After a week off, the Valley City State football team is set to begin conference play this weekend with a road trip to Dakota State University.
 
The Vikings and Trojans kick off at 4 p.m. Saturday from Madison, S.D. Pregame radio coverage begins at 3 p.m. on KOVC 1490 AM/96.3 FM and online at www.newsdakota.com.
 
Valley City State has a 1-1 overall record entering conference play. VCSU defeated rival University of Jamestown 23-15, and then dropped a 31-14 game at NCAA Division II foe South Dakota School of Mines.
 
Dakota State is currently 0-3. The Trojans lost to Dakota Wesleyan (23-13) and Wisconsin-La Crosse (31-6) in non-conference play, and then last week lost the conference opener 35-20 against Waldorf University. Dakota State has allowed 434 yards of offense and 30 points per game through the first three weeks.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
Radio coverage of Saturday's game can be heard on KOVC 1490 AM/96.3 FM. The pregame show with Ryan Cunningham begins at 3 p.m. The broadcast can be streamed online at www.newsdakota.com
 
Dakota State will produce a live video feed and live stats at the links below.
 
LIVE COVERAGE:  RADIO  |  VIDEO  |  STATS
 
NSAA PLAY: Valley City State will play each NSAA team twice this season as part of an 8-game conference schedule. All of VCSU's remaining games will count towards the NSAA standings. Dakota State will travel to Valley City for the rematch on Oct. 21.
 
PREVIOUS MEETING: Dakota State defeated VCSU 31-17 last year in Valley City. The Vikings held a 17-9 lead in the fourth quarter, but three late turnovers led to three Dakota State touchdowns as the Trojans rallied for the win.
 
SERIES HISTORY: The Vikings are 28-5 against Dakota State in matchups dating back to the 1986 season. VCSU has never lost back-to-back games against the Trojans. In road games, VCSU is 12-2 at Dakota State.
 
RECORDS MAY FALL: Riley Gerhardt had 1.5 tackles for loss in the game against SD Mines, which gives him 46.5 career TFL. That ties the VCSU school record held by Joe Maresh, who is being inducted into the VCSU Hall of Fame on Sept. 22. Gerhardt also has 28 career sacks and is within striking distance of the career sack record (34.5) held by Lloyd Joseph.
 
NSAA UPDATE: Dickinson State and Waldorf are both 1-0 in conference play while Dakota State and Mayville are 0-1. Waldorf plays at Mayville State in the other NSAA contest this week. Dickinson State (2-1) is ranked No. 24 in this week's NAIA Top 25 Coaches' Poll.