LIU at No. 10/10 North Dakota
Grand Forks (Alerus Center)
Series: First Meeting
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
TV: Midco Sports
Stream: Midco Sports Plus/ESPN+
Radio: Fighting Hawks Radio Network
Weekly Presser: Coach Schmidt | Coach Freund | Mike Devereaux | Jerry Kaminski

GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- No. 10/10 North Dakota will host LIU in its season opener Thursday at the Alerus Center. It marks the second time in program history that UND has been ranked in the top 10 nationally in both the Stats Perform and AFCA preseason polls (No. 7 in both in 2021) since moving to the Division I level. Kickoff between the Fighting Hawks and Sharks is slated for 7 p.m. The game will be televised on Midco Sports and streamed on ESPN+ and Midco Sports Plus. It will also be carried on the Fighting Hawks Radio Network.

The Fighting Hawks are coming off year where the program won its first FCS road playoff game, a 31-6 triumph at Tennessee Tech, and matched a single-season Division I record with four road victories overall under first-year head coach Eric Schmidt.

Schmidt's second season at the helm of his alma mater will begin against an LIU squad that is coming its best DI season after head coach Ron Cooper led the Sharks to a 6-6 campaign, including the program's first win over an FBS opponent -- a 28-23 win at Eastern Michigan in week two. LIU closed the campaign by winning five of its last six contests.

Both programs tied for third in their respective conferences in 2025 with the Fighting Hawks finishing 5-3 in the MVFC and the Sharks going 4-3 in the NEC. UND was pegged to finish fourth in the MVFC preseason poll, while the Sharks were slotted third in the NEC preseason poll.

FULL GAME NOTES