The Jackrabbits (7-0, 3-0) return home to face the Bison (7-0, 3-0). Its 1 vs. 2. Its for the Dakota Marker. Its against your biggest rival. Its under the lights. The stands will be full. It will be a beautiful fall day and cool evening. What more do you want? This is football! The Jackrabbits and Bison have had such a good rivalry since moving up to the FCS together. What started as a rivalry that was built on mutual respect has become more and more competitive over the years. Last year it ratcheted up another notch with Cam Miller’s “I hate the Jackrabbits” that echoed across social media and has returned since both teams won this past Saturday. I’m expecting a great matchup and here is everything you need to know about NDSU.
Offense
The Bison offense is pretty dynamic at worst and very explosive at best. They come in averaging 43.6 points per game off of 242.1 rushing yards per game and 251 passing yards per game. Jackrabbit fans can point to NDSU’s soft schedule all we want but the fact is, they have produced and produced in bunches. The Bison are challenging to get off the field converting on 53% of their 3rd down opportunities and 67% of their 4th down opportunities. In the redzone they have scored 92% of the time (34/37) and 29 have been touchdowns. They have only allowed 7 sacks on the season, have not lost a fumble, and have tossed just 2 interceptions. As usual, they try to dominate the time of possession and have been successful in that with 33:37 in time of possession per game.
The offense said goodbye to Cam Miller and hello to #9 Cole Payton (6-3, 233), a player who many Bison fans wanted to replace Miller over the years. Payton has been better than expected and has taken virtually no time to ramp up. He is completing 74.4% of his passes for 1,565 yards and 11 TDs to just 1 INT. He is also a true dual threat with terrific scrambling ability as he has rushed for 530 gross yards (6.7 ypc avg) and 6 TDs. The video of him leaving a trail of USD defenders sprawled on the field was truly awesome for a football fan of any sorts. If the Jackrabbits want to win, I believe it is imperative that they keep Payton in the pocket. Last year in the regular season matchup, the Jackrabbits did a great job of keeping Miller in the pocket and limiting his impact on the ground. In the playoffs however, Miller rushed for 101 yards and a TD on 15 attempts. That can not happen against Payton on Saturday.
The Bison running attack has been solid as well with #8 Barika Kpeenu (5-10, 213) becoming the feature back due to the transfer of Marty Brown. Barika appears bigger this season and more decisive in his cuts. He leads the teams with 601 rushing yards (5.6 ypc) and 11 TDs. He is also a weapon out of the backfield and has 10 receptions for 129 yards. Again, not letting Kpeenu get going will be huge in this game. The Bison hit the portal and added Kennesaw State running back #7 DJ Scott (5-11, 206) who has 54 carries for 307 yards (5.7 ypc) and 5 TDs. So yes, the top three ball carriers for NDSU all have a 5.6 ypc average or better. Wild! The Bison still do use a fullback as well and #46 Truman Werremeyer (6-2, 248) is playing well in that role. He doesn’t have any carries but he does have 2 receptions for 12 yards including a TD last week vs. the Sycamores.
Part of Payton’s success in the passing game is that he has a terrific duo at wide receiver and really quality players further down the depth chart. The group is led by #5 Bryce Lance (6-3, 209) who has 26 receptions for 535 yards (20.6 ypc) and 4 TDs. He also has three carries this season including a 75 end around for a TD. It was a tale of two games last year for Lance against in the Jackrabbits. In the regular season he had just 1 reception for 9 yards. Good. In the playoffs he went off and had 6 receptions for 125 yards and 3 TDs. The Jackrabbits simply did not have an answer for him in the playoffs and they must limit his impact on Saturday. #3 RaJa Nelson (5-9, 196) is another talented wide receiver and he has 15 receptions for 258 yards (17.2 ypc) and 4 TDs. He is shifty and excellent making plays after the catch. He does have 6 carries for 18 yards as well. Behind these two, the Bison have #18 Jackson Williams (5-11, 183) and #19 Chris Harris (6-3, 210), and #15 Mekhi Collins (6-4, 214). This trio has combined for 16 receptions for 340 yards with Collins having 2 TDs. Collins will likely miss this week due to an ankle injury suffered against Indiana State on Saturday.
The tight end used to be a huge part of the NDSU offense but has been deemphasized the last few seasons. However, NDSU seems to have recommitted to this position group as they have a number of players who have made plays this season. Due to injury, #81 Reis Kessel (6-5, 239) has been inserted into the lineup and has responded. He is 3rd on the team with 10 receptions for 230 yards (yes, that’s a 23 ypc average) and 1 TD. #89 Finn Diggins (6-4, 246) was having his best season before injury knocked him out. I do not think he’ll be back this week but prior to his injury he had 8 receptions for 89 yards. Similarly, #88 Carson Williams (6-4, 247) was enjoying his best season yet before injuries slowed him down. He has 4 receptions for 46 yards. His availability is unknown. Pierre native #85 Jett Zabel (6’3, 226) has seen seen more action due to the injuries.
The NDSU offensive line has some new faces but is still plenty big and is clearly doing a great job of keeping Payton clean and opening up running lanes for the backs. Maybe what is most impressive is how young this group is. From left to right they go:
LT: #70 Beau Johnson (6-6, 297, So): 1st year starter.
LG: #71 Nate Tastad (6-5, 285, RFr): 1st year starter.
C: #63 Trent Fraley (6-1, 303, Jr): 4th year player, spent 2 seasons at Marshall. Started all 16 games last year for NDSU. All-Newcomer Team.
RG: #62 Griffin Empey (6-3, 298, So): 2nd year starter. FCS Freshman All-American Team. Started 14 games in 2024.
RT: #75 Josh Magin (6-6, 304, Jr): 1st year starter. Started his career as a defensive tackle.
Defense
As good as the Bison offense has been, the NDSU defense may be even better. The Jackrabbit offense struggled to do much of anything against them in either matchup last season. The bison are allowing just 10 ppg, 95.9 rushing yards per game, and 133.1 yards per game. They have recovered 5 fumbles, caught 6 interceptions, and have 19 sacks on the season. They are holding opponents to just a 30% success rate on 3rd down and in the redzone have only allowed 7 touchdowns and 3 field goals on 14 attempts. Yeah, this defense is wild.
The defensive line for NDSU is back to being the big bully on the block after the unit had dipped under Matt Entz. The group is led by nose guard #58 Keenan Wilson (6-1, 283, So) who is on a tear with 24 tackles, 7 TFL, 4 sacks, a QBH and a forced fumble. Typically his partner on the interior is #64 Jaxon Duttenhefer (6-2, 289) but he went down on Saturday with a scary looking injury and I can’t imagine he’ll be ready to go. #95 Zach Vanderpool (6-5, 268, RFr) could be looking at making his first start on Saturday. He has 8 stops on the season. #94 Logan Larson (6-3, 283, JR) is Wilson’s backup and has 7 tackles, 2 QBH, and a half sack. Former Jackrabbit commit, #54 Alijah Wayne (6’4, 273, Fr) is also seeing playing time and he has 7 tackles, 3.5 TFL, and a sack on the year.
The defensive end room is pretty deep and is led by #92 Kelton McCaslin (6-5, 245, Jr) who has 15 tackles, 1.5 TFL, 2 QBHs, and a forced fumble. Opposite him is #93 Toby Anene (6-4, 259) who is REALLY explosive. He has 13 stops of his own, 3.5 TFL, 2 sacks, and 3 QBH. Albany transfer defensive end #98 Jack Iuliano (6-3, 257) has picked it up the past few weeks and has 11 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 2 sacks, and 1 QBH. The room also has #97 Victor Isele (6-2, 235) who has some real speed off the edge. He has 9 tackles but 3 sacks and a QBH. Arizona State transfer #11 Chance Symons (6-2, 236) has 5 tackles and 1.5 TFL.
The Bison linebacker corp has some real speed this year and appears to have shored up the tackling issues that plagued them last season. #43 Logan Kopp (6-1, 221) is one of the best linebackers in the FCS and is having another really good season from his WILL position. He has 38 total stops, 4 TFL, 1 sack, 1 PBU, and 3 QBHs. He is a fun player to watch play most weeks but just not this week! The leading tackler this season is #52 Nathaniel Staehling (6-2, 238) has taken over in the middle and has 47 total tackles, 3.5 TFL, .5 sack, 1 INT, and 1 QBH. The SAM backer is #1 Donovan Woolen (6-4, 219) and he has 33 tackles, 3.5 TFL, 1.5 sacks, 1 INT, and 4 PBUs. #41 Peder Haugo (6-1, 222) has 11 tackles and 2 sacks in a reserve role and is a weapon to watch. #32 Austin Alteper (6-2, 228) also has 11 tackles in a reserve role.
The NDSU secondary bring backs players who gained plenty experience last season. #2 Jailen Duffie (5-11, 175) has 9 total tackles, 2 PBUs and 1 forced fumble this season. Opposite him is #24 Anthony Chideme-Alfaro (6-2, 206) who also has 9 tackles and 2 BPUs. #0 Jaquise Alexander (5-10, 178) is their #3 corner and sees plenty of time on the field. He has 11 tackles, .5 sack, 1 INT, and 2 PBUs. This is about as good of a trio as corners as you will find in the FCS.
The safety room plenty of experience and talent as well. #39 Darius Givance (6-2, 208) and #27 Ryan Jones (6-3, 204) handle the strong safety duties while #6 Jaylin Crumby (5-11, 196, and #14 Taylen Eady (6-0, 198) split the free safety responsibilities. Givance is a playmaker and he has 18 stops, a PBU, and a forced fumble. Jones, who really struggled early on in 2024, has 15 stops, 1 TFL, 1 INT, and 2 PBUs. Givance and Jones are just really solid players. The combo of Crumby and Eady maybe provides a little more spark with Cumby having 12 stops and 1 INT while Eady has 11 tackles, 1 PBU, 1 QBH, and 1 forced fumble.
Special Teams
The Bison special teams are solid again this season. #38 Eli Ozick is really solid at kicker making 8 of 10 attempts with his only misses coming at 40 and 50 yards. On kickoffs, he has a 61.4 yard average on 53 attempts resulting in 35 touchbacks. Opponents are averaging just 13.6 yarders per return with a long return of 21 yards. The punter for NDSU is #39 Aaron Bickerton who has only punted 13 times this season and he has a 43.8 yard average with a long of 59 yards and just 2 touchbacks. He’s forced 3 to be fair caught, landed 5 inside the 20 and 3 have traveled more than 50 yards. Opponents have only attempted 3 returns resulted in 4 TOTAL yards. Yikes!
In the return game, the Bison have the dangerous #18 Jackson Williams as their kick and punt returned. As a punter returner, he has 12 attempts with a 11.4 yard average and a long of 37 yards. On kick returns, he has 6 attempts resulting in a 23.5 yard average and a long of 34. He is dangerous and I would prefer not to let him have return opportunities.
Prediction
I think this game will be a dog fight like we saw earlier this season with Montana State. I do think the Jacks need to get some points up early. I think special teams will be huge and not allowing NDSU to have any momentum shifting plays is big. Limiting explosive plays which have hurt the SDSU defense this season will also be a major key to victory. The game is in Brookings and I think a raucous night crowd will make a huge difference in this one.
Jackrabbits 20- Bison 17
Go Jacks!
Matt
