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.
North Dakota
Today in History: July 12, 1932 – A rumor turned into not only one tornado but a flock of them
Today in History revisits the Tuesday, July 12, 1932, edition of the Grand Forks Herald and highlights a story of rumors growing in North Dakota about tornadoes obliterating cities, hail pounding crops into the ground, towns in ruins. Turns out the rumors were flying around faster than any wind in the forecast.
This Rumor Turned Into Not Only One Tornado, But Flock of Them
Townspeople at North Dakota Points Go About Affairs Undisturbed While Stories of Their Destruction Mount.
It started with a little rumor. It reached the proportions of a major tragedy, with three towns in North Dakota swept away, property and crops destroyed, persons killed and injured, (estimates to suit yourself), and ere it goes further the truth must out.
It’s a story about a person or several persons who started rumors that there were storms, yea verily, tornadoes, and cyclones of great proportions in the vicinities of Cando, Devils Lake, Towner and other points throughout the Northwest.
Early Monday came queries about the tornado that left Devils Lake’s business district a complete wreck. Through the afternoon, far into the night they continued, the questions varying in respect to the exact whereabouts of the storm.
There were those who heard that Towner had been razed; another who had talked with a traveling salesman, just in from Rugby by motor, who reported that Cando was in ruins; still someone else who was informed that crops throughout the entire district had been driven into the ground by hail.
By the hundreds these rumors came to the Herald for verification, more information. This is the dope:
The Devils Lake Journal reports only slight showers throughout the day, no wind, no hail, no damage.
The Towner railway agent says all is quiet along that front, no storms, not even any indications.
The Cando telephone operator gives the information that, contrary to rumors, all buildings are in their places, there are no dead or injured, the townspeople hadn’t heard about the storm.
Stories and rumors to the contrary, notwithstanding, the Northwest is not strewn over the countryside and blown to bits by wind. A few showers is the best it can do.
Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of “staff.” Often, the “staff” byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story.
North Dakota
The Crookston Masonic Lodge and Order of the Eastern Star present a donation check to Honor Flight of North Dakota and Minnesota
The Crookston Masonic Lodge #141 and the Order of the Eastern Star #137 presented a $57,938 donation check to Honor Flight of North Dakota and Minnesota during a ceremony at the Masonic Lodge on Thursday. The donation will help cover the costs for the next round of Honor Flights for 2026, with two flights scheduled […]
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The Bison are in the game. For real, this time.
When EA Sports brought back its College Football title in 2024 after a decade-plus hiatus, FCS teams were not included. That’s still the case as the game moves into the third year of its revival, but, of course, North Dakota State has moved up to the FBS level, as members of the Mountain West.
And one of the perks of that move is inclusion in the popular sports simulation. Participating players get $1,500 plus a free copy of this year’s game, College Football 27.
Not bad, huh?
I can only imagine how cool it is for a kid like Abraham Myers, a tight end from Sioux Falls Washington High School, to see himself as a playable character on a millions-selling PlayStation game, but it’s cool for fans, too.
If you’re a Bison fan, it’s all right there. The Fargodome (sorta, EA didn’t bother to include the name, calling it ‘North Dakota State Stadium’), Tim Polasek, the Bison mascot — OK, that’s really about all the detail they went into, and Polasek’s likeness leaves a bit to be desired. Then again, they still haven’t made much effort to make Kalen DeBeoer look like Kalen DeBoer, so whatever, I guess.
In the past you could still play as NDSU, or SDSU, or USD, or Augustana, or Roosevelt High School, or St. Mother Theresa’s Middle School for the Deaf, or any other team, real or imagined, because of the game’s “Create a team” engine, and that’s still there on this year’s game. There are already a few Jackrabbit teams up on the servers that you can download if you’re an SDSU fan and want to play as the Jacks.
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But Bison fans (and Sac State fans, and Missouri State fans, etc., etc.) don’t have to do that. Their team is in the game, with their actual stadium and their actual coach and their actual players, and when I fired up the game on Thursday just an hour after it officially launched, I’ll admit it, the first thing I did was start a game in Fargo, pitting New Mexico against the Bison in the Fargodome for a Mountain West clash that sent former SDSU assistant Jason Eck up against his old Dakota Marker nemesis.
The game started up and there they were: Nathan Hayes under center for the Bison, with DJ Scott carrying the ball, Jackson Williams running free over the middle and Myers teaming with Reis Kessel at tight end to create problems in the red zone.
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I went right down the field and scored on the opening drive, with Hayes finding Williams on a drag route for the touchdown.
Despite the best efforts of New Mexico’s star linebacker and former Brookings Bobcat Jaxton Eck (Jason’s son), I had no trouble dispatching the Lobos 31-10.
Later I played around with some other fun matchups.
I brought Nebraska into the Dome, and while we all know the Huskers stink now, for someone like me who’s old enough to remember their Glory Days, it was fun to see the iconic Nebraska uniforms on the Fargo turf, and wonder if someday that could actually happen now that NDSU is in the FBS.
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Later I played a game at the Big House in Ann Arbor, sending the Bison up against the Wolverines. Michigan got the ball first and after a holding penalty pinned them deep in their own territory, Keenan Wilson’s strip-sack of Bryce Underwood gave the Bison first and goal, and with the Miaze and Blue crowd of over 100,000 roaring, I quickly turned it into a short touchdown pass from Hayes to Myers.
Ultimately I couldn’t keep that up against the Wolverines, falling 31-21.
I played around with some other teams, mostly the ones with familiar faces. Jimmy Rogers and Iowa State, Matt Entz at Fresno State, Missouri State, Kennesaw State, Sac State, Delaware and other former FCS powers.
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I also played a few series of the Tennessee vs. Alabama rivalry game to get an early glimpse of what kind of teams South Dakota’s two favorite SEC sons (DeBoer and Josh Heupel) might have in store for 2026.
Much has been made of trying to predict how successful the Bison will be in year one at the FBS level. Some have already anointed them a favorite to grab a G6 playoff spot. Others think they’ll at least win the Mountain West, while few seem to think they’ll finish much lower than third or fourth.
What does EA think?
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The Bison are given an overall team rating of 75 (99 is the highest possible), which is higher than many if not most G6 teams. James Madison, for one, gets a 77.
The other Mountain West teams earned the following ratings:
Air Force – 74
Hawaii – 76
Nevada – 73
New Mexico – 76
Northern Illinois – 70
San Jose State – 72
UNLV – 78
UTEP – 72
Wyoming – 73
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As for the NDSU players, here are their top rated personnel:
Griffin Empey (LG): 87
DJ Scott (RB): 83
Keenan Wilson (DT): 80
Darius Glance (SS): 79
Myles Mitchell (RB): 78
Josh Magin (RT): 78
Donovan Woolen (LB): 78
Keith Williams (LB): 78
Logan Larson (DT): 77
Jackson Williams (WR): 76
Matthew Stenbroten (DE): 76
Zach Vanderpool (DT): 76
Alijah Wayne (DT): 76
Jaylin Crumby (FS): 75
Kelton McCaslin (DE): 75
Reis Kessel (TE): 75
Nathan Hayes (QB): 74
Nate Tastad (RG): 74
Taylen Eady (FS): 73
Ryan Babatz (LT): 73
Alex Jenkins (LT): 73
DJ Volts (CB): 72
Mekhi Collins (WR): 71
Jack Liwienski (OG): 71
EJ Davis (CB): 71
Will Steil (FS): 70
Drew Klein (K): 70
Makes you wonder how players like Chase Mason and Charles Pierre would measure up. Maybe someday the Jacks, Coyotes and Fighting Hawks will be in the game and we’ll find out.
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Matt Zimmer is a Sioux Falls native and longtime sports writer. He graduated from Washington High School where he played football, legion baseball and developed his lifelong love of the Minnesota Twins and Vikings. After graduating from St. Cloud State University, he returned to Sioux Falls, and began a long career in amateur baseball and sports reporting. Email Matt at mzimmer@siouxfallslive.com.
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