North Dakota State Athletics
5-2 , 3-2
South Dakota State
3-5 , 2-3
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Dakota State | 7 | 14 | 10 | 7 | 38 |
| North Dakota State | 14 | 14 | 0 | 17 | 45 |
Bison Rally In 4th Quarter For 45-38 Win Over South Dakota State
10/20/2001 5:00:00 AM | Football
FARGO, ND--North Dakota State rallied for 17 points in the fourth quarter to snap a two-game losing streak and record a 45-38 win over South Dakota State before a homecoming crowd of 13,040 here Saturday afternoon.
The win kept NDSU alive in the North Central Conference grid race. The Bison improved to 3-2 in the league and 5-2 overall.
NDSU came up big on defense and special teams in this game, scoring twice on pass interceptions and coming up with a blocked punt for a third touchdown.
Freshman corner Matt Gorman got the Bison off on the right foot with a 51-yard interception return in the opening four minutes of the game. The Bison got a 64-yard TD run from All-American runningback Lamar Gordon late in the first quarter to snap a 7-7 time and moved to a 21-7 lead when Mike Sheppard blocked a punt and recovered it in the end zone for a touchdown.
Gordon scored again late in the second quarter on a 37-yard pass from Graig Gorder and the Bison had a 28-14 lead. However, SDSU countered to take a 31-28 lead late in the third quarter and the Bison had to come back to avoid a third straight loss for the first time in five years.
Aaron Pederson's 46-yard field goal tied the game just a minute and a half into the four quarter and moved into the lead for good just a minute later when junior corner Nate Keller picked off a pass at the Jacks' 28-yard line and returned it for a TD.
DeShawn Perkins, filling in for an injured Gordon who left the game in the third quarter with an ankle twist, broke up the middle for an 11-yard TD with 9:38 left. It proved to be the winning points.
SDSU nearly came back in the final nine minutes, getting a 61-yard TD pass from Dan Fjeldheim to Josh Buchholtz to cut the gap to 45-38. The Jacks then drove to the Bison 23 with 10 seconds left in the game. After a bad snap forced a 14-yard loss with three seconds left, NDSU senior safety Travis Sturdevant knocked down a hail-Mary pass in the end zone on the final play.
South Dakota State's Josh Ranek moved into 7th place on the all-time career rushing chart in the NCAA Division II ranks as his 254 yards in 26 attempts upped his career rushing yards to 6,106 yards. He scored twice on the ground and also caught a TD pass.
NDSU's Gordon ran for 135 yards, his 31st 100-yard game in the last 36 contests, on just 12 carries, scoring once on the ground and once in the air.
SDSU's Kris Garry hauled in 11 passes for 96 yards to lead all receivers.
SDSU fell to 2-3 in the NCC and 3-5 overall.
Team Stats
SDSU 0, NDSU 7
NDSU - Matt Gorman 51 yd interception (Aaron Pederson kick)
SDSU 7, NDSU 7
SDSU - Josh Ranek 7 yd pass from Dan Fjeldheim (Brad Cave kick) 5 plays, 17 yards, TOP 2:35
SDSU 7, NDSU 14
NDSU - Lamar Gordon 64 yd run (Aaron Pederson kick), 2 plays, 67 yards, TOP 1:06
SDSU 7, NDSU 21
NDSU - Mike Sheppard 22 yd blocked punt return (Aaron Pederson kick)
SDSU 14, NDSU 21
SDSU - Josh Ranek 64 yd run (Brad Cave kick), 5 plays, 82 yards, TOP 2:09
SDSU 14, NDSU 28
NDSU - Lamar Gordon 37 yd pass from Graig Gorder (Aaron Pederson kick) 3 plays, 55 yards, TOP 1:12
SDSU 21, NDSU 28
SDSU - Josh Ranek 43 yd run (Brad Cave kick), 2 plays, 48 yards, TOP 1:03
SDSU 28, NDSU 28
SDSU - A. Shepardson 10 yd pass from Dan Fjeldheim (Brad Cave kick) 8 plays, 77 yards, TOP 5:30
SDSU 31, NDSU 28
SDSU - Brad Cave 42 yd field goal 11 plays, 29 yards, TOP 4:54
SDSU 31, NDSU 31
NDSU - Aaron Pederson 46 yd field goal 11 plays, 38 yards, TOP 4:26
SDSU 31, NDSU 38
NDSU - Nate Keller 28 yd interception (Aaron Pederson kick)
SDSU 31, NDSU 45
NDSU - DeShawn Perkins 11 yd run (Aaron Pederson kick), 5 plays, 30 yards, TOP 1:32
SDSU 38, NDSU 45
SDSU - Josh Buchholtz 61 yd pass from Dan Fjeldheim (Brad Cave kick) 2 plays, 70 yards, TOP 0:55
