Charleston Southern came at the five-time kings, and they missed.
Playing in the third annual FCS Kickoff -- the official opening to college football season whenever there’s not a game in Australia -- the No. 6 ranked Buccanneers had a chance to knock off the top-ranked and five-time defending FCS national champions at their raucous FargoDome home yesterday. After tying the game at 17-17 with 2:59 remaining in regulation, Charleston Southern allowed North Dakota State to march to their 35-yard line when Troy McGowens stepped in front of an Eason Stick and raced the ball to the Bison’s 40-yard line.
With just 18 ticks remaining, Charleston Southern pushed the ball to the Bison 33, setting Jacob Smoak up for a game-winning 51-yard field goal. It sailed wide left.
The 46-yard attempt hooks left! Overtime! #FCSKickoff https://t.co/tRvAoML570
— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) August 28, 2016
And, as they’ve done so many other times this decade, the Bison capitalized when winning time presented itself.
North Dakota State (1-0) opened overtime by scoring on their very first play, a 25-yard King Frazier scoring dash, then limited Charleston Southern (0-1) to just one yard on its possession, forcing Kyle Copeland into an incomplete pass on 4th-and-9 from the 24.
The 24-17 overtime win pushed North Dakota State to an unthinkable 72-5 since the beginning of the 2011 season, including a 43-3 mark in the FargoDome.
Overall, North Dakota State held a 194-94 yardage edge through the air, 230-169 on the ground and a 21-11 edge in first downs. Stick completed 17-of-27 throws for 194 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, while Copeland hit only 8-of-20 passes for 94 yards with a pick. Frazier led the Bison with 11 carries for 79 yards and a score, while Mike Holloway led all rushers for the Bucs with 10 carries for 126 yards and two touchdowns.
Each team will have a chance to prove its mettle on the FBS level next month. North Dakota State -- 4-0 against FBS competition during its run, all on the road (obviously), with three wins of those wins by multiple touchdowns -- visits defending Big Ten West champion Iowa on Sept. 17. Charleston Southern visits No. 4 Florida State on Sept. 10.