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Indiana State University Athletics

ndsu_action
2
Indiana State INS 4-5 , 2-4
44
Winner North Dakota St. NDSU 8-0 , 5-0
Indiana State INS
4-5 , 2-4
2
Final
44
North Dakota St. NDSU
8-0 , 5-0
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
INS Indiana State 0 0 0 2 2
NDSU North Dakota St. 16 14 7 7 44

Game Recap: Football | | Seth Montgomery | GoSycamores.com

Sycamores fall in MVFC road contest at No. 2/2 North Dakota State

FARGO, N.D. – Indiana State fell behind early as the Sycamores were unable to keep pace with host No. 2/2 North Dakota State on Saturday afternoon in the 44-2 loss to the Bison in the Fargodome.
 
North Dakota State (8-0, 5-0 MVFC) took advantage of an early Indiana State (4-5, 2-4 MVFC) turnover to build an early double-digit lead. The Bison capitalized on a 97-yard Kobe Johnson touchdown run on their way to building a 30-0 halftime lead and the Sycamores were unable to rally back from the early deficit in falling in the Missouri Valley Football Conference matchup.
 
The Sycamores relied heavily on offensive stalwarts Peterson Kerlegrand (18 carries, 89 yards) and Dante Hendrix (nine catches, 87 yards) in the loss as Indiana State racked up 275 total yards in the loss. Quarterback Anthony Thompson was 7-of-11 for 60 yards before coming out of the game due to injury, while Kurtis Wilderman finished 13-of-25 for 121 yards to close out the game.
 
Cam Miller paced an efficient NDSU offense with the quarterback going 10-of-14 through the air for 179 yards and three touchdowns in the win. Josh Babicz put together two catches for 58 yards and a score, while Christian Watson finished with four catches for 23 yards and a touchdown to pace the Bison offense.
 
Kobe Johnson led the NDSU rushing game with 155 yards on five carries with a 97-yard touchdown run in the second quarter as the Bison finished the contest with 294 team rushing yards.
 
Ethan Hoover led the Sycamores with six tackles in the game, while Matt Thompson and Geoffrey Brown combined for a tackle-for-loss in the loss. Dwayne Thompson II added his first interception of the 2021 season to lead the defense.
 
Michael Tutsie paced the Bison defense with eight tackles, while North Dakota State finished with four sacks and six tackles for loss in the win.
 
How They Scored
  • North Dakota State scored on the opening possession as Cam Miller found Josh Babicz from three-yards out in the left flat to put NDSU ahead early, 7-0, with 10:45 remaining in the first quarter. The Bison were aided by a 55-yard completion from Miller to Babicz to highlight the seven-play, 72-yard drive.
  • The Bison took advantage of a Sycamore fumble on ISU's opening possession to tack on a 43-yard field goal from Jake Reinholz and add to the NDSU lead with 8:24 remaining in the first quarter, 10-0.
  • TaMerik Williams added to the Bison lead with a 20-yard touchdown run at the 3:03 mark to put NDSU ahead 16-0 following the five-play, 89-yard drive. NDSU's two-point conversion attempt failed.
  • Following an ISU turnover on downs deep within Bison territory, NDSU was back on the board at the 10:01 mark in the second quarter on a 97-yard touchdown run from Kobe Johnson to increase the lead to 23-0.
  • The Bison added to their lead with 4:05 remaining in the first half as Miller found Christian Watson on a rollout pass in the left flat for an eight-yard touchdown pass to put the score at 30-0 in favor of NDSU.
  • Miller found Hunter Luepke for a one-yard touchdown pass to end an eight-play, 50-yard drive with 8:51 remaining in the third quarter to put the Bison lead at 37-0.
  • Cole Payton added to the Bison lead with 11:36 remaining in the fourth quarter with an 18-yard touchdown run on the QB keeper to put the score at 44-0.
  • Hunter Lunsford put the Sycamores on the scoreboard with 6:51 remaining in the contest as the senior defensive back blocked a NDSU punt attempt through the back of the end zone for a safety to put the final margin at 44-2.
Inside the Statistics
  • North Dakota State held the 477-275 edge in total yards thanks in part to a strong rushing game as the Bison picked up 292 yards on the ground.
  • The Sycamores held the 17-14 edge in first downs and the 31:37-28:23 advantage in time of possession in the loss.
  • North Dakota State took advantage of two Indiana State turnovers and converted them into 10 points in the win.
  • The Bison also took advantage of a pair of fourth-down stands and added touchdowns in the Sycamores loss.
  • Indiana State was 3-of-15 in third-down conversions in the loss.
  • Travis Reiner averaged 41.7 yards over his seven punts in the game with a game-long 51-yard attempt. Four of his punts were fair-caught inside the 20-yard line.
News & Notes
  • Dante Hendrix kept his Indiana State consecutive games with a catch record intact as the redshirt junior receiver hauled in a pass on the Sycamores' second drive of the game. The streak now spans 25 consecutive games dating back to 2018.
  • Hendrix finished the game with nine catches for 78 yards, just shy of his his second double-digit catch game of the season.
  • Zach Larkin also kept his receiving streak alive as the tight end has caught a pass in 15 consecutive games dating back to the early 2019 season. Larkin finished the game with one catch for five yards.
  • Peterson Kerlegrand entered the game leading the Missouri Valley Football Conference in total carries and the senior running back added to his totals with 18 carries for 89 yards in Saturday's loss.
  • It was Kerlegrand's sixth game this season with at least 15 carries and fifth consecutive game to reach double-digits in the category.
  • Dwayne Thompson's interception just before the end of the first half marked his first interception of the 2021 season as the junior became the seventh Sycamore to record a pick on the year.
  • The Sycamores defense has recorded an interception in four consecutive games with Thompson's interception in the contest.
  • Hunter Lunsford's blocked punt marked Indiana State's first blocked punt of the 2021 season and third time ISU has gotten a hand on the ball on special teams this year. Lunsford scored on a muffed snap punt against Eastern Kentucky, while Dwayne Thompson got a hand on an eight-yard punt against Western Illinois.
  • It marked Indiana State's first punt block since John McDonald-Horner successfully blocked a punt against Western Illinois back in the 2016 season and the second safety ISU has recorded this year.
  • The Sycamores fall to 1-10 all-time in the series against the Bison and 1-4 all-time in Fargo, N.D. with the loss.
Up Next
Indiana State is on a bye week this upcoming week before returning to the field for their final home game of the 2021 season on Saturday, November 13. The Sycamores will welcome Southern Illinois to Memorial Stadium for Senior Day with kickoff set for 1 p.m. ET on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.
 
Follow the Sycamores
For the latest information on Sycamore Football, visit GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Fans can also receive updates on Sycamore Athletics by downloading the March On App from both the App Store and the Google Play Store.
 
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