Bison overpower Youngstown State, earn share of Missouri Valley conference championship

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — North Dakota State is now a 10-time Missouri Valley Football Conference champion.

The No. 5-ranked Bison scored 21 points in the first half to spark a 49-17 victory against Youngstown State on Saturday at Stambaugh Stadium before 8,307 fans. The victory gave NDSU at least a share of an MVF conference championship with one game remaining in the regular season.

The Bison (9-1, 6-1 MVFC) can clinch the outright league championship with a home victory against South Dakota next Saturday at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome. NDSU rebounded from a 27-19 road loss against South Dakota State last weekend to win at least a share of the program's 10th conference championship since 2011.

"We made this game a big deal," Bison head coach Matt Entz said. "There was some more riding on it. To be able to get a share of the conference title, we weren’t picked to be here."

The Bison previously won outright MVFC crowns in 2012, 2013, 2017, 2018 and 2019. They can add another outright crown to their mantle next weekend.

More Bison football coverage:

• Bison overpower Youngstown State, earn share of Missouri Valley conference championship
• Kolpack: Bison take page from 1970s; Williams becomes go-to back
• Bison notebook: Another bomb for NDSU receiver Watson at Youngstown
• McFeely: Six months after playoff loss, QB Miller ready to lead Bison rest of way this season
• PHOTOS: Scenes from decisive Bison road victory at Youngstown State
• WATCH: South Dakota knocks off rival South Dakota State on must-see walk-off 'Hail Mary' touchdown
• WATCH: The Bison GameDay Pregame Show
  
• Bison Game Day: It's a dirty job, but NDSU's Division II transfer loving life as an FCS backup nose guard
  
• LIVE BLOG: Follow the game with the InForum sports team
  

NDSU running back TaMerik Williams had a stellar performance, rushing for 137 yards and two touchdowns on 18 attempts. The Bison had four players gain at least 60 yards on the ground and the team rushed for 454 yards on 45 attempts. Sophomore running back TK Marshall had a big fourth quarter, rushing for 146 yards and a touchdown on three carries.

"It’s definitely been a journey," said Williams, who transferred to NDSU from SMU. "The biggest thing for me has been growth. I’ve been growing as a player, playing in games, getting a lot of experience under my belt. I love being here so far."

NDSU quarterback Cam Miller was efficient, completing 10 of 14 passes for 169 yards and two TDs. The Bison had five touchdown plays that were 49 yards or longer and finished with 623 yards on 59 plays.

“We tried to spread the wealth as much as we can," Entz said. "I thought we did a good job of spreading the ball out and trying to make Youngstown defend the entire field."

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The Bison started strong in the second half. After forcing a Youngstown State three-and-out, the 6-foot-1, 225-pound Williams ripped off a 50-yard TD run for a 28-3 lead with 13 minutes, 16 seconds to play in the third quarter. On the play, Williams bounced off would-be tacklers and veered to the outside before zipping into the end zone on the one-play scoring drive.

"I’m mostly a downhill runner, a one-cut guy, I do none of that juking and stuff, that’s not me," Williams said.

The Bison extended their lead later in the third quarter after Miller lofted a 1-yard TD pass to tight end Noah Gindorff for a 35-3 lead with 4:07 to play in the third. Miller's 40-yard pass completion to tight end Josh Babicz to the YSU 5 helped set up that Gindorff score.

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The Penguins countered with the next 14 points. YSU receiver Bryce Oliver caught a pair of 2-yard TD passes from quarterback Mitch Davidson. The second touchdown catch cut the Bison lead to 35-17 with 10:19 to play in the fourth quarter.

Bison running back Jalen Bussey answered with a 61-yard TD run to give NDSU a 42-17 lead with 5:44 remaining. Marshall added an 84-yard scoring run to give the Bison a 49-17 lead with 1:21 to play in the fourth quarter.

“We need to be hitting that groove here late in the year," Entz said. "We need to be playing our best football in November.”

The Bison found their groove early against the Penguins. They scored on three of their first four possessions to build an 18-point halftime lead.

NDSU took the opening kickoff and drove 69 yards on seven plays. Bison fullback Hunter Luepke capped that march with a 49-yard touchdown run for a 7-0 lead with 11:45 to play in the first quarter. On the run, Luepke broke multiple tackles before breaking into the clear and rumbling into the end zone.

The Bison were methodical on their next scoring drive, using 16 plays to cover 80 yards and take more than eight minutes off the game clock. Williams capped that possession with a 1-yard TD run for a 14-0 lead with 10:52 to play in the second quarter.

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Bison receiver Christian Watson added a 71-yard touchdown catch from Miller for a 21-3 lead with 6:29 remaining in the first half. That one-play drive took only 12 seconds after Youngstown State had kicked a field goal moments earlier.

"I thought we played free from concern about making mistakes. It’s not always going to be perfect," Entz said. "We got better. We got our confidence back a little bit, not that we lacked it."

Williams had a big first half, rushing for 78 yards and a TD on 15 attempts. Luepke added 63 yards and a TD on four carries before leaving the game due to injury. The Bison rushed for 166 yards on 27 attempts in the opening half. Miller completed 7 of 9 passes for 121 yards and a touchdown in the first two quarters.

The Bison had 287 yards on 36 plays in the first half, limiting the Penguins to 90 yards on 27 plays over the game's first 30 minutes. Williams got extended playing time in the backfield with sophomore running back Dominic Gonnella out with an ankle injury.

"We ran a lot of power," Miller said. "That's what this program is built on is power."

The Bison also have won at least a share of their 10th MVFC crown in the past 11 seasons.

"It's a really big deal," Miller said. "In the locker room you saw a lot of guys with a smile on their face so it was great to see. Obviously winning a conference championship is huge, especially in the Missouri Valley, but we need to build off it and use it for confidence in the playoffs."

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