With back-to-back ranked victories to open the season, No. 4 North Dakota will look to make it three straight and a 3-0 start to the year against No. 20 South Dakota on Thursday evening from the Alerus Center.

This will be second time in the Division I era that UND and USD will square off with both teams sitting inside the top-25 poll, with the last meeting coming on Sept. 16, 2017 in a 45-7 win by the No. 23 Coyotes over the No. 10 Hawks. That game was also the last meeting between the programs.

UND continued to roll against ranked teams, notching its 13th win since 2008 over a team sitting inside the top-25 and its fifth straight victory at home. The No. 3 ranking held by South Dakota State last Saturday was the highest-ranked opponent that UND has defeated since moving to DI in 2008 and second straight top-10 opponent to taste defeat inside the Alerus Center (No. 9 Montana State – Oct. 26, 2019).

Grand Forks is not somewhere that a MVFC program from South Dakota has enjoyed visiting over the years, with the two posting only one victory in the city since 1989. The win over the No. 3 Jackrabbits was the sixth in the last seven, with 2013 marking the only defeat, and South Dakota has not won in Grand Forks since 1985.