CARBONDALE, Ill. – North Dakota State rushed for a season-high 397 yards and held off the most prolific offense in the Missouri Valley Football Conference for a 35-29 win at Southern Illinois on Saturday, Oct. 31.
 
Running back King Frazier and quarterback Easton Stick both had career highs on the ground for NDSU (6-2, 4-1 MVFC) with Frazier getting 16 carries for 177 yards and Stick going 16 times for 130 yards.
 
The Bison, who had just one play over 50 yards in the season's first seven games, averaged 8.1 yards per play and had four plays go over 50 yards.
 
Stick ran for 60 yards to set up a 3-yard TD pass to RJ Urzendowski in the first quarter, and Urzendowski scored on a 77-yard passing play midway through the third quarter that gave NDSU a 21-13 lead.
 
Frazier scored from the 50 on the first play of the fourth quarter and added a 51-yard run on the next possession that set up a 3-yard TD run by Chase Morlock to make it 35-22 with 9:40 to play.
 
The teams traded punts before SIU went on a 16-play, 80-yard drive to score with 44 seconds left and make it a six-point game, but Zach Vraa secured the ensuing on-sides kick and the Bison kneeled once to run out the clock.
 
Morlock finished with seven carries for 24 yards including a 10-yard TD run late in the second quarter that put the Bison ahead for good 14-10.
 
NDSU's defense held Southern Illinois (3-5, 2-3 MVFC) to a season-low 398 yards of total offense and the Bison stiffened in the red zone to force three SIU field goals.
 
Middle linebacker Nick DeLuca made a career-high 20 tackles, safety Robbie Grimsley tied a career high with 10 stops, Pierre Gee-Tucker made a career-high nine tackles, and CJ Smith had an interception and three pass breakups to go along with eight tackles and a sack.
 
SIU quarterback Mark Iannotti finished 28 of 45 passing for 277 yards and one touchdown.  Iannotti led the SIU ground game with 24 carries for 83 yards and a score.
 
North Dakota State hosts Western Illinois in the annual Harvest Bowl game at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome.  The Fighting Leathernecks are 4-4 and 3-2 in the MVFC after a 23-21 home loss to Youngstown State.