Bison retain Dakota Marker over Jacks

Saturday, October 22

Brookings, S.D.

2:00 PM

South Dakota State University

2-6 , 1-4

North Dakota State

7-0 , 4-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

North Dakota State

South Dakota State

10/22/2011 7:46:00 PM | Football

Box Score

By: SDSU Sports Info

Third-ranked North Dakota State remained undefeated and retained the Dakota Marker with a 38-14 victory over South Dakota State Saturday afternoon before a crowd of 14,823 at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium.

The Bison improved to 7-0 overall and 4-0 in Missouri Valley Football Conference play. SDSU dropped its third consecutive home game to a ranked opponent, falling to 2-6 overall and 1-4 in the MVFC.

The Jackrabbits squandered a pair of scoring opportunities in the first half, missing a pair of field goals. SDSU took the opening kickoff and marched down the field, converting twice on third-and-3 to extend the drive. The Jackrabbits faced first-and-goal from the Bison 1-yard line after Dale Moss won a battle for the ball with an NDSU defender on a 34-yard pass from Austin Sumner. However, the Jackrabbits threw two incomplete passes and a rushing attempt was stuffed at the 1. The 15-play drive ended without any points as Justin Syrovatka's 18-yard field goal attempt from the right hash sailed right.

NDSU opened the scoring on its second possession of the game, moving 58 yards in four plays. Each of the first three plays covered at least 10 yards before Walter Payton Award candidate D.J. McNorton scored from a yard out.

After a 32-yard field goal by Ryan Jastram at the 8:39 mark of the second quarter gave NDSU a 10-0 lead, the Jackrabbits again moved the ball deep into Bison territory late in the half. Moss caught a tipped pass and turned it into a 38-yard gain on third-and-15, and the Jackrabbit rushing attack got in gear out of the Flash formation - SDSU's version of the Wildcat offense. The Jackrabbits advanced the ball to the NDSU 8 before their 12-play drive ended with a missed 28-yard field goal.

The Bison extended their lead to 17-0 on the opening drive of the second half as quarterback Brock Jensen scored from a yard out to cap a nine play, 70-yard drive.

SDSU finally broke into the scoring column on the ensuing possession, with Zach Zenner scoring from a yard out with 6:37 to play in the third quarter. The Jackrabbit drive covered 72 yards on nine plays.

The Jackrabbits were again on the move late in the quarter, moving the ball to their own 48 before the drive stalled after a pair of penalties, including a personal foul.

The fourth quarter belonged to the Bison, who put the game out of reach with a big play on special teams. Ryan Smith started right after fielding the punt at the Jackrabbit 41, then reversed field and turned the left corner en route to the end zone.

With SDSU forced to go for it on fourth down for the remainder of the game, the Bison took advantage of a short field to score a pair of late touchdowns. Jensen tallied his second 1-yard TD run of the game and reserve running back Derrick Lang added a 1-yard plunge to put the Bison up 38-7.

Jackrabbit backup quarterback Jordan Thomas led SDSU on a scoring drive in the final 90 seconds. In his first action in a Jackrabbit uniform, Thomas completed 7-of-11 passes for 80 yards, including a 7-yard touchdown pass to Jason Schneider with four seconds remaining to provide the final margin.

With the final drive proving to be the difference, SDSU held a 349-327 advantage in total offense. Sumner finished the game 18-of-31 passing for 206 yards, but was sacked four times. Moss ended the day with seven catches for a career-high 111 yards. Jason Schneider and Vince Benedetto each caught five passes. Tyrel Kool led the run game for SDSU with 38 yards on 11 carries. Zenner carried seven times for 34 yards.

For NDSU, Jensen was an efficient 20-of-25 passing for 178 yards. Warren Holloway tallied seven catches for 66 yards, while Smith added six receptions for 56 yards. The Bison rushing attack was led by Sam Ojuri with 52 yards on eight carries, while McNorton carried 13 times for 51 yards.

Travis Beck led all players with 10 tackles for North Dakota State. Colten Heagle contributed nine tackles, including 1.5 sacks. R.C. Kilgore, Jake Steffen and Dirk Kool each posted seven stops to lead the Jackrabbits.

SDSU moves on to face Missouri State next Saturday (Oct. 29). Kickoff is slated for 2 p.m. at Plaster Field in Springfield, Mo. NDSU hosts Northern Iowa in a game that likely will decide the MVFC title.

NOTES: NDSU leads the all-time series, 53-40-5 ... the Dakota Marker series is tied at 4-4 ... the 24-point spread ties the largest margin of victory (NDSU 41, SDSU 17 in 2005) in a Dakota Marker game ... NDSU won at Coughlin-Alumni Stadium for the first time since 1999 ... the Jackrabbits dropped to 11-26 against ranked Football Championship Subdivision opponents ... Moss went over the 100-yard receiving for the second time this season ... SDSU has not had a 100-yard rusher since the opening game of the season ... Kilgore's tackle total was a career high ... SDSU changed three starting assignments in the secondary as Bo Helm started at strong safety, Rodkem Matthews started at free safety and Darryl Jackson earned a starting nod at cornerback ... the Coughlin-Alumni Stadium All-Time Team was recognized at halftime ... the crowd of 14,823 was the 10^th-largest in the 50-year history of Coughlin-Alumni Stadium