North Dakota State upsets Iowa

IOWA CITY – Nothing fazed North Dakota State on Saturday. Not its FBS opponent: 13th-ranked Iowa. Not the crowd of 70,585 at Kinnick Stadium. Not a failed two-point conversion in the fourth quarter.

Nothing.

Cam Pedersen kicked a 37-yard field as time expired as FCS power North Dakota State rallied to beat the Hawkeyes 23-21 for its sixth straight win over an FBS opponent.

The loss was just the fourth by a ranked FBS team to an FCS school and the first since 2013.

"Give credit to North Dakota State," Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. "They came in here to win the football game. They're well-coached and play hard, and they certainly did today.

"This will hurt for a while, and we'll get back to work tomorrow and see what we can do moving forward."

The Bison (3-0) got the ball on their own 34-yard line with 1:53 left in the game after holding Iowa to a three-and-out. Easton Stick ran a quarterback draw on the first play and gained 29 yards. NDSU was in business.

Pedersen, who missed from 50 yards earlier in the game, delivered the game-winner just inside the right upright and NDSU stormed the field.

North Dakota State had pulled within 21-20 after a 15-play, 80-yard drive that took up 8:39 of the fourth quarter. Chase Morlock caught a 7-yard touchdown pass from Stick, and then coach Chris Klieman decided to go for two points and the lead with 3:41 left. Stick's pass fell incomplete.

"If we didn't make it, I thought we could stop them," Klieman said. "I thought our offense was kind of wearing them down."

North Dakota State held Iowa to 231 total yards — including just 34 on the ground on 25 carries.

The Bison ran for 239 yards. King Frazier rushed 16 times for 99 yards, and Iowa native Lance Dunn rushed 11 times for 61 yards.

"As an offense we preach: If we get the chance to end the game with the ball in our hands, we have to do it," Stick said. "We believe in Cam and we knew if we got the ball down there he could do it."

Iowa nearly lost to an FCS school in 2009, when it had to block back-to-back field goals to hold off Northern Iowa. The Hawkeyes went on to win the Orange Bowl that season.

C.J. Beathard threw three touchdown passes for Iowa (2-1), which had won nine in a row at home.