The start of the Missouri Valley Football Conference slate for Illinois State will be a memorable one, as the No. 6 ranked Redbirds (3-1, 0-0 MVFC) host the defending national champion and No. 1 ranked North Dakota State Bison (4-0, 1-0 MVFC) at Hancock Stadium in a matchup of top FCS programs.
The game between No. 4 Illinois State and visiting North Alabama had a little bit of everything, including a pair of hour-plus long weather delays, turnovers, missed kicks and missed opportunities by both teams. However, it was the Redbirds who came up big in the second overtime period to come away with a two-point victory over the Lions.
ISU had all the momentum with a 17-0 lead before the first delay, but it switched after the break as UNA cut it to three in the third quarter and then tied the game with 33 seconds left before missing the extra point that sent the game into overtime.
North Dakota State rolled to a 51-13 victory over 17th-ranked South Dakota in the Missouri Valley Football Conference opener last weekend to improve to 4-0 on the year and 1-0 in league play.
Both programs appear near the top of the national polls, marking the first time since the 2014 National Championship game where both teams came in ranked in the Top 10.
Game time is 6 pm on Saturday evening.
