ON TAP
North Dakota hosts fourth-ranked Weber State in a huge matchup this week. The Wildcats sit a game out of the lead in the Big Sky Conference with a handful of teams all eyeing a playoff spot. 

UP NEXT
The Fighting Hawks head back on the road to take on Big Sky newcomer Idaho. The Vandals returned to the conference and the FCS level this season and are 3-4 overall and 2-3 in league play heading into this week's action.  

NEXT HOME GAME
UND will play its final regular season home game in two weeks when it hosts Portland State on Nov. 10. 

THE SERIES VS WEBER STATE
Weber State holds a slim 2-1 edge in the all-time series between the schools. North Dakota won the last meeting, a 27-19 victory in 2016 at the Alerus. 

11/8/2014    L    12-24 (H)
10/17/2015    L    24-25 (A)
10/29/2016    W    27-19 (H)

POLLING PLACE
The Wildcats find themselves the four spot in the FCS STATS Top 25 poll this week and fifth in the AFCA poll. North Dakota made its 2018 debut in the AFCA Top 25 poll at No. 24 while it reappears in the STATS poll at 22. Today's game will mark the first-ever regular season meeting at the Alerus Center with both teams nationally ranked. 

IN A RUSH
North Dakota amassed an incredible 480 yards rushing as a team in the 41-15 win at Sacramento State Saturday. Three players set or tied career highs in rushing in the win as James Johannesson (213), Brady Oliveira (171) and Cam McKinney (59) went nuts on the Hornet run defense, especially in the second half. UND's 480-yard total was just 32 yards shy of the all-time school mark for rushing yards in a game, a record that has stood since 1972 (512 vs. Morningside, 9/28/74).

AMONG THE NATION'S LEADERS - BUBBA BALL
North Dakota finds itself in among the leaders in a host of different statistical categories to include team sacks (3rd- 4.0 /gm), time of possession (5th- 33:45) and rushing offense (285.6 - 6th). Running the ball, playing solid defense and possessing the football are all key tenets of head coach Bubba Schweigert's game plan. 

LAST TIME OUT
The Fighting Hawks continued their recent dominance with 480 rushing yards on the way to a convincing 41-15 win at Sacramento State Saturday evening. Junior James Johannesson tallied his third straight 100-yard rushing game with a whopping 213-yard performance on just 11 carries, while Brady Oliveira tied a career-best with 171 rushing yards. 

North Dakota flipped the script on one trend from this season en route to the win as UND had scored just 10 third-quarter points all season and tallied 20 in that frame alone Saturday. 

It also marked the third straight road win for the Fighting Hawks and followed a familiar recipe of sustained drives, a dominating run game and a defense that limits opportunities. UND ran for five touchdowns in the victory, combining for 120 points over the last three contests with 12 rushing scores in those games. 

FARGO FREIGHT TRAIN GOING NON-STOP ROUTE
Junior James Johannesson, nicknamed the Fargo Freight Train, has made quite the name for himself over the past three games. He has rushed for over 100 yards in all three contests and has broken a pair of school records on the way. 

He started his run with 141 yards at Northern Colorado and followed it up with 108 more in the win against Montana. Saturday, Johannesson needed just 11 carries to gather 213 yards rushing, a hefty 19.4 yards per carry average. That would set a new school mark for largest yards per carry average in a single game (min. 10 attempts), a record that was previoudly held by Dave Osborn from way back in 1963. Johannesson's 90-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter was the longest run by a UND player in its FCS era. 

BRADY ON THE LISTS
Senior Brady Oliveira complemented Johannesson's career day with a 171-yards performance himself, tying his own personal best. He would also find the endzone a career-high three times to give him 20 rushing TDs, tied for 10th on UND's all-time list. Oliveira has six rushing touchdowns this season, all coming in road wins (1 at Sam Houston State, 2 at Northern Colorado, 3 at Sacramento State). 

THIS STABLE AMONG THE BEST
UND has two rushers in the school's top 10 now in both rushing touchdowns and rushing yards with Brady Oliveira finding both lists after his 171-yard, three touchdown performance at Sacramento State. The duo of Oliveira and Santiago have piled up over 6,000 rushing yards in their careers. 

BENNETT BEASTING
Junior Mason Bennett logged another 1.5 sacks in the win at Northern Colorado to give him 6.5 for the season. That total ranks 12th-most in all of NCAA FCS football and marks the third game in which he's had multiple sacks already this season. 

SPREADING THE RESPONSIBILITY
The North Dakota defense held Northern Colorado to just 201 yards of total offense. Only one defender had as many as four tackles (Austin Cieslak- 4) with six others checking in with three tackles (Tanner Palmborg, Tykeise Johnson, Hayden Blubaugh, Quentin Seguin, Jaxson Turner and Mason Bennett). 

A MILLION TIMES, THANK YOU!
The University of North Dakota welcomed its one-millionth fan into the Alerus Center during the Homecoming game against Idaho State. In the 17 seasons since it opened in 2001, UND has seen 1,003,811 fans come through the doors at the Alerus Center, including 10,428 fans per game on average last season, the second-highest average attendance in the building's history.

JAXSON TURNER OVERDRIVE
Sophomore Jaxson Turner blocked his first career kick, a big fourth-quarter block that gave UND one final chance on offense in the waning minutes of the game vs. Idaho State. 

PLAYING 21
North Dakota's win at No. 5 Sam Houston State Sept. 15 snapped the nation's longest home winning streak at 21 games, handing the Bearkats their first loss at home in nearly three years (Sept. 19, 2015 to Lamar).

ROAD RANKED RIGHTEOUSNESS
With the win at SHSU, the Fighting Hawks also captured their first triumph against a ranked foe since Oct. 1, 2016 vs. Cal Poly and the first away from Grand Forks since Oct. 3, 2015 at Portland State.

GIMME FIVE
That Sept. 15 win at No. 5 Sam Houston State marked the highest-ranked opponent that North Dakota has defeated in the DI era (2008-present). UND is 7-23 against ranked opponents in its Division I era.

IZZY GOT BIZZY
Sophomore Izzy Adeoti finished the night with a career-high 82 yards receiving in the win at Sam Houston State. His 48-yard catch in the fourth quarter setup the game-winning score. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BUBBA
Saturday's win at No. 5 Sam Houston State was a fun birthday for UND head coach Bubba Schweigert as it was his 56th birthday.

EVAN-ESCENCE
Junior Evan Holm was part of a stiff defense at SHSU that helped produce an upset. Holm and the Fighting Hawk defense forced the Bearkats to attempt field goals rather than find paydirt on multiple occasions. Holm was credited with four pass break-ups, including several in the endzone as the Hawks held the Bearkats to its lowest scoring output at home since 2014. 
 
THREE ALL-PURPOSE TONS
John Santiago recorded 158 all-purpose yards Sept. 15 at Sam Houston State to push him over 6,000 for his distinguished career. He ranks second all-time at North Dakota in that category (1st- Weston Dressler- 7,072).

KETTERING-HAM AND GOOSE-EGGS
Junior quarterback Nate Ketteringham has yet to throw an interception in his three-game North Dakota career. He has thrown 89 times and accounted for six touchdowns (four passing, two rushing) without a pick to start his Fighting Hawk career. 

NATE THE GREAT
Nate Ketteringham tied a career high with four touchdown passes in the win over Montana on Oct. 13. It marked his fifth four-TD game and first as a Fighting Hawk. His 254 passing yards were the most for him as a UND player.

STAN THE MAN
Luke Stanley made his first catch since 2016 with a two-yard reception in the win over Montana Oct. 13. He had his 2017 season and first five games of 2018 wiped out due to injury. 

SACK STATE
North Dakota has racked up two dozen sacks in six games (4.0/game). Conversely, the UND offensive line has squandered just a half dozen quarterback sacks (1.0/game) all season.

50!
Head coach Bubba Schweigert collected career win No. 50 in the 41-14 win over No. 22 Montana on Oct. 13. 

LARGE AND IN CHARGE
UND's 27-point win over 22nd-ranked Montana marked the largest margin of victory for the Fighting Hawks as an FCS school. North Dakota is now 8-23 all-time against ranked schools in FCS play, including a 2-0 mark this season.  

POSSESSION IS 9/10th OF THE LAW
UND's time of possession is an average of 34:31 per game. The Fighting Hawks have held the control of the clock in five of the six games this season including a pair of dominating performances in the last two weeks. North Dakota owned the ball for a whopping 38:51 in the win at Northern Colorado then piled up 38:32 in TOP against Montana. 

ON THE GROUND IN GREELEY
North Dakota rushed 61 times in the win at Northern Colorado, tied for the most-ever rushing attempts by a team at Nottingham Field. UND's 351 net rushing yards ranked second all-time as the Fighting Hawks scored all five of their touchdowns on the ground, two each from Brady Oliveira and Nate Ketteringham to go along with true freshman Otis Weah's first career score. 

OUT OF THE WE-AH!
Freshman Otis Weah got his first career touches in the blowout win at Northern Colorado on Sept. 29. The Moorhead, N.D., native rumbled for 18 yards on his first carry to get it inside the three-yardline. Then, he'd push forward through both lines to find paydirt and his first collegiate score. He helped the Fighting Hawks rack up 351 net rushing yards in the win. 

CADE GOES KA-BOOM
Freshman punter Cade Peterson unleashed his longest punt of his career, a 50-yarder at Northern Colorado. For the day, Peterson hit five punts for 199 yards, including four of those inside the 20-yardline. 

RUN TO THE JOHN
Senior John Santiago piled up 139 rushing yards Sept. 8 at Washington, including a big 69-yard romp on the way to 260 all-purpose yards. Santiago's 69-yard scamper marked the fifth-longest run of his career and the eighth of 50 yards or more. 

Santiago runs of 50 yards or more
Yds    Game
81    Sept. 31, 2017 at UC Davis
81    Nov. 14, 2015 vs. Northern Colorado
80    Oct. 24, 2015 at Montana
75    Oct. 31, 2015 vs. Montana State
69    Sept. 8, 2018 at Washington
64    Oct. 21, 2017 at Sacramento State
63    Nov. 4, 2017 at Southern Utah
52    Sept. 5, 2015 at Wyoming

NO BS AGAINST FBS
Santiago has compiled some of his best games against the top talent. In his four games against FBS opponents in his career, the Andover, Minn., native has rushed for 426 yards with three 100-yard games. Here's a look at his outings against FBS foes:

Santiago vs. FBS schools
2018      18-139 at Washington
2017      10-20 at Utah
2016      18-119 at BGSU
2015      24-148 at Wyoming
TOTAL   70-426

HEY HEY, HAYDEN HAYDEN
Hayden Blubaugh and Hayden Galvin each registered their first career interceptions Sept. 8 at Washington. 

CLEAN SHEET
North Dakota was not penalized Sept. 8 at Washington. UND was penalized eight times for 76 yards in the opener. 

HIGHEST RANK
Washington marked the highest-ranked team that North Dakota has  ever faced in the FBS ranks. The Huskies were ranked ninth heading into the week two tilt. A week later, UND headed to No. 5 Sam Houston State and earned the program's first win over a top-five team since joining the FCS.

QUITE A DEBUT
Junior transfer Nate Ketteringham made a solid debut for the Fighting Hawks, throwing for 3 TDs and 225 yards without a turnover in the 35-7 win against Mississippi Valley State. Ketteringham found three different receivers for scores and added a rushing touchdown himself to account for four of UND's five scores. 

SACK CITY
North Dakota officially racked up seven quarterback sacks in the season-opening win against Mississippi Valley State on August 30. The Fighting Hawks had 10 total tackles for loss in the win. 

METHODIC
UND scored in all four quarters in the win over Mississippi Valley State. North Dakota got going quickly with a score in the first three minutes, adding another in the 1st quarter, en route to a 21-0 halftime lead. 

PUNTING YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES
North Dakota needed just two punts the entire game in the season-opening win. UND scored on five possessions, missed two FGs, punted twice and had one turnover in addition to ending both halves with the football. 

OWNING THE CLOCK IN THE MIDDLE FRAMES
North Dakota had the ball for over 19 minutes combined in the second and third quarters, owning the time of possession battle in the win over Mississippi Valley State. UND would finish with 33:35 of possession in the win. 

3RD and CONVERTED
North Dakota cashed in 10 third-down attempts vs. Mississippi Valley State on 16 attempts. In one of the six failed conversions, UND got the first on a fourth down late in the first half. 

WELCOME BACK CORNER
The injury bug hit North Dakota pretty hard last season. UND welcomed back corners Deion Harris (missed all 11 games) and Evan Holm (7 missed) into the starting lineup after injuries a year ago. 

NORTH DAKOTA BY THE NUMBERS
•26    Number of conference championships won by UND 
•60    Wins at the Division I level for UND 
•650    Number of all-time wins for UND (650-407-30)
•3,643    John Santiago's career rushing total (3rd all-time at UND)
•6,393    Santiago's all-purpose yardage (2nd all-time at UND)

UND AGAINST THE FBS
North Dakota is 1-10 all-time against the FBS with the lone win coming to open the 2015 season at Wyoming. Three of those losses have come by single digits, including a 2016 one-point loss at Bowling Green. Last season, Utah became the first Power Five program UND faced since opening the 2009 season with a 38-13 loss at Texas Tech. Current outside linebackers coach Joel Schwenzfeier tied a UND single-game record with three interceptions against the Red Raiders.

CAPTAINS
UND named five players captains for the season: seniors Tanner Palmborg and John Santiago were previously named captains with senior Austin Cieslak, senior Adam Stiner and junior Andrew Zimmerman joining them before the season's start. 

MAAG-A
True freshman Garett Maag got into the endzone in his first game, and on his first collegiate catch, a 9-yard strike from Nate Ketteringham to give UND a 21-0 lead in the first half of the win over Mississippi Valley State on Aug. 30. 

FOUR-GAME REDSHIRT RULE
This season, a new rule has been instituted by the NCAA Division I Council which will allow players to participate in up to four games in a season while maintaining their redshirt status starting this fall. Previously, only players who did not play a snap in a season or were sidelined by injury before playing in more than four games were generally granted redshirts by the NCAA. This rule would allow those four games to be played anywhere throughout the season, leaving some flexibility for coaching staffs around the nation. 

RED JARRETT WAY
University of North Dakota officials announced the renaming of the road in front of the High Performance Center to be dubbed "Red Jarrett Way" in honor of the legendary student-athlete, coach and athletics director.

Jarrett, who was enshrined in UND Athletics' Hall of Fame in 1975, was named the football program's first All-American in 1930 and also excelled in basketball and track and field. He lettered three times in each of those sports and would also be the head coach of all three of those programs at various times throughout a stretch from 1946-1958 where he served as the athletics director.

FIGHTING HAWKS ONLINE
Visit the newly-redesigned FightingHawks.com for all of the latest information on your UND Fighting Hawks sports teams. Here you can find schedules, rosters, photos, game notes, game recaps and more. 

FIGHTING HAWKS ON TV
Every UND home game will air live on Midco Sports Network and will be available free online via PlutoTV. All games against Big Sky Conference teams are also streamed on PlutoTV. UND's trip to Washington will air on PAC-12 Network while the trek to Sam Houston State can be seen on WDAY/Z Xtra, the KX Network across the state and ESPN3. 

FIGHTING HAWKS ON RADIO
Jack Michaels returns for another season of UND football action, joined in the booth by Hall Of Fame Coach Mike Berg and sideline reporter Paul Ralston on the Home of Economy Radio Network across the state and region. The flagship for UND football is 96.1 The Fox in Grand Forks.