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MINNEAPOLIS, MN - OCTOBER 21: Chad Greenway #52 of the Minnesota Vikings looks on before the game against the Arizona Cardinals on October 21, 2012 at Mall of America Field at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)

While he didn’t experience it first hand on the field, former Iowa and Minnesota Vikings star linebacker Chad Greenway hasn’t heard the end of one big loss by his alma mater.

That’s when Iowa, ranked No. 13 at the time in 2016, lost 23-23 to North Dakota State. The South Dakota native and former Hawkeye star  played in Iowa City from 2001 to 2005 and then in the NFL with the Vikings from 2006 to 2016.

“It’s amazing how much I get reminded of the Bison beating the Hawkeyes a few years back,” Greenway told reporters via KVRR at a golf event in Fargo last week. “But understanding how the Bison have built their team and built their program over the years, they’re recruiting the right kids, and they develop kids.”

NDSU became an FCS powerhouse in the mid and late 2000s, followed by a 10-championship dynasty in the 2010s and early 2020s. It prompted conversation about a move up to the FBS, which finally came to fruition in February.

“You can play on the moon. You can play at any level, major conference, and I think they’re going to do well personally,” Greenway said. “The fan base is incredible. They’re going to support these guys wherever they go. Now it’s just a new challenge, and I think the way they play and the type of kids they recruit is going to be good wherever they go.”

Revisiting NDSU’s Stunner Over Iowa

NDSU had just won a fifth-consecutive FCS national championship, and the Bison looked to add another major FBS win to the belt in Iowa City that season.

The Bison took a first quarter lead on an interception by former linebacker M.J. Stumpf, when he picked off former Iowa quarterback C.J. Bearthard for a 7-0 lead. Iowa responded with two touchdown drives in the second quarter for a 14-7 lead, and the Hawkeyes kept it that way as NDSU punted four times in that quarter.

NDSU tied it up in the third quarter on an offensive drive that consisted of short plays and a fumble recovery. Former Bison running back King Frazier scored on a 1-yard touchdown run for a 14-14 score.

Iowa answered back with a 10-play touchdown drive as Bethard completed a pass to former Hawkeye Matt VandeBerg. Former Bison quarterback Easton Stick then responded in the fourth quarter, as he led a touchdown drive, capped by a 7-yard touchdown pass to former fullback Chase Morlock.

NDSU went for the win with 3:41 left, but the two-point conversion failed, but the Bison got one last shot with the defense forcing a three-and-out. Former Bison kicker Cam Pederson hit a 37-yard field goal as time expired to pull the upset at Kinnick Stadium.

Where Does NDSU’s Win Rank on FCS-FBS Upsets

NDSU tied the second-highest ranking upset in FCS history with that win  in 2016.

James Madison also beat a No. 13 team, Virginia Tech, 21-16, in 2010, and the Dukes notably moved up to the FBS in 2022 and made the College Football Playoff in 2025. Appalachian State set the all-time record with a 34-32 upset of No. 5 Michigan in 2007, before the Mountaineers became an FBS team in 2014.