D-I/MVFC Champ Game conference countdown

[Wallace]

North Dakota State vs. Illinois State – Jan. 10, 2015 – Frisco, Texas – 12 pm CT (ESPN2)


No. 12: Illinois State WR Tyrone Walker (#12) finished his Redbird career in 2012, with 250 career receptions, more than any player in the league’s 30-year history. His career total of 3,565 receiving yards is third-best in league history.

No. 13: Former Illinois State QB Matt Brown (#13) is the only player in MVFC history to throw for more than 10,000 yards. He finished with 10,591 career yards, more than 1,500 ahead of No. 2 on the league all-time list.

No. 14: Illinois State freshman DraShane Glass (#14) has played in all 14 ISU games this year and logged 38 total tackles. He and fellow newcomer teammates Oshay Dunmore and Dion Starnes have combined for 128 stops for ISU. The latter two earned MVFC all-Newcomer Team honors.

No. 15: In the last two playoffs (2013, 2014), Missouri Valley Football Conference teams will win 15 total games, more than any other conference. The league was 5-1 last year and will finish with 10 wins (an FCS record) in this year’s tournament. CAA Football is next best in the two years, with 10 total wins.

No. 16: Former North Dakota State QB Brock Jensen (#16) set the all-time FCS record with 48 career wins as a quarterback (47 of those as a starter), which included each of the past three title games in Frisco.

No. 17: North Dakota State’s Adam Keller (#17) has made 26-of-31 FGs and is 56-of-56 on PATs this year. He has made 115 straight PAT attempts over the past 27 games, and his 26 made field goals is one shy of the FCS record (established this year by UNI’s Michael Schmadeke).

No. 18: The Missouri Valley Football Conference has 18 players on the Sports Network All-America teams, announced today. The 18 players are more than any other conference. NDSU has an FCS-best six total selections and Illinois State has three. | Click for Sports Network Release

No. 19: Illinois State’s Cameron Meredith (#19) eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark for the season against No. 1 New Hampshire. In the league’s 30-year history, there have been 24 players to reach 1,000 receiving yards in a season – including 3 this year.


Other MVFC tidbits …

· For the first time in FCS history, two teams from the same league (MISSOURI VALLEY FOOTBALL) will play one another in the title game. The FCS began conducting a tournament in 1978 (then called I-AA).


· Illinois State (13-1) is making its first title game appearance. The Redbirds beat UNI, Eastern Washington and New Hampshire in the playoffs to get there.


· North Dakota State (14-1) is making its fourth-straight title game trip. The Bison are the three-time defending national champions and beat South Dakota State, Coastal Carolina and Sam Houston State to reach Frisco this year.


· The teams did not play each other this year and shared the MVFC title with identical 7-1 league records (both teams lost at UNI). The teams (ISU, NDSU) were declared co-champions and NDSU earned the league’s automatic bid designation to the playoffs by virtue of a better national GPI rating (NDSU-1, ILS-2 in that rating).


· The MVFC finished the season 30-2 against non-league FCS teams, with the only two losses on the road at then-ranked #4 Montana (regular season) and then-ranked #8 Chattanooga (playoffs).


· The league also set a record with 11 wins against non-conference top-25 teams (five in the regular season, six in the playoffs).


· The MVFC set a record with 9 playoff wins (the league is 9-3 in the playoffs this year, and that includes two games in which it played another league member). The previous record was 8 by CAA Football in 2004, 2008, and 2009). The MVFC is guaranteed a 10th win.


· Valley Football teams have defeated the No. 1 tournament seed five times (including New Hampshire this year). Illinois State's win at New Hampshire also marked the 14th win for the league against a No. 1-ranked team.


· North Dakota State has won 15-consecutive playoff games.


· A Valley Football team has played in the title game 7 previous times, winning five of those games.


· Valley Football teams are 76-54 all-time in the playoffs (since the league was founded in 1985). The league is 28-10 this decade. And the league is 24-7 in the last four tournaments, including this year.

[Wallace]

No. 11: In 2014, North Dakota State QB Carson Wentz (#11) has completed 213-of-336 passes for 2,874 yards and a pass efficiency rating of 152.9 in his first year as NDSU’s starting QB. He ranks 8th in the FCS in pass efficiency and only trails ISU QB Tre Roberson among MVFC QBs.

[caribbeanhen]

if North Dakota State blows this game open I think the rest of the FCS division will start breaking out the towel, If it starts to appear that the opposition has no chance common sense tells me that interest level will continue to ebb, maybe the Ivy League Wharton school of Business types can see the future of college football at this level and know it will not be getting any better...... demographics tell us soccer will be moving into the neighborhood by 2050.

[Wallace]

if North Dakota State blows this game open I think the rest of the FCS division will start breaking out the towel, If it starts to appear that the opposition has no chance common sense tells me that interest level will continue to ebb, maybe the Ivy League Wharton school of Business types can see the future of college football at this level and know it will not be getting any better...... demographics tell us soccer will be moving into the neighborhood by 2050.
So you you are saying your CAA is showing the white flag already... but only if NDSU "blows this game open"? I think it was ILS that beat your #1 seed. So now it is the end of the FCS? Soccer will soon lead Division I because of the MVFC/D-I title game this year if the Bison 4-peats?

[OSBF]

I'm not gonna predict a winner

BUT.......................................

If the combined point total of both teams >50 ILS wins

If <40 NDSU wins

[Bisonator]

if North Dakota State blows this game open I think the rest of the FCS division will start breaking out the towel, If it starts to appear that the opposition has no chance common sense tells me that interest level will continue to ebb, maybe the Ivy League Wharton school of Business types can see the future of college football at this level and know it will not be getting any better...... demographics tell us soccer will be moving into the neighborhood by 2050.

WOW really? Was that the consensus back when GSU or YSU were winning all the chippers?? Good grief man up!

[ursus arctos horribilis]

WOW really? Was that the consensus back when GSU or YSU were winning all the chippers?? Good grief man up!

Yeah, he does a bit of drama queening for sure in this one.

[AshevilleApp2]

Why is it called chippers?









Good luck to both teams!

[Bisonator]

Why is it called chippers?









Good luck to both teams!

Good question. IMO it's short for CHampionshIP.....chip....plural is chippers. xdrunkyx

[NoDak 4 Ever]

Good question. IMO it's short for CHampionshIP.....chip....plural is chippers. xdrunkyx

just like the pronunciation of Bison, that's just the way it is. :)

[caribbeanhen]

Yeah, he does a bit of drama queening for sure in this one.

ha ha, maybe just maybe, but I live on a 100 by 30 NM tropical rock and no one cares about college football much less FCS...... I go into a sports bar on a Saturday and not one TV is tuned to college football.... You might ask, ok but what does Puerto Rico have to do with the States? My answer would simply be projected Latino population in 2050 and beyond. It's got soccer written all over it sorry to say. I'm also suspicious of what is going on at Delaware, a great tradition was basically "run out of town"..... why? what do they know? Why does the President of the U of Delaware appear to be indifferent to what he has done?

[Wallace]

D-I/MVFC Championship radio and online coverage


Thursday January 8th:
8:30 a.m.-11:00 a.m.: News and Views with Joel Heitkamp on AM 790 KFGO
12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m.: The Jack Michaels Show on 740 The Fan
2:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.: The Mike McFeely Show on AM 790 KFGO



Friday January 9th:
8:30 a.m.-11:00 a.m.: News and Views with Joel Heitkamp on AM 790 KFGO
12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m.: The Jack Michaels Show on 740 The Fan
2:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.: The Mike McFeely Show on AM 790 KFGO
5:00 p.m.: NDSU Pep Rally on AM 790 KFGO and live video streamed on kfgo.com



Saturday January 10th:
9:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.: Bison Tailgate Show on AM 790 KFGO
11:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.: Peterson Farms Seed Bison Radio Network pre-game show with Scott Miller AM 790 KFGO
12:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m.: Peterson Farms Seed Bison Radio Network - NDSU versus Illinois State on AM 790 KFGO, Rock 102 (101.9) and 740 The Fan
3:00 p.m.-3:30 p.m.: Peterson Farms Seed Bison Radio Network post-game show with Scott Miller on AM 790 KFGO
3:30 p.m.-5:00 p.m.: Bison Rewind on AM 790 KFGO


http://kfgo.com/

[Wallace]

10

No. 10: The winner of next Saturday’s game will record the MVFC’s 10th win in this year’s playoffs. That’s a record for the FCS – the previous single-tournament record for wins by one conference was 8 (set by CAA Football). The 10 wins are equal to or more than what six other FCS leagues have totaled in the past 15 tournaments combined.

-by the MVFC

[ursus arctos horribilis]

ha ha, maybe just maybe, but I live on a 100 by 30 NM tropical rock and no one cares about college football much less FCS...... I go into a sports bar on a Saturday and not one TV is tuned to college football.... You might ask, ok but what does Puerto Rico have to do with the States? My answer would simply be projected Latino population in 2050 and beyond. It's got soccer written all over it sorry to say. I'm also suspicious of what is going on at Delaware, a great tradition was basically "run out of town"..... why? what do they know? Why does the President of the U of Delaware appear to be indifferent to what he has done?

It doesn't really matter to me if future people want to watch something else more than football. That is not an FCS problem it's an overall thing and again if it's not what people want then so be it.

I'm not buying the conspiracy theory about UD football if that is what you are pushing. I believe someone misjudged some things and stuck their foot deep in it by pissing off your contemporaries and they are now seeing that voting with dollars can really screw ya when you make poor decisions.

As long as enough people watch so that it stays televised (it will) then I don't care too much. When I walk in they put my game on or I vote with my dollars. With interernet TV making big strides forward I don't think we'll have to worry about it.

[MR. CHICKEN]

20412.....IS UH SPORTS BAR.....REALLY UH SPORTS BAR........WHIFF-OUT........OFFERIN' PIGGY....xeekx....EVEN IFIN' IT'S ON.....DUH SMALLEST.....FLAT-SCREEN......NEAREST DUH KITCHEN....xconfusedx..................BRAWK!

[Wallace]

Expect some quotes from the official coaches teleconference on Monday.

2015 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game Head Coaches Teleconference

Brock Spack, Illinois St.
Chris Klieman, North Dakota St.

No matter how other people want to divert the attention to their own preferences this is all about the 2014 D-I football championship.

[MR. CHICKEN]

20414.......AHH YES...DUH VANILLAH RHETORIC.....TA KEEP LOCKEROOM BOARDS.....FREE O' INCITIN' FRENZY....CAIN'T WAIT FO' DUH INTERVIEWS.....:p....BAWK!


SENT FROM MAH COMPUTER.....HAL

[Twentysix]

ha ha, maybe just maybe, but I live on a 100 by 30 NM tropical rock and no one cares about college football much less FCS...... I go into a sports bar on a Saturday and not one TV is tuned to college football.... You might ask, ok but what does Puerto Rico have to do with the States? My answer would simply be projected Latino population in 2050 and beyond. It's got soccer written all over it sorry to say. I'm also suspicious of what is going on at Delaware, a great tradition was basically "run out of town"..... why? what do they know? Why does the President of the U of Delaware appear to be indifferent to what he has done?

You are completely disregarding the fact that post-first generation Latino-americans love football. Any puerto rican who would move to California, NY or wherever would love soccer still, but more than likely their American (stateside) born kids would watch the NFL if they are into sports.

The United States is a very powerful assimilator.

[Wallace]

9

No. 9: Former Redbird star Tom Nelson (#9) was a three-time all-conference selection for Illinois State at defensive back and went onto a career in the NFL after his collegiate days, debuting with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2009.

[caribbeanhen]

So you you are saying your CAA is showing the white flag already... but only if NDSU "blows this game open"? I think it was ILS that beat your #1 seed. So now it is the end of the FCS? Soccer will soon lead Division I because of the MVFC/D-I title game this year if the Bison 4-peats?

Not the CAA, No Sir, but what it boils down too is a Three conference FCS that is far above the rest

[caribbeanhen]

You are completely disregarding the fact that post-first generation Latino-americans love football. Any puerto rican who would move to California, NY or wherever would love soccer still, but more than likely their American (stateside) born kids would watch the NFL if they are into sports.

The United States is a very powerful assimilator.

Your right about the U.S. being a powerful assimilator, and I would say that's why Puerto Ricans aren't really that crazy about soccer, it's not that segment of the Latino 2050 projection that will be at the soccer games.... and not fair bringing the NFL into this, Yes, the NFL is at least on the Latino radar!

You also are projected to have 41 million Asians in the US by 2050, up 192 % from 2008, but they seem to like Baseball and naturally so as that sport generally appeals to a more cerebral crowd (think Steven King, John Grisham for starters)

So if you want your grandchildren to enjoy mainstream college football, take a Chinese guy to the tailgate, give him a few drinks and bring em in to the game!

Hispanics will make up 29 pct of the total population for a total around 128 million..... right now, I would say that most aint enamored with college football, but there might be some hope here.

Blacks will go up in numbers to about 59 million but as a total percentage will still be 13 % of the population

and whites have basically flatlined, they will only make up less than 50 % of the total population by 2050

[stevdock]

Not the CAA, No Sir, but what it boils down too is a Three conference FCS that is far above the rest

You gonna start a fight and tell us who the third conference would be??

[AmsterBison]

The best teams in the Southland and Big South are pretty dang good.

[Wallace]

8

No. 8: A 2010 all-Missouri Valley Football Conference second-team selection, D.J. McNorton (#8) finished his career with 2,965 rushing yards and 27 TDs. He went over 100 yards in four of seven FCS playoff games with the Bison.

[dewey]

8

No. 8: A 2010 all-Missouri Valley Football Conference second-team selection, D.J. McNorton (#8) finished his career with 2,965 rushing yards and 27 TDs. He went over 100 yards in four of seven FCS playoff games with the Bison.

Here is a good picture of DJ Mcnorton against Sam Houston State in the 2011 National Championship game.

20426

Dewey

[Wallace]

By The Numbers


6
It’s the number of league teams ranked in the Top 25 in the final regular-season rankings. This year, the league has had 7 or more ranked teams for eight weeks.


30
Happy Birthday to us. The league is celebrating its 30th season this year, having started in 1985 as the Gateway Conference.


30
It’s the number of FCS non-league wins for the MVFC this year, against just two losses.


5
It’s the number of national championships for the MVFC in its first 29 seasons -- the league has three-straight titles (all by North Dakota State).


13
North Dakota State has a 13-0 record in the playoffs at home. NDSU has lost just one playoff game in its history (17-1 in four previous trips).


5
Valley Football schools have defeated the No. 1 tournament seed five times in its history (1997-Villanova, 2002-McNeese State, 2005-New Hampshire, 2011-Sam Houston State, and 2014-New Hampshire).


19
Including this year, an MVFC school has reached the playoff semifinals 16 times in the past 19 years and 19 times overall. The last time the league did not have a semifinalist was in 2010.


9
It’s the number of wins by MVFC schools in this year’s playoff field. The previous record in one season for any conference was eight. The MVFC is guaranteed a 10th win.


15
NDSU has won 15-straight playoff games, dating back to Dec. 6, 2010. Included in that streak is a 12-0 record at home and three neutral-site games.


by the MVFC

[Wallace]

7

Luke Drone (#7) led Illinois State to the 2006 playoffs and a 9-3 regular-season record. He was the league’s top QB that year, throwing for a league-best 2,961 yards and 21 TDs. He had 3,011 yards of total offense that year -- also a league best.

[AmsterBison]

If I'm not mistaken, Illinois State has never lost a home playoff game. They are usually sent on the road though. I think that they've had two home games in 11 playoff games.

[Wallace]

Yeah, only away playoff losses for this year's championship game teams


ILS:
1998 Northwestern State
1999 Georgia Southern
2006 Youngstown State
2012 Eastern Washington


NDSU:
2010 Eastern Washington

[Wallace]

6


North Dakota State’s C.J. Smith (#6) led the Bison this year and ranked third in the conference with 15 PBUs. He has been a part of each of the past two national championship teams.

[caribbeanhen]

You gonna start a fight and tell us who the third conference would be??

where would the Southland be without Sammy?

[Wallace]

5


QB Tre Roberson of Illinois State (#5) leads the league with 3,064 passing yards and a 156.4 passer rating. The 2014 MVFC Newcomer of the Year has also rushed for 868 yards for a league-record 3,932 yards of total offense.

[Wallace]

4


Former WR/RS Ryan Smith of North Dakota State (#4) played for all three NDSU national championship teams and finished his career last year with 1,783 career receiving yards and 773 return yards.

North Dakota State vs. Illinois State – Jan. 10, 2015 – Frisco, Texas – 12 pm CT (ESPN2)

[dewey]

Here are some photos of Ryan Smith from the 2012, 2013 and 2014 FCS National Championship games.

2012 game vs Sam Houston State University
20451

2013 game vs Sam Houston State University
20452

2014 game vs Towson University
20453


20454

Dewey

[Wallace]

3

Senior Dontae McCoy (#3) of Illinois State has 55 tackles this year for the Redbirds. He helped his team to a No. 3 ranking in total defense and in scoring defense in the MVFC stats this season.

[Wallace]

2

Two teams shared the MVFC title this year, as both North Dakota State and Illinois State ended the year with identical 7-1 records. The teams did not play each other during the regular season. It marks ISU’s second all-time league title (1999), while the Bison have 4-straight.

[Wallace]

The FCS Title Game is Saturday, Jan. 10, at noon (ESPN2): Illinois State vs. North Dakota State
It marks the first time in FCS history (championship started in 1978) that two teams from the same league are playing for the title.



Here is the MVFC preview of the game, including season report cards for each team.
It’s 9 minutes long: http://youtu.be/qeWx4BHvFmA (http://youtu.be/qeWx4BHvFmA)

[Wallace]

1

Former Bison DB Marcus Williams (#1) is one of the most decorated players in league history. He earned all-conference honors all four years in the league, including three-straight first-team all-MVFC and All-America designations (2011-12-13).

[Twentysix]

1

Former Bison DB Marcus Williams (#1) is one of the most decorated players in league history. He earned all-conference honors all four years in the league, including three-straight first-team all-MVFC and All-America designations (2011-12-13).

He is also a starter for the Jets and he picked Brady.