Hank Biesiot has been looking forward to today's game for almost 26 years.
In 1981, Concordia College came to Dickinson State for the first round of the NAIA Division II football playoffs and beat the Blue Hawks 13-9 on a blustery November afternoon.
"I still have some cold fingers and toes," Biesiot said with a laugh.
Concordia marched to a co-national championship that season, while DSU began a decade of success.
While some things have changed, the essential elements that built both programs remain.
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Both DSU and Concordia rely on a run-first offense and stout defense. However, both teams have also added structured passing games since their last meeting.
The one constant between the two programs - who have met only twice, the first time in 1943 - is their respect for each other.
"We have a ton of respect for Hank Biesiot, his staff and the program he has," Concordia coach Terry Horan said.
Horan brings a similar coaching philosophy his predecessor and mentor Jim Christopherson - a friend of Biesiot's - used to build the program into one of NCAA Division III's elite.
"They do a lot of things very right in their football program," Biesiot said. "It's nice to go up against that type of competition. That's the program that historically stands up to programs any place, any time."
Concordia is riding high after a last-second 34-32 victory over in-town rival Minnesota State Moorhead last Saturday.
DSU is coming off a demoralizing 18-10 loss to Montana State-Northern in which its defense performed well but its offense struggled.
While the city of Moorhead is still buzzing about last week's game, Horan is hoping to avoid a letdown today at Whitney Stadium.
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"That's every coaches fear, when you play in an emotional game," Horan said. "... We know the type of program we're going to run up against."
