No. 22/23 INDIANA STATE AT No. 1 NORTH DAKOTA STATE
Fargo Dome (18,700), Fargo, N.D.
October 18, 2014, 3:30 p.m. ET

QUICK HITS
>> The No. 22/23 Indiana State Sycamores continue the 2014 season when they begin a two-game road swing against No. 1 North Dakota State on Saturday, October 18. Kick-off is set for 3:30 p.m. (ET) and will be televised on ESPN3. This is the 110th season of intercollegiate football at Indiana State University.
>> Indiana State will be playing their fourth consecutive nationally-ranked opponent when they travel to No. 1 North Dakota State. The Sycamores began their current streak of playing the nation's best with home victories over Liberty and Northern Iowa. It continued last week against Illinois State in the annual Homecoming contest.
>> Junior linebacker Connor Underwood has recorded at least one quarterback sack in each of the Sycamores' first six games. Underwood now has 22 quarterback sacks for his career and needs just 3.5 more to tie Kyle Mitchell's record of 25.5. Additionally he is just 14.5 tackles for a loss off that Sycamore school record as well.

An Indiana State Win Over North Dakota State Would …
• Give the Sycamores a 3-1 record against nationally-ranked opponents over the last four weeks and be Indiana State's second since joining the MVFC in a game featuring two nationally ranked opponents (10th such occurrence).
• Give the Sycamores two wins in their last two trips to Fargo Dome.
• Be Indiana State's first road MVFC victory since a 23-7 victory at Western Illinois on October 20, 2012.

The Indiana State Head Coach
Indiana State head coach Mike Sanford (Southern California, 1978) is 21-56 (.273) overall in his seventh season as a head coach and is 5-13 (.278) in his second season with Indiana State. He is 1-9 all-time in MVFC games, including an 1-5 mark at home and an 0-4 mark on the road. During his career, he is 17-23 in all home games, 4-33 on the road and 6-8 in games decided by three points or less. Sanford is 0-1 all-time against North Dakota State and is 0-0 against the Bison on the road. With the Trees, Sanford is 0-0 in overtime games and 0-1 in shutouts. Saturday's game is Mike Sanford's 19th as the Indiana State head coach and his 78th as a collegiate head coach.

The North Dakota State Head Coach
North Dakota State is led by first-year head coach Chris Klieman, who is 6-0 in Fargo. In two seasons as a collegiate head coach he is 9-7.

Scouting The Bison
North Dakota State is 6-0 on the season and 2-0 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. Fargo was the site of ESPN's College Gameday Show on September 13, and have hosted the program in each of the last two seasons. The Bison have won 30 games in a row and are the three-time defending FCS National Champions. NDSU is led by tailback John Crockett who has 663 rushing yards and eight touchdowns while quarterback Carson Wentz is 87-of-134 passing for 1,214 yards with six touchdowns. Wentz' top target is Kevin Vaadeland who has 16 receptions for 148 yards and one touchdown. On defense, Colten Heagle has made 46 tackles, including three for a loss with an interception and one pass breakup.

A Little History
This marks the 110th season of football at Indiana State, dating back to 1896. The University did not field teams from 1899 to 1900, 1908 or from 1910 to 1919. ISU owns an all-time record of 363-491-22 and is competing for the 29th consecutive season as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference.

The North Dakota State Series
North Dakota State holds a 5-1 record in the all-time series with all games played coming since the program joined the MVFC in 2008. In Fargo, the Bison lead the series 2-1. NDSU won at Memorial Stadium in 2013, but the Sycamores own a rare victory in the Fargo Dome with that one coming on October 13, 2012 -- a 17-14 Sycamore victory.

Television Particulars
The North Dakota State game can be seen live on ESPN3. Fans can watch the game online at WatchESPN.com or by downloading the Watch ESPN app on their smartphone or tablet.

Indiana State Against No. 1 Nationally Ranked Teams
Indiana State had never defeated a No. 1 nationally-ranked program until the Sycamores 17-14 victory over the Bison on October 13, 2012 at the Fargo Dome. ISU is 1-8 all-time against No. 1 teams. Including Saturday's matchup each of the last four matchups the Sycamores have had against a top nationally-ranked team have come against the Bison. ISU is 0-3 against No.1 ranked teams at home, and 1-5 on the road. Against a team ranked in the nation's Top 5, the Sycamores are 1-20. These numbers are since 1983 when Indiana State became a member of the Football Championship Subdivision.

Sycamores In The National Rankings For Third Consecutive Week
Seven Missouri Valley Football Conference programs find themselves ranked in both major national polls, including Indiana State. The Sycamores are No. 22 in The Sports Network FCS Top 25 and are ranked for the third consecutive week. In The FCS Coaches Poll, Indiana State checks in at No. 23 and this marks their second straight mention in the Top 25, according to FCS Coaches.

Indiana State Tied For National Lead For Most Improved FCS Team
The Sycamores are currently tied with Albany for the biggest turnaround in FCS football this season. Indiana State has improved its 1-11 record in 2013 to a 4-2 mark so far in 2014. That equates to a +6 differential (take difference in number of wins, add difference in number of defeats and divide by 2) which is tied for national lead. Plus six is the current MVFC record, achieved twice in league history by Southern Illinois (2003) and Western Illinois (2010).

Connor Underwood Leading League In Quarterback Sacks; Named To Buchanan Award Watch List
Indiana State junior linebacker Connor Underwood took home Missouri Valley Football Conference Defensive Player Of The Week honors for his efforts against Liberty and has been added to the 2014 Buck Buchanan Award Watch List, which is giving annually to the nation's top defensive player in FCS football. Underwood kept his streak of consecutive games with a quarterback sack alive with one against Illinois State this past weekend. Underwood is averaging 7.7 tackles per game to rank tied for sixth in the league. Underwood owns the league lead in quarterback sacks per game with a 1.17 average, a mark which ranks tied for sixth nationally. He has seven total sacks for a loss of 31 yards. He now owns 22.0 for his career and is only 3.5 away from Kyle Mitchell's current school record of 25.5. He also has 12.5 tackles for a loss this year which is tops in the MVFC and ranks seventh in FCS football. Underwood has 40.0 tackles for a loss in his career and needs only 14.5 more to tie Kyle Mitchell's school record of 54.5.

Gary Owens Leads Sycamores In Receiving; Scores Game Winner Against No. 10 UNI
Indiana State junior Gary Owens caught seven passes for 70 yards against Illinois State. Owens' caught an 18-yard pass from Matt Adam on fourth-and-10 to spur a fourth quarter comeback which nearly netted the Sycamores a third consecutive victory over a nationally-ranked program. Owens' touchdown was a spectacular one-handed grab in the back right corner of the end zone over two Redbird defenders. On that drive, Owens made a 16-yard reception and a 10-yard reception to keep the ball moving in the Sycamores' favor. Owens ranks second in the league with an average of 6.3 receptions per game as he has hauled in 38 receptions for 539 yards and four touchdowns. Owens owns a pair of 100-yard receiving efforts so far this year and became the first Sycamore since 2005 to record at least 10 receptions in one game with his 10-catch performance against Liberty. Additionally, Owens is averaging 89.8 receiving yards per game to rank second in the league. Robert Tonyan ranks ninth in the MVFC with his 4.0 catch per game average as he has 20 receptions for 191 yards and a touchdown.

Sycamores Earn First-Ever Victory In Ranked Vs. Ranked Game; Face Another This Week
Indiana State and North Dakota State are each nationally-ranked heading into this weekend's showdown at the Fargo Dome. ISU is 2-1 this season against ranked opponents, but are 13-78 all-time against the Top 25, including a mark of 9-59 against ranked MVFC members. Coming off the heels of the Illinois State game, Indiana State is now 1-8 all-time as a nationally-ranked program playing another team in the Top 25. ISU is 1-5 inside Memorial Stadium when both the Sycamores and the opposition are nationally-ranked. The Sycamores will be looking to down their third nationally-ranked opponent in the last four weeks when they face off against the Bison.

Sycamore Passing Game Leads The MVFC As Conference Play Rolls Along
Indiana State leads the Missouri Valley Football Conference in passing yards per game with a 268.7 average, a number which ranks 11th nationally. Mike Perish is 129-of-192 passing for 1,373 yards and nine touchdowns against one interceptions to lead the Sycamores through the air as he also leads the league in passing average per game and is ranked 10th nationally. Perish leads the league with a 260.4 yards of total offense average per game. He has 1,302 yards of total offense through four games (total offense combines passing and rushing yards).

Mike Perish Climbing The Sycamore Record Books As Senior Quarterback
Mike Perish enters week seven of his senior season, and his third season as the Sycamore starting quarterback, ranked fourth all-time in career passing yards with 4,574. For his career he is 523-of-715 for 4,574 yards and 33 touchdowns. He needs 520 more yards to top Reggie Allen's total of 5,094 yards from 1978-81 for third on the Sycamores all-time list. Perish missed the Illinois State game as he was held out due to medical reasons.

Indiana State's Travis Starks and DeJuan Lang Among Top Valley Defenders
Indiana State's Travis Starks and DeJuan Lang are among the Missouri Valley Football Conference's top pass defenders as Starks leads the league with 11 passes defended while Lang has six and is tied for fourth. Lang leads the league with three interceptions while Starks has two to rank tied for fifth.

Osborn Umeh Ranks Fourth In MVFC In Punting Average
For the season, Umeh has punted 41 times for 1,632 yards (a league high) and is averaging 39.8 yards per punt to rank fifth. In a tight defensive struggle for much of the game against Illinois State, junior punter Osborn Umeh punted nine times for 340 yards to average 37.8 yards per punt. He had a long punt of 52 yards to help keep control of field position early in the game and pinned the Redbirds inside their own 20-yard line a total of three times.

Sycamores Grab Victory Bell With First Win Over Ball State Since 1987
The Indiana State celebrated the 28th anniversary of their first Missouri Valley Football Conference contest and victory over Missouri State in 1986 by taking the Blue Key Victory Bell from in state rival Ball State for the first time since 1987. The Sycamores' 27-20 road victory in front of a near sell-out crowd in Muncie renewed a series that dates back to 1924 for the first time since 2003. The win was ISU's first over Ball State since 1987 and its first in Muncie since 1982. Additionally, the Sycamores picked up their second win over an FBS opponent in the last four seasons and its first over a Mid-American Conference team since a 2001 win at Eastern Michigan.

Sycamores Face 1st-and-55 Situation And Still Convert Touchdown
The Sycamore offense pulled off an extremely rare feat in their final drive of the first quarter against Tennessee Tech. The Sycamores took over at their own 17-yard line and drove all the way to the Tennessee Tech 33 in 11 plays. On 1st-and-10 from the TTU 33-yard line, the Sycamores were called for an illegal block and two dead ball personal foul penalties which accounted for 45 lost yards on the play. That resulted in the ball being moved all the way back to the Indiana State 22-yard line, which is just five yards ahead of where the drive began. ISU completed back-to-back seven-yard passes to make it 3rd-and-41 before Mike Perish found Gary Owens for a 63-yard pass which moved the ball down to the Tennessee Tech 1-yard line. Not only did ISU face a 1st-and-55 and had over 40 yards to gain on third down, they also overcame the tough down and distance to not only pick up the first down but scored as time ran out in the period on a one-yard touchdown run from LeMonte Booker.

Connor Underwood Named To All-MVFC Preseason Team
Indiana State junior linebacker Connor Underwood was named to the Missouri Valley Football Conference Preseason Team as announced late in the summer by the league office. The MVFC Preseason selections were made via a poll of the league's head coaches, sports information directors as well as a media panel. Last season Underwood earned a place on the All-MVFC First Team and was the team's fourth-leading tackler with 76 total tackles, including a team-best 18 for a loss and nine quarterback sacks. He added a 31-yard interception return for a touchdown in the season opener at Indiana and was credited with five pass breakups and seven quarterback hurries as well as one fumble recovery and one forced fumble. Underwood owned three double digit tackle performances on the year, including a season-best 13 against Western Illinois and recorded six tackles for a loss at Tennessee Tech, with four quarterback sacks which tied a school record. He ranked tied for 17th in total tackles in the league and was tied for third in quarterback sacks as well as tied for second in tackles for a loss. Additionally, Underwood was named to the MVFC All-Newcomer Team in 2012 and garnered a third place finish in the league's newcomer of the year award. He was an All-MVFC Honorable Mention selection as a redshirt freshman.

Sycamores Against The Missouri Valley Football Conference
Indiana State is in its 29th season as a member of the MVFC. ISU's first season as a league member came in 1986 when it went 1-5 through a six-game league schedule. The Sycamores are 53-124 in MVFC contests all-time.

In Overtime
The Sycamores have played in 12 overtime contests since the rule was established for regular season games in the NCAA FCS Subdivision in 1996. The Sycamores are 7-5 in games that have used an extra period. ISU's last overtime contest came in the form of a 38-35 victory against Missouri State in the sixth game of the 2010 season.

Up Next
The Sycamores stay on the road and will travel to Southern Illinois on Saturday, October 25. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. (ET) and will be televised locally on WTWO-TV as well as nationally on ESPN3.