VERMILLION, S.D.— December Bison proved mightier than September Bison.
North Dakota State scored every time they touched it and its defense intercepted three passes in a 45-17 FCS quarterfinal win against No. 3 South Dakota Saturday inside the DakotaDome.
The Bison (11-3) advance to face No. 2 Montana next Saturday in a national semifinal. South Dakota (10-3) sees its best season at the FCS level end in the final eight.
North Dakota State quarterbacks Cam Miller and Cole Payton accounted for four touchdowns, Eli Green caught five passes for 116 yards and Jayden Price had an 82-yard punt return for a score to lead the green team.
The Bison avenged a 24-19 loss to South Dakota back on Sept. 30. The Coyotes led 21-3 at halftime of that game. North Dakota State led 21-3 at the end of the first quarter in this one.
Aidan Bouman passed for 199 yards and a touchdown for South Dakota, but the Coyotes were beaten soundly up front on both sides of the ball. USD running backs Travis Theis and Charles Pierre Jr. ran 16 times for 62 yards and South Dakota couldn’t protect Bouman in the pocket. Jarrett Synek had to spell Bouman early in the second quarter and again early in the fourth.
Payton ran five times for 63 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. Miller capped the opening drive with a 9-yard scramble on third-and-goal and he also hit tight end Joe Stoffel with a 4-yard play-action touchdown pass near the goal line in the second quarter.
Four long touchdown drives and Price’s punt return led to a 35-3 halftime lead. The Bison were 5-for-5 on third down in the opening half and 8-of-11 for the game. The final yardage tally was 416-298.
South Dakota scored on a 16-yard pass from Bouman to Javion Phelps on the opening drive of the second half and saw Charles Pierre Jr. scamper in from five yards out with three minutes to go. It was Phelps’ second touchdown catch in as many weeks. He led USD with 81 yards on three catches. Pierre Jr. closed his redshirt freshman season with five rushing scores.
Will Leyland made a 32-yard field goal on South Dakota’s opening drive of the game. He will be the NCAA’s field goal percentage champion with a perfect 13-for-13 performance this season. He was also 37-for-37 on extra points. Leyland, making his first collegiate kicks this season, was the only FCS kicker who didn’t miss a kick all season.
South Dakota played without cornerback Shahid Barros for the first time and the Bison pounced. The Coyotes sacked Miller for a 14-yard loss on the opening play of the game, but Miller hit Braylon Henderson for a 37-yard catch on 3rd-and-19 and Green hauled in a 31-yarder on 2nd-and-12 later in the drive that Miller capped with the score.
Brock Mogensen, the MVFC Defensive Player of the Year, was injured in the second quarter and didn’t return. He was credited with four tackles before then giving him 399 in 50 career games.
South Dakota won 10 games at the FCS level for the first time. The Coyotes were making their first appearance in the quarterfinals while the Bison have made 14 in a row.