North Dakota State Bison vs Minnesota Golden Gophers Match Player Stats On Sep 24, 2011

SportsDirect Inc. staff
Sep 24, 2011

Going forward, Minnesota might want to put North Dakota State on the “avoid” list.

The Bison defeated Minnesota 37-24 on Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium, their second win in the last four years against the Gophers, who lost 27-21 in the last meeting in 2007.

North Dakota State, which entered with the top-ranked scoring offense and defense in FCS, took it to the Gophers from the get-go. The Bison led 28-14 at the half and extended their lead to 31-14 midway through the third on Ryan Jastram’s 49-yard field goal.

Behind Max Shortell, who took most of the second-half snaps in place of the ineffective Marqueis Gray, the Gophers (1-3) cut the lead to 31-24 on Eric Lair’s 20-yard touchdown catch with 9:05 left.

After North Dakota State (3-0) missed a field goal on the ensuing possession, Minnesota took over at its own 20-yard line with less than 3 minutes left and a chance for a game-tying score. However, Shortell’s pass on second-and-10 was intercepted by Marcus Williams and returned for a touchdown.

It was the second interception returned for a touchdown by the Bison, who defeated another BCS opponent — Kansas — last season in their opener. Minnesota, meanwhile, lost for just the fourth time in 56 games against an FCS opponent and fell to 8-2 overall against North Dakota State.

Three different players scored rushing touchdowns for the Bison, including one from quarterback Brock Jensen, who also went 16-of-21 for 197 passing yards.