BROOKINGS, S.D. – Carson Wentz passed for one touchdown and rushed for another as No. 2-ranked North Dakota State beat No. 5-ranked South Dakota State 28-7 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference opener for both teams.
 
A stadium-record crowd of 17,348 was on hand at the half-rebuilt Coughlin-Alumni Stadium to watch North Dakota State win the Dakota Marker for the sixth straight time.  The Bison have won eight straight in the series since 2010.
 
The Bison defense smothered the SDSU ground game, holding the Jacks to minus-4 yards rushing. Sophomore defensive end Greg Menard racked up a career-high 2.5 sacks, with two solo stops coming in a span of three plays in the fourth quarter.
 
Wentz was 19-of-27 passing for 183 yards and rushed seven times for 54 yards including a 27-yard TD in the third quarter that gave NDSU a 28-0 lead.  That followed a three-and-out for the Bison defense after linebacker Nick DeLuca downed a punt at the SDSU 1.
 
The NDSU defense, which allowed just 58 yards in the first half, made a big defensive stand on the next series.  SDSU advanced to the NDSU 3 before an incompletion, a Menard sack to the 6, a five-yard run to the 1, and a fourth-and-goal stop by DeLuca and Matt Plank.
 
Senior receiver Zach Vraa reeled in a season-best seven catches for 51 yards. The balanced Bison offense had eight players with at least one carry and seven with a catch in the game.
 
The Bison got a pair of third-down receptions by Vraa to extend a 10-play, 69-yard drive on their first possession.  Nate Moody hauled in a 14-yard pass at the SDSU 2 to set up a rushing touchdown by King Frazier on the next play for a 7-0 lead.
 
After a three-and-out on the next NDSU possession, the Bison moved into SDSU territory with a 20-yard run by Lance Dunn before Moody struck again with a 30-yard reception on third-and-15 that moved the Bison to the SDSU 4.  Chase Morlock capped the 68-yard drive with a three-yard TD run to make it 14-0.
 
Sophomore safety Tre Dempsey led the Bison defense with six tackles and DeLuca had five stops.
 
North Dakota State hosts Northern Iowa at 1 p.m. in the annual homecoming game Saturday, Oct. 10, at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome.  The Panthers are 2-2 after losing 21-13 at Illinois State.