JACKRABBITS SUFFER FIRST LOSS OF THE SEASON

Saturday, October 25

Brookings, S.D.

7 p.m.

South Dakota State University

7-1 , 3-1

North Dakota State

8-0 , 5-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

North Dakota St.

South Dakota St.

Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia

10/25/2025 11:41:00 PM | Football

Box Score SDSU POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE

North Dakota State quarterback Cole Payton rushed for four touchdowns and racked up 380 yards of total offense to lead the top-ranked Bison to a 38-7 victory over South Dakota State in the annual Dakota Marker game before a Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium record crowd of 19,477 Saturday night.

In retaining the Dakota Marker, NDSU improved to 8-0 overall and 5-0 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. The second-ranked Jackrabbits suffered their first loss of the season, falling to 7-1 overall and 3-1 in league play. The loss also snapped SDSU's 33-game home winning streak that dated back to the 2021 season.

Playing without starting quarterback Chase Mason, who was injured last week at Murray State, SDSU was held without a first down until early in the second quarter. All three Jackrabbit drives of the opening stanza resulted in three-and-outs and a total of two yards.

The Bison, meanwhile, clicked on all cylinders throughout the first 20 minutes of the game as they scored touchdowns on each of their first three possessions. NDSU strung together a 16-play, 84-yard drive that consumed nine minutes the first time it held the ball, ending the march with 1-yard touchdown run by Payton.

Payton would score from 2 yards out with 16 seconds remaining in the first quarter and Bariku Kpeenu added a 2-yard touchdown run to complete a seven-play, 68-yard drive early in the second quarter to push the lead to 21-7.

After the Jackrabbit defense came up with its first stop of the night, SDSU turned a short field after a Bison punt into the wind into its only points of the night. The Jackrabbits turned to some trickery on the first play of the drive as wide receiver Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda threw a pass on an end-around to Lofton O'Groske on the right-side numbers for 26 yards. On the next play, quarterback Luke Marble tossed a pass to the other side of the field for a 17-yard touchdown pass.

SDSU's attempt to seize more of the momentum was thwarted, however, when Payton completed a pass to Bryce Lance for 10 yards on third-and-8, then rambled 57 yards down the left side for his third touchdown of the night.

A 43-yard field goal by Eli Ozick with a couple seconds remaining in the first half upped the NDSU lead to 31-7.

After a scoreless third quarter that included SDSU's Koby Bretz picking off a Payton pass at the goal line, Payton put the finishing touches on the night with a 47-yard touchdown run. He ended the game 18-of-23 passing for 243 yards and an additional 137 yards on 17 carries.

NDSU finished with a 500-166 advantage in total offense and accumulated 38 minutes in possession time. Lance recorded game highs on the receiving side with five catches for 103 yards.

Marble finished his first career start by completing 7-of-16 passes for 89 yards. Julius Loughridge tallied 38 rushing yards on 10 carries.

Cullen McShane registered a game-high 11 tackles for SDSU, followed by Jalen B. Lee and Kobe Clayborne each with career highs of nine stops.

For NDSU, Donovan Woolen paced the defensive effort with nine tackles.

UP NEXT
South Dakota State closes out a two-game homestand Nov. 1 by hosting Indiana State. Kickoff for the Military Appreciation game is set for 2 p.m.

NOTES

NDSU leads the Dakota Marker series, 12-10, and the overall series by a 66-47-5 count
The Jackrabbits' 33-game home winning streak stands as the fourth-longest in Football Championship Subdivision history
SDSU now holds a 65-8 record in 10 seasons at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium
The previous stadium attendance record was 19,431 against NDSU in 2023
SDSU has intercepted 10 passes in its last three games and has 13 for the season

-GoJacks.com-