NDSU Football stops Southern Illinois, sets stage for matchup with #1 SDSU
Steve Hallstrom
Special to The Farmer
Okay NOW we can start talking about it.
NDSU set the table for Saturday’s showdown with South Dakota State by throttling Southern Illinois 24-3 in Carbondale, Illinois on Saturday October 12, setting up a Fargodome battle of 1 vs. 2 in the polls.
But first, what happened Saturday with the Salukis?
The 2nd ranked Bison topped Southern Illinois 24-3 before a homecoming crowd of 9,610 at Saluki Stadium.
Who schedules NDSU for Homecoming by the way?
Anyhow, the Bison moved to 6-1 overall and 3-0 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, while Southern Illinois fell to 2-5 overall and 0-3 in the league.
NDSU was never really in trouble in this one, taking on a struggling SIU team that had lost three straight while losing its top three quarterbacks. Southern was down to a true freshman under center who never figured to be playing this year but was forced into duty because of injuries.
SIU got the ball first and used a no-huddle offense to move the ball inside Bison territory, but the NDSU defense stiffened, as Sam Jung forced a fumble after a completed pass took the ball inside the NDSU 30 yard line. Nick Kubitz pounced on the ball and gave NDSU its first possession.
The Bison moved quickly down the field on a 7-play drive that took less than four minutes. West Fargo product Barika Kpeenu finished the drive, charging in from 6 yards out. It would be the only points NDSU would need. The Saluki defense gave a spirited effort, however, and when SIU made a 50-yard field goal late in the second quarter, Bison fans found themselves a bit more nervous than they expected to be. But the Bison defense would not allow another point on the afternoon.
NDSU struck again just before halftime on an 11-yard pass from Cam Miller to Chris Harris with just 31 seconds left to play, and the Bison fans were able to enjoy halftime in a more relaxed fashion with a 14-3 lead.
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