FARGO, N.D. - No. 1-ranked North Dakota State rolled to a 51-13 victory over 17th-ranked South Dakota in the Missouri Valley Football Conference opener Saturday, Sept. 27, before a homecoming crowd of 18,498 at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome.

Nathaniel Staehling made a team-high five tackles and had a 43-yard interception return for a touchdown on the opening drive of the second half. The Bison held USD to 2 of 9 on third down and kept the Coyotes out of the end zone until the 1:11 mark of the fourth quarter.

North Dakota State (4-0) scored touchdowns on five straight possessions in the first half including drives of 77, 90, 95 and 83 yards. NDSU had a 391-99 advantage in total yards by halftime with a 34-3 lead.

Cole Payton went 14 of 18 passing for 273 yards and two touchdowns including a 29-yard strike to tight end Reis Kessel to cap a sharp nine-play, 83-yard drive that spanned just 1:54 in the final minutes of the first half. Payton added 11 carries 102 yards and one score.

Bryce Lance had a 2-yard touchdown catch and finished with four receptions for 98 yards, and Barika Kpeenu caught four passes out of the backfield for 39 yards. Kpeenu rushed 18 times for 86 yards with TD runs of 7 and 6 yards.

Taylen Eady added five tackles including a forced fumble for NDSU, and Peder Haugo got credit for two sacks in the second half with pressure causing a pair of intentional grounding penalties by USD quarterback Aidan Bouman, who finished 13 of 21 passing for 208 yards.

The Bison limited South Dakota running back L.J. Phillips Jr. to 38 yards on 11 carries after he ran for 301 and 143 yards in USD's previous two games.

North Dakota State is back on the road next week to face Illinois State at 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, with exclusive television coverage on ESPN+ for the Valley Football Game of the Week. The Redbirds will be coming off a bye week with a 3-1 non-conference record.