The Bison football team returns home

The Bison return to the friendly confines of the Fargodome after their bounce back win against Missouri State

The NDSU football team is looking to continue their success this weekend against Illinois State after defeating Missouri State 25-0 last Saturday. The Bison will compete in the annual Trees Bowl game which is presented by the North Dakota Forest Service.

No. 22-ranked Illinois State is coming to town to play the No. 5-ranked Herd. The Redbirds are still looking for their first win of the season. Last week, Illinois State lost to UNI 10-20. The Bison will come into this game trying to grow coming off their dominant defensive performance against the Bears.

This game will be the start of a two-game homestand for the Bison after being on the road for the last two weeks. A date with the team up North on Mar. 20 looms large, but first, the Bison need to get past the Redbirds.

Zeb Noland will look to continue his completion percentage success, after last week he went 10-15 for 135 yards and two TDs. Noland will also look to grow the on-field chemistry between his receiving core such as Josh Babicz, Christian Watson and Cole Jacob.

NDSU will also need to continue their dominant ground game, with Jalen Bussey, Dominic Gonnella and Kobe Johnson. The trio combined for 242 yards on 38 attempts, including one touchdown scored by Bussey.

This of course couldn’t be done without the help of the offensive lineman in front of them, making sure they get a good push to open up some holes for the backs.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Redbirds are going to have to make sure they’re covering Spencer Waege. Waege is coming off a three-sack game which totaled 22 yards lost for Missouri State. The Bison will need to make sure they are getting pressure on Illinois State quarterback Bryce Jefferson. In last week’s game, Jefferson was sacked three times including one forced fumble.

Senior punter Garret Wegner earned a Stats Perform FCS National Special Teams Player of the Week Award after having a superb outing against Missouri State, averaging 52-yards a punt with 67 yards long being his longest.

This game will be the start of a two-game homestand for the Bison after being on the road for the last two weeks. A date with the team up North on Mar. 20 looms large, but first, the Bison need to get past the Redbirds.