Saturday, December 5
Fargo, N.D.
2:30 p.m.
North Dakota State Athletics
10-2
37
vs
6
Montana
8-5
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montana | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| North Dakota State | 7 | 14 | 10 | 6 | 37 |
Bison Capitalize on Turnovers, Special Teams to Beat Griz 37-6
12/5/2015 6:35:00 PM | Football
FARGO, N.D. - North Dakota State intercepted four passes and returned two for touchdowns to help spark a 37-6 win over Montana in the NCAA Division I second round Saturday, Dec. 5, before a crowd of 18,232 at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome.
Jalen Allison scored from 30 yards out, CJ Smith had a 32-yard return, and Bruce Anderson scored on a 100-yard kickoff return to help the Bison (10-2) advance to the FCS quarterfinals for the sixth straight season.
NDSU's defense set the tone early holding Montana (8-5) to four yards on the game's opening drive and forcing the Grizzleis to go three-and-out on six of their first seven possessions.
Quarterback Easton Stick ran up the middle for a 49-yard touchdown on NDSU's third play and the Bison opened up a 21-0 lead by halftime with Allison's pick-six and a 15-yard touchdown run by Anderson, who led all players with 162 all-purpose yards.
Cam Pedersen's 40-yard field goal put NDSU ahead 24-0 early in the third quarter before Montana got on the board with a 20-yard touchdown pass from Brady Gustafson to Jamaal Jones to cap a quick seven-play, 75-yard scoring drive.
Anderson returned the ensuing kickoff from the NDSU goal line to make it 31-6 and Smith's interception early in the fourth quarter iced the game.
Defensive ends Stanley Jones, Brad Ambrosius and Greg Menard each recorded sacks and the Bison totaled six tackles for loss in addition to five quarterback hurries. Linebackers MJ Stumpf and Nick DeLuca led NDSU with 11 and eight tackles, respectively.
NDSU safeties Robbie Grimsley and Tre Dempsey each recorded interceptions, and Dempsey and Smith had three pass breakups apiece. The Bison held Gustafson to 24 of 48 passing for 229 yards after his 434-yard performance in Montana's 38-35 season-opening win over NDSU.
North Dakota State will host a quarterfinal game next Friday or Saturday against the winner of the second round game featuring Northern Iowa at Portland State.
Jalen Allison scored from 30 yards out, CJ Smith had a 32-yard return, and Bruce Anderson scored on a 100-yard kickoff return to help the Bison (10-2) advance to the FCS quarterfinals for the sixth straight season.
NDSU's defense set the tone early holding Montana (8-5) to four yards on the game's opening drive and forcing the Grizzleis to go three-and-out on six of their first seven possessions.
Quarterback Easton Stick ran up the middle for a 49-yard touchdown on NDSU's third play and the Bison opened up a 21-0 lead by halftime with Allison's pick-six and a 15-yard touchdown run by Anderson, who led all players with 162 all-purpose yards.
Cam Pedersen's 40-yard field goal put NDSU ahead 24-0 early in the third quarter before Montana got on the board with a 20-yard touchdown pass from Brady Gustafson to Jamaal Jones to cap a quick seven-play, 75-yard scoring drive.
Anderson returned the ensuing kickoff from the NDSU goal line to make it 31-6 and Smith's interception early in the fourth quarter iced the game.
Defensive ends Stanley Jones, Brad Ambrosius and Greg Menard each recorded sacks and the Bison totaled six tackles for loss in addition to five quarterback hurries. Linebackers MJ Stumpf and Nick DeLuca led NDSU with 11 and eight tackles, respectively.
NDSU safeties Robbie Grimsley and Tre Dempsey each recorded interceptions, and Dempsey and Smith had three pass breakups apiece. The Bison held Gustafson to 24 of 48 passing for 229 yards after his 434-yard performance in Montana's 38-35 season-opening win over NDSU.
North Dakota State will host a quarterfinal game next Friday or Saturday against the winner of the second round game featuring Northern Iowa at Portland State.
Team Stats
MONT
NDSU
Total Yards
235
316
Pass Yards
229
66
Rushing Yards
6
250
Penalty Yards
47
70
1st Downs
14
17
3rd Downs
3
1
4th Downs
0
3
TOP
19:24
40:36
1st Quarter
MONT 0, NDSU 7
NDSU - Easton Stick 49 yd run (Cam Pedersen kick), 3 plays, 56 yards, TOP 1:38
2nd Quarter
MONT 0, NDSU 14
NDSU - Jalen Allison 30 yd interception (Cam Pedersen kick)
MONT 0, NDSU 21
NDSU - Bruce Anderson 15 yd run (Cam Pedersen kick), 6 plays, 70 yards, TOP 2:55
3rd Quarter
MONT 0, NDSU 24
NDSU - Cam Pedersen 40 yd field goal 8 plays, 50 yards, TOP 3:35
MONT 6, NDSU 24
MONT - Jamaal Jones 20 yd pass from Brady Gustafson (Brady Gustafson drop-kickfailed) 7 plays, 75 yards, TOP 2:08
MONT 6, NDSU 31
NDSU - Bruce Anderson 100 yd kickoff return (Cam Pedersen kick)
4th Quarter
MONT 6, NDSU 37
NDSU - CJ Smith 32 yd interception (Cam Pedersen kickblocked)
Game Leaders
CMP
7
TD
0
YDS
66
INT
0
Players Mentioned
CB
/ Football
DE
/ Football
RB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
FS
/ Football
SS
/ Football
DE
/ Football
DE
/ Football
K
/ Football
QB
/ Football
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