NDSU Football ends SDSU jinx, claim Dakota Marker 13-9
Steve Hallstrom
Special to The Farmer
Finally!
Those words were shouted from the top of the Fargodome to the playing floor on Saturday, as NDSU came from behind to top #1 South Dakota State 13-9 on Saturday, Oct. 19.
The Bison had lost five straight to South Dakota State but hoisted the Dakota Marker as the clock struck zero and a sellout crowd, well most of it anyway, cheered the team that won its seventh game of the season.
The Bison closed strong on both sides of the ball. Raja Nelson caught a 20-yard TD pass from Cam Miller, his second scoring grab of the day, with 1:49 to play, and Logan Kopp sealed the deal with an interception in the game’s closing seconds.
NDSU moves to 7-1 on the season while the Jackrabbits dropped to 5-2. The win also gives NDSU the inside track to the Missouri Valley Football Conference title. The Bison now stand 4-0 in conference play with two of their final three conference games scheduled for the Fargodome. SDSU drops to 2-1 in league play.
The matchup of 1 vs. 2 in the national rankings lived up to the billing. The game was a defensive struggle from the opening minutes as neither team dented the scoreboard in the first quarter. The Bison opened the scoring early in the second quarter as Miller hit Nelson, from 18 yards, for the first of his two receiving scores, and NDSU was on top 7-0.
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