Nothing Normal: Jackson Williams Kick Six Propels Bison to Bowl Eligibility in Crazy 31-17 Win over Nevada

Following their first loss of the FBS era in Las Vegas, North Dakota State returned to the friendly confines of the Fargodome to face UNLV's rival, the University of Nevada. The friendly confines were a house of horrors for Reno head coach Jeff Choate, as he brought two Montana State teams into the dome for FCS playoff games and was outscored 94-24 in two humiliating losses.

The good news for Coach Choate this time around was his team grabbed an 11-0 lead in the second quarter. The bad news: the ghosts of Fargodome past showed up and outscored his team 31-6 the rest of the evening as NDSU earned its sixth win and bowl eligibility with a 31-17 win over the Wolf Pack.

NDSU picked up where they left off with a sluggish offense, managing just 46 yards of total offense in the first quarter and one scoring chance, which ended with a missed 53-yard field goal by Drew Klein. Nevada started backup quarterback AJ Bianco because starter Carter Jones was dealing with a right elbow injury.

Bianco took command of the Reno offense as he scored the first points on a 15-yard QB draw where he beat Gavin Sell to the end zone. Coach Choate would up the ante by going for two out of the "swinging gate" formation, and Trace Estes would take a direct snap into the endzone for two, and the Wolf Pack threw the first uppercut to lead 8-0.

With NDSU continuing to sputter offensively, and a 41-yard punt return by Gerick Robinson. Nevada looked to put an early chokehold on this game from the NDSU 25-yard line. "Code Green" would bow up and hold the Wolf Pack to a 39-yard field goal from Joe McFadden to increase the lead to 11.

North Dakota State hadn't scored any points in nearly an hour's worth of game time across the UNLV loss and the beginning of this game with Nevada. That would change at 6:04 to play in the first half, as Nathan Hayes would take a QB sneak five yards behind center Gage Schmidt for NDSU's first points. They would go for two to try to make it a three-point game, but the ball went through Mekhi Collins' hands.

Undeterred, the Bison once again threatened in the two-minute drill late in the first half as Hayes went right back to Collins, this time for a 21-yard touchdown pass that saw the Bison signal caller drop one in the bucket to Collins in the back left corner of the end zone to give NDSU the lead. Klein's point-after was blocked, so the Bison led 12-11 with 21 ticks left in the half. Usually, the team receiving the ball this late in the half would kneel on the ball and go into the locker room, but not Jeff Choate.

A strong kick return by Kai Woods set up the Wolf Pack at their own 42 with nine seconds left. Bianco would complete a pass to Gary Givens III that put the ball at the NDSU 39 with three seconds left. Choate sent McFadden on the field for a 57-yard field goal attempt. McFadden hadn't missed all year up to this point, but his longest made kick so far this year was just 45 yards. Knowing this, the NDSU coaching staff called for "Memphis," which is a designed return off a missed field goal.

Jackson Williams stood in the end zone as McFadden left his attempt short, and then "Memphis" became "Heartbreak Hotel" for Nevada as Williams took the missed kick down the Wolf Pack sideline for a 100-yard return touchdown. The TD is Williams' fifth career return touchdown.

Nevada would fight back in the third quarter as Gary Givens III made an absurd underhanded one-handed catch to draw Nevada within two, or so he thought. The Wolf Pack wanted to even the game at 19 with another two-point conversion, and there would be two points put on the board, but for the other team. The boys from Reno decided to get cute, as Ky Woods would lateral the ball to Damien Morgan, who would fumble the ball. Matthew Stenbroten was Johnny on the spot for NDSU as he rumbled 74 yards for two points, and the Bison lead was four after this whole sequence, 21-17.

Later in the third, budding star corner Marion Moore decided to get in on the fun as he made a Michael Jordan silhouette-looking interception on the sideline at the Wolf Pack 36-yard line to thwart another Nevada drive. His efforts would be turned into three points as Klein would hit a 39-yard field goal to make it a seven-point game.

The Bison offense would clinch the win early in the fourth as Hayes would throw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Reis Kessel to push the lead to 14. Moore would get his second interception late in the fourth to seal a 31-17 Bison win. The victory is NDSU's sixth, which also means that the Bison are eligible for a bowl game in their first year of FBS competition.

NDSU received a green bowling pin to commemorate the monumental feat. Head Coach Tim Polasek knows how important the moment is, but he feels his team has more to improve upon.

"It's a big deal, seven games into it and we're bowl eligible. It's pretty fascinating with this group of kids, and we're in the middle of a process." He continued, "We just got to keep improving; we got to keep coaching these guys, and I encourage everybody to keep supporting them. It should be a fun season."

Nathan Hayes shook off his three-interception performance against UNLV and went back to his efficient style of play. He was 19 of 25 passing for 153 yards and three total touchdowns. The Bison ran for 192 yards in the win as the run game continues to grow, but Jackson Williams stole the show as he tallied 151 all-purpose yards and his memorable kick six.

Williams talked about the return touchdown after the game: " I didn't know if he (McFadden) would have the leg to do it or not, but seeing it short there, my eyes got so wide. I was ready to go."

"Code Green" really shut the door after giving up 11 straight points to open the game. NDSU outscored Nevada 31-6 the rest of the game thanks to a defense that held the No.3 rushing offense in the conference to nearly 100 yards under its season average. Herschel Turner ran for 192 yards in the win over UTEP last week, but against NDSU, he was held to 10 yards on just five carries.

AJ Bianco gutted it out despite a lingering leg injury and being under constant duress. He was 17 of 34 passing for 190 yards, two total touchdowns, and two interceptions.

Jeff Choate was proud of the effort Bianco showed. " Can't say enough about the courage that AJ Bianco showed. He was getting beat up, and he kept getting off the mat after getting his ankle dinged up on that opening drive. And was still able to move a little bit and extend some plays and create some opportunities for us down the field."

With their bowl eligibility now secured, NDSU turns its focus to the conference leaders, the New Mexico Lobos. The Lobos are led by second-year head coach Jason Eck, who Bison fans remember from his time as South Dakota State's offensive coordinator from 2019-2021.

Eck has turned the Lobos from also-rans to G6 contenders as they posted their first nine-win season since 2016 last season. New Mexico will host NDSU on its Homecoming following a 21-10 win at Hawai'i. The Lobos are 5-1 on the year and 2-0 in conference play, with their lone loss being a 14-6 thriller at Oklahoma.

They are quarterbacked by sophomore Toa Fa'avae, who is filling in for an injured Jack Layne, who is out for the entire season due to injury. Former Montana State running back Scottre Humphrey leads the team on the ground with 332 rushing yards, including a 49-yard touchdown at Hawai'i.

This matchup between the Bison and Lobos will come down to defense, as these two teams are ranked No.1 and No.2 in scoring defense, with NDSU giving up just 11.3 PPG compared to New Mexico's 12.3 PPG. Where New Mexico stands out is in turnovers, as they lead the FBS with a +18 turnover margin; they are six takeaways ahead of the next closest team, which is UCLA at +12. For comparison, NDSU is +6, which is tied for twelfth.

Both teams will also be without top defensive players, as NDSU will be missing defensive tackle Alijah Wayne and possibly Darius Givance, who didn't play in the Nevada game. New Mexico will be without preseason Mountain West defensive player of the year Jaxton Eck, who injured his shoulder and is not expected back for a few weeks.

A win for NDSU likely means a trip to the Mountain West title game, while a New Mexico win means the path to a conference title will go through Albuquerque.

Kickoff between the Bison and the Lobos is set for Saturday, October 24, at 9 p.m. Central Time from University Stadium in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The game can be seen on The CW and heard on Bison 1660/ 92.7 FM.

For a recap of the Nevada game and a full preview of the New Mexico Lobos, be sure to watch the Bison Overtime show with Grant Hubbard, Ethan Ibach, and Peter Havelka on the Bison Information Network YouTube channel and on X @Bison_Overtime.