GRAND FORKS, N.D. – North Dakota football entered the top 25 in the latest Stats Perform rankings announced Monday morning, with the Fighting Hawks coming in at No. 22.
The Missouri Valley Football Conference has four programs represented in the poll. North Dakota State holds the top spot with 52 first-place votes, followed by South Dakota State with two first-place votes. Missouri State is also towards the top of the poll and is fifth. North Dakota rounds out the MVFC in the poll in the 22-spot.
UND enters the poll after defeating then-ranked No. 24 UNI, 29-27, on Saturday. It was a back-and-forth game inside the Alerus Center with North Dakota coming away victorious. With the win, North Dakota now has the longest home opening win streak in the country with 36.
Tommy Schuster went 21-for-24 through the air for 297 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing seven times for 11 yards and a score in the win. Schuster's two points on a successful two-point conversion early in the fourth quarter ended up being the difference. With his 21 completions, Schuster has now completed the most passes in UND's Division I history with 429, breaking the previous record of 428 held by Keaton Studsrud (2014-17).
Bo Belquist and
Isaiah Smith were Schuster's favorite targets. Belquist had five receptions for 85 yards and a score, while Smith had five grabs for 65 yards.
Tyler Hoosman rushed 17 times for 101 yards and a touchdown, averaging 5.9 yards per carry.
Devon Krzanowski was the top Hawk defensively with five tackles.
Josh Navratil led UND with two sacks in key moments of the game, which is a career high to go with four tackles.
North Dakota will return to action this weekend, facing Northern Arizona in Flagstaff on Saturday. The Hawks and Lumberjacks are slated for a 3 p.m. (CT) kick. The game will air on ESPN+ and will be carried on the Home of Economy Radio Network.
STATS PERFORM FCS PRESEASON TOP 25
Stats Perform FCS Top 25 (Sept. 12)
1. North Dakota State (2-0, 0-0 Missouri Valley), 1,348 points (52 first-place votes)
2. South Dakota State (1-1, 0-0 Missouri Valley), 1,263 (2)
3. Montana (2-0, 0-0 Big Sky), 1,242
4. Montana State (2-0, 0-0 Big Sky), 1,199
5. Missouri State (2-0, 0-0 Missouri Valley), 1,097
6. UIW (2-0, 0-0 Southland), 1,064
7. Villanova (2-0, 0-0 CAA), 1,021
8. Sacramento State (1-0, 0-0 Big Sky), 967
9. Delaware (2-0, 0-0 CAA), 865
10. Chattanooga (2-0, 1-0 Southern), 804
11. Jackson State (2-0, 1-0 SWAC), 758
12. Weber State (2-0, 0-0 Big Sky), 748
13. Holy Cross (2-0, 0-0 Patriot), 713
14. Eastern Washington (1-1, 0-0 Big Sky), 562
15. William & Mary (2-0, 0-0 CAA), 542
16. UT Martin (1-1, 0-0 Ohio Valley), 488
17. Rhode Island (2-0, 1-0 CAA), 468
18. ETSU (1-1, 0-1 Southern), 388
19. Eastern Kentucky (1-1, 1-0 ASUN-WAC), 285
20. Mercer (1-1, 0-0 Southern), 243
21. Stephen F. Austin (1-2, 1-0 ASUN-WAC), 180
22. North Dakota (1-1, 1-0 Missouri Valley), 157
23. Kennesaw State (0-2, 0-1 ASUN-WAC), 141
24. Samford (1-1, 0-0 Southern), 139
25. New Hampshire (2-0, 2-0 CAA), 138
Dropped Out: Southern Illinois (17), Southeastern Louisiana (21), Northern Iowa (24)
Others Receiving Votes (schools listed on two or more ballots): Richmond (1-1, 0-0 CAA) 137, Southeastern Louisiana (0-2, 0-0 Southland) 120, UC Davis (0-2, 0-0 Big Sky) 97, Austin Peay (2-1, 2-0 ASUN-WAC): 53,
Southern Illinois (0-2, 0-0 Missouri Valley) 47, Southeast Missouri (1-1, 0-0 Ohio Valley) 40, The Citadel (1-1, 1-0 Southern) 33, Northern Arizona (1-1, 0-0 Big Sky) 29, Elon (1-1, 0-0 CAA) 28, Dartmouth (0-0, 0-0 Ivy) 27, North Carolina Central (2-0, 0-0 MEAC) 20, Furman (1-1, 0-0 Southern) 19,
Northern Iowa (0-2, 0-1 Missouri Valley) 17,
South Dakota (0-2, 0-0 Missouri Valley) 15, Fordham (2-0, 0-0 Patriot) 13,
Youngstown State (2-0, 0-0 Missouri Valley) 10, Abilene Christian (2-0, 2-0 ASUN-WAC) 7, Idaho (0-2, 0-0 Big Sky) 6, South Carolina State (1-1, 0-0 MEAC) 4.
