FARGO, N.D. – For the second-straight week Missouri State engaged one of the nation’s top teams for 30 minutes before falling victim to a second-half surge, as No. 2 North Dakota State pulled away for a 38-11 victory over the Bears behind a stout defensive effort at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome Saturday afternoon.
After a stingy Missouri State defense limited the high-powered Bison ground game to 51 yards in the opening half, Bruce Anderson and Lance Dunn combined for 140 second-half yards and a pair of rushing touchdowns as part of a string of 24 unanswered points for NDSU. Anderson gained a game-high 106 rushing yards, while Dunn reached the end zone twice as the duo averaged 9.4 yards per carry in leading the Bison to their seventh-straight win in the series.
The NDSU defense set the tone for the contest, picking off three passes and stopping the Bears on eight of their 13 combined third and fourth-down attempts. MSU totaled just 234 yards of total offense after the Bison limited the Bears to 83 second-half yards.
Robbie Grimsley led the way, pacing all defenders with 10 tackles to go along with a stop for a loss and an interception.
North Dakota State used a quick-strike attack to build a 14-point first-quarter lead, getting a pair of lengthy drives on its first two possessions of the afternoon to take a commanding early lead. Each of Easton Stick’s five completions on the first Bison drive resulted in double-digit gains, including a 32-yard scoring play to Jeff Illies that capped the 90-yard march and put NDSU on top, 7-0.
After stopping the Bears’ on their initial offensive possession, NDSU needed just four plays to find the end zone again, as Anderson turned in big gains on back-to-back plays to set up the touchdown. The junior running back ripped off a 35-yard run to open the series, then hauled in a Stick pass for 26 more yards to move the ball to the MSU 20. Dunn took care of the rest, covering the final 18 yards for his NCAA FCS-leading ninth rushing touchdown of the season.
The Bears, who dominated the clock with over 21 minutes of offensive possession time in the opening half, engineered a 15-play drive that ate up nearly nine minutes. The drive was prolonged by a pair of NDSU personal foul penalties, as Peyton Huslig carried six times for 20 yards before being stopped at the NDSU 2 on fourth and goal.
On the first play of the Bison’s ensuing drive, Cameron Price tripped up Anderson in the end zone, forcing what appeared to be a fumble and a Bears touchdown when Angelo Garbutt scooped up the loose ball. An official’s review overturned the call, handing the Bears their first points of the game on a safety instead.
A pair of big plays by Deion Holliman put the Bears in business in NDSU territory. The senior return specialist surpassed Tony Gilbert’s 29-year-old Missouri State career record for kickoff return yardage with his 25-yard return of the NDSU free kick. He then caught a Huslig pass and spun out of a Bison tackle near midfield for a 19-yard gain. MSU moved the ball to the Bison 32 after a Calan Crowder 13-yard run, but the NDSU defense came up with another stop, this time on a Tre Dempsey interception.
After the MSU defense stopped NDSU on three plays to force the first Bison punt of the game, Holliman’s 14-yard return set up another scoring chance for the Bears. Huslig toted the ball three times for 19 yards, advancing to the NDSU 22, before Zach Drake converted a season-long 40-yard field goal to pull MSU to within 14-5 with 2:00 left on the clock.
A 64-yard kick return by Anderson set up a short field for the Bison, however. The Bears defense held its ground to force a 40-yard field goal after Matt Rush sacked Stick and defended a pair of passes deep in NDSU territory.
Huslig rushed for a career-best 61 yards on 15 first-half carries, while completing 8-of-9 passes for 58 yards over the first 30 minutes of play. The Bears out-gained the FCS’s No. 2 rushing attack by 42 yards and logged 11 first downs to NDSU’s nine in the opening half.
But Dunn’s 44-yard run three minutes into the third period set off a string of three second-half scores for the home team, which recorded its 700th all-time win with the victory. Stick then found R.J. Urzendowski for one of his six receptions—this one good for a 26-yard touchdown—with 13:21 to play in the game.
Anderson’s 46-yard burst three minutes later effectively sealed the outcome, despite a late Jason Randall touchdown run that ended the Bears’ scoring drought.
Stick finished his day 13-of-17 for 220 passing yards and a pair of TD’s, while Urzendowski registered a game-high 82 receiving yards for NDSU.
Holliman provided a spark for the Bears with 250 all-purpose yards, including his 221 kickoff return yards that rank second in MSU history to his own 238-yard performance at Southern Illinois on Oct. 10, 2015.
Following their lone bye week of the season, the Bears will return to action Oct. 14 with a 3 p.m. MVFC contest against Western Illinois at Hanson Field in Macomb, Ill.
Postgame Notes: The game marked the 1,000th varsity football contest in Missouri State history…Senior defensive lineman Colby Isbell made his 31st consecutive start in a streak that dates back to Nov. 1, 2014…Deion Holliman logged a season-long 32-yard kickoff return in the first quarter, then eclipsed Tony Gilbert’s (2,219) MSU career record for kickoff return yardage with his second-quarter 25-yard return; Holliman also moved up to sixth on the Bears’ career all-purpose yardage chart with a 250-yard afternoon that ranks 12th in program history…Matt Rush recorded the first sack of his MSU career late in the second quarter; Rush also turned in a career-best six tackles…Peyton Huslig’s 69 rushing yards surpassed his previous MSU-best of 43 yards last week vs. Illinois State.
