Chug-a-lug, chug-a-lug, the Frisco Express is full steam ahead! With a dominating ground attack plowing the tracks, North Dakota State opened the 2018 season with 458 rushing yards on 45 carries (that's a 10.2 ypc average) and 7 rushing TDs in a resounding 49-3 win over Cal Poly. Swany and Nolan go over the game highlights -- including statement performances by the offensive and defensive fronts. Bruce Anderson looked like one of the best running backs in college football. Lance Dunn, Greg Menard, and Dan Marlette bounced back from injuries a year ago. The Bison showed they are loaded and looked every bit like the No. 1 team in the FCS headed into a Week 2 bye and upcoming matchup against North Alabama, who went to the Beehive State and defeated defending Big Sky Conference champ Southern Utah in their Division I debut.

Bison Illustrated Breaking News: North Dakota State begins FCS title defense against Cal Poly with high-powered offense and shut-down defense. Swany and Nolan analyze the highlights from Bison head coach Chris Klieman's weekly press conference, including his take on the four-game freshman rule, players likely to emerge in 2018, and how the Bison matchup against the Mustangs. The guys go in-depth telling you what to expect from Cal Poly, and what they're looking for from NDSU. It's finally here! Everybody up for the kickoff, this week, on the Bison Illustrated Podcast!

The Road to Frisco is underway as North Dakota State starts game preparations for its Week 1 opponent, Cal Poly. Swany and Nolan tell you what they expect to see from the Herd in the opener, and highlight their key takeaways coming out of fall camp. The guys also make a big announcement as Swany is hosting a weekly live radio call-in show on 740 AM "The Fan" and 107.3 FM before Bison games. The show, Herd it Hear with Swany, will air every Saturday morning from 8:00-9:00a, with Nolan making a cameo to highlight his keys to the game. Don't worry, we're going to keep doing the Bison Illustrated Podcast. Shine up your tailgating shoes, grab your finest yellow Bison shirt from the closet, and bring your green hat because it's almost BISON GAME DAY!

Fact: the Missouri Valley Football Conference is a better and stronger league than the Colonial Athletic Association. With the FCS kickoff only days away, Swany and Nolan take aim at the misguided view that the CAA is the top conference in the FCS. The guys go through the leagues, and their playoff histories, to debunk the worst myth circulating among FCS opinion makers. The guys also discuss the August Bison Illustrated magazine that introduces the new "Players Tribune" features written by former Bison athletes, and the unique North Dakota State culture carried on by past and present generations of Bison. The Strength of the Bison is the Herd, this week, on the Bison Illustrated Podcast!

Swany and Nolan are joined by former North Dakota State hoops star Dexter Werner. Werner begins his second season of professional basketball later this month for BBC Arantia Larochette in Luxembourg. A Bismarck, ND, native, Big Dex was a two-time Summit League Sixth Man of the Year and all-conference performer. In his first year of pro ball, Werner was the Newcomer of the Year for Germany's ProB division. Dex shares some behind the scenes stories from his time as a Bison, including the memorable NCAA Tournament game where he torched a top-ranked Gonzaga team, the 2015 Summit League Championship game against South Dakota State, and also discusses his evolving golf game.

Swany and Nolan are joined by former North Dakota State hoops star Dexter Werner. Werner begins his second season of professional basketball later this month for BBC Arantia Larochette in Luxembourg. A Bismarck, ND, native, Big Dex was a two-time Summit League Sixth Man of the Year and all-conference performer. In his first year of pro ball, Werner was the Newcomer of the Year for Germany's ProB division. Dex shares some behind the scenes stories from his time as a Bison, including the memorable NCAA Tournament game where he torched a top-ranked Gonzaga team, the 2015 Summit League Championship game against South Dakota State, and also discusses his evolving golf game.

North Dakota State's offense finished 2017 as the second-ranked scoring offense in the FCS, averaging just shy of 39 points per game. Led by All-Americans like Easton Stick, Bruce Anderson, Tanner Volson, and Zach Johnson, coupled with home run hitters Ty Brooks, Lance Dunn, and Darrius Shepherd, the Bison offense is a threat to methodically pound teams, and score from anywhere on the field. Swany and Nolan analyze what could be one of the best offenses in school history and provide commentary on this week's interview with NDSU Quarterbacks Coach Randy Hedberg. That's another first down, this week, on the Bison Illustrated Podcast!

Randy Hedberg is the Quarterbacks Coach for North Dakota State. He was Carson Wentz's QB coach, and now has NDSU's latest NFL prospect at QB, Easton Stick. Coach Hedberg, a native of Parshall, North Dakota, and member of the Minot State Hall of Fame where he lettered in football, basketball and baseball, discusses the Bison offense, what it's like coaching and preparing the NDSU QB's, the importance of strong senior leaders in college football, the evolution of college football offenses and QB's, and how the skillset of NDSU QB's make them standout from most other QB's in college football. The guys also discuss Hedberg's North Dakota roots and his journey through the Missouri Valley Football Conference and old North Central Conference.

North Dakota State's tailgating scene was recently recognized as one of the best tailgaters in ALL of college football. 24/7Sports ranked NDSU tailgating No. 4 overall, ahead of the likes of Alabama, Florida, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Georgia, and Clemson. Swany and Nolan discuss what makes NDSU tailgating so darned awesome, and what goes into a great tailgater. Is it the food, beverages, the music, or the people? Swany slips on his Six Flags DJ hat and previews some of the news tunes he'll be spinning this fall, and the guys give a special shoutout to one of the podcast's biggest (and youngest) fans in Bismarck. Get ready for Bison tailgating, this week, on the Bison Illustrated Podcast!

Swany and Nolan kickoff the summer preview series by looking at the major story lines heading into North Dakota State's fall football camp. An already impressive Bison offense loaded with weapons returns a bevy of starters from one of the nation's top offenses in 2017, along with second-year offensive coordinator Courtney Messingham. What does that mean for the Herd's offense and the rest of the FCS? On the defensive side, it looks to be business as usual for Code Green, but who will emerge at key linebacker positions. The guys also take a look at why NDSU's road back to Frisco isn't as easy as having seven home games at the Fargodome with a tough early season stretch that features Delaware, South Dakota State, Northern Iowa and Western Illinois. Will any of these teams trip up the Herd? Cool off during the dog days of summer with the icy cold Bison Illustrated Podcast!