This combination helped Bison to reject an Illinois state rally in a 21 to 13 victory in the Missouri Valley Football Conference game against 6,145 fans.
NDSU (4-1, 3-1 MVFC) is set to play undefeated and No. 3 ranked University of North Dakota (4-0, 4-0) on Saturday, March 20, in a critical conference game. Bison have won 31 consecutive home games.
Bison forced nine punts and kept the Redbirds out of the end zone until the third quarter of Saturday. NDSU has awarded 13 points in the past eight quarters, including a 25-0 victory in the state of Missouri the previous weekend. The Redbirds finished with 257 yards in 67 moves and went 4 to 17 in third-down conversions.
“We are playing harder,” said cornerback Jayden Price of Bison’s sophomore year, who had a punt return to score. “We are playing faster. We are playing with more confidence. We trust each other and let’s have fun.”
Bison’s freshman quarterback Cam Miller helped seal the victory with a 6-yard touchdown run for a 21-13 lead with 3 minutes, 39 seconds remaining. This happened in a third and goal play and culminated in an 84-yard, 13-play attempt after the state of Illinois reduced Bison’s lead to one point.
“What a great move on the part of some of our youngsters at the end of the fourth period,” said Bison head coach Matt Entz.
Bison made a quarterback change in the third quarter after titleholder Zeb Noland launched his second interception in the game on NDSU’s first attempt in the second half. Miller, who had been placed in QB in difficult situations this spring, took over forever after Noland’s turn.
“We just needed a spark,” said Entz.
Entz said after the game that he did not decide whether to make Miller the QB holder. Miller completed 5 of 7 passes for 61 yards to go along with his accelerated touchdown. He ran for 57 yards in 11 attempts to lead the team in the race.
“I knew I was going to get some representatives and I needed to take the opportunity,” said Miller, who is from Solon, Iowa.
Bison protected the eight-point lead in the final seconds, with a Redbirds shot stagnating in midfield with less than a minute to go. ISU’s final play came from his own 47-yard line and quarterback Bryce Jefferson’s deep final throw was very close to the end zone and interrupted by NDSU linebacker Jackson Hankey when time was up.
Bison rotated four new players on the defensive line at times during the final ISU campaign. NDSU ended with two bags, including seven tackles for a loss and an interception.
“You need to have depth in all four positions,” said Entz of the defensive line. “We are fortunate to have 10 players who can play for us and 10 players we trust to play in big situations.”
Jackson Hankey, from the state of North Dakota, hangs from Nigel White of the state of Illinois on Saturday, March 13, at the Fargodome. Michael Vosburg / Photo editor of the forum
The Redbirds entered the table in the third room, taking advantage of another Bison turn. ISU tight end Tanner Taula received a 4-yard touchdown pass from Jefferson to reduce the NDSU lead to 14-7 with 6:40 to play in the third. The Redbirds took advantage of a short field, starting to move on the 47-yard Bison line after a Kobe Johnson fumble.
The Redbirds added a 1-yard touchdown run by Tyler Pennington that reduced Bison’s lead to 14-13 with 11:59 to play in the fourth period. The score remained so after NDSU striker Spencer Waege blocked the shot after a goal by Aidan Bresnahan. This ISU scoring boost was helped by Bison, who jumped out in a quarter-punt game for 3 close to midfield.
A few moves after that drive extension offside move, Jefferson hit Austin Nagel in the stride to catch and run which covered 45 yards to Bison’s 3-yard line. That long play of passing from third to nine defined Pennington’s score.
“We are a young team and we let them play with us, so we had a dog fight for the rest of the game,” said Bison linebacker James Kaczor. “We have to learn how to finish the teams in the first half.”
For the second consecutive game, Bison won a spark of special teams. Price returned an 85-yard punt for a touchdown that gave Bison a 7-0 lead with 11:20 remaining in the first quarter.
In possession of the ball that followed, NDSU forced a 3-and-out of the state of Illinois to take the ball back to the Bison attack. NDSU drove 67 yards in eight moves to build a two touchdown advantage. Miller started this move with a 23-yard pass to Christian Watson.
Johnson crowned the race with a 15-yard touchdown run that gave Bison a 14-0 lead with 5:37 to play in the first quarter.
Bison threatened to make a three-goal game early in the second quarter, but running back Dominic Gonnella was blocked on the goal line in a fourth and goal play by the defensive defenders of 1. ISU Jarrell Jackson and Clayton Isbell were credited with the key stopped. The Redbirds took the casualties at 14:54 to play in the second quarter.
“They do an excellent defensive job,” said Entz of the state of Illinois. “They are pushing, I bet, 70% of the time. … They have a good system. “
The defense of the state of Illinois helped keep the Redbirds at an attack distance, going into the fourth period, forcing Bison’s four turns. ISU defender Charles Woods had two interceptions and the Redbirds also recovered two fumbles. Isbell had seven tackles, including two for a loss, and also forced a fumble.
North Dakota’s Lane Tucker, left, and James Kaczor press Bryce Jefferson from Illinois on Saturday, March 13, at the Fargodome. Michael Vosburg / Photo editor of the forum
“We knew that when entering this game, we definitely had to be physical and create a lot of spins,” said Isbell. “Before the game, the DB unit did not have a spin. We wanted to give the attack a good field position and that was what we did most of the time ”.
NDSU limited the Redbirds’ attack to 79 yards and 29 moves, including 52 running yards. ISU had five first downs in the first half, averaging 2.7 yards per game during the first 30 minutes. Bison had a 14-0 lead at halftime.
NDSU ran for 54 yards in 17 attempts, earning 153 total yards in the first half. Noland completed 6 of 12 passes for 76 yards with a half-time interception. Bison finished with 287 yards in 59 plays.
Entz liked the way Miller played in the second half.
“I am extremely excited about his composure,” said Entz. “I am extremely excited about his ability to make some moves. He was not afraid to pull the ball down and move the chains with his feet. I think you see his athleticism.”