FARGO -- North Dakota State begins Missouri Valley Football Conference play on Saturday. And the Bison aren't exactly easing into it.
They get a perennial league favorite in Southern Illinois, a team with 11 senior starters, on the road. Northern Iowa may be the league favorite, but the Salukis are right there.
They're 1-1 with a 31-28 loss at Division I Football Bowl Subdivision Marshall University in the season opener.
"Big challenge, but great opportunity," said Bison head coach Craig Bohl. "I know they play fairly well in Carbondale."
The theme with the Salukis last year in this game was the return of SIU head coach Dale Lennon to the area. The former University of North Dakota head coach is 10-4 in his second year at SIU including a Division I Football Championship Subdivision playoff berth last season.
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The Salukis lost at home to Massachusetts in the first round.
This year, for NDSU, it's about finding how it matches up with the conference's top dogs.
The jury is still out with the defense, which struggled in the first half in a 59-28 win against Wagner College (N.Y.). Statistically, NDSU is near the bottom in all the major Missouri Valley defensive categories.
The Bison have given up the most points (36.7 per game) and the most total yards (446.3 per game) of the 10 conference teams. But a good defensive second half against Wagner was a confidence-builder, Bohl said.
"I think we have a good defense," Bohl said. "We haven't shown all of that yet but I think we have a good defense."
Two players who missed the Wagner game should be back this week. Linebacker Matt Kittelson is expected to start and tight end Matt Veldman is coming back from a knee strain. Bohl said freshman Eddie Beson has moved up to the No. 2 middle linebacker.
"I think we're on pretty solid ground there," Bohl said.
Bohl said starting fullback Drew Hushka will probably not play because of a shoulder injury suffered against Wagner. But he also said it's possible senior fullback Lee Vandal, out with an injured knee, could return this week.
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True freshman Garrett Bruhn is scheduled to be the starter.
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