Bison Sports Update: October 20th

It is always a great week to be a Bison, but this one was an especially great week to be a Bison!

Football
NDSU Football welcomed in their arch-rival, top-ranked, South Dakota State this Saturday in primetime on ESPN2. The Bison and Jacks would go to war in a rare defensive battle in the series. The first quarter would yield no points, including a missed field goal from SDSU. In the second quarter, NDSU would strike first on a touchdown pass from Cam Miller to RaJa Nelson - SDSU would also find the endzone on a breakaway score from their backup QB Chase Mason as well as a late field goal to put them up before halftime. SDSU did have their extra point blocked. Nelson returned to the lineup for the Bison for the first time in several weeks, his impact would be felt again later on. 
In the 3rd quarter, neither team was again able to score at all. This time it featured a Bison missed field goal from 45 yards out. In the 4th though, things would change. While the teams exchanged punts for the first half of the quarter, NDSU would get the ball pinned back yet again at their own 8 yard line with around 7:40 remaining. The Bison would go the length of the field and score what would be the game-winning touchdown yet again on a pass from Miller to Nelson! The Fargodome, which had been quite loud all night, just went nuts as RaJa toe-tapped in the yellow endzone with the ball in hand. The game was not over though, as SDSU would get the ball back with around 1:40 remaining in the game and all three timeouts left. The Jacks would move down the field, getting to around the 50. However, Bison LB Logan Kopp had other ideas, as he picked off SDSU QB Mark Gronowski to seal the game for NDSU! After a few kneel downs, NDSU would sprint across the field to grab the Dakota Marker for the first time in 5 years, a sight for sore eyes for many Bison fans - myself included! Most certainly a game for the ages played out on national TV, and one that NDSU fans will not soon forget. The Fargodome had plenty of life for the first time in a long time, lets hope it sticks around!
The magnitude of this win for NDSU is absolutely massive, as now the Bison will most certainly be the number 1 team in the country for the first time since October 15, 2022. They also hold a crucial tiebreaker over one of the best teams in the country in SDSU.  Playoff ramifications abound of course, but we will discuss those later on in the season.
This week, the Bison will head back on the road to play Murray State out in Kentucky for the first time. That game will start at 1 PM CT and will be broadcast locally on WDAY and will be streamed on ESPN+.
North Dakota State Football is 4-0 in MVFC play and 7-1 overall on the season.

Women's Soccer
NDSU Soccer came home for a big weekend dual with SDSU and USD coming to town. On Thursday, the Bison women kicked off the rivalry week against SDSU with long 1-0 win over the Jacks! The lone goal was scored towards the end of the 1st half, and NDSU would not need another one! Then, on Sunday, NDSU hosted USD for another big game. The Bison would come up big in a high-scoring game, a 4-2 victory. 
These wins put the Bison in the drivers seat and in control of their own destiny as we head into the final week of the regular season. NDSU only has one game left, while SDSU has two left. Omaha also only has one game remaining. If the Bison can defeat St. Thomas on Sunday, then there is no alternate scenario needed and they will clinch the number one seed in the Summit League tournament. However, if SDSU loses either of their last two games, that would also clinch NDSU's top seed berth. This week, the Bison will host St. Thomas on Sunday at 1 PM CT as their final game of the regular season.
North Dakota State Women's Soccer is 5-1-1 in Summit League play, and 9-5-3 overall on the season.

Volleyball
NDSU Volleyball had a rough weekend. They hosted SDSU for the annual green out on Thursday, and fell to the undefeated Jacks in a 3 set sweep. On Saturday, they will travel down to Vermillion and fall yet again, this time in 5 sets.
This week, the Bison will play a rare 3 game week, starting with a road trip up to Grand Forks to play UND. On Thursday, NDSU will start a two game homestand with a match against St. Thomas at 7 PM CT. They finish up with a home game against Omaha on Saturday at 1 PM CT. 
North Dakota State Volleyball is 3-4 in Summit League play and 7-9 overall on the season.

Look forward to the men's and women's basketball previews in next week's update!
​Go Bison!!