SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Three quick takes from North Dakota State’s 31-10 victory over Sacramento State on Saturday, Sept. 19, at Hornet Stadium:
A week after stunning Air Force with a fast start, the Bison did it again. NDSU jumped to a 14-0 lead in the first 3:11 of the game, helped by a 24-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown by safety Darius Givance. It was 21-0 after one quarter as NDSU stockpiled 194 total yards to Sac State’s 27 in the first 15 minutes.
Givance’s fumble return for a score was NDSU’s third defensive touchdown of the season, following a fumble recovery in the end zone by Blake Schiltz and an interception return for Marion Moore. The Bison have forced 10 turnovers in four games and have a turnover margin of plus-8.
The Bison enter their first bye week 4-0, receiving votes in the AP Top 25 poll, in the early mix for the Group of Six’s College Football Playoff spot and about as healthy as a team could expect. They are headed for a homecoming matchup with a struggling Wyoming team in a game that’s been sold out at the Fargodome for more than a month.
In short, NDSU’s first season in FBS has gone about as perfectly as the Bison could’ve hoped so far.
Mike McFeely is a columnist for The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead. He began working for The Forum in the 1980s while he was a student studying journalism at Minnesota State University Moorhead. He’s been with The Forum full time since 1990, minus a six-year hiatus when he hosted a local radio talk-show.