Defensive Domination: NDSU Forces Four Turnovers in 38-0 Blanking of Fordham

Following their first win in FBS history, North Dakota State returned to its FCS roots, hoping for an encore performance against the Fordham Rams. Following a choppy first half, Marion Moore's third-quarter pick-six propelled NDSU to a 38-0 shutout and improved to 2-0.

The Bison offense took the field first and got on the board quickly as Drew Klein hit his fifth field goal of the season with a 39-yard effort to give the Bison an early lead. Fordham held their own in the first quarter, holding NDSU to just three first-quarter points even though they were outgained 130 to 12 in total yardage.

NDSU punched it into the end zone to start the second as a seven-play, 65-yard drive, ending with DJ Scott waltzing in for a 10-0 lead. The Bison continued to dominate the stat sheet but couldn't flex their muscle on the scoreboard, as Fordham turned the Herd over on downs after an 11-play drive screeched to a halt at the Ram five-yard line when Nathan Hayes overthrew Reis Kessel in the end zone.

However, for the second week in a row, Nathan Hayes executed a flawless two-minute drill as the Bison offense covered 80 yards in just 1:24. Hayes capped off the nine-play march by lofting an eight-yard touchdown pass to Chris Kiel for a 17-0 halftime lead; the catch was Kiel's first collegiate score.

A phrase that was said often during the first half was "The Bison are dominating everywhere but the score." It felt like the Bison were dictating pace if you looked at the stats, as they led in total yards, 245-64, and held the Rams to two rushing yards.

The Bison began to assert themselves in the second half by leaning on "Code Green." Marion Moore responded in kind with his second interception in as many weeks. This one was returned for six as his 37-yard return made it 24-0. Moore's pick was great, but the celebration may have been better, as he did a backflip to commemorate his first career TD. Moore talked about the play afterwards: "When I caught the ball, I blacked out; I had a plan for a long time." The corner never did any gymnastics as a kid, but he learned over time, and it was the most memorable moment of the game.

On the ensuing drive, Cornell transfer linebacker Keith Williams got in on the fun with an interception of his own and returned it to the Fordham 15. Three plays later, Scott would find the end zone for a second time to make it 31-0.

NDSU closed out the scoring in the third with a 12-yard touchdown toss from Nathan Hayes to Mekhi Collins to finalize a 38-0 shutout win over the Fordham Rams.

With the FCS game in the books, Tim Polasek expected more out of his team after the win over Jax State last week. "I was expecting us to be a little more explosive out of the gate, but really pleased. You can't ever take winning for granted at the college level."

His quarterback was efficient in his second college start; Nathan Hayes was 18-of-22 passing for 210 yards and two touchdowns. Eleven different receivers caught passes from Hayes, Trey Drake and Preston Brown. Chris Kiel led them all with 50 yards on four catches and a touchdown.

Kiel's QB had nothing but good things to say about the redshirt freshman. Hayes said, "He's a great player; he's made a lot of big plays throughout fall camp and spring ball. We saw a lot of potential in him."

The Bison running game was held to 128 yards on 43 attempts, but DJ Scott did find the end zone twice and ran for 60 yards. Credit should be given to Fordham's ability to hem in Bison back, as Andrew Osmun and Johnny Schmidt made up 23 of the team's 76 tackles. Osmun led the Rams with 13 stops on the day.

Defensively, "Code Green" has come into this season with fire in their eyes as they have allowed just seven points through eight quarters of football so far this season. They also lead the nation in turnovers with six and have scored 14 points on defense.

Gavin Sell led the team in tackles with six, while three different players sacked Fordham quarterback Gunnar Smith. Sell, Matthew Stenbroten and Kelton McCaslin were all credited with a takedown.

Fordham was held to just 19 yards rushing, and quarterback Gunnar Smith was just 12-of-22 passing for 116 yards and three interceptions. He also lost a fumble that went into the waiting arms of Logan Larson.

This season has truly been a season of firsts: first FBS game, first time playing an FCS team as an FCS school and now they will play their first Mountain West conference game. The climb to the top of the Mountain West begins in Colorado Springs as the Bison head to the Air Force Academy to take on the Air Force Falcons.

The Falcons come into this game off a 34-0 win vs. Duquesne; they ran for 431 yards against the Dukes thanks to their triple option attack. Air Force quarterback Liam Szarka is one of the highest-rated quarterbacks in the conference according to Pro Football Focus.

Szarka and the Falcons have NDSU's full attention, as when the Bison joined the MW, Air Force was the first concern for Tim Polasek. "They're so good with time of possession and running the ball." Polasek said, "We have to be conscious of our possessions; it's not like you're going to go out there and be guaranteed eight, nine or ten possessions."

NDSU has experience against triple option offenses. Polasek has coached against Air Force before when he was the offensive coordinator at Wyoming; defensive coordinator Grant Olson and defensive ends coach Carlton Littlejohn played against Wofford and Georgia Southern. Olson recorded 29 tackles against Wofford in the 2012 FCS quarterfinals.

Kickoff between the Bison and Falcons at Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs, Colorado, is set for 9 p.m. Central. The game can be seen on Fox Sports 1 and heard on Bison 1660/92.7 FM.