North Dakota State senior quarterback Nathan Hayes has been in doubt all week amid a toe injury, and a Bison insider had a key update ahead of the UNLV showdown on Saturday.
“QB Nathan Hayes is warming up,” Jeff Kolpack of the Fargo Forum reported on Saturday via X. “Head coach [Tim Polasek] said Tuesday he was battling a ‘little bit’ of a toe bruise, obviously not problematic enough to even list him as questionable on the Mountain West injury list.”
How much that impacts Hayes’ mobility and planting his feet for throwing the ball remain unknown ahead of NDSU’s biggest game of the season. The Bison come into Las Vegas with a 5-0 record with Mountain West title aspirations.
UNLV got off to a rocky 3-2 stat this season, but the Running Rebels could turn the tide of the Mountain West race with a win on Saturday over the Bison.
Nathan Hayes Nearly Irreplaceable in Bison Offense
NDSU truly can’t afford to not have Hayes on the field against the Running Rebels.
The first-year starter has 995 yards passing for seven touchdowns versus two interceptions this season. He has completed 64.7% of his passes, and he boasts a 153.5 passer rating.
Besides his pocket presence and finding receivers in tight windows, he has been a dangerous rusher. Hayes has 122 yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries.
Amid NDSU’s move up to the FBS, he has four wins against FBS teams already which puts him in rare company in Bison quarterback history. He has the most career wins over FBS teams now, though previous star quarterbacks before him tallied a few wins along the way.
Former NDSU quarterback Brock Jensen had wins over Minnesota, Colorado State and Kansas State. Fellow former Bison star Carson Wentz had a win over Iowa State, and former quarterback Easton Stick led the Bison to a win over Iowa.
NDSU Receives Key Update on QB Nathan Hayes Before UNLV Game