North Dakota State Athletics
5-0 , 2-0
Illinois State
3-2 , 0-1
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Dakota State | 7 | 8 | 3 | 15 | 33 |
| Illinois State | 2 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 16 |
Bison Pick Up 33-16 Road Win Over No. 6 Illinois State
10/4/2025 10:14:00 PM | Football
Barika Kpeenu rushed 14 times for a season-high 116 yards including a 42-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter that gave NDSU the lead for good.
Cole Payton went 12 of 14 passing for 194 yards with one touchdown, rushed 15 times for 79 yards, and scored two 2-point conversions for the Bison, who pulled away with two fourth-quarter touchdowns around a three-and-out by Illinois State.
The Redbirds got within 18-16 late in the third quarter with a nine-play, 75-yard scoring drive capped by a 3-yard touchdown pass from Tommy Rittenhouse to Daniel Sobkowicz. NDSU responded with an eight-play, 70-yard scoring drive with Bryce Lance catching a 23-yard touchdown pass from Payton to go ahead 25-16.
The Bison defense forced a three-and-out on the ensuing drive with Keenan Wilson and Jaxon Duttenhefer forcing a pair of incompletions and Wilson and Ryan Jones combining on a second-down stop for 1 yard.
NDSU stretched the lead to 33-16 with a six-play scoring drive highlighted by an 51-yard passing play from Payton to Jackson Williams and a 12-yard run by Payton in the red zone that set up DJ Scott for a 5-yard touchdown.
Jones picked up his first career interception to end Illinois State's final drive, and Kpeenu picked up a pair of first downs on runs of 13 and 10 yards as the Bison ran out the final 4:38 of the game.
Linebacker Nathaniel Staehling finished with a game- and career-high 11 tackles plus a fumble recovery to lead the Bison defense. Logan Kopp made nine tackles, Donovan Woolen had eight stops, and Wilson finished with seven tackles including one sack.
North Dakota State returns home next week to host 10th-ranked Southern Illinois at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 11, at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome.
Team Stats
NDS 0, ILS 2
ILS - Niekamp,Tye 0 yd safety
NDS 7, ILS 2
NDS - Payton,Cole 13 yd run (Ozick,Eli kick), 7 plays, 47 yards, TOP 03:53
NDS 7, ILS 9
ILS - Wright,Wenkers 6 yd run (Maldonado,Matt kick), 10 plays, 65 yards, TOP 06:13
NDS 15, ILS 9
NDS - Kpeenu,Barika 42 yd run (Payton,Cole rush), 3 plays, 68 yards, TOP 01:25
NDS 18, ILS 9
NDS - Ozick,Eli 38 yd field goal 11 plays, 65 yards, TOP 06:38
NDS 18, ILS 16
ILS - Sobkowicz,Daniel 3 yd pass from Rittenhouse,Tommy (Maldonado,Matt kick) 9 plays, 75 yards, TOP 05:09
NDS 25, ILS 16
NDS - Lance,Bryce 23 yd pass from Payton,Cole (Ozick,Eli kick) 8 plays, 70 yards, TOP 04:45
NDS 33, ILS 16
NDS - Scott,DJ 5 yd run (Payton,Cole rush), 6 plays, 73 yards, TOP 03:51
