This article was written by Flag Family Media’s Steve Hallstrom
The battle for bragging rights turned out to be a one-sided affair as 2 nd ranked NDSU drilled #6 UND 41-17 in Fargo on Saturday. NDSU rolled to its fifth straight win while UND saw its four-game winning streak come to an end.
TK Marshall’s 44-yard return on the opening kick ignited the NDSU attack and the Bison converted on a seven play, 56-yard drive culminating in a CharMar Brown 2-yard touchdown plunge.
NDSU was just getting started. The Bison opened up a 14-0 lead late in the first quarter on a 36-yard TD pass from Cam Miller to Bryce Lance. It was 14-0 after one, and NDSU never looked back.
The Fighting Hawks got on the board early in the second quarter as running back Quincy Vaughn capped off an 11 play, 75-yard drive to make it 14-7, but Miller connected a short time later with junior receiver Chris Harris and the lead was again 14. The teams traded field goals to close out the half and NDSU led 24-10 heading to the third quarter.
NDSU put the game out of reach in the third, beginning with a 2-yard Cam Miller keeper, and added a 33-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback Cole Payton to Mekhi Collins. UND put a fourth quarter touchdown on the board, but Griffin Crosa made sure the comeback never took root, with a 45-yard field goal and the rivalry game was in the books with a 41-17 win.
The win keeps NDSU a perfect 5-0 against FCS opponents and the 41 points is NDSU’s fourth game scoring more than 40 points. The Bison are now averaging 40 points per game and have been held under 38 only once, by FBS Colorado.
Cam Miller finished 13 of 19 passing for 168 yards and two touchdowns and also picked up his 42nd career rushing TD. The score sets a new conference record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback. Miller left the game late in the third quarter, with NDSU up 31-10. Miller appeared to suffer an ankle injury sliding at the end of a 12-yard run and did not return. Head Coach Tim Polasek said, after the game, that Miller could have returned if needed.
NOTEBOOK
Safety Sam Jung made a team-high six tackles including one tackle for loss to lead the NDSU defense, which held UND to 101 rushing yards and 5 of 11 on third down. The Bison (5-1, 2-0 MVFC) also recovered two fumbles with defensive end Dylan Hendricks forcing one and recovering the other.
Collins led the Bison with three catches for 47 yards, while Lance had two receptions for 50 yards. Marshall made two catches for 42 yards, and Harris had two catches including his first career touchdown.
UND quarterback Simon Romfo was 18 of 23 passing for 166 yards and Bo Belquist made four catches for 61 yards to lead the Fighting Hawks (4-2, 1-1 MVFC). Gaven Ziebarth carried 12 times for 65 yards.
The game was a sellout, with an announced crowd of 18,723 at the Fargodome. This was the 117th meeting between North Dakota State and North Dakota dating back to 1894,
the 10th most played rivalry among current FCS programs. UND still leads the all-time series 63-51-3, but NDSU has a 6-1 edge as Division I opponents since 2015. The Fighting Hawks won 49-24 last year in Grand Forks. UND has now lost five straight in Fargo since a 12-6 victory in 2002.
NDSU won the first downs battle with 25 to UND’s 14. The NDSU rushing game outgained the Fighting Hawks 208 to 101. NDSU was a perfect 4-for-4 scoring in the Red Zone, meaning that NDSU got points on all four trips inside UND’s 20-yard line. It was a clean game, with no turnovers for either side. UND had just six penalties and NDSU had only five.
-Courtesy NDSU Media Relations
NEXT UP FOR THE BISON
North Dakota State is on the road Saturday to face Southern Illinois. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. in Carbondale, Illinois.
Southern Illinois is 2-4, and 0-2 in the Missouri Valley Conference after losing at home 45-10 to Illinois State on Saturday.
The Salukis have been hammered by injuries especially at the quarterback position and are now down to their fourth-string signal caller. In Saturday’s game, SIU lost quarterback Hunter Simmons with a broken leg, ending his season. Southern was already without DJ Williams, the teams original starting quarterback, who broke his hand in Week 3, and quarterback ET Harris who suffered a season-ending injury in training camp.
After starting the season 2-1, SIU has dropped its last three games. The Salukis came into the game ranked #19 and were playing their fourth-straight ranked opponent. On offense, Southern moved the ball effectively, outgaining Illinois State, 487-407, but had difficulty scoring in the red zone, with three more empty-handed trips on Saturday. True freshman Jake Curry is the only healthy quarterback on the roster and will make his first start next week against the Bison. The rookie was 8-of-19 for 133 yards and a pair of interceptions on Saturday.
FCS MEDIA POLL
October 7, 2024
First Place Votes Record Points Last Week
1 South Dakota State (36) 4-1 1376 1
2 North Dakota State (14) 5-1 1346 2
3 Montana State (6) 6-0 1309 3
4 South Dakota 4-1 1220 4
5 Villanova 5-1 1145 6
6 UC Davis 5-1 1084 9
7 Idaho 4-2 1062 10
8 Mercer 5-0 939 11
9 North Dakota 4-2 869 7
10 Abilene Christian 4-2 854 16
11 Southeast Missouri 5-1 840 13
12 Central Arkansas 4-2 795 5
13 Tarleton State 5-1 717 14
14 Montana 4-2 683 8
15 UIW 3-2 662 15
16 Illinois State 4-2 532 18
17 William & Mary 4-2 442 12
18 Sacramento State 2-3 404 17
19 Rhode Island 4-1 359 20
20 Weber State 3-3 252 NR
21 Richmond 4-2 229 NR
22 Lamar 3-2 206 24
23 Chattanooga 2-3 166 NR
24 Northern Arizona 3-3 101 25
25 North Carolina Central 4-2 85 NR
2024 SCHEDULE
DATE OPPONENT RESULT W-L (CONF)
Thu, Aug 29 @ Colorado L 31-26 0-1 (0-0)
Sat, Sep 7 vs Tennessee State W 52-3 1-1 (0-0)
Sat, Sep 14 @ East Tennessee State W 38-35 2-1 (0-0)
Sat, Sep 21 vs Towson W 41-24 3-1 (0-0)
Sat, Sep 28 @ Illinois State W 42-10 4-1 (1-0)
Sat, Oct 5 vs North Dakota W 41-17 5-1 (2-0)
DATE OPPONENT TIME
Sat, Oct 12 @ Southern Illinois 2:00 PM
Sat, Oct 19 vs South Dakota State TBD
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
