ST. LOUIS – To celebrate 35 years of excellence in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, the league is recognizing some of its all-time top moments.
The league divided those moments into 10 categories, and have selected the top events in each. Some of the events qualify in multiple categories, so if it’s not on this list, the moment could be coming later in another yet-to-be released Top Moment segment.
Series No. 1:
Aug. 30, 2013
• North Dakota State 24, Kansas State 21
NDSU went 80 yards on 18 plays and consumed 8 1/2 minutes in a game-winning drive at Kansas State. Quarterback Brock Jensen scored with 28 seconds remaining.
Sept. 17, 2016
• North Dakota State 23, No. 11 Iowa 21
North Dakota State became just the fourth FCS program to notch a win against a top-25 FBS program as Cam Pedersen nailed a 37-yard field goal as time expired. It marked the league’s fourth win against a member of the Big Ten Conference. It was the Bison’s sixth consecutive win over an FBS foe.
2016
Four league schools picked up wins at FBS programs, setting a league record for FBS wins in a season. Illinois State won at Northwestern, North Dakota State won at Iowa, UNI won at Iowa State, and Western Illinois won at Northern Illinois. The two wins against Big Ten schools in the same season also established a league mark.
Sept. 1, 2012
• Youngstown State 31, Pittsburgh 17
The Penguins never trailed in the contest in its first-ever program win over a BCS program. They built their lead to 28-10 in the fourth quarter and were never threatened.
Sept. 14, 1985
• Northern Iowa 10, Kansas State 6
UNI beat Kansas State in Manhattan in the league’s first season – in just the second week. The league enters the 2019 season with 45 total FBS victories.
Sept. 16, 2006
• Southern Illinois 35, Indiana 28
Southern Illinois became the first Missouri Valley Football Conference school to beat a Big Ten Conference opponent, rallying from a 14-point deficit behind four touchdown passes by QB Nick Hill.
OTHERS CONSIDERED
Sept. 10, 2016
• Illinois State 9, Northwestern 7
Sean Slattery kicked a 33-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Redbirds to the league’s third all-time win against a member of the Big Ten Conference. Illinois State held Northwestern scoreless until the 9:10 mark of the fourth quarter.
Sept. 26, 1992
• Northern Iowa 27, Iowa State 10
UNI defeated Iowa State for the first time since 1900 with a 17-point margin. UNI built a 14-0 lead at the half behind two field goals and a 61-yard interception return.
Sept. 17, 2011
• Indiana State 44, Western Kentucky 16
ISU picked up its first win against an FBS opponent since 2001. Shakir Bell had 221 yards and two scores in the Sycamores’ most lopsided win against an FBS school.
Sept. 23, 2017
• Western Illinois 52, Coastal Carolina 10
The 52 points by WIU marked the most ever by an MVFC school against an FBS team. Sean McGuire finished 17-of-19 for 276 yards and matched a career-high with three touchdown passes. He also caught a 9-yard TD pass.
Aug. 30, 2014
• North Dakota State 34, Iowa State 14
The Bison needed to win this game to set the all-time FCS record with 25 consecutive wins and fell behind 14-0 before scoring the game’s final 34 points. John Crockett scored three times to lead the comeback.
Sept. 8, 1990
MVFC Player of the Decade DeAndre Smith passed for what was then a school-record 405 yards at Tulsa a week after leading MSU past UNLV in their only victory over an FBS opponent.
Sept. 8, 2012
• North Dakota State 22, Colorado State 7
CSU scored 90 seconds into the game, but that was all she wrote as NDSU scored the final 22 points and notched an unprecedented third consecutive win against an FBS school.
Sept. 24, 2011
• North Dakota State 37, Minnesota 24
A crowd of 48,802 – many wearing green – watched NDSU post the league’s second win all-time against a Big Ten program. Marcus Williams had two interceptions for scores.
Sept. 4, 2010
• North Dakota State 6, Kansas 3
North Dakota State got two field goals from Ryan Jastram and made that stick in a 6-3 defensive struggle. It was the league’s first win against the Jayhawks in Lawrence.
Aug. 31, 2013
• Northern Iowa 28, Iowa State 20
Running back David Johnson rushed for 199 yards and scored four touchdowns as he helped UNI to a 28-20 road win over Iowa State in the 2013 season opener in Ames.
Aug. 31, 1996
• Missouri State 23, Oklahoma State 20, OT
The Bears led the contest 17-10 but the Cowboys forced overtime with a late touchdown. MSU then won 23-20 in the first official NCAA Division I-A overtime.
Sept. 22, 2001
• Northern Iowa 42, Ball State 39
Mackenzie Hoambrecker drilled a 33-yard field goal as time expired to give UNI a 42-39 win at Ball State. Tom Petrie passed for 214 yards and two touchdowns.
In its first 34 seasons, the Missouri Valley Football Conference collected 45 wins versus FBS opponents.
In 2016, the MVFC recorded two wins against Big Ten schools for the first time in the same season, one of them was against No. 11/13 Iowa (by North Dakota State). It marked the MVFC’s first win against a ranked FBS team in conference history.
FCS Wins vs. AP Ranked FBS Teams
2007 – Appalachian State 34, No. 5 Michigan 32
2010 – James Madison 21, No. 13 Virginia Tech 16
2013 – Eastern Washington 49, No. 25 Oregon State 46
2016 – North Dakota State 23, No. 13 Iowa 21
The Bison are 9-3 versus FBS squads since moving to Division I in 2004. They’ve won six consecutive such games. NDSU beat a pair of FBS opponents during the 2007 season.
South Dakota State is 1-9 against FBS teams.
