It didn't take long for Nick Mertens to shed the starting quarterback jitters.

Mertens threw a 69-yard completion on his first attempt and finished with 304 yards passing and three touchdowns to help North Dakota State defeat Austin Peay 41-6 before a crowd of 18,701 on Aug. 28 in the Fargodome. It was NDSU's fifth sellout over the past seven games and 13th straight win at home.

North Dakota State (1-0) is scheduled to host Central Connecticut State at 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 6, in the Fargodome. The Blue Devils host Bryant at 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 30.

The Bison held the Governors to 91 yards of total offense. NDSU had 452 yards of total offense.

Mertens, a 6-foot-1, 215-pound junior, last started a game in November 2004, when he guided East Grand Forks to the Minnesota Class 3A football championship in the Metrodome. He said he was nervous before his Bison debut in the Fargodome.

"If you don't get nervous before a game, then why are you playing?" Mertens said.

Mertens said he calmed down quickly after the long pass completion to tight end Jerimiah Wurzbacher on the team's second play from scrimmage, after the Bison forced the Governors to punt on their first possession.

"After I got that behind me, I felt comfortable throwing the ball," said Mertens, who was 16 of 18 with one interception.

His favorite target was veteran receiver Kole Heckendorf, who caught eight passes for 179 yards and all three of Mertens' touchdown passes. The three TD receptions were a career-high and the eight catches matched a career best. That included a 69-yard touchdown pass on the first play from scrimmage in the second half, making it 27-0.

Craig Bohl, NDSU head coach, said Mertens was sharp on most of his passes, and had help from Heckendorf on others.

"A few of the throws weren't exactly perfect," Bohl said. "It's really good to have Kole out there making a lot of plays."

Austin Peay geared its defense to stop the run, holding the Bison to 17 yards rushing in the first half. Running back Tyler Roehl, a preseason all-America pick, ran for 14 yards in the first half and finished with 74 yards.

But Mertens was allowed to scan the field on most pass plays.

"We saw what they were giving us," Bohl said. "They were also doing some things that gave us some problems with the running game."

The Governors finished with 56 yards rushing and 35 yards passing. Ryan White scored Austin Peay's only touchdown on a 2-yard run in the third quarter, following an interception by Kevis Buckley.

Austin Peay's visit to the Fargodome was highlighted by sophomore return specialist Terrence Holt, who returned seven kickoffs for 250 yards. Daniel Becker led the Governors defense with 10 tackles.

"I think it was a good game for the defensive line and for the defense in general," said Bison end Joe Lardinois. He then brought laughter in the post-game news conference when he said, "I hope we didn't peak too soon."

Junior linebacker Matt Kittelson led NDSU with eight tackles including 2.5 tackles for loss. Lardiniois finished with seven tackles. The Bison had 12 tackles for loss during the game.

Sophomore strong safety Cyrus Lemon recorded his first career interception and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. It was the first pick for a TD since 2006 when Courtney Mitchell turned the trick against Georgia Southern (10-7-06) and Nick Schommer went 69 yards with an interception against Mississippi Valley State (10-14-06).