NDSU Receives Big News Amid Nevada Game

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NDSU got a boost with a UNLV loss on Saturday.

The North Dakota State Bison needed help this week after losing for the first time this season on Oct. 10, and help came by way of Air Force.

UNLV, which beat the Bison 13-7 last week, fell to Air Force  41-31 on Saturday in Colorado Springs. That dropped UNLV to 4-3 and 2-1 in the Mountain West Conference. It gave the Bison a chance to stay strong in the running for the conference titles, but the Bison have had their hands full with Nevada on Saturday.

Nevada jumped out to an 11-0 lead in the first half as the Bison offense struggled, but the Herd rallied for a 19-11 lead at the break. The Wolfpack pulled within 19-17 but a botched two-point conversion turned the way of the Bison for a return and a 21-17 lead. NDSU tacked on a field goal later in the third quarter for a 24-17 advantage.

How Air Force Beat UNLV

In a back-and-forth game, Air Force piled on three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to beat UNLV. Falcons quarterback Evan Medders rushed for two touchdowns, including one for 32 yards, and running back Owen Allen added a third for a 41-24 lead.

UNLV quarterback Jackson Arnold a tried allying with a 3-yard touchdown run with 38 seconds left, but the Falcons recovered the onside kick afterward. The Falcons, which fell to NDSU earlier this season, improved footing in the Mountain West with a 5-1 record and 3-1 conference mark.

NDSU beat Air Force in September for the program’s first ever Mountain West opener. The Bison started 5-0 overall but saw that streak end against UNLV, and the Running Rebels own the tiebreaker over the Herd.

NDSU Gearing Up For New Mexico, Results Pending

NDSU has a massive game for the Mountain West race next Saturday against New Mexico, but the Bison and Lobos both need to take care of business this Saturday amid the UNLV loss. Otherwise, the Bison and Lobos could both sit behind Air Force in the standings.

New Mexico faces Hawaii in Honolulu for a late-night Mountain West clash. If both the Lobos and Bison go into next Saturday’s game at the top of the conference, it could have College Football Playoff implications in addition to the Mountain West crown.