TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State was unable to overcome a halftime deficit on Saturday afternoon to No. 8/7 North Dakota as the Sycamores fell in the Missouri Valley Football home opener against the Fighting Hawks, 42-35.
The Sycamores (2-3, 0-1) trailed 28-14 following the halftime break as North Dakota (4-1, 1-0) utilized a trio of Jerry Kaminski touchdown passes and a Kaminski quarterback keeper over the first 30 minutes to build the lead. Indiana State cut the deficit down to 28-21 on
Aaron Ball's 10-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, to set the stage for a high-scoring final 15 minutes at Memorial Stadium.
North Dakota struck first building a 42-21 lead with 9:37 remaining as Kaminski scored on a quarterback keeper on the first drive of the quarter, before connecting with Cameron Weir for a 39-yard touchdown pass on their next drive to stretch the lead back out.
Indiana State rallied back as
Jayden Reed (eight catches, 129 yards, two touchdowns) broke loose over the middle for a 33-yard touchdown reception to cut the deficit down to 42-28 with 8:01 to play in the contest.
On the ensuing onside kick,
BJ Wuest went up near the Indiana State sideline and kept his feet in-bounds to recover the ball at the UND 47-yard line to keep possession with the Sycamores. Six plays later, Wuest was in the end zone as the Sycamore wide receiver created separation on the corner route and hauled in the 17-yard touchdown pass from
Brady Allen to make it a 42-35 game with 6:36 to play.
Indiana State's defense held North Dakota near midfield on the following possession.
Alex Rose and
Devin Johnson came up to make the stop on Kaminski's QB keeper on 3rd-and-10 to force a Fighting Hawks' punt near midfield.
The Sycamores were able to pick up a first down on their final drive of the game as Reed hauled in a 13-yard reception to move the ball from the INS 15 to the Sycamore 28. Another Allen-Reed connection put the Sycamores at 3rd-and-4 from the INS 34, but North Dakota's pressure on the fourth down play led to an incompletion and turnover on downs, allowing UND to run out the clock and secure the conference win.
Jayden Reed hauled in eight receptions for 129 yards and two touchdowns in a standout performance for the freshman wide receiver. He recorded a 20-yard reception for a score in the first quarter, and added a 49-yard catch in the third quarter to set up
Aaron Ball's 10-yard rushing touchdown, before finishing his highlight reel with the 33-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter.
Brady Allen was 18-of-33 through the air for 270 yards and four touchdown passes, targeting
Jaylan Johnson (17-yard TD) and
BJ Wuest (17-yard TD) for scores in addition to the two passes to Reed. KeShon Singleton added three receptions for a season-high 81 yards in the game.
Aaron Ball found the end zone for the third consecutive game with his 10-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter on his way to finishing with a team-high 16 carries for 50 yards.
Ashton Hayes was back in the backfield after a three-game hiatus with two carries for four yards, while adding a reception.
Alex Rose led the Sycamore defense with a season-high 12 tackles in the game.
Xavian Andrews and
Braxton Sampson both finished with nine stops, while
CJ Davis posted five tackles and a strip sack.
Kaleb Harris recovered the fumble and added a pass breakup.
Jerry Kaminski paced the North Dakota offense going 33-for-48 through the air for 381 yards and four touchdowns, while adding 18 carries for 86 yards and two more scores. Korey Tai was his favorite target with eight catches for 62 yards and a score, while Deng Deng added six catches for 101 yards. Cameron Weir added two receiving touchdowns and 64 receiving yards.
The North Dakota defense was active throughout the game led by Braden Mohr's seven tackles, 3.0 sacks, 3.5 tackles-for-loss, and a forced fumble. Overall, the North Dakota defense finished the game with four sacks, six pass breakups, and five quarterback hurries in the win.
How They Scored
- North Dakota scored on the opening drive of the game as the Fighting Hawks moved the ball down the field over 14 plays and 80 yards before Jerry Kaminski found Korey Tai for a 14-yard touchdown pass to make it a 7-0 game with 8:59 remaining in the first quarter.
- The Sycamores responded on their opening drive with Jayden Reed hauling in a 20-yard touchdown reception from Brady Allen to cap a nine-play, 75-yard drive to tie the game up at 7-7 with 5:41 remaining in the first quarter.
- Jerry Kaminski put North Dakota ahead with a nine-yard touchdown run to cap a seven-play, 62-yard drive to give UND the 14-7 lead with 14:14 remaining in the second quarter.
- North Dakota added to the lead on their next drive as Jerry Kaminski found Mason South for a six-yard touchdown pass to make it a 21-7 lead with 9:30 remaining in the second quarter to cap an eight-play, 59-yard drive.
- The Sycamores were back on the scoreboard with 6:57 remaining in the second quarter as Jaylan Johnson hauled in the 17-yard touchdown pass from Brady Allen to cap a seven-play, 73-yard drive to cut it to 21-14. The drive was aided by KeShon Singleton breaking a tackle near midfield on 3rd-and-9 and turning it into a 43-yard gain to stake the Sycamores to 1st-and-10 at the UND 17.
- North Dakota scored just before the halftime break as Cameron Weir hauled in a 13-yard touchdown reception from Jerry Kaminski to end an 11-play, 55-yard drive to give the Fighting Hawks the 28-14 halftime lead.
- Indiana State cut the deficit down to 28-21 with 3:22 remaining in the third quarter as Aaron Ball found the gap through the North Dakota defensive line and sprinted for a 10-yard touchdown run. The drive was aided by Jayden Reed's 49-yard reception to move the ball down to the UND 10.
- North Dakota moved the ball 81 yards on 11 plays with Jerry Kaminski scoring on a one-yard QB keeper to put the Fighting Hawks up 35-21.
- The Fighting Hawks' lead reached 42-21 as Jerry Kaminski found Cameron Weir for a 39-yard touchdown reception with 9:37 remaining in the fourth quarter.
- Indiana State continued to battle back as Jayden Reed hauled in his second touchdown of the game as the freshman wide receiver scored on a 33-yard pass from Brady Allen to cut the score to 42-28 with 8:01 remaining in the contest.
- Following a successful onside kick as BJ Wuest toe-tapped the sideline on the attempt, the Sycamores went to Wuest for the touchdown reception as the wide receiver hauled in the 17-yard score with 6:36 remaining in the fourth quarter to provide the final 42-35 scoring margin.
News & Notes
- Jayden Reed recorded the first 100-yard receiving game of his collegiate career as the freshman wide receiver hauled in a career-high eight receptions for 129 yards and two scores on the day.
- Jayden Reed's eight receptions marked a career-high and the most by a Sycamore wide receiver since Rashad Rochelle hauled in 10 receptions on November 16, 2024, against Illinois State.
- Jayden Reed's 129 receiving yards marked the second time an Indiana State receiver reached 100 receiving yards in the 2026 season, joining BJ Wuest (142 yards at Eastern Illinois, Sept. 12, 2026).
- Jayden Reed's two-touchdown game marked the first multi-touchdown receiving effort by a Sycamore in the 2026 season and first by a Sycamore since Rashad Rochelle hauled in three touchdown receptions on November 15, 2025, at Youngstown State.
- Brady Allen made his Indiana State starting debut in the 2026 season, throwing for 270 yards and four touchdowns.
- Brady Allen's four-touchdown game marked the first four passing touchdown game by an Indiana State quarterback since Ryan Boyle threw for five touchdowns in a 51-48 triple overtime win over South Dakota back on November 3, 2018.
- Aaron Ball continued his scoring streak on Saturday afternoon as the Sycamore running back found the end zone for the fifth time in 2026.
- Aaron Ball has scored at least one rushing touchdown in each of the last three games, the longest streak by a Sycamore running back since Justin Dinka scored on the ground in each of the last three games in the 2022 season.
- Aaron Ball's rushing touchdown streak is the longest by a Sycamore since Elijah Owens scored rushing touchdowns in five consecutive games spanning Sept. 28-Oct. 26, 2024.
- KeShon Singleton hauled in three receptions for a season-high 81 yards on Saturday afternoon. It marked his third game of 60-plus receiving yards on the year.
- Alex Rose recorded his first double-digit tackling effort of the 2026 season with a game-high 12 stops on the game. It marked his second career double-digit tackling game.
- CJ Davis recorded his first collegiate sack in the game as the redshirt junior defensive back broke through the line and forced a fumble on the quarterback takedown, with the turnover leading to an Indiana State touchdown.
- Indiana State successfully converted an onside kick in the fourth quarter when BJ Wuest recovered the kick following a Sycamore touchdown that narrowed the game to 42-28.
- It marked the second consecutive season BJ Wuest has made a standout special teams play against North Dakota after blocking a punt and returning it for a score last season in Grand Forks, N.D. on October 25, 2025.
- The Sycamores fall to 1-4 all-time against North Dakota.
- Indiana State dropped the MVFC opener for the 10th consecutive season dating back to 2016.
Postgame Press Conference
Up Next
Indiana State hits the road in MVFC play next weekend as the Sycamores head to Vermillion, S.D. and the DakotaDome on Saturday, October 3, to take on South Dakota. Kickoff between the Sycamores and the Coyotes is set for 3 p.m. ET and will be carried live on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.
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