The North Dakota State Bison just wanted the Dakota Marker when they played South Dakota State on October 19. The Bison (13-2) would get more than that on Saturday, however, as the herd beat SDSU (12-3) for the second time this season to advance to the FCS National Championship game.
“I’m not ready to be done. I know this team didn’t want to play anybody else for their final home game,” North Dakota State quarterback Cam Miller said. “I said it in my postgame interview, we hate those guys.”
The two teams traded blows in the first half like the game was a heavyweight fight, but the Bison rallied around another spectacular catch from junior receiver Bryce Lance to win 28-21. Lance’s one-handed catch at the corner of the endzone was his third of the day with 4:02 to go in the fourth quarter, putting NDSU up seven. Lance’s catch made him the new single-season touchdown reception record holder for the Bison (16).
“In that moment, in that kind of game, that’s the best catch I’ve seen,” NDSU head coach Tim Polasek said.
In a last ditch effort, Jackrabbits quarterback Mark Gronowski dropped back to pass on fourth and long with barely a minute to go. Yet, Gronowski was taken down in the backfield by defensive tackle Jaxon Duttenhefer to seal the win for the Bison.
The Bison kickstarted their late momentum after three consecutive drives were stopped and Lance caught a rainbow-like pass from Cam Miller early in the fourth quarter. Lance’s 47-yard grab sent the Fargo Dome in a frenzy, snatching some much-needed momentum for the heated rivalry.
Miller finished with 179 passing yards and three touchdowns in front of a crowd of 17,849. The Bison’s starting quarterback also ran for one touchdown. The Jackrabbits Gronowski threw for 204 yards and one touchdown. Lance caught three touchdown passes and struck for 125 receiving yards.
“This should cement him in one of the top three college quarterbacks that have ever played here and that’s saying a lot,” Polasek said when speaking about Miller’s legacy at NDSU after the game.
As a team, the Jackrabbits gained 333 total yards. The Bison, on the other hand, earned 329 total yards of offense. The Bison’s rushing attack earned 150 yards and 4.1 yards per carry. South Dakota State ran for just 3.2 yards per carry, much less than the six the offense had against the Bison in its October defeat.
“It was really personal,” Miller said. “I thought there was respect between both teams and that didn’t show up and that’s very disappointing. I don’t have a lot of words to say about them. I’m just so happy for the guys in this locker room.”
North Dakota State will play Montana State at 6:00 p.m. in the FCS National Championship game on Jan. 6 in Frisco, TX.
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