GREELEY, CO--Northern Colorado scored on a long pass play midway through the fourth quarter for its first lead of the game and made it stand up with solid defense down the stretch for a 17-13 North Central Conference win over North Dakota State here Saturday.

The loss dropped NDSU to 5-3 overall and 3-3 in the NCC and eliminated the Bison from league title hopes and NCAA post-season hopes.

NDSU took the opening kickoff and marched 78 yards but settled for a 19-yard Aaron Pederson field goal and a 3-0 lead. The Bison stretched it to 10-0 when Leif Murphy blocked a UNC field goal attempt and senior defensive end Tom Krenz scooped the ball up and ran 65 yards for a touchdown.

UNC closed the gap to 10-7 at halftime on a 79-yard punt return by Vincent Jackson with 2:43 left in the second quarter.

NDSU stretched the lead to 13-7 when Pederson connected on a 52-yard field goal mid-way through the third quarter but UNC countered with a 22-yard field goal by Chad Harter with 3:13 left in the quarter.

Northern Colorado quarterback Jon Boyer hit George Carroll with a 60-yard TD pass over the middle of the field with 9:15 left in the game to give UNC its first and only lead of the game.

The Bison had the ball three more times and reached the UNC 41 before the Bears picked off quarterback Graig Gorder at the 4-yard line. NDSU came back a second time, reaching the UNC 24 before turned the ball over on downs with 3:04 left.

The Bison were limited to just 281 yards of total offense and only 128 on the ground. Senior DeShawn Perkins toted the ball 22 times for 98 yards in relief of senior All-American Lamar Gordon. Gordon, injured in the win over South Dakota State the previous week, warmed up but was unable to play due to an ankle injury.

NDSU closes out the home season on Saturday against undefeated Nebraska-Omaha (8-0) at 1:30 p.m. at the Fargodome.