Week 8 Matchup: No. 8 Illinois State (5-1, 2-1 Missouri Valley Football Conference) at No. 1 North Dakota State (6-0, 3-0)
Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. ET at the Fargodome (18,700) in Fargo, North Dakota
Broadcast: ESPN+, KVLY, NBC North Dakota
Series: North Dakota State leads 8-2 (last meeting: Bison won 20-7 in sleet/snow/cold on Nov. 18, 2017 in Normal, Illinois)
The Skinny: The history between these two programs was at its height in January 2015 when North Dakota State slipped past Illinois State 29-27 with Carson Wentz’s last-minute touchdown in the only FCS championship game between two teams from the same conference.
The return of Illinois State’s offensive coordinator, Kurt Beathard, who left after the 2015 season, has helped spark the Redbirds’ big season following their playoff miss last year. They’re pounding the run, and last Saturday, RBs James Robinson (202) and Markel Smith (143) set career highs as the Redbirds racked up 409 rushing yards against Southern Illinois. It helps to run left behind LT Drew Himmelman, who stands 6-foot-10, 315 pounds. QB Brady Davis, a Memphis transfer, has been highly efficient, including 14 touchdowns passes against only one interception – particularly effective with WR Spencer Schnell (33 receptions, 472 yards, 5 TDs). With 54 tackles, WLB Zackary Mathews has nearly twice as many stops as any other defender. J.T. Bohlken has been a difference maker with 14 punts of at least 50 yards in six games.
North Dakota State owns the longest active win streak in the FCS at 12 games, and it’s 13 in a row at the Fargodome. The No. 1-ranked defending FCS champion has outstanding team depth and it might have to show up in this showdown because two All-Americans, RB Bruce Anderson and SS Robbie Grimsley, are nursing hamstring injuries. If Anderson is sidelined, the Bison will lean heavily on Lance Dunn, who has scored six touchdowns. QB Easton Stick’s 70 career TD passes are only two shy of Brock Jensen’s school-record 72 from 2010-13. One of the keys to the game is the defense handling the ISU run game. The Bison held the Redbirds to 106 yards on the ground in last year’s game and are allowing only 84.8 rushing yards per game this season. FS James Hendricks was this week’s MVFC defensive player of the week after collecting two of the Bison’s five takeaways at Western Illinois.
“We’re sitting in a good spot; we’ve only through three league games. The gauntlet continues,” NDSU coach Chris Klieman said. “If you ever start feeling too good about yourself, you’re gonna get beat.”
Prediction: North Dakota State is plus-10 in turnover margin and Illinois State plus-nine. If one gains an advantage, especially if it creates excellent field position, the other team is going to need big defensive stops. Um … Illinois State, 24-20.
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