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WEEK 11 FCS NATIONAL SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Aaron Bickerton, North Dakota State, P, R-Jr., 6-3, 201,...In unbeaten North Dakota State's closest game of the season, Bickerton was a difference-maker, helping the Bison to a 15-10 win at North Dakota in the MVFC. On a season-high five punts, he averaged 55.6 yards, second-highest in the FCS this season and the fourth-highest average in over nine years. His punts went for 64, 62, 55, 52 and 45 yards. Bickerton also was the holder on three successful field goals before NDSU took its first lead with 2:22 remaining. Honorable Mention: Marko Dubak, P, Mississippi Valley State; Bugs Mortimer, PR, Stephen F. Austin; Mac Plummer, PK, Saint Francis; Ryan Ricketti, KR/WR, Valparaiso; Keegan Shackford, PK, William & Mary; Mark Shenouda, P, Tennessee State; Ben Shrewsbury, P, VMI; Ryan Short, PK, Butler; Jeff Yurk, P, Elon. - Stats Perform FCS Football

(DS#999 P) rJr/2027

P Aaron Bickerton, North Dakota State
News Source: Stats Perform FCS Football
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11/18/25 - Cole Payton, rSr/2026, North Dakota State, 6-2, 233 (DS#10 QB) + More +

WEEK 9 FCS NATIONAL TEAM OF THE WEEK: North Dakota State (38-7 win at South Dakota State),...Coach Tim Polasek's No. 1-ranked Bison retained the Dakota Marker rivalry trophy by ending SDSU's 33-game home winning streak with the largest win in the series in 33 years. Quarterback Cole Payton gained 380 yards of total offense (243 rushing, 137 rushing) and scored four touchdowns on the ground. Linebacker Donovan Woolen had a career-high nine tackles as NDSU limited the Jackrabbits, who were second-ranked, to their fewest offensive yards against an FCS opponent (166) since 2013. Honorable Mention: Dayton (35-19 over Presbyterian); UT Rio Grande Valley (56-28 win over UIW); Wagner (24-13 over Duquesne). - Stats Perform FCS Football

(DS#10 QB) rSr/2026

QB Cole Payton, North Dakota State
News Source: Stats Perform FCS Football
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11/15/25 - Cole Payton, rSr/2026, North Dakota State, 6-2, 233 (DS#10 QB) + More +

Cole Payton and Barika Kpeenu combined for five touchdowns and North Dakota State moved to within one win of a perfect regular season, defeating Northern Iowa 48-16 on Saturday. The FCS top-ranked Bison (10-0, 8-0 Missouri Valley Football Conference) stretched their homefield winning streak to 18 games and they have won 15 straight overall. They finish the regular season on Saturday with a non-conference home game against St. Thomas of Minnesota. Payton completed 15 of 17 passes for 212 yards with one touchdown. He had a 5-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and his 64-yard touchdown run in the third gave NDSU a 38-2 lead. Kpeenu had two touchdowns and 54 yards rushing. He has 15 touchdown runs this season.

Bryce Lance had 131 yards receiving and caught Payton's touchdown pass, a 14-yarder in the second quarter. They also connected on a 51-yard pass play. Northern Iowa managed only 201 yards of total offense and became the 10th NDSU opponent to score 17 points or less. The Panthers' defense came through with a safety and a blocked punt for a touchdown. NDSU is 52-11 in regular-season November games since 2004, including 38-6 since 2011. The game was North Dakota State's traditional Harvest Bowl, a game in which they are 46-2-2 since 1974. - AP College Football

(DS#10 QB) rSr/2026

QB Cole Payton, North Dakota State
News Source: AP College Football
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11/08/25 - Cole Payton, rSr/2026, North Dakota State, 6-2, 233 (DS#10 QB) + More +

Cole Payton threw for 125 yards and his 8-yard touchdown run with 2:02 left helped top-ranked FCS North Dakota State beat North Dakota 15-10 on Saturday to claim the Missouri Valley Conference title. It was the Bison's lone touchdown of the day and first lead of the game against their 18th-ranked, in-state foe (6-4, 4-2). Both teams exchanged punts after Payton's touchdown on what proved to be North Dakota's final drive lasting nine plays and covering 43 yards. The Bison (10-0, 7-0) ended the Fighting Hawks' upset bid when Anthony Chideme-Alfaro intercepted Jerry Kaminski at the goal line with 11 seconds left.

Sawyer Seidl's 2-yard touchdown run with 2:52 left in the first quarter put North Dakota ahead 7-0. The Bison got field goals of 24 and 38 yards from Eli Ozick to get within 7-6 at the end of the first half. In the third, Kenton Laughman extended North Dakota's margin with a 32-yard field goal for a 10-6 lead before Ozick kicked a 33-yarder to make it 10-9 with 1:09 left in the third. Kaminksi threw for 170 yards and the North Dakota State defense recorded three interceptions. - AP College Football

(DS#10 QB) rSr/2026

QB Cole Payton, North Dakota State
News Source: AP College Football
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11/01/25 - Cole Payton, rSr/2026, North Dakota State, 6-2, 233 (DS#10 QB) + More +

Cole Payton threw for 194 yards, Barika Kpeenu ran for three touchdowns and North Dakota State won its 13th straight game by beating Youngstown State 38-30 on Saturday. Youngstown State posted early leads of 3-0 and 10-7, with the Penguins' first touchdown coming on 10-yard run by quarterback Beau Brungard. The last five minutes of the first half generated an explosion of points for both teams. DJ Scott gave the FCS top-ranked Bison (9-0, 6-0 Missouri Valley Football Conference) the lead for good with a 3-yard scoring run with 4:52 before intermission. On the ensuing kickoff, Ky Wilson fumbled at his own 9 and Kegan Huber recovered for the Bison. Two plays later, Kpeenu ran it in from the 4 for a 21-10 lead.

Wilson recovered and ran the following kickoff back 52 yards. The Penguins drove 46 yards and scored when Brungard threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Alex McDonald to reduce the deficit to 21-17. North Dakota State wasted no time when on the ensuing kickoff Jackson Williams took it back 100 yards for a touchdown and a 28-17 lead with 1:32 left before halftime. Andrew Lastovka kicked field goals of 49 and 42 yards just before and after halftime to reduce the Penguins' deficit to 28-23. Youngstown State drew within 35-30 when Brungard ran it in from the 2 in the fourth quarter but never got closer. Brungard threw for 203 yards, a touchdown and interception and ran for 50 yards on 15 carries with two touchdowns for the 19th-ranked Penguins (5-4, 2-3). - AP College Football

(DS#10 QB) rSr/2026

QB Cole Payton, North Dakota State
News Source: AP College Football
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10/25/25 - Cole Payton, rSr/2026, North Dakota State, 6-2, 233 (DS#10 QB) + More +

Cole Payton accounted for 380 yards and four touchdown runs to lead undefeated North Dakota State to a 38-7 victory over previously-unbeaten South Dakota State on Saturday night for its second straight Dakota Marker trophy. The FCS defending national champion and top-ranked Bison (8-0, 5-0 Missouri Valley Football Conference) snapped a two-game skid at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium for its first win there since 2019. The Bison have also won three straight against second-ranked South Dakota State (7-1, 3-1), including a 28-21 win at home in last season's NCAA semifinal matchup.

It was just the 10th matchup of No. 1 vs. 2 in FCS history, but only the fourth time it has happened in the regular season. Payton scored twice from short yardage and had a 57-yard TD run as the Bison built a 31-7 halftime lead. The Bison scored on five of six possessions and had 345 yards of offense in the first half. They finished with 500 yards overall and held South Dakota State to just 166. Payton's 47-yard touchdown run made it 38-7 early in the fourth quarter. He was 18-of-23 passing for 243 yards with an interception and ran 17 times for 137 yards. Luke Marble threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Lofton O'Groske in the second quarter for the Jackrabbits. North Dakota State leads the overall series 66-47-5, including an 12-10 advantage in Dakota Marker games. - AP College Football

(DS#10 QB) rSr/2026

QB Cole Payton, North Dakota State
News Source: AP College Football
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10/18/25 - Barika Kpeenu, rSr/2026, North Dakota State, 5-10, 213 (DS#999 RB) + More +

Barika Kpeenu had 113 yards rushing and scored two touchdowns and North Dakota State defeated Indiana State 38-7 on Saturday. The FCS top-ranked Bison (7-0, 4-0 MVFC) overcame a rare 7-0 deficit and a long weather delay in defeating the Sycamores for the 12th time in 13 all-time matchups. This was the sixth time North Dakota State has faced Indiana State when ranked No. 1. The Sycamores scored first on a 3-yard run by Nick Osho and led 7-0 after one quarter. Cole Payton's 3-yard touchdown pass to Truman Werremeyer tied it early in the second quarter and a career-high tying 54-yard field goal by Eli Ozick made it 10-7 for the Bison at halftime.

After a long lightning delay at halftime, the game continued in the rain. Payton and Kpeenu had touchdown runs in the third quarter for a 24-7 lead and DJ Scott and Kpeenu scored in the fourth to wrap it up. Payton completed 12 of 18 passes for 149 yards. Kpeenu had 23 carries and led a rushing game that piled up 283 yards. Scott had 78 yards on nine carries and Payton kept it 10 times for 71 yards. Indiana State (2-5, 0-3) was held to 192 total yards. - AP College Football

(DS#999 RB) rSr/2026

RB Barika Kpeenu, North Dakota State
News Source: AP College Football
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10/14/25 - Cole Payton, rSr/2026, North Dakota State, 6-2, 233 (DS#10 QB) + More +

WEEK 7 MISSOURI VALLEY OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: QB Cole Payton, North Dakota State, 6-3, 233, Sr., Omaha, Neb.,...Payton accounted for 291 yards of total offense and three touchdowns in North Dakota State's 45-17 win over eighth-ranked Southern Illinois. He picked up eight first downs on 13 of 16 passing for 243 yards and one TD, and he rushed eight times for 48 yards and two scores including a 41-yard scramble in the third quarter to extend NDSU's lead to 31-10. Payton connected with Bryce Lance for 48 yards and a 9-yard TD on back-to-back plays late in the second quarter to take a 17-10 lead before halftime, and his 50-yard strike to tight end Reis Kessel on third-and-7 extended the opening drive of the second half as NDSU built a 24-10 lead. - Missouri Valley Football

(DS#10 QB) rSr/2026

QB Cole Payton, North Dakota State
News Source: Missouri Valley Football
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10/11/25 - Cole Payton, rSr/2026, North Dakota State, 6-2, 233 (DS#10 QB) + More +

Cole Payton threw a touchdown pass and ran for two of North Dakota State's five rushing touchdowns in the Bison's 45-17 victory over Southern Illinois on Saturday. After the Salukis opened the scoring, wide receiver Bryce Lance ran 75 yards for a score to give FCS top-ranked North Dakota State (6-0, 3-0 MVFC) a 7-3 lead. Southern Illinois went back ahead, 10-7, on a 5-yard run by Chandler Chapman to open the second quarter but the Salukis did not score again until the middle of the fourth quarter. After Chapman's TD for the Salukis, North Dakota State tied it with a field goal then added touchdowns on five consecutive possessions for a 45-10 lead.

Payton, who entered as the FCS leader in passing efficiency (221.1), completion percentage (.747), passing yards per completion (18.05) and passing yards per attempt (13.48), completed 13 of 16 passes for 243 yards. His efficiency rating was 229.5, completion percentage 81.2, yards per completion 18.7 and yards per attempt 15.2. He broke numerous tackles on his 41-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Lance led NDSU with 75 yards rushing and 79 yards receiving. DJ Willilams had 190 yards passing for the FCS No. 9 Salukis (4-2, 1-1) and led them with 41 yards rushing. - AP College Football

(DS#10 QB) rSr/2026

QB Cole Payton, North Dakota State
News Source: AP College Football
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09/30/25 - Cole Payton, rSr/2026, North Dakota State, 6-2, 233 (DS#10 QB) + More +

WEEK 5 MISSOURI VALLEY OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: QB Cole Payton, North Dakota State, 6-3, 233, Sr., Omaha, Neb. (Westside HS),...Payton accounted for 375 yards of total offense and three touchdowns as top-ranked North Dakota State opened conference play with a 51-13 homecoming victory over 17th-ranked South Dakota. Payton went 14 of 18 passing for 273 yards and two TDs while rushing 11 times for 102 yards and one TD. He picked up six first downs in the run game including one fourth-and-short conversion of 11 yards and three third-down conversions running for 15 yards with seven to go, 7 with six to go, and a 21-yard scramble on third-and-17 to keep a two-minute drive alive late in the second quarter as NDSU built a 34-0 lead. - Missouri Valley Football

(DS#10 QB) rSr/2026

QB Cole Payton, North Dakota State
News Source: Missouri Valley Football
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09/30/25 - Griffin Empey, rSo/2028, North Dakota State, 6-2, 298 (DS#999 OG) + More +

WEEK 5 MISSOURI VALLEY OFFENSIVE LINEMAN OF THE WEEK: RG Griffin Empey, North Dakota State, 6-3, 298, So., Stoughton, Wis. (Stoughton HS),...Empey had a 94 percent overall grade with three key blocks as top-ranked North Dakota State opened conference play with a 51-13 homecoming victory over 17th-ranked South Dakota. Empey played 66 snaps with no penalties or sacks allowed and helped the Bison rush for 274 yards and 5.5 yards per carry with four touchdowns. An FCS Freshman All-American last year, Empey has started all 18 games he has played for NDSU, which currently ranks sixth in the FCS with a conference-best 233.8 rushing yards and 0.75 sacks allowed per game. - Missouri Valley Football

(DS#999 OG) rSo/2028

OG Griffin Empey, North Dakota State
News Source: Missouri Valley Football
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09/30/25 - Jackson Williams, So/2028, North Dakota State, 5-11, 183 (DS#999 WR) + More +

WEEK 5 MISSOURI VALLEY SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: RS Jackson Williams, North Dakota State, 5-11, 183, So., Omaha, Neb. (Millard West HS),...Williams accounted for 107 all-purpose yards as top-ranked North Dakota State opened conference play with a 51-13 homecoming victory over 17th-ranked South Dakota. Williams had two 21-yard punt returns, one 21-yard kickoff return, and he also caught a 35-yard pass on second-and-5 from the NDSU 15 to get the Bison to midfield on a 12-play, 90-yard scoring drive that put NDSU ahead 13-0 in the first quarter. - Missouri Valley Football

(DS#999 WR) So/2028

WR Jackson Williams, North Dakota State
News Source: Missouri Valley Football
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09/30/25 - Nathaniel Staehling, Jr/2027, North Dakota State, 6-1, 238 (DS#999 ILB) + More +

WEEK 5 MISSOURI VALLEY DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: LB Nathaniel Staehling, North Dakota State, 6-2, 238, Jr., Baxter, Minn. (Brainerd HS),...Staehling scored his first career touchdown on a 43-yard interception return as top-ranked North Dakota State opened conference play with a 51-13 homecoming victory over 17th-ranked South Dakota. Staehling's pick-six ended South Dakota's opening drive of the second half. The first-year starting middle linebacker finished with a team-high five tackles and assisted on two tackles for loss as the Bison held USD to three-and-outs on four of its first seven drives in building a 44-3 lead. - Missouri Valley Football

(DS#999 ILB) Jr/2027

ILB Nathaniel Staehling, North Dakota State
News Source: Missouri Valley Football
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09/27/25 - Cole Payton, rSr/2026, North Dakota State, 6-2, 233 (DS#10 QB) + More +

Cole Payton accounted for three touchdowns and North Dakota State rolled over South Dakota 51-13 to celebrate homecoming on Saturday. The Bison scored touchdowns on each of their five first-half possessions and led 34-3 at halftime. Nathaniel Staehling returned an interception 43 yards for a touchdown to make it 41-3 early in the third quarter. North Dakota State's only punt came with 5 1/2 minutes remaining in the game. The FCS top-ranked Bison (4-0, 1-0 Missouri Valley Football Conference) had touchdown drives of 77 and 90 yards on their first two possessions and led 13-0. They had a shorter field on their third possession and Barry Kpeenu's 6-yard run made it 20-0 barely a minute into the second quarter. At that point in the game, NDSU had a 213-38 advantage in total yards. At game's end the advantage was 547-296. North Dakota State drove 95 yards for a touchdown on the next possession, with Payton throwing to Bryce Lance for a 2-yard touchdown that made it 27-0.

Coming into the game, Payton led the FCS in passing yards per completion (18.10) and per attempt (12.84) and ranked second in passing efficiency (214.7) through his first three starts. Payton was 14-for-18 passing for 273 yards with two touchdowns and ran for 102 yards on 11 carries, with one touchdown. His passing efficiency was 241.8. The North Dakota State defense ranks first in passing defense and total defense and second in scoring defense. South Dakota (FCS No. 18, 2-3, 0-1) got a 31-yard field goal from Will Leyland on the final play of the first half and a 51-yarder from Zeke Mata in the fourth quarter. Carson Fletcher scored on a 4-yard run with about a minute remaining. - AP College Football

(DS#10 QB) rSr/2026

QB Cole Payton, North Dakota State
News Source: AP College Football
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09/13/25 - Bryce Lance, rSr/2026, North Dakota State, 6-2, 209 (DS#6 WR) + More +

Cole Payton threw for four touchdowns, with two going to RaJa Nelson, as North Dakota State beat Southeast Missouri State 41-14 on Saturday for the program's 200th win in the Fargodome. Payton finished 16 of 23 for 348 yards for NDSU (3-0), the top-ranked team in the FCS coaches' poll. He had 230 yards passing with 10 minutes left in the second quarter as NDSU led 24-7. Bryce Lance caught a screen pass, made a move and outran the Redhawks' defense for a 75-yard touchdown that put the Bison up 14-7 in the first quarter.

Payton threw his fourth touchdown pass of the half from the 5-yard line for Nelson's second score, to take a 31-14 lead at halftime. Lance had 159 yards receiving and a touchdown for NDSU. Mekhi Collins added a 28-yard touchdown on his lone catch. Jax Leatherwood went 12 of 23 for 145 yards and a score for SEMO (1-2), which only managed 217 total yards. The NDSU defense applied consistent pressure throughout the game, tallying four sacks, eight tackles for loss and a turnover. - AP College Football

(DS#6 WR) rSr/2026

WR Bryce Lance, North Dakota State
News Source: AP College Football
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