This combination helped the Bison prevent a rally from the State of Illinois in a 21-13 victory in the Missouri Valley Soccer Tournament in front of 6,145 fans.
NDSU (4-1, 3-1 MVFC) play in a critical conference game undefeated on Saturday, March 20, and the University of North Dakota (4-0, 4-0) in third place. The Bison have won 31 consecutive home games.
The Bison forced nine points and kept the Redbirds out of the end zone until the third quarter on Saturday. NDSU has conceded 13 points in the past eight quarters, including a 25-0 result victory in the Missouri States last weekend. The Redbirds finished with 257 yards on 67 plays and were 4-for-17 on third-down success.
“We play harder,” said Bison’s second cornerback Jayden Price. “We play faster. We play more confident. We trust each other and just go out there to have fun.”
The true first-year quarterback of Bison, Cam Miller, took the win with a 6-pointer for a 21-13 lead with 3 minutes, 39 seconds left. It comes on a third-and-goal game and limits an 84-yard, 13-play drive after Illinois State cut the Bison lead to one point.
“What a great drive by some of our young guys late in the fourth quarter,” said Bison head coach Matt Entz.
The Bison made a quarterback in the third quarter after Zeb Noland, his forward, threw his second interception in the game on NDSU’s first drive in the second half. Miller, who has been in place situations in QB this spring, took over for good after Noland turnover.
“We just needed a spark,” Entz said.
Entz said he did not make a decision after the game whether to make Miller the starter at QB. Miller completes 5 of 7 passes for 61 yards to go along with his rush. He rushed 57 yards on 11 attempts to chase the team.
“I knew I was going to get some representatives and I had to take the opportunity,” said Miller, who hails from Solon, Iowa.
The Bison defended the eight-point lead in the final seconds, while a ride from Redbirds got stuck in midfield with less than a minute left. ISU’s last game came from its own 47-yard line and the last time Bryce Jefferson, the fullback, was far less than the finish line.
The Bison sometimes rotated four new players on the defensive line during the final ISU ride. NDSU finishes with two bags, including seven dives for a loss and one interception.
“You have to have depth in all four positions,” Entz said of the defensive line. “We’m lucky to have ten guys who can play for us and ten guys we trust to play in big situations.”
North Dakota’s Jackson Hankey hangs on to Nigel White, Illinois, on March 13 in the Fargodome. Michael Vosburg / Forum Photo Editor
The Redbirds came on board in the third quarter and benefited from another Bison turnover. ISU team-mate Tanner Taula got a 4-yard pass from Jefferson to reduce NDSU’s lead to 14-7 by 6:40 to play in the third. The Redbirds took advantage of a short field and started the ride at the Bison 47-yard line after a Kobe Johnson whispered.
The Redbirds added a 1-touchdown by Tyler Pennington that narrowed Bison’s lead to 11-13 to 14-13 to play in the fourth quarter. The score remained so after the defensive line Spencer Waege of the NDSU blocked Aidan Bresnahan point-to-kick. The ISU points standings were helped by the Bison, who jumped next to a fourth-and-three-point game near midfield.
A few plays after the away game stretched out, Jefferson beat Austin Nagel to catch and run 45 yards to the Bison 3-yard line. That long third-and-9 game set the Pennington score.
“We’re a young team and let them play with us, and then we had a dogfight for the rest of the game,” said Bison’s linebacker James Kaczor. “We need to learn how to complete teams in the first half.”
For a second consecutive game, the Bison got a special team spark. Price yielded an 85-yard touchdown for an attack that put Bison ahead 7-0 with 11:20 left in the first quarter.
In subsequent possession, NDSU forced a three-and-out state of Illinois to get the ball back quickly after the Bison offense. NDSU rode 67 yards on eight plays to create a two-point lead. Miller fueled the ride with a 23-yard pass to Christian Watson.
Johnson rounded out the ride with a 15-yard touchdown, which put the Bison ahead 14:37 in the first quarter with 5:37 left.
The Bison threatened to make it a three-point game early in the second quarter, but running back Dominic Gonnella was stoned on the goal line by a fourth-and-goal play from 1. ISU defensive rugby Jarrell Jackson and Clayton Isbell was assigned. with the key stop. The Redbirds took the lead with 14:54 to play in the second quarter.
“They do an excellent job defensively,” Entz said of the state of Illinois. ‘They certainly put 70% of the pressure under pressure. … They have a nice system. ‘
The state’s defense helped keep the Redbirds at a striking distance and take the fourth quarter on track, forcing four Bison turnovers. ISU defensive back Charles Woods had two interceptions and the Redbirds also faced two obstacles. Isbell had seven tackles, including two for a loss, and also forced a trick.
Lane Tucker, left, and James Kaczor, North Dakota State, hit Saturday, March 13 in the Fargodome Bryce Jefferson of Illinois. Michael Vosburg / Forum Photo Editor
“We knew we had to be physical in this game and create a lot of revenue,” Isbell said. ‘Before the game, the DB unit did not have a single turnover. We wanted to give the offense a good field position and that’s what we did most of the time. ”
NDSU limited the Redbirds offense to 79 yards and 29 games, including 52 running yards. ISU had five first downs in the first half, averaging 2.7 yards per game during the first 30 minutes. The Bison led 14-0 at halftime.
NDSU rushed on 54 attempts for 54 yards and scored 153 yards in the first half. Noland completed 6 of 12 passes for 76 yards with one intercepted at halftime. The Bison finishes with 287 yards on 59 plays.
Entz likes the way Miller played in the second half.
“I’m very excited about the calm he had,” Entz said. “I’m very excited about his ability to make plays. He was not afraid to pull the ball off and move the chains with his feet. I think you see his athleticism.”