Coming into Saturday’s matchup against the Illinois State Redbirds (5-3, 3-2 MVFC), the Bison defense had been allowing 157 rushing yards per game this season. When North Dakota State’s leading tackler James Kaczor was ruled out with a knee injury, it seemed like a sure thing that an Illinois State team that ran for nearly 200 yards last week would take advantage of the vulnerable Bison defense. However, coming off a late-season bye, the Bison defense came to play allowing just 76 yards on the ground. 

“Having a good plan and execution, that’s what it comes down to,” Bison coach Matt Entz stated on his team’s run defense. “Tackling and fundamentals always play a key. I don’t think we did a lot defensively, we just tried to do it really well what we did.” 

The Redbirds’ offense, however, would find success in the passing game and get on the board first. Capping off a nine-play 75-yard drive, Illinois State quarterback Zack Annexstad connected with receiver Daniel Sobkowicz on a back shoulder throw for a 13-yard touchdown. At the 3:24 mark in the first quarter, the Bison found themselves trailing 7-0 in front of 16,172 fans in the Fargodome. 

North Dakota State would respond quickly on the ensuing possession, primarily relying on the passing game. One of the key plays of the drive was on a 2^nd & 5 from their own 40-yard line, Bison quarterback Cam Miller connected with wide receiver Braylon Henderson for a 40-yard gain to set the Bison up just inside the red zone. Henderson, who hauled in a catch of 40+ yards for the second straight game, also made a career-high four receptions. 

“His confidence level is out of this world, he’s a competitor,” Entz raved of Henderson. “He wants to be great. Coach Pauley does an outstanding job of preparing everyone in that room.” 

The very next play following Henderson’s reception, Miller connected with Hunter Luepke for a 20-yard touchdown to tie the game at seven a piece. While Luepke would reach the end zone for the 13^th time this season, that would be his only touch of the first half. 

“That was intentional,” Entz disclosed of Luepke’s lack of touches. “We wanted to use him more on the line of scrimmage today. We had TMak (TaMerik Williams) and Hunter in the game, something we hadn’t done up to this point. Another combination of backs and personnel that teams have to prepare for.” 

Following stalled drives by each team, Illinois State started to make some noise by driving into NDSU territory. The drive would come to a screeching halt, however, when Bison cornerback Destin Talbert picked off an Annexstad pass and returned it nearly to midfield. Talbert’s first interception of the year was long overdue. 

“They ran switched seams with their two and their three so their tight end ran a seam to my side,” Talbert recounted. “I kind of started sneaking into my zone toward him and I saw the ball go up so I had to go make a play. It was long overdue for me so, glad I was able to make a play on it.” 

Unfortunately for the Bison, they would not be able to find the end zone again before halftime. Following the interception, Miller would lead the Bison inside the red zone, accounting for 35 total yards on the drive. On a third down and eight from the 11-yard line with eight seconds to go, Matt Entz elected to send his field goal unit onto the field instead of taking another shot at the end zone. 

“The previous snap took six (seconds) and I got awfully nervous that if all of a sudden, we’re tackled in bounds and/or it’s an extended play, I didn’t have any timeouts left,” Entz explained. “I would rather on third down let’s take points going into half knowing that we did a good job.” 

Following Griffin Crosa’s 29-yard field goal, the Bison had a 10-7 lead going into halftime and didn’t look back. The Bison defense came out in the second half and forced a huge stop to give their offense great field position. Starting the drive at their opponent’s 44-yard line, Cam Miller led the Bison into the end zone accounting for over 90% of the Bison’s yardage on that drive. Miller would finish off the drive by rushing in a 4-yard touchdown, his fifth of the year. Nearly halfway through the third quarter, the Bison lead was up to 17-7. 

Miller, who obviously made his mark in the running game, also had a big day in the passing game. Saturday marked just the tenth time in the last 12 seasons an NDSU quarterback attempted 30 passes in a game. 

“Really, it’s all based on space and leverage,” Miller said. “When I get out there and think we have space on the outside better than the inside then I’m going to take the outside and throw it to the receiver.” 

The Bison defense which gave up only two first downs in the second half would continue to dominate. Led by Logan Kopp, who started his first career game, tied a career-high in tackles with seven. As James Kaczor was inactive, Kopp and Cole Wisniewski, who returned from an Achilles injury, stepped in his place. The Bison defense which has struggled with missing tackles all season missed just two tackles yesterday according to Pro Football Focus. Led by Kopp, who was graded at a solid 74.4 by PFF, was a pivotal factor in the Bison’s success. 

“Super excited,” Kopp said of making his first start. “Kind of waiting for it and I think I made the most of my opportunity so that was big.” 

As the Bison defense continued to dominate throughout the second half, the Bison offense would add one more score before the game’s end. Following a huge defensive stop on fourth and one, the Bison offense relied on a quintet of rushers to push the ball down the field. After an impressive 11-play drive, quarterback Cole Payton kept the ball himself and ran into the end zone for a 12-yard score. As the Bison had pushed their lead to 24-7 deep into the fourth quarter, the fourth-ranked Bison could sense their first victory since October 8^th. 

“We know what we’re capable of,” Talbert said of his team. “Today was a chance to get to tell our story, how we really feel, what we are at playing football and went out there and competed. Hopefully, we keep growing from it.” 

As the Bison ran out the clock in their last drive, they finalized one of their most complete games of the season. Following an unusually late bye week, the Bison were able to get a much-needed win following a loss last time out. 

“It was good and bad to have a week in there between our last game,” Entz expressed. “We needed it to continue to get better, to improve at some of the fundamentals. Just to be able to come back and play. As clean of a game we’ve had this year.” 

The Bison will be at Western Illinois next Saturday for a 1:00 p.m. kickoff. The Bison will be back home Saturday, November 19 when they take on UND at 2:30 p.m. at the Fargodome. Student tickets will be available at GoBison.com/Students beginning at 6 p.m. on Saturday, November 12. 

Game Stats: 

Cam Miller; 20-30 174 Yds, 1 TD; Rush TD; Braylon Henderson; 4 Rec 67 Yds 

Dawson Weber; 8 Tackles; Logan Kopp; 7 Tackles; 1 TFL