GRAND FORKS, N.D. – RV/RV North Dakota welcomes Drake for its season opener Saturday afternoon at the Alerus Center. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. on MidcoSN, Pluto TV, and the Home of Economy Radio Network.
 
LAST MEETING
It's been four years since the Fighting Hawks and Bulldogs last tangled on the gridiron. North Dakota got three first-half passing touchdowns from Keaton Studsrud and would need all of them to secure a 21-18 victory over Drake in the 50th Annual Potato Bowl USA game at the Alerus Center. UND built a 21-0 lead at the halftime break, but the Bulldogs rallied with 18 unanswered points, including 15 in the final stanza, to close the gap to just three. UND recovered a pair of onside kicks to seal the victory.
 
SEASON OPENERS
UND holds a 6-5 record in season openers at the DI level. The Fighting Hawks picked up their first DI season-opening road win in 2015 at Wyoming and the 24-13 victory over the Cowboys was the program's first win over an FBS foe.
 
AUGUST IS GREAT
North Dakota is 8-2 all-time in the month of August, out-scoring its opponents, 408-112.
 
HOME OPENER HISTORY
Home openers have been kind to the program in recent memory, as UND has not dropped its Grand Forks debut since 1986 vs. Texas A&M Kingsville. Over that span, the green and white have posted 32 straight victories in home openers, with the average margin of victory being 31.6 per contest.

FULL GAME NOTES CAN BE FOUND HERE