Bison scores late-game touchdown to defeat No. 1-ranked SDSU and regain Dakota Marker – InForum

FARGO – The Dakota Marker returns to Fargo after a half-decade thanks to late-game heroics from two North Dakota State veterans.

Senior quarterback Cam Miller threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to senior receiver RaJa Nelson with under two minutes left Saturday night. That crucial game gave the No. 2 Bison a 13-9 win over No. 1 South Dakota State in Missouri Valley Football Conference play in front of 18,807 fans.

“They just kept fighting,” Bison head coach Tim Polasek said. “As a bison you are never out of the fight. There are life lessons to be learned from this victory.”

The Bison snapped a five-game losing streak against the Jackrabbits, including four games to the Dakota Markers. NDSU last defeated SDSU in the 2019 regular season in Brookings.

“This is a big deal,” Polasek said.

Bison linebacker Logan Kopp sealed the win with an interception at the NDSU 38-yard line with a minute left, prompting a loud and raucous reaction from a sellout crowd. The Jackrabbits had moved the ball near midfield before Kopp's takeaway. NDSU had not forced a turnover against the Jackrabbits in the last five meetings.

“Incredible catch,” Polasek said of Kopp’s interception.

NDSU (7-1, 4-0 MVFC) remained undefeated in conference play, while the Jackrabbits (5-2, 2-1) suffered their first loss to FCS competition this season.

Anna Paige / The Forum

The Bison started the game-winning drive at their own 8-yard line with 7 minutes, 14 seconds left in the fourth quarter. The 92-yard march took 10 plays after NDSU struggled to move the ball against SDSU for most of the second half.

On a second-and-8 play, Miller threw a perfectly placed fade ball that Nelson caught in the end zone for the 20-yard score and a 13-9 lead with 1:49 left in the fourth quarter.

The 6-foot-1, 220-pound Miller completed 20 of 27 passes for 163 yards and two touchdowns. Nelson had four catches for 48 yards and two TDS. The Bison totaled 275 yards in 59 games.

David Samson/The Forum

The Bison had a chance to take the lead on the first drive of the second half, but kicker Griffin Crosa missed a 47-yard field goal with 8:12 left in the third quarter. This drive began at the NDSU 17-yard line before coming to a halt at the SDSU 30-yard line.

The Bison followed that FG miss with three consecutive three-and-out drives. NDSU ended this series of quick possessions with the game-winning performance.

NDSU took an early lead after Nelson caught an 18-yard TD pass to give the Bison a 7-0 lead with 6:03 left in the second quarter. That was the culmination of a 69-yard march that lasted 13 plays. NDSU had four third-down conversions on its first scoring drive of the game.

The Jackrabbits countered with a 66-yard touchdown run from quarterback Chase Mason to cut the score to 7-6 with 4:43 left in the first half. On the third-and-1 play, Mason faked a handoff to starting quarterback Mark Gronowski before finding a seam in the Bison defense and marching into the end zone. However, NDSU blocked the extra point.

David Samson/The Forum

Hunter Dustman hit a 42-yard field goal to give SDSU a 9-7 lead at the end of the first half. There were 15 players involved in this 65-yard drive. The Jackrabbits incurred a 15-yard personal foul penalty against NDSU.

The defense was stingy for much of the first half. The Jackrabbits had 214 yards on 37 plays in the first 30 minutes, while the Bison had 117 yards on 28 plays.

This strong defensive play continued into the second half as the Bison held SDSU scoreless in the final 30 minutes of the game. The Jackrabbits finished the game with 333 yards rushing on 66 plays.

“They hung in there and just hit,” Polasek said of his defense.

David Samson/The Forum

David Samson/The Forum

Peterson covers college athletics for The Forum, including Concordia College and Minnesota State Moorhead. He also covers the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks independent baseball team and helps with North Dakota State football coverage. Peterson has worked for the newspaper since 1996.