”
NDSU will get a challenge in Illinois State’s 3-4 alignment, which has given the Bison trouble over the years. The 2019 undefeated season needed a 9-3 win over the Redbirds in the FCS quarterfinals. The 2018 national title team was
held to one touchdown in the second half in a 28-14 victory.
In 2017, in the wind, rain and snow in Normal, Ill., the Bison needed a late TD to secure a 20-7 win.
“They do a great job of bringing pressure,” Westberg said. “They like to mess with
your eyes. I think their front seven plays phenomenal.”
Pandemic hit Redbirds hard
The pandemic-delayed and shortened spring season of 2021 did not treat Illinois
NOTEBOOK: Page AA5
State very well. The Redbirds suffered a rash of injuries on defense and ultimately canceled its season after four games.
Head coach Brock Spack said it’s taken until this season for his program to get back on track.
“We’re starting to come out of it now,” he said. “We’re a little bit more like we’ve been in the past.”
The 2020 team would have been an experienced group had the FCS played in the fall. Several moved on to FBS programs after it was postponed and a young ISU team was 4-7 last season.
“It’s taken us a while, I don’t know why it has but it just has,” Spack said. “COVID wasn’t good for us for some reason.”
The biggest issue — and Spack likens his program to NDSU’s in terms of development — was a lack of offseason training.
“We really hang our hat on our offseason stuff,” he said. “This is really our first year we’ve had a whole year of all of our offseason stuff. We’re all in the same boat with that so those are excuses but for some reason we were hit hard. But now we’re more like us, you could say.”
Kobe Johnson expected to return
After a first month and a half of not being afraid to go six deep at running back, the Bison have cut back a bit. Part of it has to do with injury; senior Kobe Johnson missed the last two games with an ankle injury.
Johnson warmed up prior to the South Dakota State game but did not play.
“Just to feel if he could make the cuts,” said head
coach Matt Entz. “Leading up to the injury, I thought Kobe was running the ball as hard as he ever has here at NDSU so I think he wanted to make sure he wasn’t taking one step forward and then by game’s end we’re two steps backward.”
After getting some attention in September, junior Jalen Bussey has not seen the ball in the last three games.
“Just the way things have sorted themselves out,” Entz said. “Jalen is a dynamic
football player for us and provides a lot of leadership. He’s an early-down back for us, a first or second down back and trying to find ways for him to get in there and just the way it hasn’t worked out and what the depth in the room is right now.”
Etc. etc. etc.
► NDSU has won 11 straight in its series with the Redbirds that comprises 16 games. The Bison have a 13-2 lead with ISU, winning once in
Fargo — 27-24 in the 2009 homecoming game.
► The Bison have not lost back-to-back games since 2009, a year in which they dropped five straight in a 3-8 season.
► Illinois State brought in three transfers in its defensive secondary and the results have been immediate. The Redbirds are 11th in the FCS in passing yards allowed at 175.9 yards per game. NDSU is fourth at 135.6.
► The Bison passing game
has been sharp the past three outings with quarterback Cam Miller completing 72% of his throws at 51 of 67. His 14 in a row in that stretch ranks third-longest in NDSU history.
► NDSU safety Michael Tutsie is eighth in career tackles on the Bison all-time list with 152 and needs eight to move into second place behind Colten Heagle’s 191. Readers can reach Forum reporter Jeff Kolpack at jkolpack@forumcomm.com. Twitter@KolpackInForum
