Depending on which side of the rivalry, you either will always remember or try to forget the events of Oct. 14, 2023, when UND beat NDSU on the football field for the first time since 2003 in front of a sold-out Alerus Center. The 2024 edition of this intense rivalry would take place in a house of horrors for the Fighting Hawks, as they had not won inside the Fargodome since 2002. Bubba Schweigert’s team came to town confident after holding their own against Iowa State, then winning four straight games at home, including a win over then #4 Montana. NDSU looked dominant in their conference opener at Illinois State and looked to dish out some payback to their hated rival in front of a sellout crowd of 18,723.
The Bison took the ball first, and right from the jump, you knew who would be the aggressor on this day. TK Marshall took the opening kickoff to the NDSU 44-yard line before the offense punched the UND defense right in the mouth. A seven-play, 56-yard drive ended with a CharMar Brown touchdown run to give NDSU the early 7-0 lead.
Later in the quarter, another seven-play drive yielded another touchdown. On a first-and-10 from the UND 36, Cam Miller launched a deep ball to the endzone, where Bryce Lance hauled it in to increase the Bison lead to 14. The score was Lance’s fifth of the season.
The Fighting Hawks would respond on the next drive as tight end and former quarterback Quincy Vaughn plowed his way into the endzone to cut the NDSU lead in half. UND’s momentum was short-lived, however, as the ensuing kickoff landed out of bounds, giving the herd the ball at the 35-yard line, and the Bison would take full advantage as just five plays later, they were back in the endzone. Cam Miller would hook up with Chris Harris for a 16-yard touchdown to push the lead back to 14. The touchdown was Harris’ first collegiate score.
The two teams would then trade field goals as UND’s C.J Elrichs would hit a 45-yard field goal, and then Griffin Crosa would convert a 34-yard field goal to send the teams to the locker room, with NDSU leading 24-10. The Fighting Hawks have been one of the best second-half teams in the FCS this season, especially in their comeback win vs. Montana, as they overcame a 24-3 halftime deficit to win 27-24. UND would get the ball out of halftime but their second-half magic was quickly halted on the very first play of the second half as quarterback Simon Romfo was strip-sacked by Dylan Hendricks and was recovered by Jaxon Duttenhefer. The turnover quickly turned into offense as an eight-play drive was finished off by Cam Miller, who scored a two-yard rushing touchdown to put NDSU up 31-10. The rushing score was the signal caller’s 42nd of his career, which is the most in Missouri Valley Football Conference history, passing Easton Stick.
Later in the third, NDSU would look to finish off UND but it came with an unexpected twist as Cam Miller injured his left ankle on the seventh play of the drive on a QB scramble. Miller would not return to the game, but the Bison offense didn’t skip a beat as Cole Payton came in as offensive coordinator Jake Landry called a “flea flicker”, Barika Kpeenu took a handoff then pitched it back to Payton, who fired a 33-yard strike down the seam to Mekhi Collins who made the catch to put NDSU ahead 38-10.
In the fourth quarter, UND made one final charge. A big punt return by Bo Belquist put UND at the NDSU five, where Simon Romfo found Caden Dennis for a touchdown to bring the Hawks within three scores. Griffin Crosa would make a 45-yard field goal to add three more but in the 117th meeting between the in-state rivals, North Dakota State showed that North Dakota is a Bison state by winning 41-17.
The Bison ran the ball for 208 yards and two touchdowns. CharMar Brown tallied 83 yards and a score, while Cam Miller ran in the other rushing touchdown. Miller was once again excellent at throwing the football, completing 13 of 19 passes for 168 yards and two scores.
UND was held to 267 total yards and 101 yards on the ground. Simon Romfo completed 18 of 23 passes for 166 yards, a touchdown and a fumble lost.
North Dakota State will be back on the road next week when it heads to Carbondale, Illinois, to take on the Southern Illinois Salukis at Saluki Stadium. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. The game is the MVFC game of the week, so it can be seen exclusively on ESPN+.