North Dakota State defeats South Dakota State – Sioux Falls Live

FARGO – The Dakota Markers have made Brookings their home for four years, but this time they aren't traveling back with the Jackrabbits.

No. 2 North Dakota State bounced back in the FCS Rivalry Classic Saturday night, defeating top-ranked South Dakota State 13-9 in front of a national prime-time television audience and a sold-out Fargodome.

With just under two minutes to play, Cam Miller's 20-yard touchdown pass to Raja Nelson provided the final lead as SDSU's repeated failures to build a 9-7 lead ultimately tipped the scales.

The Jacks had plenty of time to respond, but Mark Gronowski was intercepted with a minute to play, ending the threat. It was SDSU's first turnover in six meetings against the Bison.

The win ended a five-game losing streak for NDSU against the Jacks and a 32-game winning streak against FCS opponents for SDSU. The Jacks have been the No. 1 team in the FCS since beating NDSU in Fargo in 2022, but that streak will also end with the release of the next poll.

NDSU improves to 7-1 on the year while SDSU falls to 5-2.

The Bison took a 7-0 lead in the second quarter on an 18-yard touchdown pass from Miller to Nelson, and SDSU responded with a 66-yard touchdown run from Chase Mason. This play was pretty much the only offensive highlight for SDSU. They added a Hunter Dustman field goal before halftime to take a 9-7 lead, but fell short in the second half.

Matt Zimmer is a Sioux Falls native and longtime sportswriter. He graduated from Washington High School, where he played football and Legion baseball and developed a lifelong love of the Minnesota Twins and Vikings. After graduating from St. Cloud State University, he returned to Sioux Falls and began a long career in amateur baseball and sports reporting. Email Matt at [email protected].