The Bison ran the ball right at Iowa all game with pristine execution at all levels. The Bison went for two-points and the lead, but Stick was pressured on the play and his pass sailed incomplete. The Bison’s Bruce Anderson averaged a school-record 36.6 yards on 16 kickoff returns last season, running back kicks of 97 yards against Northern Iowa and 100 yards against Montana during North Dakota State’s postseason run.
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Along their way of dominance, they’ve also taking the big boys to school by beating Kansas, Minnesota (twice), Colorado State, Kansas State and Iowa State since 2007.
When neither of them can get going, Iowa’s offense is basically Beathard, wide receiver Matt VandeBerg, and tight end George Kittle.
For just the fourth time since the turn of the century, an FCS school has knocked off an Associated Press Top 25 team from the FBS. The then-Division I-AA school upset MI prompting the AP to change its policy which previously allowed voters to include only Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS – formerly Division I-A) teams on their ballots.
The Bison, who have won five straight national titles in the Football Championship Subdivision, are legit. The Bison moved to 3-0 with the win, while Iowa dropped to 2-1. Stick, a redshirt sophomore who is 11-0 as a starter, was 11 of 19 for 124 yards and a touchdown with one interception.
The Hawkeyes have a veteran quarterback in C.J. Beathard that presents a unique challenge for any defense, not just NDSU.
They couldn’t run the ball against the Bison – the Hawkeyes would finish with just 34 rushing yards on 25 carries once Daniels’ run was sent into the statistical netherworld, never to be seen or heard from again. The University of Iowa came in the 11th-ranked team in the FBS. Instead, it was the Rebels’ second collapse in three games. Behind that ground-and-pound running game, the Bison scored the game’s final nine points. The defense chipped in with nine sacks. The Bison will now take a week off, before returning October 2 to the Fargodome to take on the Illinois State Redbirds for Homecoming. Defensive lineman Da’Ron Payne scooped up the football and dove in for the score to tie the game at 24. Watson completed 12 of 15 passes for 152 yards.
NDSU has a chance if they can keep Beathard in the pocket and minimize VandeBerg’s production. In his first 2 starts, he’s had nearly exactly the same stats (17 completions out of 27 attempts and 2 TD’s vs. 17 completions out of 26 attempts and 2 TD’s).
The Spartans (2-0) turned what had been a close game at halftime into a 29-point lead with three third-quarter touchdowns. Stick scrambled to buy time and his throw to the end zone was incomplete. That came on third-and-goal. Beathard has thrown at least one touchdown pass in six straight games. The Bison won on a last-second field goal, but that doesn’t do justice to the thoroughness with which they beat Iowa.
NO. 20 LSU 23, MISSISSIPPI STATE 20: Leonard Fournette returned from a bruised left ankle in powerful form, rushing for 147 yards and two touchdowns, and No. 20 LSU withstood a late rally to beat Mississippi State. Darrius Shepherd led in receiving with 63 yards and a touchdown in 4 catches while Rj Urzendowski had 62 yards in 2 receptions. The play failed, but the Bison defense held.
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Another tough stat: As a team, Iowa rushed for only 34 yards.
