NORMAL, Ill.--Tyler Roehl rushed 30 times for a season-high 229 yards and three touchdowns as No. 25-ranked North Dakota State defeated Illinois State 25-7 in a hard-hitting Missouri Valley Football Conference game played Saturday, Oct. 25, before a crowd of 8,004 in Hancock Stadium.

The Bison snapped a two-game losing streak and a four-game road losing string dating back to last season.

North Dakota State (4-4, 2-3 MVFC) is scheduled to host Indiana State (0-8, 0-4MVFC)  at 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1, in the annual Harvest Bowl in the Fargodome.

Roehl, a 5-foot-10, 232-pound senior from West Fargo, recorded his fourth career 200-yard rushing performance. He became the 16th NDSU running back to gain over 2,000 yards in a career. Roehl currently has 2,189 yards and 31 TDs on 335 carries to rank 13th all-time on the school charts. He rushed for 257 yards against Illinois State last season

North Dakota State rushed for a season-high 417 yards behind the offensive line and had 479 yards of total offense overall. The Bison held a commanding 36:41 to 23:19 advantage in time of possession. Running back Pat Paschall rushed 16 times for a career-high 133 yards. Paschall recorded his second 100-yard effort of the season and fourth of his career.

Illinois State (2-5, 1-3 MFVC) struggled with only 147 yards of total offense but trimmed the North Dakota State lead to 18-7 when Drew Kiel hit Kelvin Chandler with a 4-yard TD pass with 2:25 left in the third quarter.

Howver, the NDSU defense that came up with a pair of interceptions including a key pick from linebacker Ramon Humber with 9:05 left in the fourth quarter. Humber's interception set up Roehl's third touchdown run of the afternoon, a 36 yard scamper, to extend the advantage to 25-7 with 7:15 remaining.

The Bison also stopped a late Redbird drive in the final period when linebacker Preston Evans forced a fumble recovered by defensive tackle Matt Phillips.

North Dakota State led 18-0 at halftime -- it's first advantage at intermission since the 10-0 lead at Wyoming in the third game of the year.

The defense set the tone during the game's first possession. Defensive end Joe Lardinois recorded a sack and safety on Illinois State quarterback Kevin Brockway. The defense held the Redbirds to 44 yards of total offense in the first half.

Following the free kick, Roehl raced 46 yards for a touchdown to put the Bison ahead 8-0 with 12:18 remaining in the first quarter. It was NDSU's first TD in the opening quarter since Central Connecticut on Sept. 6.

Shawn Bibeau booted a 21-yard field goal with 14:55 remaining in the second quarter to extend the lead to 11-0.

Roehl's second TD of the first half, a three-yard TD run, capped off a nine play, 85-yard drive for North Dakota State. The Bison had 221 yards of rushing in the first half.

NDSU free safety Nick Schommer recorded his second interception of the season to end the first half. It was 12th interception of his career to move Schommer to a tie at No. 4 on the school charts.

North Dakota State linebacker Mike Maresh had a team-high eight tackles including a sack. The Bison finished with seven tackles for loss and four sacks. Humber and Evans each had seven tackles including a two for a loss and one sack.

Brent Holtz made 15 tackles and led a group of three Illinois State players with double-figure stops.

BISON NOTEBOOK: North Dakota State senior wide receiver Kole Heckendorf had his consecutive game streak with at least one reception snapped at 32. The last game without a reception was Oct. 29, 2005 against Southern Utah. Heckendorf, the program's all-time leader in receptions and receiving yards, has caught a pass in 39 of 41 career games.

Three players moved up the NDSU all-time solo tackle list Saturday. Linebacker Ramon Humber had five solo tackles against Illinois State and increased his career total to 132 to tie former strong safety Craig Dahl (2003-06) at No. 2. Linebacker Mike Maresh recorded three solos against the Redbirds and upped his career total to 108 to tie former cornerback Matt Gorman (2001-04) at No. 6. Free safety Nick Schommer is No. 9 with 97 solo tackles.