FARGO — The Dakota Marker returns to Fargo after a half-decade, thanks to the heroics of two North Dakota veterans.

Senior quarterback Cam Miller threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to senior receiver RaJa Nelson with less than two minutes remaining on Saturday night. That clutch game lifted the No. 2-ranked Bison to a 13-9 victory against No. 1-ranked South Dakota State in the Missouri Valley Football Conference game before 18,807 fans.

“All they did was just keep fighting,” Bison head coach Tim Polasek said. “As a bison, you are never out of the fight. There are life lessons you can learn from that victory.”

The Bison snapped a five-game losing streak against the Jackrabbits, including four games played for the Dakota Marker. NDSU last defeated SDSU during the 2019 regular season in Brookings.

“It’s a big deal,” Polasek said.

Bison linebacker Logan Kopp sealed the victory with an interception at NDSU’s 38-yard line with one minute remaining, drawing a loud and raucous response from a sellout crowd. The Jackrabbits had moved the ball to midfield before Kopp’s takeaway. NDSU had not forced a turnover against the Jackrabbits in its previous five meetings.

“Incredible catch,” Polasek said of Kopp’s interception.

NDSU (7-1, 4-0 MVFC) remained undefeated in conference play while handing the Jackrabbits (5-2, 2-1) their first loss against FCS competition this season.

Anna Paige / The Forum

The Bison began the game-winning drive at their own 8-yard line with 7 minutes, 14 seconds left in the fourth quarter. The 92-yard march took 10 plays after NDSU struggled to move the ball against SDSU for most of the second half.

On a second-and-8 play, Miller threw a perfectly placed fade ball that Nelson caught in the end zone for the 20-yard score and a 13-9 lead with 1:49 left in the fourth quarter.

The 6-foot-1, 212-pound Miller completed 20 of 27 passes for 163 yards and two touchdowns. Nelson had four catches for 48 yards and two TDS. The Bison finished with 275 yards on 59 plays.

David Samson/The Forum

The Bison had a chance to take the lead on the opening drive of the second half, but kicker Griffin Crosa missed a 47-yard field goal with 8:12 left in the third quarter. That drive started at the NDSU 17-yard line before stopping at the SDSU 30.

The Bison followed that FG miss with three consecutive three-and-out drives. NDSU ended that streak of quick possession with the game-winning drive.

NDSU took an early lead after Nelson caught an 18-yard TD pass to give the Bison a 7-0 lead with 6:03 left in the second quarter. That concluded a 69-yard march that was played 13 times. NDSU had four third-down conversions on the game’s first scoring drive.

The Jackrabbits countered with quarterback Chase Mason’s 66-yard touchdown run to cut the score to 7-6 with 4:43 to play in the first half. On the third-and-1 play, Mason feigned a handoff to starting quarterback Mark Gronowski before finding a seam in the Bison defense and driving into the end zone. However, NDSU blocked the extra point.

David Samson/The Forum

Hunter Dustman hit a 42-yard field goal to give SDSU a 9-7 lead as time expired in the first half. That 65-yard drive required 15 players. The Jackrabbits were helped by a 15-yard personal foul penalty against NDSU.

The defense was stingy for most of the first half. The Jackrabbits had 214 yards on 37 plays in the first 30 minutes, while the Bison had 117 yards on 28 plays.

That strong defensive play continued in the second half, as the Bison held SDSU scoreless over the final 30 minutes of the game. The Jackrabbits finished with 333 yards on 66 plays.

“They were hanging there and just throwing punches,” Polasek said of his defense.

David Samson/The Forum

David Samson/The Forum

Peterson covers college athletics for The Forum, including Concordia College and Minnesota State Moorhead. He also covers the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks independent baseball team and assists with North Dakota State’s football coverage. Peterson has worked at the newspaper since 1996.