NDSU vs SDSU 17 to 19

craigmaas

What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? We find out today when the SDSU ‘Jackrabbits’ play the NDSU ‘Bison’.

South Dakota State University Head Coach, John Stiegelmeier has put together a team that shares some of the same strong willed characteristics as the NDSU football team, but with the added dimension of strong passing attack. Quarterback Taryn Christion is averaging 327 yards per game. (The highest in the MVFC [1]) He’s got 20 Touchdown passes already this season. His completion rate skyrocketed to 68%. He threw for 466 yards against Southern Illinois last week; setting a school record. When asked about his improvement from last year, Christion said, “Just getting more reps with the wide receivers over the summer and over the winter.” And what a collection of Receivers: TE #86 Dallas Goedert and WR #19 Jake Wieneke.
NDSU have started this season with a young Secondary: Jalen Allison, Jaylaan Wimbush, and Robbie Grimsley are Sophomores. Tre Dempsey is only a Junior. And there’s not a lot of depth behind them. But as a group they have successfully defended: Charleston Southern, Eastern Washington, Iowa, and Illinois State. Will they add South Dakota State to the list?


First and Goal at the NDSU 02 with 14:23 left in the Fourth Quarter.
QB #3 Taryn Christion’s pass is intercepted by NDSU FS #3 Tre Dempsey in the end zone for a Touchback. –DSC03008.jpg by Craig Maas.

Note: I attended and photographed this game. My photographs cover most of the game and each photo’s description follows the play-by-play, so I recommend you look at the photos in the gallery or use the slideshow to see more photos.

Game Review

Pre-Game


NDSU has been playing SDSU since 1903. This is their 105th game. Since 2004 the teams have created a friendly rivalry in Division I football. Each team looking to win the Dakota Marker [2]. NDSU has won this trophy the last six times. Both teams are currently tied for First in the MVFC [1], with the SDSU Jackrabbits ranked #11 in the FCS and the NDSU Bison ranked #1. NDSU played four Ranked teams to get here including the FBS 11th ranked Iowa ‘Hawkeyes’. Their next three opponents are also ranked. NDSU is on a 14-game winning streak; second only to their 33-game streak from 2012 to 2014. It’s going to be difficult to keep the streak going.

Game Day was from 2:35 pm to 5:35 pm on the Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome with 18,828 in attendance.

NDSU RB #25 Chase Morlock leads the Bison out of the Helmet in a gesture of solidarity with the Morlock family after his father Paul Morlock (52) died from colorectal cancer last Saturday. NDSU Head Coach Chris Klieman said, “I told him football would be here for him whenever he wanted to come back. The team is going to be there to support Chase and his family. It will be up to Chase, whether or not he’s ready to play against South Dakota State.” He was. The funeral was held Thursday at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Moorhead.

SDSU Team Captains: LB #7 Jesse Bobbit, DB #42 Nick Mears, DL #43 Jared Blum, and DL #98 Shayne Gottlob meet the NDSU Team Captains: FS #3 Tre Dempsey, QB #12 Easton Stick, RB #25 Chase Morlock, and LB #41 MJ Stumpf at mid-field to shake hands and call the coin flip. The Jackrabbits win the coin toss and elect to receive.

First Quarter

SDSU RB #26 Mikey Daniel returns #36 Cam Pedersen’s kickoff 21 yards to the SDSU 24 where he’s tackled by RB #25 Chase Morlock. LB #29 Jake Harms is called for a Holding penalty. First and 10 at the SDSU 14.
TE #86 Dallas Goedert drops QB #3 Taryn Christion’s pass. Dallas had a step on the Bison. Christion’s next pass is overthrown to RB #44 Brady Mengarelli in the flat. Christion follows his blockers and runs for 19 yards before he’s chased out-of-bounds by FS #3 Tre Dempsey. First and 10 at the SDSU 33.
QB #16 Zach Lujan replaces Chistion, who limped off the field after the last play. RB #44 Brady Mengarelli gets 2 yards before he’s tackled by LB #41 MJ Stumpf. Mengarelli loses a 1 yard to LB #41 MJ Stumpf and LB #44 Matt Plank on his next carry. Christion comes back in as QB for South Dakota State. RB #44 Brady Mengarelli follows his blockers for 14 yards. The tackle was made by SS #5 Robbie Grimsley and LB #47 Pierre Gee-Tucker. First and 10 at the SDSU 48.
QB #3 Taryn Christion runs and slides for 12 yards: First and 10 at the NDSU 40.
Christion hits TE #86 Dallas Goedert for 12 yards, where he’s wrapped up by CB #23 Jaylaan Wimbush and SS #5 Robbie Grimsley. First and 10 at the NDSU 28.
QB #3 Taryn Christion’s off play-action, dumps the ball to WR #11 Marquise Lewis. Lewis is chased out-of-bounds by CB #21 Jalen Allison and CB #35 Dom Davis. Christion carries off a quarterback draw for 3 yards. RB #35 Isaac Wallace is called for Holding: Second and 12 at the NDSU 30. QB #3 Taryn Christion’s pass is complete to TE #86 Dallas Goedert for 7 yards; he’s brought down by LB #47 Pierre Gee-Tucker. Christion’s next pass is complete to WR #19 Jake Wieneke, who comes back to catch the pass. Wieneke is so off-balance that CB #21 Jalen Allison can’t make the tackle. FS #3 Tre Dempsey and Allison wrestle Wieneke out-of-bounds at the NDSU 3.
QB #3 Taryn Christion’s throw is incomplete to WR #19 Jake Wieneke- a fade pass to no one- Wieneke isn’t even looking. RB #35 Isaac Wallace runs up the middle into LB #44 Matt Plank and LB #47 Pierre Gee-Tucker to the NDSU 1. Christion’s pass is complete to WR #19 Jake Wieneke, but Jake can’t turn the corner around LB #48 Dan Marlette and FS #3 Tre Dempsey: no gain. Fourth and Goal at the NDSU 01. QB #3 Taryn Christion’s pass is overthrown to TE #86 Dallas Goedert to the back of the end zone.

NDSU QB #12 Easton Stick pushes forward into DL #94 Kellen Soulek and DL #54 Cole Langer at the 2 yard line. RB #22 King Frazier pushes hard for 7 yards before he’s tackled by DL #43 Jared Blum. Frazier gets three more, before LB #2 Christian Rozeboom and DB #8 Anthony Washington make the tackle. First and 10 at the NDSU 12.
RB #10 Lance Dunn runs into LB #2 Christian Rozeboom and LB #31 Eric Kleinschmit for three yards. QB #12 Easton Stick puts his hand on OG #66 Zack Johnson and steers behind him for 9 yards. The tackle is credited to DB #8 Anthony Washington and DB #28 Chris Balster. First and 10 at the NDSU 24.
Stick throws to WR #20 Darrius Shepherd on the sidelines for 7 yards. A fumble is forced by DB #8 Anthony Washington, but Shepherd and the ball roll out-of-bounds. Stick runs for 12 yards before he’s pushed out-of-bounds by DB #42 Nick Mears. A good block from RB #25 Chase Morlock sprung Stick. WR #16 RJ Urzendowski is called for Holding. Also SDSU DB #42 Nick Mears is called for a late hit, Personal Foul. First and 10 at the NDSU 48.
QB #12 Easton Stick’s pass is complete to WR #16 RJ Urzendowski; tackled in place by LB #7 Jesse Bobbit and DB #24 Nick Farina. RB #22 King Frazier runs up the middle for 7 yards. He’s tackled by DL #43 Jared Blum (who loses his helmet) and DB #24 Nick Farina. First and 10 at the SDSU 38.
QB #12 Easton Stick can’t find a receiver; so he scrambles 9 yards before he’s tackled by LB #7 Jesse Bobbit. RB #22 King Frazier runs into SS #6 Makiah Slade after four yards. Stick’s pass to WR #4 Dimitri Williams is batted down by DL #99 Blake Whitsell. RB #22 King Frazier carries DB #42 Nick Mears and DL #43 Jared Blum four yards until rest of the Jackrabbit’s Defense shows up to stop the run. Timeout South Dakota State with 1:02 left in the First Quarter. Stick’s pass is complete to TE #85 Nate Jenson for 13 yards. The O-line and Backs run left, Stick rolled right. LB #31 Eric Kleinschmit saved a touchdown. First and Goal at the SDSU 08.
RB #10 Lance Dunn runs up the middle carrying DB #28 Chris Balster and DB #8 Anthony Washington to the SDSU 04.

Second Quarter

NDSU RB #22 King Frazier runs for 3 yards. DB #28 Chris Balster comes up to make the stop. Frazier is stopped by LB #2 Christian Rozeboom and DB #42 Nick Mears for no gain, but inches from the goal line. SDSU DL #99 Blake Whitsell is helped off the field. Fourth and Goal at the SDSU 01.
QB #12 Easton Stick pops out of the scrum, and runs around the Jackrabbits for the Touchdown. #36 Cam Pedersen tacks on the extra point; with 13:49 left in the half the Bison lead 7 to 0.

SDSU RB #26 Mikey Daniel returns #36 Cam Pedersen’s kickoff 15 yards before he’s tackled by LB #44 Matt Plank and LB #45 Levi Jordheim. (And LB #1 Chris Board) First and 10 at the SDSU 19.
QB #3 Taryn Christion is chased out of the pocket, he throws on the run and hits WR #19 Jake Wieneke at the NDSU 43.
Christion runs, changes direction is dropped for a loss of 1 yard by DE #97 Brad Ambrosius. Christion’s pass is over the head of WR #19 Jake Wieneke and almost picked off by CB #21 Jalen Allison. Christion runs through a big hole for 12 yards; into SS #5 Robbie Grimsley. First and 10 at the NDSU 32.
Empty backfield, Christion follows his blocker, FB #41 Kane Louscher, for 10 yards. First and 10 at the NDSU 22.
QB #3 Taryn Christion runs 7 yards into LB #44 Matt Plank and LB #47 Pierre Gee-Tucker. DT #63 Aaron Steidl takes Christion down for a loss of 1. Christion runs tries to get around LB #44 Matt Plank but can’t: a gain of two. Fourth and 2 at the NDSU 14. The Jackrabbits line up to make a #4 Chase Vinatieri field goal attempt. South Dakota State calls a Timeout with 9:28 left in the half. The Jackrabbit Offense comes back on the field. Christion bounces off LB #44 Matt Plank for 3 yards. First and 10 at the NDSU 11.
QB #3 Taryn Christion’s pass appears complete to TE #86 Dallas Goedert after some bobbling. Goedert is on his back when he comes down with it in his hands. The officials rule it incomplete. Goedert pops up, removes his helmet to complain. A flag come outs. LB #44 Matt Plank is called for Targeting. The play is under review. NDSU can’t afford to lose their Middle Linebacker for rest of the game. The Targeting ruling is reversed, a cheer goes up. The incomplete pass rulling stands. Another cheer. [A side note, this play happened right in front of me and I thought Goedert came down with it. I assume the replay video, which shows nothing much either way, was not enough to overturn the call on the field.] Second and 10 at the NDSU 11. QB #3 Taryn Christion’s pass finds RB #44 Brady Mengarelli; met by CB #23 Jaylaan Wimbush, who stops Mengarelli long enough for LB #41 MJ Stumpf and CB #23 Jaylaan Wimbush to make the tackle.. a 4-yard reception. Christion’s next pass is a touchdown to TE #86 Dallas Goedert, or so it seemed until Goedert is called for a False Start. Third and 11 at the NDSU 12. It’s loud down by the South End Zone. Christion goes back to TE #86 Dallas Goedert for 9 yards to the NDSU 3. FS #3 Tre Dempsey races up to make the tackle. Fourth and 2 at the NDSU 03. The play clock runs down, SDSU Head Coach, John Stiegelmeier calls a Time Out with 6:56 left in the half. CB #21 Jalen Allison out-jumps WR #19 Jake Wieneke and blocks Christion’s fade-pass to the corner of the endzone. An amazing stand by the Bison Defense. The crowd is electric by this point.

NDSU RB #25 Chase Morlock runs for 2 yards into LB #7 Jesse Bobbit and DL #94 Kellen Soulek. A cheer goes up for Chase and his family. RB #8 Bruce Anderson runs forward 3 yards but is driven back by LB #7 Jesse Bobbit and DE #69 Christian Banasiak. WR #20 Darrius Shepherd drops QB #12 Easton Stick’s pass.
Punter #19 Jackson Koonce from deep in his end zone, with a high kick, the ball travels 39 yards. A Fair Catch is called by WR #11 Marquise Lewis.

SDSU RB #35 Isaac Wallace picks his way thought the Bison D-line for 11 yards; LB #41 MJ Stumpf makes a shoestring tackle. Wallace runs for 6 yards; LB #44 Matt Plank grabs him from behind. Wallace for 5 yards into SS #5 Robbie Grimsley. First and 10 at the NDSU 25.
QB #3 Taryn Christion’s pass is complete to TE #86 Dallas Goedert; tackled in place by CB #2 Quinten McCoy. Christion’s next pass is incomplete to TE #86 Dallas Goedert. SS #5 Robbie Grimsley had an interception in the end zone, but he took one hand off the ball, as if to hold it up, he rolled over, and the ball came out. A cheer and then a groan from the Bison fans on that play. LB #47 Pierre Gee-Tucker runs QB #3 Taryn Christion out-of-bounds for a loss of 3 yards. Gee-Tucker is credited with a Sack. #4 Chase Vinatieri kicks a 38-yard field goal. The Jackrabbits are finally on the scoreboard, but the Bison still lead 7 to 3.
SDSU #97 Sam Koob on the kickoff for a Touchback.

NDSU RB #25 Chase Morlock runs for 7 yards, bouncing of Jackrabbits into DL #43 Jared Blum and DL #54 Cole Langer. QB #12 Easton Stick runs for 3 yards. NDSU called for an Illegal Formation: Five men in the backfield. RB #22 King Frazier can’t get past LB #12 Cody Hazelett after 3 yards. North Dakota State calls a Timeout with 34 seconds left on the clock. Stick stumbles forward 12 yards into LB #12 Cody Hazelett. NDSU calls another Timeout with 29 seconds left on the clock. Stick’s pass is complete to WR #16 RJ Urzendowski who races 16 yards to the sidelines and stops the clock. First and 10 at the SDSU 42.
Empty back field, five receivers, OT #78 Landon Lechler is called for a False Start. Stick’s pass is low, but caught by WR #20 Darrius Shepherd for 9 yards. Stick spikes the balls with 7 seconds left. Stick with a quick pass to WR #20 Darrius Shepherd in the flat. LB #7 Jesse Bobbit and LB #2 Christian Rozeboom got close to Shepherd, and tried to stand him up, but NDSU instantly called their last Timeout with 2 seconds left in the half.
#7 Cole Davis takes LS #51 James Fisher’s snap; makes the hold, so #36 Cam Pedersen can drill a 49-yard field goal. NDSU extends their lead going into the locker room: 10 to 3.

Third Quarter

NDSU RB #8 Bruce Anderson returns #97 Sam Koob’s kickoff from the NDSU 3 yard line to the NDSU 24 before he’s tackled by LB #12 Cody Hazelett and DB #28 Chris Balster.
RB #22 King Frazier runs for 2 yards into DL #54 Cole Langer. QB #12 Easton Stick runs into LB #7 Jesse Bobbit for one. Stick follows with an 8-yard run, and slides to LB #2 Christian Rozeboom. Stick got flushed out of the pocket on the play and there was a lot of open space. SDSU DE #69 Christian Banasiak is helped off the field by the trainers. First and 10 at the NDSU 35.
QB #12 Easton Stick with a quick pass to WR #4 Dimitri Williams for 11 yards; tackled in place by DB #28 Chris Balster. First and 10 at the NDSU 46.
Stick rolls to his left and hits WR #16 RJ Urzendowski on the sidelines for 15 yards. First and 10 at the SDSU 39.
RB #8 Bruce Anderson runs for 6 yards. LB #2 Christian Rozeboom rides him to the sidelines. RB #22 King Frazier pushes forward for 3 yards as LB #29 Jake Harms and LB #2 Christian Rozeboom take him down. QB #12 Easton Stick with a quick throw to WR #20 Darrius Shepherd for 4 yards, hopping on the ground until DB #28 Chris Balster makes the stop. First and 10 at the SDSU 26.
QB #12 Easton Stick follows his blocker: RB #25 Chase Morlock, slips a couple tackles, and runs 26 yards for the Touchdown. #36 Cam Pedersen makes the extra point, and with 10:16 left in the Third Quarter, the Bison lead 17 to 3.

SDSU RB #35 Isaac Wallace returns #36 Cam Pedersen’s kickoff 10 yards before he’s stopped cold by LB #44 Matt Plank.
RB #44 Brady Mengarelli finds room for 10 yards before LB #41 MJ Stumpf comes across to to make the stop. First and 10 at the SDSU 27.
QB #3 Taryn Christion’s pass is complete to TE #86 Dallas Goedert; then Goedert gets a head of steam for 18 yards before CB #21 Jalen Allison pushes him out-of-bounds. First and 10 at the SDSU 45.
RB #44 Brady Mengarelli breaks a tackle and runs for 3 yards into LB #44 Matt Plank. Christion has a lot of time and throws to an open WR #19 Jake Wieneke down the middle, but the pass is dropped. Christion jukes for 6 yards before he’s tackled by FS #3 Tre Dempsey. Fourth and 1 at the NDSU 46. Christion is hit by SS #5 Robbie Grimsley and LB #44 Matt Plank at the line for no gain. SDSU OL #79 Nick Carr comes off the field. The Officiating crew brings out the chains, and then reviews the spot. It stands; the Jackrabbits are short by a foot.

NDSU WR #20 Darrius Shepherd can’t hold on to Stick’s pass on the sidelines. RB #22 King Frazier runs for 6 yards. DB #28 Chris Balster punches the ball free before Frazier lands, and DB #42 Nick Mears recovers. First and 10 at the SDSU 46. The game turns on this fumble.

SDSU QB #3 Taryn Christion with plenty of time, throws deep to WR #19 Jake Wieneke; FS #3 Tre Dempsey jumps up and deflects the ball, incomplete. (TE #86 Dallas Goedert was running free to the end zone.) RB #44 Brady Mengarelli runs up the middle dragging SS #5 Robbie Grimsley for 9 yards. Christion finds the edge to his left, and runs for 12 yards. First and 10 at the NDSU 33.
QB #3 Taryn Christion throws down the middle to WR #19 Jake Wieneke, NDSU DE #93 Jarrod Tuszka is called for a late hit: Roughing Passer. First and 10 at the NDSU 18. Sad.. as FS #3 Tre Dempsey made a great play and deflected the ball.
LB #41 MJ Stumpf grabs RB #44 Brady Mengarelli as he runs by for 6 yards. Christion throws down the middle to TE #86 Dallas Goedert in the end zone for a Touchdown. He’s a big target and Tre is late coming over. #4 Chase Vinatieri makes the extra point and with 5:26 left in the Third Quarter SDSU chips into NDSU’s lead 17 to 10.

NDSU RB #8 Bruce Anderson, from deep in the endzone, returns #97 Sam Koob’s kickoff 13 yards before he’s tackled by SS #37 Lorenzo Williams. First and 10 at the NDSU 13.
QB #12 Easton Stick runs into LB #2 Christian Rozeboom and LB #12 Cody Hazelett for two yards. LB #12 Cody Hazelett and LB #7 Jesse Bobbit make sure RB #10 Lance Dunn is stopped for no gain. Stick winds up and throws deep. WR #20 Darrius Shepherd has DB #28 Chris Balster beat. Shepherd makes the 44-yard catch; Balster just catches his shoe for the tackle. First and 10 at the SDSU 41. Balster comes off the field.
RB #8 Bruce Anderson runs for 2 yards; he’s tackled by LB #7 Jesse Bobbit. Anderson with 2 more before he’s grabbed by LB #2 Christian Rozeboom and DL #94 Kellen Soulek. Bruce Anderson limps off the field with a re-aggravated ankle sprain. Stick under pressure overthrows WR #16 RJ Urzendowski running free to the end zone. #19 Jackson Koonce punts 34 yards, and puts the ball on the SDSU 3; downed by LB #48 Dan Marlette.

SDSU RB #44 Brady Mengarelli runs for 2 yards. CB #2 Quinten McCoy and LB #44 Matt Plank drive him back to the end zone. The Bison fans smell a big play and are very loud. Unfortunately the big play is QB #3 Taryn Christion running for 39 yards down the near sidelines, where CB #2 Quinten McCoy pushes him out-of-bounds. (SS #5 Robbie Grimsley missed his tackle.) First and 10 at the SDSU 44.
QB #3 Taryn Christion with plenty of time throws deep to WR #19 Jake Wieneke. FS #3 Tre Dempsey times the throw and arrives a fraction of a second early and is called for Pass Interference. First and 10 at the NDSU 41.
RB #35 Isaac Wallace running for 3 yards into SS #5 Robbie Grimsley. Christion’s pass is complete to a wide open WR #19 Jake Wieneke for 23 yards. Wieneke drags half the Bison Secondary down field until SS #5 Robbie Grimsley makes the tackle.. but it was a group effort. First and 10 at the NDSU 15.

Fourth Quarter

SDSU QB #3 Taryn Christion hands off the jet-sweep to RB #44 Brady Mengarelli, who gets 13 yards before he’s tackled by FS #3 Tre Dempsey and LB #47 Pierre Gee-Tucker. NDSU FS #3 Tre Dempsey times the ‘back of the end-zone fade’ and makes the interception in front of WR #19 Jake Wieneke. Touchback NDSU, First and 10 at the NDSU 20.

NDSU QB #12 Easton Stick’s pass is incomplete to WR #20 Darrius Shepherd. The play goes under review. In the video it appears the ball is on the ground so the ruling stands. Stick goes back to WR #20 Darrius Shepherd for 4 yards, where he’s pulled out-of-bounds by DB #8 Anthony Washington. LB #2 Christian Rozeboom comes unimpeded to sack Stick for a loss of 6 yards. SDSU SS #37 Lorenzo Williams is called Off Sides. #19 Jackson Koonce kicks it again: 42 yards. NDSU RB #25 Chase Morlock nails WR #11 Marquise Lewis before the ball arrives for an obvious Interference call. A serious mental mistake. First and 10 at the SDSU 50.

SDSU QB #3 Taryn Christion’s pass is complete to TE #86 Dallas Goedert for 23 yards. Goedert ran over half the Bison secondary before CB #21 Jalen Allison and SS #5 Robbie Grimsley take him down. Allison limped to the sidelines. The Bison Secondary is all back-up Corners. Not good against this dangerous SDSU team. First and 10 at the NDSU 27.
RB #35 Isaac Wallace runs into LB #44 Matt Plank for one. An odd call by the Jackrabbits to run. Allison is back in the game. Christion is chased out-of-bounds after 1-yard. Christion’s pass is under-thrown to WR #18 Connor Landberg. #4 Chase Vinatieri with a 42-yard field goal. 11:04 left in the game and SDSU pulls within four: 17 to 13.

NDSU RB #28 Ty Brooks returns #97 Sam Koob’s kickoff 17 yards before he’s tackled by LB #29 Jake Harms. First and 10 at the NDSU 17.
DL #94 Kellen Soulek and LB #2 Christian Rozeboom stop RB #22 King Frazier after a run of 1 yard. QB #12 Easton Stick keeps the ball off the jet-sweep, runs for 11 yards up the middle, tries to cut, but runs into the Umpire: Jim Scifres; yet DL #54 Cole Langer gets credit for the tackle. First and 10 at the NDSU 29.
Stick’s pass is complete to RB #10 Lance Dunn for 5 yards. The tackle was made by DB #28 Chris Balster. Dunn runs for 1 yard before he’s tackled by DB #9 Jordan Brown. Stick, about to get sacked, dumps it to RB #25 Chase Morlock for a loss of 2 yards. Morlock was tackled where he stood by DL #98 Shayne Gottlob. #19 Jackson Koonce punts the football 36 yards; A Fair Catch is called by WR #11 Marquise Lewis. First and 10 at the SDSU 31.

SDSU QB #3 Taryn Christion hits TE #86 Dallas Goedert in stride down the middle. Goedert drags FS #3 Tre Dempsey and SS #5 Robbie Grimsley for 32 yards. First and 10 at the NDSU 37.
RB #44 Brady Mengarelli gets 1 yard before he’s tackled by DE #96 Greg Menard and DT #99 Nate Tanguay. OL #73 Matt Clark lost his helmet.. it’s a physical game. Christion’s pass is complete to RB #44 Brady Mengarelli behind the line. He’s met by LB #47 Pierre Gee-Tucker for a loss of 4 yards. Timeout called by SDSU with 6:20 left in the game.. due to slow substitutions. Christion’s pass is complete to TE #86 Dallas Goedert, which he turns into 14 yards before SS #5 Robbie Grimsley takes him down. First and 10 at the NDSU 26.
QB #3 Taryn Christion hits WR #18 Connor Landberg for 9 yards; tackle by CB #2 Quinten McCoy. But SDSU OL #51 Sepestiano Pupungatoa is called for Holding. First and 20 at the NDSU 36. Christion takes off running; LB #47 Pierre Gee-Tucker turns around to make the tackle as he runs by. Christion overthrows TE #86 Dallas Goedert running to the end zone in double coverage. LB #44 Matt Plank cramps up and has to come out. FS #3 Tre Dempsey comes up limping. The Bison bring pressure, DE #95 Caleb Butler chases QB #3 Taryn Christion out-of-bounds. Fourth and 15 at the NDSU 31.
QB #3 Taryn Christion’s pass is incomplete to WR #80 Adam Anderson on a mis-cue; the ball goes to an empty spot of the field. It’s so loud down by the end zone, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Receivers heard the play wrong. First and 10, Bison at the NDSU 31.

NDSU RB #22 King Frazier stopped for no gain by LB #2 Christian Rozeboom. QB #12 Easton Stick’s pass is complete to WR #16 RJ Urzendowski for 4 yards; tackled by DB #9 Jordan Brown. Stick overthrows WR #20 Darrius Shepherd. #19 Jackson Koonce punts 45 yards. A Fair Catch is called by WR #11 Marquise Lewis. First and 10 at the SDSU 20.

SDSU QB #3 Taryn Christion rolls out to his left and throws it to WR #18 Connor Landberg- it goes out of bounds. Christion drops off the pass to RB #44 Brady Mengarelli for 4 yards, who is wrapped up by LB #41 MJ Stumpf. Christion takes off to the near sidelines for 6 yards. First and 10 at the SDSU 30.
QB #3 Taryn Christion runs for 9 yards to the SDSU 39; tagged by LB #47 Pierre Gee-Tucker as he goes out-of-bounds. SDSU OL #62 Jacob Ohnesorge was called for Holding. First and 20 at the SDSU 20. DT #99 Nate Tanguay comes off the field due to some minor injury from the Holding call.
QB #3 Taryn Christion throws quick to TE #86 Dallas Goedert for 7 yards. LB #47 Pierre Gee-Tucker and SS #5 Robbie Grimsley tackle him in place. Christion’s next pass is complete to RB #44 Brady Mengarelli for 7 yards; CB #35 Dom Davis spins him around and down. The Bison are close to catching Christion, but then he runs for 9 yards. NDSU DE #97 Brad Ambrosius catches him from behind. Tanguay was back on the field, but now Ambrosius comes off. First and 10 at the SDSU 43.
RB #44 Brady Mengarelli breaks free for 5 yards; SS #5 Robbie Grimsley picks him up and takes him down. Christion hits WR #80 Adam Anderson for 16 yards, who manages to crab out-of-bounds, stopping the clock. CB #35 Dom Davis almost got his mitts on the ball. Christion is forced out of the pocket and throws it away in the direction of WR #18 Connor Landberg. Christion’s next pass finds WR #19 Jake Wieneke for 25 yards. SS #5 Robbie Grimsley makes the tackle. The Bison Secondary are playing a zone. CB #21 Jalen Allison released Wieneke, Christion throws the ball before Grimsley picks him up again. First and 10 at the NDSU 11.
QB #3 Taryn Christion, chased by Bison defenders, shovels the pass to RB #44 Brady Mengarelli. Mengarelli lets it go. NDSU calls a Time Out with 21 seconds left in the game. Christion rolls to his right and throws it away- over the head of WR #18 Connor Landberg in the end zone. Christion dumps off the pass to TE #86 Dallas Goedert and lets him run for 9 yards. For a couple seconds it looked like Goedert would force his way into the end zone, but then DE #96 Greg Menard and CB #2 Quinten McCoy bring him down. Fourth and 1 at the NDSU 02, and 5-seconds left in the game. SDSU take a Time Out. Once NDSU coach Chris Klieman sees how SDSU coach John Stiegelmeier lines up his team, Klieman calls a Time Out. QB #3 Taryn Christion throws an End Zone Fade to WR #19 Jake Wieneke for the Touchdown. Wieneke came back for the ball on the Stop Route; CB #21 Jalen Allison slipped and was laying face down in the end zone, praying for a flag that never came. One second left on the clock, SDSU takes a knee. (To prevent a block-kick run-back. Extremely unlikely but why risk it. Yet why not run backwards or sideways for one second?) There is still one second left in the game as SDSU takes the lead: 19 to 17.

SDSU #97 Sam Koob with an On-Side Kick for 19 yards. NDSU LB #1 Chris Board makes the catch. Referee: Chris La Mange announces “The receiver had possession of the ball while he was standing; then he hit the ground.. One second must come off the clock. The game is over.”
Time expires and North Dakota State drops their first game of the season to South Dakota State. The Jackrabbits race to the SE corner of the field to pick up the Dakota Marker[2] for the first since 2009. The South Dakota State fans, mascot, cheerleaders, coaches, and especially the players are going crazy.

Post Game

By half time it looked like NDSU was dominating the game. KVLY reporter Beth Hoole asked the coach, “What’s the message at the half?” Chris Klieman answered with a laugh, “Keep playing, baby.”
SDSU was probably thinking the same thing. A couple plays here and there and this would be a totally different game. I’m sure SDSU Head Coach, John Stiegelmeier was thinking, ‘Our luck has to change.’ Stiegelmeier was also playing very aggressively, going-for-it on fourth down when three Field Goals were almost a sure thing. The Bison Defense made Fourth Down stands. Yet all this time on the field was wearing them down. It only got worse as RB #08 Bruce Anderson had his sore ankle twisted badly in the Third Quarter. He was helped off the field and was soon seen with his foot in a boot walking on the sidelines. Rest of the Bison Offense couldn’t get anything going, not even a First Down. WR #13 Eric Perkins was out with a thumb injury so RB #28 Ty Brooks (Fargo South High, my high school) was enlisted to return kick offs.

The Team Statistics heavily favor the SDSU ‘Jackrabbits’ but NDSU had some good Defense (like DT #99 Nate Tanguay) and a little bit of luck in the first half. In the second half NDSU couldn’t generate much Offense and their luck ran out after King Frazier’s fumble. “The longest run by a Bison running back all day was seven yards.” – Kolpack.
SDSU out-ran NDSU, out-threw them, and owned the clock. NDSU SS #5 Robbie Grimsley had a career-high 14 tackles which shows how much SDSU was throwing the ball. But SDSU QB #3 Taryn Christion ran a lot too.

SDSU’s passing game wasn’t a surprise but their running game was. QB #3 Taryn Christion took off running 20 times for 141 net yards. He was only sacked once, and managed to run away from the Bison pressure. RB #44 Brady Mengarelli got 51 yards on 10 carries. All this running opened up the passing game a little bit: 303 yards. NDSU’s thin Secondary was tested hard. They’re still awesome but there is a limit how thin you can stretch underclassmen against this high-flying Jackrabbit Offense. Especially late in the game when the Corners and Safeties were getting tired and/or injured.

NDSU coach Chris Klieman handed over his headset to junior back up Cornerback #2 Quinten McCoy just before the last SDSU play that won the game. I wonder what was said? Whatever, it didn’t work as CB #21 Jalen Allison slipped in the end zone and WR #19 Jake Wieneke caught the game winning Touchdown with one second left on the clock. This was only SDSU’s second win in Fargo since 1962.

Quotes

SDSU Head Coach, John Stiegelmeier
It feels super. I’m proud of our team and of our program. This is a tough place to play.
I think we put more pressure on North Dakota State in terms of blitzes. The guys just did their job. Just do your job and give yourself a chance.
Now if you ask the players, they always want to go for it. [Going for Touchdowns rather than Field Goals] If we had not won, this would be a lot tougher press conference, We have an aggressive offense. We have a good offense and our defense rose up, so we’re going to take the win and play in the present and not worry about it.
SDSU Safety, Nick Mears
You do get sick of it. You’re envious of them, because you want to be in that position. Five in a row? You have to respect that. That’s where everyone else wants to be. That pushes us, so maybe in some ways its good for us. We want to beat them pretty bad.
SDSU Defensive Tackle, Shayne Gottlob
We may have put ourselves at a disadvantage at times by putting them too much on a pedestal. They’re great and they’ve accomplished some amazing things, but we have to believe we can beat them, or we won’t.
SDSU Linebacker, Jesse Bobbit
[Winning the Dakota Marker] It was awesome. It’s something we were so hyped about all week. We were confident we were going to get it done. It’s the best feeling in the world.
We try to do that [pressure the QB] every week. There was a burst of energy this week playing NDSU, the rivalry and No. 1 team in the nation. Everything on the sideline was awesome. No matter if they scored, we were ready to go. We made sure this week that we were knowing we were going to win. Leave no doubt.
SDSU Wide Receiver, Jake Wieneke
We went through a lot of adversity throughout the game. We struggled to finish but we got to go out on top. My fourth time playing them, we lost the rest. It’s nice to finally beat them.
Jesse [Bobbit]came and told us at the end, we’re down by four, we’re going to get you the ball back, and they did.
I didn’t know if it [the final TD throw] was coming to me, but I expected it to. It was single coverage and I had to do everything I could to catch the ball. Just to get the win was awesome. [Taryn Christion’s] a beast; such a great player.
SDSU Quarterback, Taryn Christion
I was frustrated with myself but I knew there were better things to come. We never got down. We were confident in what we were doing. You can’t dwell on the past. You just have to think about your job and the next play.
You get Jake Wieneke one on one there’s about a 99.9 percent chance I’m going to him. [Who gets it the other .1 percent of the time?] Dallas Goedert! [Taryn and his teammates start laughing.]
NDSU Quarterback, Easton Stick
Losing sucks, plain and simple, but it’s something that’s not going to define us. We’ll go back, watch tape, learn from it and get better. That’s the bottom line. We’ll move forward and we’ll get better.
We just didn’t make the plays, that’s what this game comes down to. The coaches put us in good situations and we left a couple out there today.
NDSU Free Safety, Tre Dempsey
We can say we were going hard last week, but we will be going 30 times harder this week at practice.
Former NDSU Wide Receiver, Trevor Gebhart, Class of 2013.
We say “winners win because that’s what winners do.” It’s an expectation, and you demand it. When that becomes the norm it’s all you know and it’s all you expect. When they went to Iowa there’s not a doubt in my mind that every single player on that team walked into Kinnick Stadium fully expecting they were going to win the game.
NDSU Head Coach, Chris Klieman
Both teams are perennial playoff teams. It’s fun to play. When you’ve had it [the Dakota Marker] like we’ve had it for awhile, it makes it even tougher. There’s no question that they want that down in Brookings, and we want to keep it here. It’ll be in our locker room this week as a constant reminder.
They blitzed us a lot. Whether we had a harder time picking up the blitz, making some audible at the line of scrimmage we’ll have to see. They did a great job of blitzing us in the second half.
Give credit to South Dakota State. We missed a couple of opportunities we’d like to have back, but they did a good job of stymying us.. [NDSU’s plan for the last] Four-minute drive: [we] get a couple first downs and run out the clock. We didn’t do it.
They made a play at the end. They have a great receiver [Jake Wieneke] who made that play. Like we said, losing is tough around here, it doesn’t happen very often. But at the same time, you can’t let a game beat you twice. We have to come back and have a great week of practice. I know the resolve of this football team will show. I’m proud of the way the guys competed, they played really hard.
InForum Writer, Mike McFeely
That it took South Dakota State until the last offensive play of the game to defeat North Dakota State might be the most surprising thing about the Jackrabbits’ 19–17 victory at the Fargodome. That it came on fourth down might be the most fitting.

Stats

NDSU Individual Stats:

Offensive

  • QB #12 Easton Stick was 14 of 20 for 143. His longest pass was 44 yards. Stick was sacked once. Stick ran 12 times for 86 net yards and two Touchdowns.
  • RB #22 King Frazier ran 13 times for 45 yards.
  • RB #08 Bruce Anderson ran 4 times for 13 yards.
  • RB #25 Chase Morlock had a 7-yard, and 2-yard carry. Chase lost 2-yards on his lone catch.
  • RB #10 Lance Dunn carried four times for 8 yards. He also had a 5-yard catch.
  • WR #20 Darrius Shepherd had six receptions for 74 yards. His longest was 44 yards.
  • WR #16 RJ Urzendowski caught four balls for 42 yards. His longest was 16 yards.
  • WR #04 Dimitri Williams had a 11-yard catch.
  • TE #85 Nate Jenson had a 13-yard catch.

Defensive

  • SS #05 Robbie Grimsley had 14 tackles.
  • LB #44 Matt Plank had 12 tackles including sharing a Tackles For Loss (TFL). He also had a Pass Break Up.
  • LB #47 Pierre Gee-Tucker had 9 tackles, two TFL for 7 yards, and a 3-yard Sack.
  • FS #03 Tre Dempsey had 7 tackles, a Pass Break Up, and an Interception.
  • LB #41 MJ Stumpf also had 7 tackles including sharing a TFLs (1 yard).
  • CB #21 Jalen Allison and CB #02 Quinten McCoy each had four tackles and an 8-yard Interception. Jalen had a Pass Break Up.
  • CB #35 Dom Davis had three tackles.
  • CB #23 Jaylaan Wimbush, DE #96 Greg Menard, and DE #97 Brad Ambrosius each had 2 tackles. Brad had a one-yard TFL.
  • RB #25 Chase Morlock, #45 LB Levi Jordheim, LB #48 Dan Marlette, DT #63 Aaron Steidl, DE #95 Caleb Butler, and DT #99 Nate Tanguay each had one tackle. Aaron had a one-yard TFL.

Special Teams

  • P #19 Jackson Koonce had five punts for 196 yards, one inside the 20 yard line. His longest was 45 yards.
  • Kicker #36 Cam Pedersen made a 49-yard field goal. Pedersen had three kickoffs for 181 total yards.
  • RB #08 Bruce Anderson had two kickoff returns of 21 and 13 yards.
  • RB #28 Ty Brooks had a 17-yard Kickoff return.

Back Judge: Jamie Birr, and Field Judge: Nikki Randolph talk with NDSU DT #99 Nate Tanguay while the play is under review. Although the stats don’t reflect it, Tanguay was all over the field with outstanding play. –DSC02842.jpg by Craig Maas. Click photo to see gallery.

Team Statistics

Game Stats SDSU NDSU
Passing Yards 303 143
Rushing Yards 220 161
Total Offensive Yards 523 304
Penalty Yards 7–65 6–65
First Downs 28 16
3rd Downs 8–16 7–13
4th Downs 2–6 1–1
Time Of Possession 32:23 27:37

References

InForum

  • Jeff Kolpack: Maturing Bison secondary faces another challenge with SDSU.
  • Jeff Kolpack: Bison offense went thud in second half
  • Jeff Kolpack: Last-second pass gives South Dakota State win over Bison for Dakota Marker
  • Jeff Kolpack: It’s been a year of growth for Bison quarterback Easton Stick
  • Jeff Kolpack: Maturing Bison secondary faces another challenge with SDSU
  • Jeff Kolpack: With Christion, Jackrabbits have gone all-Big Sky on the Missouri Valley
  • Jeff Kolpack: It was a grand day to start the Dakota Marker, by George. With video
  • Eric Peterson: No. 1 Bison set to face a prolific South Dakota State offense for the Dakota Marker
  • Kevin Schnepf: Five things to know about South Dakota State University
  • Mike McFeely: Jackrabbits convert on fourth down that mattered most.
  • Photo Gallery: photos by Dave Samson.

NDSU Media

Opponent Media

Stream the entire game from KVLY/KFYR on the NBC North Dakota Sports Network. (YouTube.com)

Video

Footnotes

    1. Missouri Valley Football Conference  ↩

  1. NDSU and SDSU have played for the Dakota Marker annually since 2004 when both teams began Division I competition. The trophy is a 75-pound model replica of the original quartzite monuments that were 7 feet tall and 10 inches square and placed at half-mile intervals along the border in the summers of 1891 and 1892. NDSU has won six straight Dakota Marker games and leads the series 8–4. SDSU last gained possession of the trophy in 2009 with a 28–13 win at home. Five of the 12 games have been decided by seven points or less. -GoBison.com ↩
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