North Dakota State (8-4)
at Montana State (9-2)
Saturday, Dec. 4, 12:05 p.m. MST, Bozeman, Mont.
Bobcat Stadium (13,500 FieldTurf)
TV: ESPN Gameplan, Altitude Sports & Entertainment
Internet: ESPN3
The records: Montana State enters with a 9-2 record. The Bobcats earned the Big Sky’s automatic bid to the playoffs. Montana State lost 23-22 at Washington State, and 34-7 at Northern Arizona. MSU has won four straight since the loss to NAU…North Dakota State is 8-4 following a first-round win over Robert Morris. NSU opened the season with a 6-3 win at Kansas. The Bison lost on the road against Northern Iowa, Illinois State and Missouri State. NDSU also lost to Western Illinois. The Bison earned an at-large bid to the playoffs out of the Missouri Valley.
Last Meeting: Travis Lulay threw two touchdown passes, and Justin Domineck scored on a short run with 1:31 to play as Montana State beat NDSU 20-17 on Sept. 23, 2005 in Bozeman.
The Series: Montana State leads 19-12. The teams first met in 1914. MSU beat NDSU twice during the 1976 season, including a 10-3 win in a Division II semifinal game. MSU won the national championship the following week over Akron. NDSU hasn’t beaten MSU since 1979, and hasn’t won in Bozeman since 1970.
The Coaches: Montana State’s Rob Ash is 28-16 in his fourth season with the Bobcats. He is 205-118-5 in his 31st season as a head coach. This is his first FCS playoff game…NDSU’s Craig Bohl is 60-29 in his eighth season with the Bison. He is 1-0 in the playoffs.
Big Sky vs. Missouri Valley: The Big Sky is 7-9 all-time against the Missouri Valley (formerly the Gateway). MSU is 0-1 vs. Missouri Valley teams in the playoffs, having lost 35-14 at Northern Iowa in 2003.
Notes: North Dakota State is located in Fargo...Montana State is 6-0 at home this season…NDSU is 2-3 on the road…Montana State is 3-0 all-time in NCAA playoff games at Bobcat Stadium…MSU ranks in the top 10 in the nation in total offense (4th), scoring offense (8th) and passing offense (9th)…NDSU is ninth in scoring defense…This is NDSU’s first appearance in the FCS playoffs. The Bison won five Division II national championships from 1983-90…Earl Solomonson, who led NDSU to the 1985 and 1986, was Montana State’s coach from 1987-91…NDSU RB D.J. McNorton averages 102.3 yards per game, which ranks 19th in the nation. In five road games, he averaged 64.2 yards per game with just one rushing touchdown. McNorton has 220 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns in last week’s win over Robert Morris...MSU averaged 14.6 points per game on the road this season, and three times was held under 10 points...MSU averaged 40.3 points per game and allowed 19 points per game at home this season...MSU FG kicker Jason Cunningham ranks second in the nation with an average of 1.73 FG per game. He is 10th in the nation in scoring at 8.8 points per game...NDSU is second in the nation in net punting. MSU is eighth...MSU’s nine regular-season victories tied the school record...MSU has not won 10 games in a season since going 12-2 in 1984.
Team Breakdown
National Rank in Parentheses
NDSU Category MSU
156.3 (49) Rushing Offense 179.4 (31)
169.8 (86) Rushing Defense 132.8 (41)
163.2 (93) Passing Offense 279.0 (9)
188.3 (40) Passing Defense 245.8 (107)
319.5 (86) Total Offense 458.4 (4)
358.1 (65) Total Defense 378.6 (86)
23.6 (61) Scoring Offense 34.5 (8)
16.7 (9) Scoring Defense 24.4 (55)
.83 (12) Turnover Margin .27 (42)