Okay NOW we can start talking about it.
NDSU set the table for Saturday’s showdown with South Dakota State by throttling Southern Illinois 24-3 in Carbondale, Illinois on Saturday October 12, setting up a Fargodome battle of 1 vs. 2 in the polls.
But first, what happened Saturday with the Salukis? The 2 nd ranked Bison topped Southern Illinois 24-3 before a homecoming crowd of 9,610 at Saluki Stadium.
Who schedules NDSU for Homecoming by the way?
Anyhow, the Bison moved to 6-1 overall and 3-0 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, while Southern Illinois fell to 2-5 overall and 0-3 in the league.
NDSU was never really in trouble in this one, taking on a struggling SIU team that had lost three straight while losing its top three quarterbacks. Southern was down to a true freshman under center who never figured to be playing this year but was forced into duty because of injuries.
SIU got the ball first and used a no-huddle offense to move the ball inside Bison territory, but the NDSU defense stiffened, as Sam Jung forced a fumble after a completed pass took the ball inside the NDSU 30 yard line. Nick Kubitz pounced on the ball and gave NDSU its first possession.
The Bison moved quickly down the field on a 7-play drive that took less than four minutes. West Fargo product Barika Kpeenu finished the drive, charging in from 6 yards out. It would be the only points NDSU would need. The Saluki defense gave a spirited effort, however, and when SIU made a 50-yard field goal late in the second quarter, Bison fans found themselves a bit more nervous than they expected to be. But the Bison defense would not allow another point on the afternoon.
NDSU struck again just before halftime on an 11-yard pass from Cam Miller to Chris Harris with just 31 seconds left to play, and the Bison fans were able to enjoy halftime in a more relaxed fashion with a 14-3 lead.
The only scoring in the third quarter came on a Griffin Crosa 34-yard field goal, and the Bison took a 17-3 lead to the fourth. NDSU would seal the win with a 9-yard CharMar Brown touchdown run and it was “mission accomplished” for NDSU, in a 24-3 win.
NOTEBOOK
There were many high points for the Bison defense. Linebacker Logan Kopp made a team-high seven tackles including one of NDSU's five sacks as the Bison held SIU to 4 of 10 on third down and 187 total yards. NDSU's defense created two turnovers including that crucial stop on the game’s opening drive and Darius Givance grabbed NDSU’s lone interception.
On offense, NDSU quarterback Cam Miller was efficient, going 18 of 24 passing for 193 yards. CharMar Brown led the ground attack with 20 carries for 95 yards. Several receivers made an impact, led by Bryce Lance’s five catches for 63 yards. The NDSU offense was 4 of 5 on trips inside the Red Zone.
The Bison defense held Southern Illinois to 35 rushing yards, and just 1.5 yards per carry. It was another clean game for NDSU, who did not turn the ball over and committed just 6 penalties for 50 yards.
ABOUT SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
South Dakota State University is the 2-time defending national champion, and is now 5-1, 2-0 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. The Jackrabbits only loss was an opening day 44-20 setback at FBS Oklahoma State.
SDSU is coming off a 63-13 victory over Youngstown State. With the win, SDSU tied the MVFC record for consecutive victories in league play at 19, matching the mark set by North Dakota State from the fall of 2017 until the 2020-21 spring season.
The Jacks have won 32 consecutive FCS games and 24 straight at home. SDSU is led by senior quarterback Mark Gronowski, who won the Walter Payton award last season as the best player in FCS Football. He has a record of 42-4 as a starter at SDSU.
Gronowski was named to the Stats FCS Perform All-America preseason first team along with senior linebacker Adam Bock. The Jackrabbits went undefeated in league play each of the past two seasons and have been ranked #1 in the FCS Polls for 22 consecutive weeks, dating back to Oct. 17, 2022.
AN EVENING AFFAIR IN PRIME TIME
The 21st annual Dakota Marker football game between No. 1-ranked South Dakota State and No. 2-ranked North Dakota State has been scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19, with television coverage on ESPN2.
Tickets are currently sold out, but some tickets are available through secondary market online sources. A check of ticket prices, Monday morning, showed the cheapest pair of tickets at $192 plus fees and the most expensive at $878 plus fees.
Saturday will be the first national TV appearance for the Dakota Marker game, which was established in 2004 when NDSU and SDSU began Division I play. The series is tied 10-10.
This will be NDSU's 43rd nationally televised football game as a Division I program. The Bison are 20-1 at home and 20-2 on ESPN2 with a national TV audience. Offensively, NDSU is ranked #11 in FCS yards per game at 444 while SDSU is #13 at 439. Defensively, SDSU is ranked #12 in FCS yards allowed per game at 298 while NDSU is #14 at 302. (Courtesy NDSU Media Relations)
FCS Coaches Poll – October 14, 2024
First Place Votes Record Points Rank Last Week
1 South Dakota State (21) 5-1 644 1
2 North Dakota State (2) 6-1 621 2
3 Montana State (3) 7-0 603 3
4 South Dakota 5-1 572 4
5 Villanova 5-1 535 5
6 UC Davis 6-1 514 6
7 Mercer 6-0 491 7
8 Southeast Missouri State 6-1 455 9
9 Tarleton State 6-1 418 11
10 North Dakota 4-2 403 10
11 Montana 5-2 367 14
12 Central Arkansas 5-2 342 13
13 UIW 4-2 325 15
14 Idaho 4-3 309 8
15 Richmond 4-2 255 17
16 William & Mary 4-2 249 18
17 Rhode Island 5-1 219 21
18 Florida A&M 3-2 157 19
19 New Hampshire 4-2 126 22
20 Missouri State 4-2 131 25
T21 ACU 4-3 127 12
T21 North Carolina Central 5-2 127 24
23 Illinois State 4-3 92 16
24 Dartmouth 4-0 84 NR
25 Jackson State 4-2 37 NR
SCHEDULE
Regular Season
DATE OPPONENT RESULT W-L (CONF)
Thu, Aug 29 @ Colorado L31-26 0-1 (0-0)
Sat, Sep 7 Vs Tennessee State W52-3 1-1 (0-0)
Sat, Sep 14 @ East Tennessee State W38-35 2-1 (0-0)
Sat, Sep 21 Vs Towson W41-24 3-1 (0-0)
Sat, Sep 28 @ Illinois State W42-10 4-1 (1-0)
Sat, Oct 5 Vs North Dakota W41-17 5-1 (2-0)
Sat, Oct 12 @ Southern Illinois W24-3 6-1 (3-0)
DATE OPPONENT TIME
Sat, Oct 19 Vs South Dakota State 7:00 PM
Sat, Oct 26 @ Murray State 1:00 PM
Sat, Nov 2 Vs Northern Iowa 2:30 PM
Sat, Nov 16 Vs Missouri State 2:30 PM
Sat, Nov 23 @ South Dakota 1:00 PM
