The championship run is still alive – barely.
Carson Wentz hit RJ Urzendowski on a 12-yard touchdown pass with 54 seconds left in the game and Tre Dempsey made a clinching interception as North DakotaState beat South Dakota State 27-24 in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs Saturday at the Fargodome.
“What an unbelievable game,” Bison coach Chris Klieman said. “An unbelievable finish at the Fargodome.”
The second-ranked Bison (12-1) advance the quarterfinals for the fifth straight year, hosting No. 7 seed Coastal Carolina (12-1) next weekend.
The Jackrabbits took a 24-20 lead on Austin Sumner’s 3-yard TD pass to Jake Wieneke with 3:18 left in the fourth quarter.
But the Bison took over at their own 24 and went 76 yards in eight plays in 2 minutes, 18 seconds. Urzendowski’s 29-yard reception was key on the drive, as was a pass interference penalty on the Jackrabbits.
Urzendowski, a true freshman from Omaha, finished with four catches for 109 yards and two TDs. Wentz was 14 of 25 passing for 235 yards.
Wentz also rushed for 70 yards and a score. John Crockett ran 23 times for 102 yards.
The loss was crushing for the Jackrabbits, who’ve lost seven straight dating to 2011 to their Missouri Valley Football Conference rivals.
“You don’t play in a football game to finish second,” SDSU coach John Stiegelmeier said. “You can run in a cross-country meet and finish second and feel pretty good about yourself. You finish second in a football game and you finish last.”
Zach Zenner, the first FCS player to gain more than 2,000 yards for three straight seasons, finally cracked the 100-yard mark against the Bison. The senior had 133 yards on 32 carries. He scored two touchdowns.
NDSU took a 14-0 lead, but the Jackrabbits rallied with two TDs in the second quarter to steal the momentum. It was 17-17 heading into the final quarter, setting up the dramatic finish.