North Dakota State, which beat Illinois State earlier this season in Normal, has the nation’s best defense, allowing only 237.6 yards a game. (Photo by GoBison.com)
By Barry Bottino
Winning doesn’t come easy, but it does come with plenty of spoils.
For North Dakota State head coach Tim Polasek, the biggest reward is staying put at home for the postseason.
“Congrats to our group of seniors going 12-0,” Polasek said after the Bison beat St. Thomas in their final regular-season game. “The thing’s gonna go through Fargo. We’re excited about that.”
As the No. 1 seed in the FCS playoffs, NDSU earned a first-round bye and homefield advantage throughout the postseason. The Bison are 38-1 at home in playoff games.
The first test of this season’s playoffs is at noon Saturday, Dec. 6 against fellow Missouri Valley Football Conference member Illinois State (9-4). The Redbirds won, 21-3, in the opening round in Hammond, La., against No. 16 seed Southeastern Louisiana.
“Our players work so hard to get to these moments,” Polasek said. “It’s going to be fun.”
In the last 14 meetings, Illinois State has had little fun. The Bison are 14-0 in those games.
ISU is 2-16 all-time against North Dakota State with an average offensive output of 13.7 points.
Illinois State is 1-8 in Fargo with the last win coming in 2009, the first season for 17th-year Redbirds’ coach Brock Spack.
In October, ISU trailed the Bison by two points in the fourth quarter in Normal. But NDSU scored 15 points in just under a 5-minute span to close the game out, 33-16.
Here’s a deeper look at the Redbirds’ second-round postseason opponent:
School: North Dakota State University.
Founded: 1890.
Location: Fargo, N.D.
Distance from Normal, Ill.: The drive to Fargo is 692 miles.
Population: 136,285.
Enrollment: 11,952.
Nickname; Mascot: Bison; Thundar.
Colors: Green and yellow.
Stadium: The Fargodome, which opened in 1992 and has a capacity of 18,500 for football games.
Conference: Missouri Valley Football Conference.
Head Coach: Tim Polasek.
Overall Record: 26-2 in two seasons.
I-AA/FCS Playoff Appearances: 15 since joining FCS in 2004. That includes a 51-5 playoff record and 10 national championships in the last 14 seasons.
Key players: Three NDSU players are finalists for major FCS awards this season. QB Cole Payton has thrown for 15 touchdowns and completed 74% of his passes while rushing for 13 TDs and 791 yards. He is a finalist for the top offensive honor, the Walter Payton Award, along with wide receiver Bryce Lance, whose 50 receptions, 1,001 receiving yards and seven TD catches lead the team. NDSU’s defense boasts linebacker Logan Kopp, a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, which honors the top defensive player in FCS. Kopp, who has nine tackles for loss and three sacks this season, was also a finalist last fall.
Quick facts about the Bison: Polasek agreed to a seven-year contract extension last week that will run through the 2033 season. According to ESPN, the contract includes a significant raise, additional money for staff and more resources for the already resource-rich MVFC program. … NDSU’s roster has six Illinois players, highlighted by starting defensive end Kelton McCaslin (23 tackles, team-high five QB hurries) and backup quarterback Nathan Hayes (four TD passes). Both players graduated from St. Charles East High School. … Senior wide receiver Raja Nelson has played in a school record 74 career games. He has a career-high four TD catches this season and needs five receptions to break his career-best 31 catches in 2023. … The Bison currently have the second-longest home winning streak in FCS at 18 games and have been ranked in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 poll for a record 215 consecutive weeks, dating back to 2010. … The NDSU defense has allowed the fewest first downs in the country this season (171) and opponents convert just over 30% on third down against the Bison, which ranks fourth in the nation.
Notable NDSU players in NFL: The list is as long as NDSU’s playoff achievements and includes three first-round draft picks – QB Carson Wentz (No. 2 overall by Philadelphia in 2016), QB Trey Lance (No. 3 overall by San Francisco in 2021) and OL Grey Zabel (No. 18 by Seattle in 2025). Pro Football Reference lists 55 players who have played at least one season in the NFL. The longest-tenured players include LB Steve Nelson (14 years), DB Tyron Braxton (13), DE Phil Hansen (11) and QB Carson Wentz, OL Billy Turner and LB Ramon Humber (10).
Famous NDSU alumni: Retired pro wrestler Bob Backlund, former Walgreens CEO David Bernauer, NFL coach Gus Bradley and former pro golfer Amy Olson.
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