RaJa Nelson scored on a 20-yard touchdown pass from Cam Miller with 1 minute, 49 seconds remaining as North Dakota State beat rival South Dakota State 13-9 before an announced 18,807 at the Fargodome on Saturday night.
The game matched up the top two teams in the FCS poll; two-time defending national champion SDSU (5-2, 2-1 Missouri Valley) was ranked No. 1 and NDSU (7-1, 4-0) was No. 2.
Nelson’s second touchdown catch of the game capped a 10-play-92 yard drive and was the only score in the second half. South Dakota State held a 9-7 lead at halftime after Hunter Dustman made a 42-yard field goal to end the first half.
The Bison had lost their past five meetings with the Jackrabbits, including in the FCS national championship game in January 2023. North Dakota State hadn’t beaten South Dakota State since October 2019.
Nelson also caught an 18-yard TD pass from Miller in the second quarter. South Dakota State responded with a 66-yard touchdown run from Chase Mason, but the Jackrabbits’ PAT was blocked.
