Fargo - Yes, the Bison can score.
After a couple of games that had fans questioning whether North Dakota State's offense was national-championship caliber, the Bison exploded for season-high 38 points and a couple of big scoring plays in a 38-10 victory over No. 12-ranked Southern Illinois.
The No. 1-rated Bison improved to 6-0 on the season and 2-0 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.
Quarterback Carson Wentz hit Trevor Gebhart on a 75-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter to give the Bison a 31-10 lead. Later in the fourth, Chase Morlock ran 48 yards for a touchdown and a 38-10 NDSU lead.
After scoring 22 points in a victory over Montana and needing a fourth-quarter rally to win at Western Illinois a week ago, fans and media wondered whether the Bison could score enough touchdowns to make a run at their fourth straight national title. Even head coach Chris Klieman cautioned that the Bison may not score as many points as NDSU teams of the past couple of years.
But NDSU racked up 426 yards of total offense, including 242 rushing yards, to smother the Salukis. John Crockett finished with 99 yards on 22 carries. Morlock had 71 yards on five attempts.
Wentz completed 7 of 13 passes for 174 yards and two TDs. He threw one interception. The Bison defense, meanwhile, was its usual stout self. Southern Illinois had just 267 total yards and had only one touchdown and a field goal.
The Bison host Indiana State next Saturday. Kickoff is 2:30 p.m. at the Fargodome.
Written by Mike McFeely