Jacksonville State came in confident to face FBS newcomer North Dakota State on Saturday until the Bison’s momentum snowballed.
The Gamecocks didn’t have an answer for the 10-time FCS champions in a big FBS debut, a 33-7 blowout win for the Herd with over 18,000 fans watching in the Fargodome. NDSU looked just as dominant against JSU as the Bison did a decade earlier in the FCS title game matchup between the two schools.
“You know what? That’s a good, old-fashioned butt whipping,” JSU head coach Charles Kelly told reporters afterward via the school’s athletics website. “They were very detailed in what they did and we were not. I take full responsibility for that and I own that.”
“We have to recognize what we have to do to get better. There’s still a lot of football left to play and we’ll get back to work for next week,” Kelly added.
NDSU contained JSU’s offense with 85 passing yards and 85 rushing yards allowed. The Gamecocks, winners of nine games in each of the past three seasons, were a top-five rushing team nationally in that span.
NDSU made the Conference USA contender look more like another FCS power that came into the Fargodome during the Bison’s FCS dynasty on Saturday instead.
Bison Took JSU’s Stars Out of the Game
Gamecocks quarterback Caden Creel couldn’t get much going beyond his first quarter touchdown run that tied the game, 7-7. The Bison limited him to 44 yards on 15 carries, and Gamecocks running back Jalen Likely only managed 48 yards on 11 carries.
NDSU also held Creel to 12-23 passing for 85 yards and an interception. The Fargodome crowd noise got to the Gamecocks, and that included a botched snap that led to a fumble and a Bison touchdown in the second half.
Bison defensive end Blake Schultz recovered that fumble for the touchdown, and it put things out of reach for the Gamecocks, 27-7. Schultz also had a sack and a tackle for loss.
NDSU also contained JSU’s top receivers in Deondre Johnson and Ronnel Johnson, as both had only two receptions for fewer than 30 yards each. Deondre Johnson had a 24-yard catch, and that was the only play of 20-plus yards for the Gamecocks all day.
Bison Offense Steamrolled the Gamecocks
JSU looked poised to take on the Bison offense at first. NDSU needed a methodical 8-play, 75-yard scoring drive to go on top first, and the Herd only mustered punts, an interception and a field goal after that through most of the first half.
Things changed late in the half when Bison quarterback found wide receiver Jordan McCants on a 44-yard sideline route with 18 seconds left before halftime, 17-7. While NDSU’s offense only produced three more field goals in the second half, the Bison run game took control and out-muscled the Gamecocks.
Myles Mitchell led the Bison running backs with 74 yards on 11 carries, and Nyeoti Punni had 60 yards on eight carries. Starting running back D.J. Scott had 51 yards on 13 carries, but he also shouldered much of the load early.
Mitchell’s run of 27 yards and Punni’s run of 25 broke the Gamecocks’ will in the second half. Regularly producing 1,000-yard rushers during the FCS dynasty, the Bison ground game kept rolling in Saturday’s FBS debut.
Jax State Coach Gets Brutally Honest After Loss to NDSU