NORMAL, Ill. - Top-ranked North Dakota State improved to 5-0 on the season with a 33-16 victory over No. 6-ranked Illinois State in the Missouri Valley Football Conference on Saturday, Oct. 4.

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.