North Dakota State Football Hosts Morgan State in Home Opener

No. 23-ranked North Dakota State (1-1, 0-1 MVFC) is scheduled to host Morgan State (1-1, 0-0 MEAC) at 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 18, in the 2010 home opener in the Fargodome (18,700) ... The Bison lost 16-9 to 13/14th-ranked UNI on Sept. 11, while Morgan State lost 62-3 at Atlantic Coast Conference member Maryland ... NDSU is looking to snap a four-game losing streak in the Fargodome ... The last Bison win at home was against Wagner, 59-28, on Sept. 19, 2009 ... This will be NDSU’s 100th game in the Fargodome.

TICKETS: Tickets for North Dakota State home football games are available in advance at the Bison Sports Arena ticket office, online at GoBison.com/tickets, or toll free at (888) 231-NDSU.

AT HOME: North Dakota State has compiled a 224-34-3 record at home since 1964 ... The Bison are 79-20-0 in the Fargodome since moving from Dacotah Field in 1993 ... NDSU was 1-4 last season and are 30-9 at home since head coach Craig Bohl took over in 2003.

SERIES RECORD: This is the first meeting between North Dakota State and Morgan State, located in Baltimore, Md., and members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference ... It is NDSU’s first meeting with a member of the MEAC.

GoBISON.COM VIDEO/AUDIO/LIVE STATS: Follow on the Internet at GoBison.com with live streaming video, audio (Bison Radio Network) and live in-game statistics.

IN THE NCAA FCS STATISTICS: North Dakota State’s defense ranks 4th in scoring defense in the NCAA FCS at 9.5 points per game ... The Bison allowed 82 points in the first two games last season ... NDSU is also 6th in net punting, 8th in sacks, tied for 13th in turnover margin, 15th in punt returns and 24th in pass efficiency defense nationally ... Individually, John Prelvitz is 6th in punting, defensive end Coulter Boyer is tied for 14th in sacks, kicker Ryan Jastram is tied for 15th in field goals, and linebacker Matt Anderson and cornerback Freddie Banks are tied for 24th in interceptions.

SPECIAL TEAMS X-FACTOR: Senior punter John Prelvitz punted six times for an average of 45.5 yards and net of 43.7 per punt at UNI ... Prelvitz ranks 6th in NCAA FCS in punting at 44.71 avg. and the Bison are 6th in net punting at 40.50 ... He matched a career-high with eight punts for an average of 44.1 and net of 38.1 yards per kick (compared to 23 net per kick for Kansas) ... Against UNI, Prelvitz placed one inside the 20 (33 in career) and had two of 50+ yards (15 in career).



BISON QUICK-HITTERS: North Dakota State has six takeaways through the first two games compared to 12 overall in 2009 ... Update from Saturday’s UNI game, linebacker Matt Anderson forced the fumble in the second quarter that went out of the end zone for a touchback and free safety Daniel Eaves forced the fumble picked up by defensive end Coulter Boyer to set up the NDSU TD in the fourth quarter ... Boyer had a career-high five solos and six tackles overall ... He returned a fumble 26 yards to stop a UNI drive inside the red zone in the fourth quarter ... It was Boyer’s fourth career fumble recovery ... He is tied for 14th nationally in sacks ... Cornerback Freddie Banks recorded his first career interception late in the second quarter. ... Tight end Landon Smith made a career best three receptions for 47 yards at Northern Iowa (9-11-10) ... Quarterback Jose Mohler completed 20 of 35 passes for 247 yards -- all career-highs -- in the loss at nationally-ranked UNI (9-11-10) ... Mohler, who completed passes to nine different receivers, also rushed 16 yards for NDSU’s first touchdown of the season ... The -41 yards rushing (including 11 sacks for -77 yards) against UNI is the lowest figure since the Bison had 3 yards in a 20-14 loss to UC Davis during the 2005 season. ... North Dakota State was ranked No. 23 in both national polls released Sept. 13 ... On Sept. 6, the Bison made their first appearance in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Coaches Poll since Nov. 17, 2008, and The Sports Network/Fathead.com poll since Oct. 13, 2008 ... Wide receiver Titus Mack made a career-high four receptions for 46 yards against Kansas (9-4-09) ... The 6-3 win over Kansas was the lowest combined output since NDSU’s 9-0 loss at Southern Illinois (11-19-05), while the three points allowed were the lowest since a 45-0 shutout vs. Mississippi Valley State (10-14-09), and the six points scored is the lowest since a 37-6 loss at Cal Poly (10-8-05) ... The 59 points vs. Wagner in 2009 were the most scored by NDSU since 2006 when the Bison defeated Concordia-St. Paul 66-7 in the season opener ... Speaking of home openers, the Bison have won 11 straight dating back to 1998 when Emporia State defeated NDSU 23-21 ... With a 53-26 record, NDSU head coach Craig Bohl is No. 5 on the school’s all-time win list ... Bohl is one of four Bison coaches with 50 wins ... NDSU is 7-7 against nationally-ranked opponents over the past five seasons (2010: L UNI; 2009: L Southern Illinois, L UNI; 2008, L South Dakota State; L, Youngstown State, W Southern Illinois, L Western Illinois; L UNI; 2007: W, Cal Poly, W, Western Illinois, W, Sam Houston State, 2006: W, Georgia Southern, W, Cal Poly, W, South Dakota State) ... North Dakota State was ranked in the top five for 19 weeks (including eight weeks at No. 1) during the 2007-08 seasons ... The Bison were ranked in the top 10 for 21 weeks in a row and were in the top 25 for 41 weeks in a row ... The 48-45 shootout with Sam Houston State was the most points allowed since 2002 when the Bison lost 49-42 at Nebraska-Omaha.

Courtesy: NDSU Athletic Media Relations

Morgan State Bears Football to Face North Dakota State University Bison

Morgan State University has an East versus West date with perennial NCAA Division I FCS power North Dakota State University Bison of the Missouri Valley Conference. The game will be played at the Bison home field at the Fargodome, Fargo, North Dakota.

FARGO, N.D.-- North Dakota State University finalized its 2010 football schedule with a 6 p.m. home game against Morgan State University on Saturday, Sept. 18, 2010 in the Fargodome. NDSU director of athletics Gene Taylor made the announcement today. The Bison have six home games on the 2010 schedule.

Morgan State University is a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). Head coach Donald Hill-Eley led the Bears were 6-5 last season and tied for fourth in the MEAC with a 4-4 record. Morgan State returns six starters on offense and six on defense. It is the first meeting between the Bison and the Bears.

The Morgan State game is the first of three in a row at home after NDSU opens at the University of Kansas of the Big 12 Conference on Saturday, Sept. 4. The Bison will face a rejuvenated Jayhawks program under first year head coach Turner Gill (formerly at University of Buffalo). Gill has a familiar MEAC name on his staff in coach Lee Fobbs, serving as Director of High School Relations/Player Development. Fobbs served as head football coach at North Carolina A&T State University in 2006-08, ending his head coaching career at 2-28.

After Kansas, the Bison will play at University of Northern Iowa in the Missouri Valley Football Conference opener on Saturday, Sept. 11. The Bison are scheduled to entertain the University of South Dakota at 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 25 and Western Illinois at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 2 in the annual homecoming game.

North Dakota State then embarks on Missouri Valley Conference Football road trips to Youngstown State on Oct. 9 and Illinois State on Saturday, Oct. 16. The Bison return home for three in a row with Indiana State in the Harvest Bowl with the game time to be determined on Oct. 23, Southern Illinois at 3 p.m. Nov. 6, and South Dakota State in the Dakota Marker game at 3 p.m. Nov. 13.

NDSU closes out the season at Missouri State on Saturday, Nov. 20.

North Dakota State averaged 16,515 spectators over five home dates in the Fargodome and placed ninth in the 2009 Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) attendance figures released by the NCAA. NDSU had a season-high 18,608 spectators in the Fargodome for the 27-24 loss to Illinois State on Oct. 3, 2009. The football program has enjoyed seven sellouts over the past four seasons including a school record 19,053 against South Dakota State in 2006. The Bison are 30-9 in the Fargodome over the past seven years under head coach Craig Bohl.

North Dakota State finished the 2009 season with a 3-8 record overall including a 2-6 mark in the MVFC.

The Morgan State Bears have completed an exceptional schedule for 2010. The Bears opens with in-state rival Bowie State University Bulldogs of the CIAA on Sept. 4 at Hughes Stadium. The teams last played in 2006, and the Bears edged the Bulldogs by a score of 28-20.

The Bears return six starters on the defensive side of the ball including #7 Darren McKhan, senior defensive back Miramar H.S./U. Connecticut, from Miami, Florida.

In the first meeting ever on the gridiron, Morgan State will take on Atlantic Coast Conference bottom dweller, the University of Maryland Terrapins. The Bears will be meeting the Terps at a good time as they finished last season with a 2-10, 1-7 ACC record. Don't expect much improvement this season under head coach Ralph Friedgen who cannot recruit the best players from Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Northern Virginia. The Bears should give the Terps a tough game with their lights out defense.

The Bears thereafter will travel to Fargo, N.D. on September 18 to prove MEAC supremacy with a stampede of the North Dakota State Bison. After chomping up on the Bison, the Bears will travel to the New Meadowlands Stadium at East Rutherford, N.J., for the 39th Annual New York Urban League Football Classic. There, the Bears will continue their "undefeated streak" with MEAC rival Howard University Bison.

MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY 2010 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

DATE OPPONENT LOCATION TIME/RESULT
9/4/2010 Bowie State University Hughes Stadium 6 p.m.
9/11/2010 at University of Maryland College Park, MD 6 p.m.
9/18/2010 at North Dakota State Fargo, ND 6 p.m.
9/25/2010 * Howard University East Rutherford, NJ 2 p.m.
10/2/2010 * Bethune-Cookman College Hughes Stadium 4 p.m.
10/9/2010 * North Carolina A&T State University Greensboro, NC 1 p.m.
10/23/2010 * Delaware State University (Homecoming) Hughes Stadium 1 p.m.
10/30/2010 * at Florida A&M University Tallahassee, FL TBA
11/6/2010 * at Norfolk State University Norfolk, VA TBA
11/13/2010 * South Carolina State University Hughes Stadium 4 p.m.
11/20/2010 * Hampton University Hughes Stadium 4 p.m.

North Dakota State 58, Mississippi Valley State 7

Courtesy: NDSU Athletic Media Relations

Photo: Shamen Washington returned the second half kick a career long 96 yards to help NDSU defeat Mississippi Valley State, 58-7.

ITTA BENA, Miss.--The North Dakota State University Bison lived up to their new No. 1 ranking Saturday, October 13, with a 58-7 win over Mississippi Valley State in front of 4,986 fans at Rice-Totten Stadium. It was the 10th straight win for the Bison and dropped MVSU to 1-5 overall.

Eight different NDSU players scored touchdowns as the Bison (6-0) remain undefeated heading into a matchup at the University of Minnesota next Saturday, October 20. The Golden Gophers were the last team to hand NDSU a loss when they defeated the Bison, 10-9, last season in the Metrodome.

Quarterback Steve Walker threw just 10 total passes but recorded three touchdowns. He finished the game 7-for-10 for 85 yards with the three touchdowns and one interception. He was replaced in the second quarter by Nick Mertens, who finished 6-8 for 112 yards and a three yard touchdown pass to Ryan Parsons.

Walker had touchdown passes of 16 yards to Pat Paschall, 18 yards to Gary Williams and of five yards to Jerimiah Wurzbacher. His final touchdown to Wurzbacher came at the 5:17 mark of the second quarter and gave the Bison a 30-0 lead heading into halftime.

NDSU used four different quarterbacks during the day in Walker, Mertens, Parsons and Mitch Brecke.

Shamen Washington returned the second half kickoff a career long 96 yards for a touchdown and Shawn Bibeau added the point after attempt for a 37-0 lead. Bibeau was a perfect 8-8 on extra points.

On the ground NDSU was led by Pete Blincoe, who carried the ball 16 times for 113 yards that included a touchdown at the 6:23 mark of the fourth quarter to put NDSU’s final points on the board and make the score 58-0. For MVSU, Ryan Burciaga hit Rob Fox with a five-yard touchdown pass at the 2:16 mark of the fourth quarter to break the shutout and put the final tally on the game at 58-7.

Tyler Roehl carried the ball just five times for 60 yards and scored the game’s first touchdown with a 21-yard run. Paschall carried the ball 13 times for 72 yards.

Defensively, the Bison were lead by Nick Schommer and Ramon Humber who each recorded five solo tackles. Schommer added an interception and Humber had an eight-yard sack.

The Bison held an advantage in total yards over MVSU of 469 to 163. NDSU averaged 10.9 yards per play. It turned the ball over two times.

North Dakota State will play the Gophers (1-6, 0-4 Big Ten Conference) starting at 11:07 a.m. Saturday, October 20, in the Metrodome. Minnesota lost Saturday to Northwestern 49-48 in double overtime. The Gophers held a 35-21 fourth quarter lead in the game.