North Dakota State Athletics
3-3 , 1-2
Western Illinois
4-2 , 2-1
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Illinois | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 27 |
| North Dakota State | 0 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 22 |
No. 17/19 Western Illinois Turns Back No. 6/11 North Dakota State 27-22
10/11/2008 5:00:00 AM | Football
Herb Donaldson ran for 124 yards and two touchdowns and Buddy Dudczak returned a blocked punt 17 yards for a score as No. 17/19-ranked Western Illinois beat No. 6/11 North Dakota State 27-22 on Saturday, Oct. 11, before a Fargodome crowd of 17,043 in a Missouri Valley Football Conference game.
The loss snapped a 15-game home winning streak by North Dakota State. The last defeat in the Fargodome was to UC Davis, 20-14, during the 2005 season.
NDSU (3-3, 1-2 MVFC) has lost three of its last four games while Western Illinois (4-2, 2-1 MVFC)) has won three straight.
Donaldson, who had rushed for 200 yards in each of his previous two games, scored on a pair of 2-yard runs in the first half to help the Leathernecks take a 14-10 lead into halftime.
Shawn Bibeau kicked a 30-yard field goal for the Bison as time ran out in the first half.
Dudczak's return with 6:22 left in the third quarter gave Western Illinois its largest lead at 21-10 and Taylor Rowan kicked two field goals, including a 54-yarder with 3:47 remaining.
Tyler Roehl scored on runs of 2 and 3 yards for NDSU, which was held to just 126 yards on the ground. Roehl had just 44 yards on 17 carries.
Nick Mertens was 12-for-23 for 185 yards, including a 34-yard TD pass to Jordan Schultenover that pulled NDSU within 24-22 with 9:39 remaining.
Kole Heckendorf caught six passes for 113 yards. Heckendorf became NDSU's all-time leader in receptions, currently with 165 to top the previous mark of 163 set by Travis White (2002-06).
NDSU's last two possessions ended with a sack of fourth-and-15 and on an interception.
The Bison held a slight 311-280 advantage in total offense, but Western Illinois had a 31:31 to 28:29 advantage in time of possession. Linebacker Mike Maresh and defensive tackle Matthew Gratzek led NDSU with eight tackles, while Leathernecks' linebacker Kyle Glazier made a game-high 11 tackles.
North Dakota State is scheduled to play No. 8/10 Northern Iowa (4-2, 2-1 MVFC) at 4:05 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18, in the UNI Dome. The Panthers defeated Illinois State 31-17 in Cedar Falls on Saturday.
Team Stats
WIU 7, NDSU 0
WIU - Herb Donaldson 2 yd run (Taylor Rowan kick), 11 plays, 86 yards, TOP 4:50
WIU 7, NDSU 7
NDSU - Tyler Roehl 2 yd run (Shawn Bibeau kick), 6 plays, 59 yards, TOP 2:59
WIU 14, NDSU 7
WIU - Herb Donaldson 2 yd run (Taylor Rowan kick), 5 plays, 78 yards, TOP 2:28
WIU 14, NDSU 10
NDSU - Shawn Bibeau 30 yd field goal 8 plays, 53 yards, TOP 4:10
WIU 21, NDSU 10
WIU - Buddy Dudczak 17 yd punt return (Taylor Rowan kick)
WIU 21, NDSU 16
NDSU - Tyler Roehl 3 yd run (Shawn Bibeau kickfailed), 2 plays, 17 yards, TOP 0:39
WIU 24, NDSU 16
WIU - Taylor Rowan 41 yd field goal 4 plays, 15 yards, TOP 1:06
WIU 24, NDSU 22
NDSU - J. Schultenover 34 yd pass from Nick Mertens (Gary Williams rushfailed) 4 plays, 68 yards, TOP 1:53
WIU 27, NDSU 22
WIU - Taylor Rowan 54 yd field goal 9 plays, 38 yards, TOP 5:52
