Herd start slow, win in route

North Dakota State took on the University of Northern Iowa during homecoming weekend. The top-ranked Bison started off slow in the first half before exploding in the second half for a 46-14 win, improving their record to 6-0 on the season.

NDSU started off hot as they marched down the field on their first possession before quarterback Trey Lance connected with wide receiver Phoenix Sproles for a 36-yard touchdown. The Bison extended their lead in the first quarter after a beautiful catch from Cristian Watson for a 19-yard touchdown to put the Bison up 15-0.

The Herd started off the second quarter with an interception by free safety James Hendricks, his second of the season. The Bison failed to capitalize as they gave the ball right back to the Panthers after a fumble. UNI quarterback Will McElvain responded by hitting star receiver Isaiah Weston for a 17-yard touchdown pass.

NDSU was able to drive down the field but had to settle for a field goal to put them up 18-7. However, Northern Iowa put together an impressive drive that ended with a Tyler Hoosman six-yard rushing touchdown to bring the game to 18-14 at halftime.

All great teams are able to put teams away in the second half and that is exactly what the Bison did. UNI received the ball coming out of the half and had a great chance to prove that they were worthy of pulling off an upset.

NDSU defensive back Josh Hayes put that thought to bed after a huge hit forcing a game-changing fumble. It only took the Bison two plays to capitalize off the turnover as Lance threw his third touchdown of the game, this time to Noah Grindorff for a 30-yard touchdown.

Coach Matt Entz expressed how big of play the fumble was, “That was a huge play in the game, especially knowing that they had the first series of the second half.”

The Bison defense showed their dominance as they shutout the Panthers in the second half. They forced two turnovers, had two sacks to go along with four tackles for loss while also adding five quarterback hits.

The ground game was running on all cylinders for the Bison as they ran for 347 yards, averaging 6.8 yards a carry. Adam Cofield led the way with 15 carries for 104 yards and two touchdowns. Cofield’s one-yard touchdown put the nail in the coffin for UNI as it extended NDSU’s lead to 32-14 in the fourth quarter. Kobe Johson ripped off a 50-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter. Johnson showed his explosiveness averaging a whopping 10.6 yards per carry on only nine rushing attempts.

Lance had another great game as he went 10-18 for 145 yards while throwing for three touchdowns. However, his feet were the story in this game as he rushed for 83 yards on 11 attempts and was the Bison’s leading rusher for most of the game.

Looking ahead, NDSU will have Missouri State come to town for the Trees Bowl where the Bison lead the series 25-3 and have a 10 game winning streak in the series.

It was an encouraging sign to see the Bison respond in a big way after playing a rough first half. All great teams are able to come out and dominate after a poor first half and that’s exactly what the Bison did.