FARGO, N.D. – Easton Stick had a solid game as top-ranked North Dakota State regained the Dakota Marker with a 21-17 victory over No. 3 South Dakota State in the Missouri Valley Football Conference opener for both teams Saturday afternoon at the Fargodome.

The senior quarterback from Omaha, Neb., went 9-of-20 for 182 yards with a pair of touchdowns and an interception through the air while running for a team-high 63 yards and a score.

Stick capped an eight-play, 80-yard drive with a 5-yard TD rush that put the Bison on top for good at 21-17 with 13 minutes remaining in the game.

The Jackrabbits moved to the NDSU 31-yard-line on their ensuing possession; however, Chase Vinatieri’s 48-yard field goal attempt missed wide right.

The SDSU defense got a stop, but Garret Wegner’s 54-yard punt stuck the Jackrabbits on their own 7 with 5:41 to go.

Isaac Wallace picked up 5 yards on first down but was stymied on second down. Taryn Christion’s swing pass to Wallace on third down went for a loss of 1 and the Jackrabbits were forced to punt.

They never got the ball back.

NDSU retook possession with 3:32 showing on the clock, and Stick had key runs of 6 yards on third-and-5 and 9 yards on third-and-6 to help the Bison run out the clock.

“Congratulations to North Dakota State, Coach (Chris) Klieman and his staff, and the crowd up here – it’s a tough place to play,” said SDSU coach John Stiegelmeier. “I’m really proud of our team, our program; everybody in it came up here and thought we had a chance to win the football game. And we had a chance.”

Christion finished 19-of-29 for 202 yards with a TD and an INT, and ran for 29 yards.

SDSU opened the scoring with a 10-play, 89-yard touchdown drive that spanned more than 6 minutes.

Christion found Cade Johnson on a short pass in the left flat for a 3-yard score at the 5:24 mark of the opening period.

The Jackrabbits then forced a three-and-out and were on the verge of taking a two-score lead.

However, on third-and-7 from the 10, Christion’s pass was intercepted by Jalen Allison in the end zone. He returned the ball to the SDSU 31 and the Bison carried the momentum into the second stanza.

Stick had TD tosses of 17 yards and Ben Ellefson and 41 yards to Darrius Shepherd to put NDSU ahead 14-7 with 3:51 left before halftime. In between, Cam Pedersen missed a 48-yard field goal wide left.

The Bison possessed the ball for more than 5 minutes after the break and marched into Jackrabbit territory, before Jordan Brown made a diving grab for an interception at his own 25.

Wallace had a 20-yard run and an 11-yard reception to move the ball into NDSU territory. Later, Vinatieri connected on a 39-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 14-10 with 4:57 to go in the third.

The SDSU defense got another stop and the longest play of the game came soon thereafter.

Wallace lined up in a quad set on the left side before motioning into the backfield. He took a handoff from Christion and bolted to the right, racing up the sideline and outrunning the NDSU defense for a 61-yard touchdown. Vinatieri’s kick made it 17-14 with 2:04 left in the third.

NDSU’s go-ahead drive came next.

Wallace totaled 110 yards on nine carries. Adam Anderson had 102 yards on eight receptions. Christian Rozeboom made 12 tackles, while Krockett Krolikowski and Ryan Earith both notched 1 1/2 sacks.

North Dakota State (4-0, 1-0) takes on Northern Iowa on Saturday at 1 p.m. in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

South Dakota State (2-1, 0-1) plays host to Indiana State in the Hall of Fame Game/Precision Ag Bowl on Saturday at 6 p.m.

Notes: NDSU is 9-6 in the Dakota Marker Game and 12-6 overall versus SDSU in the Division I era. … Mikey Daniel had five carries for 10 yards and one reception. … Preston Tetzlaff made two tackles. … Sophomore guard Eagan Lickiss made his first career start in place of Eddie Miller, who was not in uniform.

No. 1 NORTH DAKOTA STATE 21,

No. 3 SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 17

SDSU (2-1) 7    0  10  0  –  17

NDSU (4-0) 0  14    0  7  –  21

First Quarter

SDSU – Cade Johnson 3 pass from Taryn Christion (Chase Vinatieri kick), 5:24

Second Quarter

NDSU – Ben Ellefson 17 pass from Easton Stick (Cam Pedersen kick), 13:14

NDSU – Darrius Shepherd 41 pass from Stick (Pedersen kick), 3:51

Third Quarter

SDSU – Vinatieri 39 FG, 4:57

SDSU – Isaac Wallace 61 run, 2:04

Fourth Quarter

NDSU – Stick 5 run (Pedersen kick), 13:00

SDSU NDSU

First Downs 16 21

Plays-Yards 56-357 67-389

Rushes-Yards 27-155 47-207

C-A-Int.-Yards 19-29-1-202 9-20-1-182

Fumbles-Lost 0-0 2-0

Penalties-Yards 2-10 4-40

Punts-Avg.-I20-TB 5-40.2-0-0 5-47.4-3-0

Kickoffs-Avg.-TB 4-63.8-0 4-64.2-1

Punt Returns-Yards-TD 3-11-0 1-(-1)-0

Kickoff Returns-Yards-TD 3-61-0 4-72-0

Interception Returns-Yards-TD 1-0-0 1-31-0

Fumble Returns-Yards-TD 0-0-0 0-0-0

Miscellaneous Yards 0 0

Possession Time 26:33 33:27

Third-down Conversions 3-of-12 8-of-16

Fourth-down Conversions 0-of-1 0-of-0

Red Zone Chances-TD-FG 2-1-0 2-2-0

Sacks By-Yards 3-15 3-15

Field Goals 1-for-2 0-of-1

RUSHING: SDSU – Isaac Wallace 9-110, Taryn Christion 10-29, Mikey Daniel 5-10, C.J. Wilson 3-6. NDSU – Easton Stick 15-63, Bruce Anderson 12-58, Lance Dunn 12-56, Ty Brooks 6-35, TEAM 2-(-5).

PASSING: SDSU – Taryn Christion 19-29-1-202. NDSU – Easton Stick 9-20-1-182.

RECEIVING: SDSU – Adam Anderson 8-102, Cade Johnson 3-63, Isaac Wallace 3-21, Kallan Hart 2-13, C.J. Wilson 2-3, Mikey Daniel 1-0. NDSU – Darrius Shepherd 5-118, Ben Ellefson 2-28, Dallas Freeman 1-24, Bruce Anderson 1-12.

DEFENSE: SDSU – Christian Rozeboom 12 tackles; Krockett Krolikowski 7 tackles, 1.5 sacks, FF; Ryan Earith 5 tackles, 1.5 sacks; Austin Smenda 5 tackles; Brandon Snyder 5 tackles; Jordan Brown INT. NDSU – Jabril Cox 8 tackles, 2 PBU; Robbie Grimsley 8 tackles; Dan Marlette 5 tackles; Levi Jordheim 5 tackles; Jalen Allison INT; Cole Karcz sack; Blake Williams sack; Greg Menard sack.

   A – 18,846.

Missouri Valley Football Conference

MVFC Overall

STATS/Coaches W-L PF/PA W-L PF/PA Strk

1/1 North Dakota State 1-0 21/17 4-0 146/37 W10

Missouri State 1-0 24/21 3-1 133/111 W3

South Dakota 1-0 31/24 2-2 108/106 W1

Western Illinois 1-0 45/38 2-2 113/125 W2

23/21 Northern Iowa 1-0 33/0 2-2 114/64 W2

9/10 Illinois State 0-1 21/24 3-1 150/53 L1

3/3 South Dakota State 0-1 17/21 2-1 152/42 L1

Indiana State 0-1 0/33 2-2 111/105 L1

Southern Illinois 0-1 24/31 1-3 158/165 L3

Youngstown State 0-1 38/45 1-3 118/127 L1

   Notes: The following matchups will not take place in 2018: SDSU-WIU, NDSU-InSU, UNI-SIU, YSU-MSU and IlSU-USD. … USD (27th/31st) is receiving votes in both polls. MSU (31st) and WIU (32nd) are receiving votes in the STATS poll. … The MVFC went 17-12 in nonconference games, including a 13-5 mark versus FCS schools and a 1-7 record against FBS teams. … The Valley won the Big Sky-MVFC Challenge Series 5-3 for the second year in a row.

   *MVFC game

WEEK 5

Thursday, Sept. 27

*Northern Iowa 33, Indiana State 0

Saturday, Sept. 29

*North Dakota State 21, South Dakota State 17

*Missouri State 24, Illinois State 21

*South Dakota 31, Southern Illinois 24

*Western Illinois 45, Youngstown State 38

Notable games

No. 5 Eastern Washington 34, Montana State 17

Florida International 55, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 9

TCU 17, Iowa State 14

North Dakota 38, Northern Colorado 13

WEEK 6 – Saturday, Oct. 6

*North Dakota State at Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, Iowa, 1 p.m.

*Missouri State at South Dakota, Vermillion, 2 p.m.

*Western Illinois at Illinois State, Normal, Ill., 2 p.m.

*Southern Illinois at Youngstown State, Youngstown, Ohio, 5 p.m.

*Indiana State at South Dakota State, Brookings, 6 p.m. [Hall of Fame Game/Precision Ag Bowl]

Notable games

Iowa State (1-3, 0-2 Big 12, FBS) at Oklahoma State (4-1, 1-1 Big 12; FBS), Stillwater, Okla., 12:30 p.m.

Jackson State (1-2, 0-1 SWAC East) at Arkansas-Pine Bluff (1-4, 0-1 SWAC West), Pine Bluff, Ark., 2:30 p.m.

   Open: North Dakota (3-2, FCS Independent), Montana State (3-2, 1-1 Big Sky).

Saturday

• Missouri State 24, No. 9/10 Illinois State 21

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The Bears beat the Redbirds to secure their first two-game winning streak over ranked opponents since 1989.

Donovan Daniel scored on a 5-yard run with 2:57 to go in the third and Jason Randall found the end zone from a yard out with 7:56 left in the fourth to put MSU ahead 24-14. The two 10-play drives covered a combined 155 yards.

ISU pulled within 24-21 on Brady Davis’ 43-yard TD toss to James Robinson with 3:15 showing on the clock.

The Redbirds then forced a three-and-out and got the ball back on their own 21 with 1:27 to play. They moved down to the MSU 15; however, Darius Joseph blocked Sam Fenlason’s 32-yard field goal attempt as time expired to seal the deal.

Bears quarterback Peyton Huslig went 22-of-32 for 232 yards with a pair of interceptions and ran for 52 yards and a score. Randall finished with 63 yards and Daniels 33.

For the Redbirds, Davis was 20-of-38 for 226 yards with three TDs. Robinson caught six passes for 97 yards and a touchdown while adding 54 rushing yards. Spencer Schnell added five receptions for 71 yards and two scores. Markel Smith ran for 80 yards on six carries.

MSU led 10-0 at halftime after Parker Lacina kicked a 42-yard field goal in the first quarter and Huslig had a 5-yard TD run in the second.

Davis and Schnell had TD connections of 5 and 4 yards in the third to put the Redbirds ahead 14-10. The second score was set up by Luther Kirk’s interception and 12-yard return to the MSU 19.

The Bears’ McNeece Egbim had nine tackles, including a sack, and Eric Johnson tallied 1 1/2 sacks.

The Redbirds’ Zackary Mathews came up with 16 stops. Devin Taylor picked off a pass and Ty DeForest recovered a fumble.

Total offense: ISU 68 plays-368 yards (26-128 rushing/22-42-240 passing), MSU 80 plays-394 yards (48-162 rushing/22-32-232 passing). Turnovers: ISU 0, MSU 3 (2 INT/1 fumble). Time of possession: ISU 25:37, MSU 34:23. Attendance: 12,224.

• South Dakota 31, Southern Illinois 24

CARBONDALE, Ill. – Austin Simmons threw three third-quarter touchdown passes as the Coyotes beat the Salukis to help third-year head coach Bob Nielson earn his 200th career victory.

The quarterback finished the game 18-of-35 for 333 yards with the three scores and one interception.

He hit Randy Baker for TD tosses of 9 yards and 45 yards, turning a seven-point halftime deficit into a seven-point lead, before connecting with Dakarai Allen for an 89-yard catch-and-run to paydirt to push the margin to 31-17 with 1:52 to go in the third.

That’s where the score stood until SIU’s Javon Williams plunged in from a yard out with a minute remaining in the game.

USD recovered the ensuing onside kick to seal the deal.

Allen had six receptions for a career-high 183 yards and Baker added six catches for 80 yards. Ben Klett ran for 62 yards.

The Coyotes’ Kai Henry opened the scoring with a 1-yard TD rush a little more than 3 minutes into the game. Mark Collins’ interception and 30-yard return set USD up at the SIU 9-yard-line to begin the drive.

The Salukis quickly answered as Sam Straub and Nigel Kilby hooked up for touchdowns of 10 and 20 yards to put the hosts ahead 14-7 after a quarter.

In between the two scores, Jeremy Chinn intercepted a pass and returned it 23 yards before fumbling; however, Madre Harper scooped up the loose ball and gained 13 more yards to the USD 20.

USD’s Mason Lorber (23 yards, 2:00) and SIU’s Nico Gualoni (22 yards, :00) exchanged field goals in the second, leaving the score at 17-10 in favor of SIU at halftime.

Straub ended up 32-of-59 for 320 yards with two TDs and two INTs. Kilby picked up 109 yards on seven grabs. D.J. Davis ran for 117 yards.

USD’s Andrew Gray made 14 tackles and picked off a pass. DeValon Whitcomb recovered a fumble.

SIU’s Bryce Notree had 11 tackles and Michael Elbert 10, and Luke Giegling recorded a pair of sacks.

Total offense: USD 75 plays-444 yards (40-111 rushing/18-35-333 passing), SIU 101 plays-527 yards (40-207 rushing/32-61-320 passing). Turnovers: USD 1 (1 INT), SIU 3 (2 INT/1 fumble). Time of possession: USD 26:14, SIU 33:46. Attendance: 8,546.

BOB NIELSON – 200 WINS

Ripon (1989-90) 9-8-1

Wartburg (1991-95) 39-14

Wisconsin-Eau Claire (1996-98) 22-11

Minnesota Duluth (1999-2003, 2008-12) 100-26

Western Illinois (2013-15) 16-21

South Dakota (2016-present) 14-14

TOTAL (26 years) 200-94-1

• Western Illinois 45, Youngstown State 38

MACOMB, Ill. – The Leathernecks beat the Penguins in a wild game.

WIU held a slight 475-473 advantage in total yards of offense but forced three turnovers without giving the ball away.

The Leathernecks’ Sean McGuire was 22-of-34 for 324 yards and hit four different players for touchdowns.

Steve McShane ran for 134 yards and a score. Isaiah Lesure had six catches for 99 yards, Tony Tate six for 79 and Clint Ratkovich four for 83.

YSU’s Montgomery VanGorder ended up 33-of-57 for 418 yards with three TDs and two INTs.

Leading 30-24, McGuire had touchdown passes of 30 yards to Lesure (8:06) and 32 yards Ratkovic (7:08) in the fourth quarter to make it 45-24. Quentin Moon forced Darius Shackleford to fumble following a reception and Riggs Baxter pounced on the loose ball at the YSU 32 to set up the latter score.

VanGorder found Jermiah Braswell for an 11-yard TD with 4:05 left to cap an 80-yard drive and cut the deficit to 45-31. The Penguins recovered the ensuing onside kick but WIU’s Justin Fitzpatrick picked off a pass in his own end zone soon thereafter.

YSU forced a three-and-out before VanGorder hit London Pearson for a 4-yard TD strike to pull the Penguins within 45-38 with 37 seconds to go.

WIU recovered YSU’s next onside attempt and knelt out the clock.

McGuire’s 8-yard touchdown toss to Adam Conrady opened the scoring less than 5 minutes into the game. YSU’s Tevin McCaster pulled his team even with a 3-yard run, his first of TD rushes..

Sam Crosa converted a 35-yard field goal and McGuire scampered in from 2 yards out to make it 16-7 at halftime.

McShane’s TD rush – a 75-yarder – pushed the margin to 23-7 early in the third.

Following a 24-yard field goal by YSU’s Zak Kennedy, McGuire threw a 3-yard TD pass to Khalen Saunders to put the Leathernecks up 30-10.

The Penguins countered with back-to-back scores – VanGorder on a 21-yard toss to Zach Farrar at the 4:33 mark of the third and McCaster with a 2-yard plunge with 11:26 to go in the fourth – to cut the deficit to 30-24.

Moon and Eric Carerra both had 10 tackles for WIU, and Zach Muniz pick off a pass.

YSU’s Armand Dellovade had 15 stops, including a sack.

Total offense: WIU 65 plays-475 (31-151 rushing/22-34-324 passing), YSU 86 plays-473 yards. Turnovers: WIU 0, YSU 3 (2 INT/1 fumble). Time of possession: WIU 29:49, SDSU 30:11. Attendance: 4,532.

Notable games

• No. 5 Eastern Washington 34, Montana State 17

BOZEMAN, Mont. – Gage Giburd went 27-of-41 for 311 yards with an INT and ran for a score and Sam McPherson picked up 74 yards and a pair of TDs on the ground to lead the Eagles (4-1, 2-0) over the Bobcats (3-2, 1-1) in a Big Sky Conference game.

MSU’s Troy Anderson was 12-of-19 for 156 yards with two INTs and ran for 94 yards and two scores.

• Florida International 55, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 9

MIAMI, Fla. – James Morgan was 9-of-14 for 341 yards with four TDs and D’Vonte ran for 110 yards and two scores as the Panthers (3-2), who led 38-3 at halftime, beat the Golden Lions (1-4).

UAPB’s Jamie Gillan was 3-of-4 on field goals with makes from 37, 45 and 31 yards. He missed a 50-yarder. Taeyler Porter ran 26 times for 137 yards and Skyler Perry was 12-of-19 for 106 yards with an INT.

• TCU 17, Iowa State 14

FORT WORTH, Texas – Jonathan Song kicked a 28-yard field goal with 37 seconds to go to lift the Horned Frogs (3-2, 1-1) over the Cyclones (1-3, 0-2) in a Big 12 Conference matchup. TCU outgained ISU 299-198 but was minus-two in turnover margin.

TCU’s Shawn Robinson was 21-of-29 for 182 yards with a TD to Taye Barber and an INT. Ben Banogu returned a fumble 47 yards to paydirt.

ISU’s David Montgomery ran for 101 yards and a TD and Zeb Noland ended up 14-of-28 for 79 yards with a TD toss to Charlie Kolar.

Tied 7-7 after a quarter and at halftime, TCU moved ahead 14-7 on Banogu’s fumble return less than a minute into the third period. Montgomery’s 1-yard plunge tied it at 14-all with 7:51 left in the game.

• North Dakota 38, Northern Colorado 13

GREELEY, Colo. – James Johannesson ran for 141 yards and Brady Oliveira picked up 124 yards while scoring twice as the Fight Hawks (3-2) beat the Bears (0-5). Nate Ketteringham threw for 123 yards and rushed for a pair of scores.

Thursday

• No. 23/21 Northern Iowa 33, Indiana State 0

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Trevor Allen ran for 180 yards and two touchdowns and the Panther defense kept the Sycamores off the scoreboard to open MVFC play.

Marcus Weymiller picked up 90 yards on the ground. Eli Dunne was 16-of-24 for 218 yards through the air.

Austin Errthum made four of his five field goal attempts and went 3-for-3 on PAT kicks.

He had makes of 46 yards in the first quarter and 31 and 20 yards in the second to make it 9-0 at halftime. He missed from 49 yards late in the opening period.

Allen found the end zone on runs of 18 and 16 yards in the third – the latter score finishing off a 90-yard drive.

Errthum added a 24-yard field goal with 12:57 remaining in the game.

Duncan Ferch picked off a pass and returned it 19 yards to paydirt with 5:18 left to round out the scoring.

Chris Kolarevic paced the UNI defense with 12 tackles and added a pair of pass breakups.

ISU’s Ja’Quan Keys rushed for 76 yards. Ryan Boyle was 13-of-25 for 136 yards with an INT. Dante Hendrix picked up 76 yards on five receptions.

Katrell Moss made 12 tackles and Jamal Jones added 11 to go with a fumble recovery.

Total offense: UNI 75 plays-483 yards (51-265 rushing/16-24-218 passing), ISU 63 plays-294 yards (38-158 rushing/13-25-136 passing). Turnovers: UNI 1 (1 fumble), ISU 1 (1 INT). Time of possession: UNI 31:36, ISU 28:24. Attendance: 5,487.