GRAND FORKS, N.D. – No. 21/23 North Dakota will host No. 3 South Dakota State at 1 p.m. this Saturday. The game will be televised on Midco Sports. It will also be carried on the Fighting Hawks Radio Network with a pregame show starting at Noon.

North Dakota carries a 5-4 record and 2-3 MVFC standing after falling 35-31 at Indiana State last weekend. The game seesawed each way throughout the contest and ISU ate up over 10 minutes of clock in the final stanza to secure the victory. Isaiah Smith led the Fighting Hawks with 11 rushes for 104 yards and a touchdown. Simon Romfo went 18-for-26 passing for 187 yards and a pair of scores, while surrendering an interception. Nate DeMontagnac hauled in his first touchdown reception of his career and had five grabs for 38 yards, while Caden Dennis led the UND receivers with five receptions for 54 yards.

South Dakota State enters the weekend with a 7-2 record and a 4-1 mark in conference play after defeating Murray State, 52-6, in Brookings on Saturday. SDSU scored on six of its seven first-half possessions and cruised its way to victory. Mark Gronowski only saw action in the first half and was 9-for-16 through the air for 170 yards and a touchdown. Griffin Wilde had a game-high 78 yards receiving on just three catches. Five Jackrabbits scored a rushing touchdown and the backfield was led by Angel Johnson rushing seven times for 132 yards in the win.

UND holds a 47-37-5 lead all-time in the series and is 28-18-3 in games played in Grand Forks between the two squads. Since the turn of the century, the series is tied, 5-5. In the most recent game between the two teams, South Dakota State was victorious, 42-21, in Brookings last season. North Dakota’s last victory in the series was a 28-17 win in Grand Forks on Feb. 27, 2021, during the 2020-21 season.