Ingeborg 'Inga' Halvorsen · North Dakota State Insider · College Debut · Week 8
Meet Your Insider
Oh for cute, they think they can run on us. Well, hi there, I'm Ingeborg Halvorsen, Inga to pretty much all of Fargo. I'm an agricultural economist by trade, and I've tracked every Bison championship since I was a girl with a notebook in the Fargodome stands. These days I keep a little model on my laptop about how a team moves from the FCS to the FBS, and so far, the Bison are making it look easy. I travel with this team and I live with this team, and every week I'll bring you the players, the matchups, the history and the storylines, nice as can be, until it's time not to be. When we win, I say, "Oh, for cute, we won!" When we lose, I say, "Oh, yah, that's a tough one," and I bring hotdish. Truth be told, I bring hotdish either way. Tater tot, of course.
The School in 60 Seconds
The Bison represent North Dakota State and now play in the FBS as members of the Mountain West. Home is the Fargodome, 18,700 seats, opened in 1992. And the trophy case, oh my. The Bison have won 18 national championships, none in their current division, and 39 conference championships. That includes 10 FCS national titles between 2011 and 2024. The last five seasons in the Missouri Valley went 14-1, 12-3, 11-4, 14-2 and 12-1. Yah, we're used to winning around here.
The Coach and the Scheme
Tim Polasek is the head coach; CFBD dates his hire to Dec. 17, 2023. This team plays Bison football: run it, defend it, don't give it away. By my math from the season totals, we score about 29.4 points a game and allow about 11.3. We've run it 287 times for 1,223 yards and thrown for 1,311. Opponents average about 112 rushing yards a game against us. We've taken the ball away 14 times and given it away 6. That's plus-8, which in my model is "very good." And we have 12 sacks. Two shutouts, too: Fordham 38-0 and Wyoming 28-0.
Players to Know
QB Nathan Hayes: 106 of 163 for 1,272 yards, 10 TD, 5 INT. Against Nevada he went 19 of 25 for 153 yards and accounted for three touchdowns.
WR Jackson Williams: 28 catches, 432 yards, 1 TD. And oh, for cute: against Nevada he caught a missed 57-yard field-goal try in the end zone and ran it back 100 yards for a touchdown. He also ran for a score and threw a touchdown pass. That young man deserves extra hotdish.
RB Myles Mitchell: 354 yards on 81 carries, 3 TD.
LB Donovan Woolen: team-high 51 tackles, 1.5 sacks and an interception. DE Kelton McCaslin: 4 sacks. CB Marion Moore: 4 interceptions.
Matthew Stenbroten returned a fumbled 2-point try for two points against Nevada.
The Conference Picture
North Dakota State is 6-1 and 3-1 in the Mountain West. We beat Jacksonville State 33-7, Fordham 38-0, Air Force 38-32 on the road, Sacramento State 31-10 on the road, Wyoming 28-0 and Nevada 31-17. The one loss: 13-7 at UNLV. After Albuquerque, we host UTEP on Oct. 31. I won't do standings math, but my model is very pleased.
About that UNLV game: a six-point loss on the road. "Oh, yah, that's a tough one." I brought hotdish. Then the team bounced back against Nevada.
Season so far, by the numbers I love: our defense has allowed 79 points in seven games, total. Nevada jumped out to an 11-0 lead last week, and nobody panicked. Williams scored three different ways, and the defense held Nevada to 17. That's the Bison way, hon: steady, patient and then, all of a sudden, the game is over. Like a North Dakota winter. You don't notice it coming, and then it's February.
This Week: North Dakota State (6-1) at New Mexico (5-1)
Saturday, Oct. 24 · 10 p.m. ET (8 p.m. Mountain) · University Stadium, Albuquerque · The CW. Forecast: 58 degrees, slight chance of showers. Practically a heat wave for Fargo folks.
History: this is the first meeting on record.
Their offense vs. our defense: New Mexico scores about 39.7 points a game by my math, with 1,287 rushing yards in six games. Scottre Humphrey has 422 rushing yards and 8 touchdowns. Oh for cute, they think they can run on us. We'll see.
Our offense vs. their defense: here's the gut punch: New Mexico has 21 takeaways and only 4 giveaways in six games. It allows about 92 rushing yards a game and has 19 sacks. Hayes has to protect the football.
Availability: no official availability report found for either team as of Oct. 18.
What decides it: (1) Ball security against a defense that takes it away. (2) Stopping Humphrey. (3) Special teams; Williams just showed what they can do.
To Paloma Begaye-Ortiz, New Mexico's insider: red or green? Oh, hon, I'm bringing tater tot hotdish. You'll love it.
Local Flavor (unsponsored, not an ad)
Back in Fargo? No Bull Smokehouse on Northern Pacific Avenue for barbecue, or Mezzaluna on Roberts Street for a nice dinner.
My call: New Mexico Lobos 26, North Dakota State Bison 19.