Northwestern hosts South Dakota State for the Wildcats' season opener

South Dakota State at Northwestern, Saturday, 8 p.m. ET How to watch: Big Ten Network Key stats South Dakota State Overall offense: 628 yards per game (2nd in FCS) Passing: 235 yards per game (tied for 50th) Rushing: 393 yards per game (2nd) Scoring: 70 points per game (4th) Overall defense: 265 yards allowed per game (25th in FCS) Passing: 157 yards allowed per game (27th) Rushing: 108 yards allowed per game (42nd) Scoring: 7 points allowed per game (tied for 10th) Northwestern (2025) Overall offense: 346.1 yards per game (96th in FBS) Passing: 185.9 yards per game (106th) Rushing: 160.2 yards per game (65th) Scoring: 23.4 points per game (96th) Overall defense: 329.8 yards per game (31st) Passing: 193.5 yards allowed per game (30th) Rushing: 136.2 yards allowed per game (48th) Scoring: 19.8 points allowed per game (tied for 23rd) Team leaders South Dakota State Passing: Chase Mason, 157 yards, 1 TD, 50 completion percentage Rushing: James Basinger, 110 yards on 8 carries, 1 TD Receiving: Landon Dulaney, 89 yards on 2 catches, 1 TD Northwestern (2025) Passing: Preston Stone, 2,400 yards, 17 TDs, 12 INTs, 60 completion percentage Rushing: Caleb Komolafe, 941 yards on 190 carries, 11 TDs Receiving: Griffin Wilde, 880 yards on 71 catches, 8 TDs Last game South Dakota State beat Stetson 70-7 on Aug. 29. Northwestern finished a 7-6 season with a 34-7 victory over Central Michigan in the GameAbove Sports Bowl on Dec. 26. Next game South Dakota State hosts New Haven on Sept. 12. Northwestern hosts Colorado on Sept. 19. ------ Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here, visit the Top 25 here and see AP’s full college football coverage here