Bison Rally to Beat Jacks 27-24 in FCS Second Round

Saturday, December 6

Fargo, N.D.

2:30 p.m.

North Dakota State Athletics

12-1

South Dakota State

9-5

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
South Dakota State	0	14	3	7	24
North Dakota State	7	7	3	10	27

Photo by: Richard Svaleson

Bison Rally to Beat Jacks 27-24 in FCS Second Round

12/6/2014 7:00:00 PM | Football

Box Score

FARGO, N.D. - Freshman RJ Urzendowski's 12-yard touchdown catch with 54 seconds left lifted No. 2 seed North Dakota State to a 27-24 win over South Dakota State in the second round of the NCAA Division I football playoffs Saturday, Dec. 6, before a raucous crowd of 18,113 at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome.

Cornerback Tre Dempsey made his first collegiate interception on the ensuing possession and NDSU (12-1) advanced to the quarterfinals for the fifth straight season, where the Bison will host No. 7 seed Coastal Carolina at 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 13, on ESPN.

"Young kids made a few plays at the end," NDSU head coach Chris Klieman said. "That's why this league is this league. Every week, week in and week out. I knew this game was going to come down to the fourth quarter."

John Crockett rushed for 102 yards on 23 carries for NDSU, including three runs on the final drive to get a first down and run out the clock on South Dakota State. The Jackrabbits ended their season 9-5 overall.

NDSU quarterback Carson Wentz was 14 of 25 passing for 235 yards and two touchdowns, both to Urzendowski. The rookie from Omaha, Neb., caught a 27-yard TD to open the scoring in the first quarter, and the Bison went ahead 14-0 on Wentz's 27-yard run early in the second.

"He's not a true freshman anymore," Klieman said about Urzendowski. "Carson has unbelievable poise, we all know that. He made some great decisions and unbelievable throws."

South Dakota State scored 17 unanswered points on Zach Zenner's TD runs from 17 and 4 yards out, and a 33-yard field goal by Justin Syrovatka. Zenner finished with 32 carries for 133 yards and became the first player in FCS history to have three straight 2,000-yard seasons.

"We were moving the ball on them and I felt like our chances would come," SDSU quarterback Austin Sumner said. "You have to put something together. There was a lot of game left."

A pair of Adam Keller field goals from 42 and 29 yards put NDSU back ahead 20-17, but the Jacks did not go away. Zenner got four yards on fourth-and-3 and quarterback Austin Sumner connected with freshman Jake Wieneke on a 3-yard TD strike four plays later to make it 24-20.

NDSU took over with 3:12 to play after Eric Perkins returned the kickoff 19 yards to the NDSU 24. The Bison went 76 yards in eight plays, including a 29-yard pass from Wentz to Urzendowski that put the Bison on the SDSU 21, and a pass interference call that set up first-and-goal on the SDSU 7.

The pass interference call came after an official review overturned the call on the field that Wentz's pass was tipped. An incompletion and false start penalty moved the Bison to the 12 before Wentz found Urzendowski over the top of a defender in the left corner of the end zone.

"We've had some 2-minute situations, but never the magnitude of this," Klieman said. "(Wentz) made some really good plays and that's the type of kid he is. I think he's sometimes pretty underrated in our league for a guy that can do all the things he can do with his arm and his legs."

NDSU survived 11 penalties totaling 110 yards while SDSU was penalized eight times for 68 yards.

Urzendowski had four catches for 109 yards to lead seven Bison receivers. Wentz rushed 13 times for 70 yards. Carlton Littlejohn led the Bison defense with 11 tackles including seven solo stops.

Sumner went 13 of 22 passing for 132 yards and one touchdown for SDSU. Trevor Wesley made four catches for 28 yards and Jason Schenider had three receptions for 59 yards.