No. 6/7 North Dakota at Portland State
Hillsboro, Ore. (Hillsboro Stadium)
Series: UND leads 7-2
Kickoff: 9 p.m. CT
Stream: ESPN+
Radio: Fighting Hawks Radio Network
Weekly Presser: Coach Schmidt | Coach Freund | Tyler Erkman and Trace Thaden
GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- After a pair of resounding home victories where Nodak outscored its opponents 104-47, the Fighting Hawks will take to the road for the first time in 2026, facing Portland State Saturday in a clash at 9 p.m. CT on ESPN+.
A season ago, UND head coach Eric Schmidt led the Fighting Hawks to a quartet of road victories, which matched the program's single-season record since moving to the FCS level in 2008. Those four wins included a FCS-playoff win on the road at Tennessee Tech.
These two squads met for the first time since UND departed the Big Sky a season ago in Grand Forks with the Fighting Hawks posting a 50-20 victory in the 59th annual Potato Bowl. The Hawks have won five straight in the series and own a 7-2 all-time advantage.
The Vikings are led by first-year head coach Chris Fisk, who will be looking for his first Division I victory after a successful seven-year run at Central Washington at the DII level where he won 48 contests. PSU dropped its season opener at home to UC Davis, 31-24, and is coming off a 53-20 setback at San Diego State.
Both head coaches played their college football in the Peace Garden State. Schmidt is coaching his alma mater after leading the Fighting Sioux to the program's only Division II national title as a junior linebacker in 2001. Fisk played center at Jamestown College (now University) and finished his playing career in 2001 for the Jimmies.
FULL GAME NOTES
