Marshall strikes early with a 100-yard TD return to send the No. 1-ranked Bison past Northern Iowa – InForum

FARGO – North Dakota State set the tone in the opening seconds Saturday afternoon at Gate City Bank Field in the Fargodome.

The Bison took the touchdown lead after senior TK Marshall returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for a score. That big play sparked 28 first-half points as No. 1 NDSU cruised to a 42-19 win over Northern Iowa in Missouri Valley Football Conference play in front of 14,528 fans.

“This is the first time we’ve challenged the guys, we need to get off to a fast start,” Bison head coach Tim Polasek said. “From the jump there was good energy and good vibes.”

The Bison (9-1, 6-0 MVFC) have won nine straight games after losing their season opener at Colorado, an FBS opponent in the Big 12 Conference. NDSU heads into the bye week.

“We are an improving team,” Polasek said. “I think we're a team on the rise. We have to continue to embrace that.”

The Bison scored touchdowns of 74, 94 and 80 yards on their first three drives of the game. They made a few plays on their fourth drive to end the first half and took a 28-3 lead at halftime.

“We set a focus there and they established it,” Polasek said of his team’s strong start.

NDSU quarterback Cam Miller was efficient in the first half, completing 14 of 17 passes for 146 yards and two touchdowns. Freshman running back Marty Brown rushed for 84 yards and a touchdown on 12 attempts by halftime.

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The Bison roll continued early in the second half.

Running back Barika Kpeenu scored a 6-yard touchdown run for a 35-3 lead with 12 minutes and 48 seconds left in the third quarter. Junior wide receiver Bryce Lance set up the score with a 42-yard catch at the UNI 6-yard line on the previous play.

The Panthers showed resilience after Kpeenu's goal.

Northern Iowa countered with its first touchdown of the game. Wide receiver Sergio Morancy caught a 31-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Matthew Schecklman that cut the Bison lead to 35-11 with 9:05 left in the third quarter.

Morancy added a 9-yard touchdown catch that cut the Bison lead to 35-19 with 1:52 to play in the third quarter. This score came after NDSU turned the ball over on downs at the UNI 45-yard line.

“I thought they were going to be a tough opponent,” Polasek said. “The game was physically demanding today.”

However, Kpeenu calmed that UNI surge with an 11-yard touchdown run that gave the Bison a 42-19 lead with 12:48 left in the fourth quarter.

Brown finished the game with 124 rushing yards on 18 attempts, while Miller completed 17 of 20 passes for 216 yards and two touchdowns. The Bison have won 10 straight games against Northern Iowa.

NDSU started fast against the Panthers and never trailed.

The Bison took the lead less than 20 seconds into the game. Marshall caught the ball near the goal line and paused for a moment before returning the first kickoff 100 yards for a TD and a 7-0 lead with 14:44 to play in the first quarter. A flag was raised during the game, but the officials waved the flag and the TD was good.

“I think it was exciting for everyone,” Marshall said. “It was a team effort.”

Marshall said he hesitated at first to make sure the return was set up correctly.

“I want to commend all the guys at the top,” Marshall said. “All I had to do was run.”

UNI countered with a 40-yard field goal from Caden Palmer, cutting the NDSU lead to 7-3 with 8:44 left in the first quarter. That was the culmination of a 52-yard drive that lasted 12 plays.

The 5-foot-11, 214-pound Brown extended the Bison's lead to double digits with a 5-yard touchdown run for a 14-3 lead with 58 seconds left in the first quarter. The drive traveled 74 yards in 13 plays.

“He’s playing at a high level,” Polasek said of Brown.

The 6-foot-3, 204-pound Lance caught a 14-yard touchdown pass to give the Bison a 21-3 lead with 6:54 left in the second quarter. The acrobatic catch capped a 13-play, 94-yard drive.

“When you have a guy like Bryce, it just pisses you off,” Miller said.

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Senior receiver Braylon Henderson added a 15-yard TD reception for a 28-3 lead with 1:47 left in the first half. That completed an 80-yard drive that lasted seven plays.

The Bison rushed for 250 yards on 35 plays through the first two quarters, an average of 7.1 yards per game. That quick start proved to be too much for the Panthers.

Marshall added that the team is ready for a bye week after starting the season with 10 consecutive game weeks.

“I think it’s good for everyone,” Marshall said.

David Samson/The Forum

Peterson covers college athletics for The Forum, including Concordia College and Minnesota State Moorhead. He also covers the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks independent baseball team and helps with North Dakota State football coverage. Peterson has worked for the newspaper since 1996.