NDSU Football Powers Past Wofford in FCS Quarterfinals

Bison advance to 7th straight FCS Semifinals

FARGO, N.D. (NDSU Athletics) – Quarterback Easton Stick accounted for four touchdowns and No. 2 seed North Dakota State rolled to a 42-10 victory over seventh-seeded Wofford in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division I FCS playoffs Saturday, Dec. 9, before a crowd of 17,008 at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome.

North Dakota State (12-1) became the first team in FCS history to advance for the seventh straight season to the semifinal round, where the Bison will host either Kennesaw State or Sam Houston State.

“The first thing we did in the locker room was congratulate our scout team,” said NDSU head coach Chris Klieman.  “We had a phenomenal look on both sides of the ball. We talked about the genuine appreciation for the effort and commitment everybody makes within our program. The look we had by our scout team offense was phenomenal.”

Wofford’s triple-option attack managed only 134 yards rushing, 120 less than the Terriers (10-3) averaged coming in.  Chris Board had a team-high nine tackles including one for loss, Nick DeLuca had seven tackles with a sack and forced fumble, and Caleb Butler had six tackles and a forced fumble.

Stick threw three touchdown passes for the second straight game while completing 11 of 16 passes for 184 yards and no interceptions.  He added 49 yards on eight carries including a seven-yard TD run.

“He was really sharp and seeing everything very well,” Klieman said.  “He was seeing all their coverages and rotations. They cut a few guys loose and he found them.”

Nine players had at least one reception for NDSU.  Tight end Connor Wentz scored on a career-long 48-yard reception to put NDSU ahead 7-3, running back Seth Wilson caught an 18-yard TD pass on the next drive, and tight end Jeff Illies caught a four-yard touchdown.

The game was still tight early in the second quarter when the Bison fumbled on their own 22-yard line.  Andre Stoddard’s three-yard run capped a six-play scoring drive that brought Wofford within 14-10.

NDSU ran the ball nine times on the ensuing 57-yard march to go ahead 21-10 on Bruce Anderson’s 1-yard score.  The Bison cashed in on two straight Wofford fumbles to go ahead 35-10 before halftime.

“It was going to be a game of possessions,” Klieman said.  “We had to steal some possessions on defense and on special teams, whether it was by return or a turnover, and we were able to create a couple possessions.”

The Bison held the ball for nearly 36 minutes and outgained Wofford by a 464 to 177 margin in total yardage averaging 7.0 yards per play.  The Terriers were just 1 of 12 on third down.