This Week in the MVFC
Two MVFC teams have byes this week (UNI and North Dakota State), but the rest of the league is in action.  League schools host four games, including three vs. FCS schools, and play four games on the road at FBS sites.

Weekly Notebook (PDF)

Thursday, Sept. 6 (Times CT, unless noted)
Lincoln at Missouri State, 6 pm  |  Springfield, Mo. • ESPN3

Saturday, Sept. 8 (Times CT, unless noted)
Northern Colorado at #23 South Dakota, 2 pm  |  Vermillion, S.D. • Midco SN / ESPN+
RV Southern Illinois at Ole Miss, 3 pm  |  Oxford, Miss. • SEC Network
RV Youngstown State at West Virginia, 6 pm ET  |  Morgantown, W.V. • AT&T Sports Network
RV Montana State at #3 South Dakota St., 6 pm  |  Brookings, S.D. • Midco SN / ESPN+
Indiana State at Louisville, 7 pm ET  |  Louisville, Ky. • ACC Network
Eastern Illinois at #19 Illinois State, 6:30 pm  |  Normal, Ill. • NBCSCH+ / ESPN+
RV Western Illinois at Illinois, 6:30 pm  |  Champaign, Ill. • Big Ten Network

Against the FBS
The MVFC recorded a 2-5 record last year against FBS schools.  The Conference has had at least one FBS win in each of the last eight seasons.  The FCS had nine wins against FBS schools overall in 2017.  There were 10 FCS wins against FBS programs in 2016, and the FCS set a record in 2013 with 16 wins against FBS programs that year.

Big Sky-MVFC Challenge Series
Two games this week are part of the Big Sky-MVFC Challenge series.  The leagues play a total of eight regular-season games against one another in 2018.  The Big Sky holds a 2-1 advantage in this year’s series.  The MVFC won last year’s series, 5-3.

Running With It
Top-ranked North Dakota State had 458 rushing yards in its win against Cal Poly.  That was the top performance in the FCS.

Stellar ‘D’
The Illinois State Redbirds outgained the St. Xavier Cougars 368 to 30 yards on Saturday, while SXU had negative 30 yards on the ground (fourth-lowest mark in school history).  The total defense and rushing defense both lead the FCS.

Salukis Lead the FCS
In the season opener at Murray State, the Salukis tied a school record with three defensive touchdowns. SIU forced six turnovers in the game — the most since forcing six at Eastern Illinois on Nov. 28, 2009.  The three defensive scores were the most in the FCS in Week 1, while the six total turnovers are second-best to North Carolina A&T (7, in two games).  Illinois State and South Dakota each forced four turnovers in Week 1. 

5 Teams Ranked in Top 25
Five different MVFC schools are ranked in the top-25 polls of Sept. 3, and North Dakota State is No. 1 in both polls.

Pitching a Shutout
Illinois State (46-0 vs. St. Xavier) and Indiana State (49-0 vs. Quincy) both posted shutouts in Week 1.   It marked the first shutout win for Indiana State since 2015, while Illinois State had two shutouts last year (vs. Butler and vs. Youngstown State).

Two in Top 5
RB Bruce Anderson of North Dakota State and RB Tevin McCaster of Youngstown State are in the Top 5 in the FCS in rushing yards.  Anderson ranks No. 5 in all-purpose yardage (239.0 ypg), and he is No. 2 in the FCS in rushing yards per carry (16.82 ypc).

28 MVFC Alums in the NFL
A total of 28 student-athletes from Missouri Valley Football Conference institutions are on NFL opening day rosters.  The Philadelphia Eagles, with three, have the most former MVFC players.

Home Cooking
Last week, league member Youngstown State dropped a rare non-conference home game, falling to visiting Butler, 23-21.  The Penguins had won 20-straight home games in September, dating back to 2009.  League schools combined for a 16-1 home non-conference record last year and have twice recorded perfect records at home in non-league games (2011 and 2014).  This year, MVFC schools have combined for a 3-1 start at home in non-league play.  Four games this weekend are at home.