The Week Ahead
All 10 league teams are in action this weekend with five Conference games on the slate. Three teams (Illinois State, North Dakota State and South Dakota) have unblemished league records at 2-0, while NDSU and USD are among just seven FCS teams with perfect overall records.
On the Air
All five games this weekend will be available on ESPN3. The league’s ESPN3 production is the North Dakota State-Youngstown State contest at 6 pm CT. Brad Wells, Danan Hughes and Kelly Burke will be on the call from Youngstown, Ohio.
Weekly Notes (PDF)
Saturday, Oct. 14 (Times CT)
*#15 Illinois State at Southern Illinois, 2 pm | Carbondale, Ill. • ESPN3
*Indiana State at #4 South Dakota, 2 pm | Vermillion, S.D. • MidcoSN / ESPN3
*Missouri State at #14 Western Illinois, 3 pm | Macomb, Ill. • ESPN3
*#2 North Dakota St. at #8 Youngstown St., 6 pm | Youngstown, Ohio • ESPN3
*UNI at #7 South Dakota State, 2 pm | Brookings, S.D. • ESPN3
*denotes Conference game
Keeping Time
Youngstown State set a school record with a time of possession of 45:14 against South Dakota State (Sept. 30). It’s the best figure in Division I this year. SDSU, meanwhile, turned the tables this past weekend against Southern Illinois, controlling the clock for 41:30. North Dakota State has the second-best in the league this year (42:40 at Eastern Washington).
Ranked vs. Ranked
Before the YSU-NDSU game this weekend, there have been 155 games in which two ranked MVFC teams have faced one another. In those games, the home team is 91-63 (there was one neutral site game), and the higher ranked team is 93-62. The YSU-NDSU meeting will mark the 37th game in league history in which both teams were ranked in the Top 10.
Road Warriors
Only 20 teams in league history have won five road games in a season and all of them participated in the FCS playoffs. Western Illinois won its fourth road game of the year last weekend at UNI. The league record for road wins in a season, including post-season play, is six -- accomplished by UNI in 2007 and Illinois State in 2012. Western’s next road game is Oct. 21 at North Dakota State.
One Streak Ends
Youngstown State’s 11-game winning streak at home is tied for the third-best active streak in the NCAA. North Dakota State’s 11-game road winning streak is best among current streaks. NDSU was the last team to win at Stambaugh Stadium, a 27-24 victory in YSU’s 2015 home finale. The Penguins were 8-0 at the “Ice Castle” last year including an NCAA first round playoff win over Samford and a quarterfinal win over Wofford. NDSU has not lost on the road since the 2015 FCS Kickoff at Montana, 38-35.
Toughest Schedules
Based on cumulative opposition (past opponents and future opponents), nine of 10 MVFC schools rank in the Top 25 in the NCAA for ‘toughest schedules.’ South Dakota State leads the MVFC at No. 3 (.714 winning percentage by its past and future opponents).
Tops in Scoring Margin
North Dakota State leads all of Division I with a 45.4 scoring margin (51.6 ppg scored and 6.2 ppg allowed lead all of Division I in both categories, too.)
Jake Grabs No. 50
South Dakota State WR Jake Wieneke added another milestone to his career as he collected his 50th career TD reception in SDSU’s win vs. Southern Illinois. He moved into a tie for fourth-place in FCS history. Wieneke holds MVFC records for career yards (4,453), and TD receptions (50), while his 245 career receptions are No. 4. He needs six to move into second place; Lance Lenoir of Western Illinois (2013-16) holds the league record with 273 career receptions.
Among the Best All-Time
The MVFC’s 20-10 (.667) non-conference record ranks fourth-best all-time in league history, behind 2014 (35-12, .745), 1999 (30-12, .714) and 1996 (27-13, .675). Those numbers also include playoff results, including an MVFC-best 7-1 non-league playoff record in 2014. The .667 regular-season record this year is seventh-best all-time, while the 2014 regular-season record (28-11, .718) set the league standard in that column, too. That year, the MVFC had two teams in the FCS championship game.
Against the FCS
The MVFC is 18-5 against FCS schools this year, which includes two road losses to ranked FCS teams, one of which (Liberty) is transitioning to FBS. CAA Football is an FCS-best 20-3 against FCS peers, and only the Big Sky (9-6), Ivy (14-5), SoCon (9-5) and Southland (6-4) have winning records.
Nation’s Top Offenses
The MVFC has two of the nation’s top five offenses (yards gained per game), led by South Dakota’s FCS-leading 537.4 ypg.
Simply the Best
North Dakota State has the best record in the NCAA (FBS/FCS) since the start of the 2011 season. The 88 wins are also best.
Dominance By Decade
North Dakota State and Youngstown State have two of the most storied programs in the FCS, and they’ll meet Saturday in Youngstown, Ohio. NDSU owns five FCS championships while YSU has four -- that ranks No. 1 and No. 2 among current FCS programs. NDSU’s 97 wins this decade are easily the best of any FCS school. The MVFC has had a team in the Top 5 for total wins in each of the past three decades.
Nation’s Top Defenses
The MVFC has the nation’s top two defenses (yards allowed per game), topped by North Dakota State (159.0 ypg). North Dakota State also leads the FCS in scoring defense (6.2 ppg allowed), passing yards allowed (94.2 per game) and team pass efficiency defense (57.0 points).
Converting on 3rd Down
South Dakota State (62.1 percent), Youngstown State (57.1) and North Dakota State (53.3) are among the nation’s Top 4 teams for converting on 3rd Down tries.
What’s the Score?
A pair of MVFC players rank 1-2 in the FCS in points per game. Lance Dunn of North Dakota State leads the FCS with 15.6 points per game, while Jaelon Acklin of Western Illinois ranks No. 2 at 10.8 ppg. RB Tevin McCaster, who had four TDs for Youngstown State this past week at South Dakota, and Sean Slattery of Illinois State, who notched 3 FGs at Northern Arizona, are tied for 5th at 9.6 ppg. NDSU’s Cam Pederson is 9th (9.2)
QB Chris Streveler of South Dakota has accounted for 120 total points (in 5 games), which ranks second in the FCS behind QB Gage Gubrud of Eastern Washington (146 total points in six games).