Box Score FARGO, N.D.--North Dakota State put up a balanced attack and eased to a 28-7 win over Tusculum College of Tennessee in the season opener and the first game for new Bison head coach Craig Bohl.

Senior halfback Rod Malone ran for 124 yards and three touchdowns and junior transfer quarterback Tony Stauss completed 22 of 30 passes for 174 yards and one touchdown as the Bison put together a 336-yard total offense performance.

Malone scored from one and 14 yards in the second quarter as the Bison took a 14-0 halftime lead. Both scores came after short Tusculum punts.

Malone's third score came mid-way through the third quarter on a nine-yard run on the first play after junior Matt Gorman returned a punt 67 yards. NDSU stretched it to 28-0 early in the fourth quarter when Stauss, a transfer from Division I Northwestern of the Big 10 Conference, hit tight end Andy DelaBarre in the back of the end zone from two yards out.

Tusculum broke into the scoring column with 2:22 left on a 36-yard pass from Tony Colston to Kevin Wolcott to cap a 69-yard, 8-play drive.

NDSU's defense was solid, stuffing the Pioneers' running game to a minus four yards. TC moved the ball in the air for 301 yards on 42 of 54 passes but seriously threatened in the game only one other time, driving to the Bison five-yard line in the second quarter before missing a field goal of 22 yards.

Sophomore linebacker Jayd Kittelson had seven tackles including three quarterback sacks and broke up one pass to spark the defense. Brian Erenberg and Matt Gorman each had eight tackles and Bobby Babich added seven stops including two for losses.

A crowd of 10,581 fans were on hand as the Bison won their season opener for the 14th time in the last 16 years and their fifth straight opening win.

North Dakota State continues non-conference play next week at Division I-AA Montana. It will be the first test against a I-AA team since the Bison stopped Northern Iowa in 1982, 12-7.