BROOKINGS, S.D -North Dakota State’s Adam Cofield scored on a 71-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter, pushing the top-ranked Bison over third-ranked South Dakota State, 23-16, in a battle of Missouri Valley Football Conference and Football Championship Subdivision heavyweights before a record crowd of 19,371 Saturday afternoon at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium. Cofield’s heroics spoiled a valiant comeback bid by the Jackrabbits, who played most of the game without starting quarterback J’Bore Gibbs. NDSU finished with a 394-330 advantage in total offense, out-gaining the Jackrabbits on the ground, 332-220. Strong finished with a game-high 120 yards on 19 carries for SDSU. SDSU’s three quarterbacks combined for 110 yards through the air. Gibbs was 3-for-5 for 70 yards before exiting. Johnson was the top receiver with four catches for 76 yards. Christian Rozeboom tallied a game-high 13 tackles for SDSU and forced a fumble. In retaining the Dakota Marker, NDSU improved to 8-0 overall and 4-0 in the MVFC. The Jackrabbits dropped to 6-2 overall and 3-1 in league play. The Jackrabbits open the second half of the conference season by traveling to Missouri State on Saturday.
