Getty North Dakota State will host Youngstown State Sunday. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)
Fresh from a 45-10 trouncing at the hands of South Dakota last week, the Missouri State Bears (1-4) will head to North Dakota to play the undefeated Bison (6-0) at the Fargodome.
The game (3:30 p.m. ET start time) won’t be on national TV anywhere (locally on NBC North Dakota), but anyone in the US can watch it live right here on ESPN+, the digital streaming service from ESPN that has exclusive coverage of dozens of college football games and other live sports every week, all the 30-for-30 documentaries and additional original content (both video and written) all for $4.99 per month.
You can sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then watch NDSU vs Missouri State live on your computer via ESPN.com, or on your phone (Android and iPhone compatible), tablet, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, or other streaming device via the ESPN app.
Missouri State vs North Dakota State Preview
The Bison won the meeting between these two teams last season, 48-8, but they’re not going into this game assuming an easy win. NDSU head coach Matt Entz is focused on continuing to improve and get better regardless of who his team plays:
“We just continue to remind them, continue to show them things we can improve upon. At practice, we just go about our business and that isn’t going to change regardless of who we play,” he said.
So far, their business is going quite well. NDSU is off to an excellent start with freshman quarterback Trey Lance under center. Lance is 74-105 for 1,044 yards so far this season, and he has thrown for 15 touchdowns and no interceptions. He has also proven to be a legitimate dual-threat, with six rushing touchdowns in six games so far. NDSU is also tied for the Missouri Valley Conference lead in scoring offense, putting up 41.5 points per game.
North Dakota State’s defense has also been more than formidable so far this season. The Bison are giving up just 12 points a game, and are second in the conference in total defense.
They’ll be facing a Missouri State offense that has had more success in the air than on the ground this season. Led by quarterback Peyton Huslig, who has 10 touchdowns and five interceptions so far in 2019, the Bears are second in the conference with 241.6 passing yards per game.
Their rushing attack is last in the conference with just 89 yards per game, however, and their uneven offense is a huge reason they’re 1-4. They will face a major test when they go up against NDSU’s conference-best defense.
Alternatively, Missouri State’s defense is the worst in the conference. They’re giving up a whopping 238 yards rushing a game to go with over 220 yards passing per contest. Lance could potentially feast on this defense if they don’t bring their ‘A’ game.
This will also be North Dakota State’s annual “Code Green” game, in which Bison fans are encouraged to show up wearing all green as a rallying cry of sorts, so the home crowd could be extra amped for this one. NDSU has won eight straight games in the series, and they’ll be difficult to beat at home.