North Dakota State Topples No. 3 South Dakota State in FCS Instant Classic
FARGO, N.D. — North Dakota State defeated third-ranked South Dakota State 24-21 on Saturday at the Fargodome, snapping a three-game losing streak to its Missouri Valley Football Conference rival on Griffin Crosa's 48-yard field goal as time expired. The Bison (3-1, 1-0 MVFC) handed the two-time defending FCS champion Jackrabbits (3-1, 0-1) their first conference loss since 2022.
Crosa's kick capped a 10-play, 54-yard drive engineered by quarterback Cam Miller, who completed 19 of 27 passes for 214 yards and a touchdown and added 62 rushing yards. Fullback Hunter Luepke's 4-yard scoring run in the third quarter gave NDSU its first lead, but South Dakota State tied the game with 1:47 remaining on Mark Gronowski's 12-yard strike to Jadon Janke. Miller then converted two third downs on the final possession to set up the game-winner.
The Bison defense limited the Jackrabbits to 287 total yards — their lowest output in 14 games — and recorded four sacks, including two by edge rusher Eli Mostaert. Gronowski finished 17-of-26 for 198 yards with a touchdown and an interception, while Isaiah Davis managed just 71 rushing yards on 19 carries.
Key Numbers
- Time of possession: NDSU 34:12, SDSU 25:48
- Third-down conversions: NDSU 8-of-15, SDSU 4-of-11
- Turnovers: NDSU 0, SDSU 2 (one interception, one fumble)
- Series history: The Bison now lead 63-47-5 all-time, including a 10-6 record in the FCS playoff era.
Why It Matters: Playoff Seeding and the Dakota Marker
Saturday's result reshapes the FCS playoff picture with two months remaining in the regular season. South Dakota State entered the weekend as the consensus No. 3 team and had not lost a conference game since October 2022, a span of 15 straight MVFC victories. The loss likely drops the Jackrabbits to the back half of the top five and hands North Dakota State the inside track for a top-four seed — and potentially a first-round bye — in the 24-team playoff bracket, which expands to 16 seeded teams this season.
The game also decided the regular-season leg of the Dakota Marker rivalry, the traveling trophy awarded to the winner of the annual matchup. South Dakota State had won four of the previous five meetings, including a 33-16 victory in Brookings last November that ended NDSU's season in the second round of the playoffs. That defeat fueled offseason changes in Fargo, notably the elevation of first-year head coach Tim Polasek.
Bison Rebuilding Under Polasek
Polasek, who replaced Matt Entz after Entz left for an assistant role at USC, has emphasized a run-first identity and a rebuilt offensive line that returned only two starters. The early returns are promising: NDSU is averaging 31.8 points per game and has not allowed a second-half touchdown in three of four contests. The Bison's lone loss came at Colorado in the season opener, a 31-26 defeat in Boulder; Colorado has since climbed into the top 25 of the FBS rankings, a sign of the schedule's difficulty.
The Jackrabbits, meanwhile, face questions about an offense that has struggled to replace All-American tight end Tucker Kraft, who left for the NFL. Gronowski remains one of the most efficient passers in the FCS, but SDSU's rushing attack — long the program's bedrock — has averaged just 3.4 yards per carry over its last three games.
Perspective: A Rivalry Renewed and an FCS Landscape in Flux
For much of the past decade, North Dakota State-South Dakota State has served as the FCS's premier rivalry, with the two programs combining to win nine of the last 12 national championships. Saturday's outcome suggests that balance has been restored after a period of Jackrabbit dominance. It also underscores the volatility of a subdivision where roster turnover and the transfer portal can swing a conference race in a single offseason.
More broadly, the Bison's win injects a fresh narrative into an FCS season already defined by realignment and the expanded playoff format. Montana, Montana State, and UIW remain undefeated and will jockey with NDSU for seeding. South Dakota State, which had not lost to an FCS opponent since December 2022, now faces a three-game stretch against ranked conference opponents, beginning next week at home against Southern Illinois.
The immediate consequence is clear: North Dakota State controls its path to the MVFC title and, potentially, to a first-round bye. South Dakota State will spend the next month playing catch-up — in the standings, in the metrics, and for the first time in years, in the perception battle that precedes the playoff selection committee's deliberations.
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