FARGO, N.D.--Brock Jensen threw three touchdown passes and the defense allowed only three field goals as North Dakota State defeated Morgan State 35-9 before a crowd of 17,340 in the Fargodome on Saturday, Sept. 18. The Bison have won 12 straight home openers dating back to the 1998 season.

Jensen, who replaced starter Jose Mohler in the second quarter, completed 8 of 17 passes for 117 yards and came up with scoring passes of 13, 11 and 21 yards for the Bison (2-1). Warren Holloway was on the receiving end of two of those TDs, and D.J. McNorton caught the other. Jensen also rushed 13 times for 57 yards.

Kemar Scarlett had three field goals for the Bears (1-2). Morgan State also had 65 rushing yards from Jourdan Banks on 19 carries, while Donavan Dickerson completed 12 of 24 passes for 126 yards. Chuka Okakpu had five catches for 73 yards.

McNorton also scored on a 6-yard run and led North Dakota State with 58 rushing yards. Mike Sigers added a 1-yard TD run. 

Scarlett's third field goal put Morgan State up 9-7 with 1:29 to play in the first half, but the Bison took the lead for good on a 13-yard TD pass from Jensen to Holloway 67 seconds later. NDSU scored 28 unanswered points including 21 in the fourth quarter.

NDSU's defense allowed 64 yards in the second half and 207 overall. The Bison stopped drives on interceptions from linebacker Matt Anderson and cornerback Marcus Williams. Another linebacker, Preston Evans, recorded a game-high 11 tackles to reach double-figures for the second time this season and sixth time in his career.

Morgan State held a 37:10 to 22:50 advantange in time of possession, but committed 16 penalties for 164 yards compared to five for 60 for North Dakota State.

Special teams played a key role for North Dakota State. Punter John Prelvitz kicked five times for an average of 39 yards, but placed two inside the 10 yard line. Freshman Ryan Smith returned five punts for 146 yards including a season-long 51 yarder.