North Dakota
Missouri State football vs North Dakota State: Scouting report, score prediction for Saturday
Missouri State football coach Ryan Beard previews North Dakota State
Bears coach Ryan Beard previewed their upcoming game against North Dakota State. The winner will claim at least a share of the MVFC championship.
By the end of Saturday afternoon’s matchup with FCS No. 1 North Dakota State, Missouri State could call itself a champion of the Missouri Valley Football Conference.
The FCS No. 14 Bears (8-2, 6-0 MVFC) have put themselves in this position by winning eight consecutive games for the first time since becoming a Division I program. They’ll have to win somewhere they haven’t since 2009 when they play in the 2:30 p.m. game at the Fargodome in Fargo, North Dakota.
A win would give the Bears a share of the league for the first time since the 2021 spring season. They could then win the Valley outright with a win over South Dakota State on Nov. 23 in Springfield.
“We want the culture in our program to be the fact that if you come to Missouri State and are a good football player, you should expect to win championships and play in future bowl games,” second-year head coach Ryan Beard said. “They’ve wrapped their arms around that and they trust our process.”
NDSU (9-1, 6-0 MVFC) is as good as it gets in the subdivision with its lone loss coming to FBS Colorado to open the season. The Bison came four yards short of completing a hail mary to win the game which would have handed Deion Sanders a loss to rock the college football world.
The Bison have won nine FCS national championships since 2011. They have a consistent, championship-level program the Bears strive to be, even with Missouri State’s upcoming move to Conference USA in 2025. This game will serve as a good measuring stick for how far the Bears have to go when competing at the Group of 5 level next year.
“It’s a special opportunity we have,” Beard said. “We knew what kind of football team we could have. We are making a run at a school where traditionally, you’re onto another sport or you’re talking about different things this time of year. Now, it’s about football and it’s about putting your best plan together.”
North Dakota State football QB Cam Miller is among the best FCS players
If there’s a quarterback who has played as well as Jacob Clark has in the FCS this season, Bison QB Cam Miller would be it. The NDSU quarterback is ranked the most efficient gunslinger in the subdivision with Clark third.
Miller has thrown for 18 touchdowns and zero interceptions when completing 77.6% of his passes. In a run-first offense, he’s thrown for 201.1 yards per game and rushed for 267 yards and six scores.
“He is an elite player,” Beard said. “I talk about Jacob’s vision a lot, (Miller) sees the field similarly. He does a nice job running their offense and understanding where the ball needs to go and when it needs to go there and then he doesn’t turn the ball over. That’s why they’re so efficient on offense because they’re smart football players, they’re tough, they take care of the ball and he is as elite as it gets.”
Missouri State coach Ryan Beard sees no weaknesses in Bison
Beard went rat-a-tat-tat when listing what NDSU does well. The Bison are deep, there are countless players the Bears need to keep an eye on, they’re explosive offensively, they run the ball down your throat, they’re fast, physical, aggressive and bring pressure when they need to. They play zone and are effective in getting turnovers with elite special teams.
“There’s a reason they have such big trophy cases at North Dakota State,” Beard said.
Asked if he was getting much sleep, he said “not really.”
Asked if the Bison had any weaknesses, he replied “Not that I can see. They seem pretty unstoppable.”
Where could some NDSU weaknesses be defensively?
The Bison have one of the best run defenses in the nation but their play against the pass could lead to some success for the Bears through the air. It will be critical for the Bears to protect Clark when the Bison tend to get after the passer and could make them one-dimensional.
NDSU hasn’t been the best on third downs, something Bison coach Tim Polasek is aware of, allowing teams to convert 42.1% of the time. The Bears have the 14th-best third-down offense in the FCS, converting on 46.4%. The Bison still only allow just 15.7 points per game and haven’t allowed more than 20 since Sept. 21 vs. Towson.
Time of possession will be something to watch when the Bison are so good at controlling the ball and the clock. They’re ranked third in the FCS in time of possession. Missouri State needs to capitalize on its opportunities and make sure the defense gets some needed rest when the Bison try to wear it down.
What NDSU coach Tim Polasek said about Missouri State
“They’re driven by their offense. We’re not slighting the defense but they’re productive. I’ve been challenging our defense to get a pulse on knowing where their quarterback is going with the ball. We have to be Johnny on the spot. The quarterback is more than capable of having a big day if we let him get started. In all areas of the field, they have some athletes.”
Score prediction: North Dakota State 27, Missouri State 20
North Dakota State is by far the best team the Bears will have played up to this point. Whether you want to acknowledge it or not, the FCS is not as good as it once was and Missouri State hasn’t played very many good teams with its best win being against FCS No. 16 Illinois State. The Redbirds being ranked 16th may speak more about how down the subdivision is than how good the Redbirds are. That doesn’t take away from an eight-game winning streak which is difficult to do at any level.
The Bison are legit and should have beaten an FBS Colorado team with a path to the College Football Playoff. The Bears have as good of a quarterback as you can have in the subdivision and an explosive offense. But there are some flaws in the offensive line and defense that the Bison, of all teams the Bears will face, can take advantage of.
BISMARCK, N.D. (Jeff Beach/North Dakota Monitor) – Fall enrollment at North Dakota University System campuses is up nearly 4%, the highest enrollment recorded since 2014.
The 11 public colleges and universities have 47,522 students, according to figures released Wednesday. The system’s record enrollment was in 2011 at 48,883.
Williston State College saw the highest percentage growth in headcount with 11%, while North Dakota State College of Science reported a 9% enrollment jump, Bismarck State College reported an 8% increase and Mayville State University reported 7% growth.
The University of North Dakota, which leads the state in enrollment, saw a 5% increase and is at an all-time high with 15,844 students.
UND President Andy Armacost said the university has seen strong growth in new students the past two years.
“We’re grateful to be able to impact a large number of students with the great programs at UND,” Armacost said.
Bismarck State College’s enrollment of 4,549 students also was a record.
“Seven straight semesters of growth show that our polytechnic mission is not only resonating but making a real difference for students and the industries we serve,” Interim President Dan Leingang said in a statement.
North Dakota State University has recorded the exact same fall headcount for the past three years at 11,952 students. NDSU showed a 3% increase in first-year students, alongside a significant rise in new international undergraduate students, according to a news release from the university.
NDSU has 95% of students enrolled in in-person programs, the highest number across the entire North Dakota University System, the release said.
NSDU President David Cook, who is in his third year on the job, appeared remotely before a North Dakota legislative committee Wednesday.
“We have stabilized enrollment at NDSU, and I think we’re creating the right foundation for where we want to be,” Cook said.
Minot State University President Steve Shirley, in a Tuesday presentation to the State Board of Higher Education, said that while headcount at the school is flat, there is a 3% increase in full-time equivalent students that he said reflects a “nice little bump” in freshman enrollment — about a 15% increase.
“We’re excited about that,” he said.
Dickinson State University was the only school to show an enrollment decline, down 3%.
Dakota College at Bottineau had 3% enrollment growth. Lake Region State College and Valley City State University each reported 1% increases.
MINOT — The board overseeing the North Dakota University System has awarded the interim chancellor the permanent role and changed the name of that role in the process.
The State Board of Higher Education unanimously approved Brent Sanford as commissioner of the system at its meeting Tuesday, Sept. 23, in Minot.
Sanford, a former Republican lieutenant governor, was
named the interim university system leader in April,
replacing Chancellor Mark Hagerott,
who stepped down around the same time.
In August, Board Chair Kevin Black told a legislative committee meeting in Dickinson that
he favored skipping a nationwide search in favor of giving Sanford the job.
Before the vote Tuesday, Black called it a “once-in-a-generational opportunity” to appoint Sanford, whom he said can make a true difference for higher education.
“For those reasons, I think doing the right thing and putting the right person in the seat trumps the process. In this case, I think it is absolutely 100% worth it,” Black said.
Other board members praised Sanford, indicating he was an obvious choice.
“I can always recognize the guy that’s got that ‘it factor,’ and in my opinion, Brent’s got that ‘it factor,’ and I’m excited about his opportunities to come and lead this university system,” said Member Tim Mihalick.
Said Member Danita Bye, “We could have done a national search and Brent would be our top candidate.”
Black said despite changing the title to commissioner, a motion that also received unanimous approval, the role of the position does not change.
“What I think the board is really saying through this motion is that we believe it’s important to align with what the Constitution says and what Century Code says,” he said.
To reflect the change, Board Vice Chair Donald “D.J.” Campbell laid out further amendments to other leadership titles.
The chancellor will become commissioner, the vice chancellor for academic and student affairs will become deputy commissioner/chief academic and student affairs officer, and the vice chancellor for administrative affairs will become deputy commissioner and chief financial officer, he said.
Before the vote on Sanford took place, he gave a presentation to the board and answered questions from board members.
Member Patrick Sogard asked about
a perception among some in the public
of Sanford’s lack of experience in academia.
Hagerott, who had led the university system since 2015, had a doctorate degree, and other recent chancellors have had master’s or other advanced degrees.
Sanford said his experience interacting with higher education as lieutenant governor was valuable.
He added that he was truly enjoying the role as interim chancellor.
“You can probably tell I do and I find it a better fit than I thought it would be, because it’s turning out that this job is very much a government leadership, government administrator, political administrator, type job that I’m used to,” Sanford said.
Also slated to be discussed Tuesday was
consideration of a policy change stating presidential vacancies at colleges and universities may be filled without doing a search.
Emily Dawes. (Photo provided by the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction)
(KNOX) – A literacy specialist for grades kindergarten through fifth at Lake Agassiz Elementary School in the Grand Forks District, Emily Dawes is one of four finalists for North Dakota Teacher of the Year.
“I somehow was nominated. I hope it was a reflection of me as a teacher. So than I was chosen from a committee, so a committee chose me.” Dawes told KNOX News in an interview.
Dawes was a teacher at J. Nelson Kelly Elementary School when she was named as a contender for teacher of the year.
“I was at Kelly Elementary and I was happily teaching first grade and I absolutely loved every moment of it. But this opportunity to be a literary specialist came my way,” said Dawes.
The winner will be named in ceremony on September 26th in Bismarck.
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