North Dakota State collected its first win as an FBS program in its first game as an FBS program, beating Jacksonville State 33-7 Saturday evening. The Bison owned the line of scrimmage and controlled the game on offense, rushing for 209 yards while QB Nathan Hayes threw a pair of touchdown passes.
On the other side of the ball, Jacksonville State couldn’t do anything right on offense. QB Caden Creel completed 12 of his 21 passes for 83 yards and an interception. The Gamecocks didn’t see much more success in the run game, finishing with 85 yards at an average of 3.7 yards per rush.
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North Dakota State is competing as a member of the Mountain West after dominating the FCS ranks from 2011-2026. The Bison won 10 FCS championships across that span and hold an all-time record of 811–385–34.
North Dakota State is an intriguing story because of how elite they’ve been at the lower level of Division I college football. They’re legitimate contenders in the Mountain West. Because the NCAA did away with the 2-year postseason restriction for FCS-to-FBS transfers in June, the Bison are legitimate contenders to take the G6’s Playoff spot, too.
Keep an eye on NDSU.
Ethan Stone is a Saturday Down South News Editor and an advocate for the return of the Seattle Supersonics.
