North Dakota State 24-3 Southern Illinois (Oct. 12, 2024) Game Recap

CARBONDALE, Ill. – Cam Miller threw a touchdown pass and CharMar Brown and Barika Kpeenu had touchdown runs as North Dakota State earned a 24-3 victory over Southern Illinois on Saturday.

Kpeenu had a 6-yard touchdown run to cap off a 76-yard drive as North Dakota State (6-1, 3-0 Missouri Valley Football Conference), ranked No. 2 in the final coaches poll, headed to had the ball for the first time.

The Bison took a 7-0 lead after Jake Curry led Southern Illinois to the Bison 24, where Nick Kubitz recovered Allen Middleton’s fumble for a 16-yard reception.

Paul Geelen hit a 50-yard field goal to put Southern Illinois (2-5, 0-3) on the scoreboard with 5:17 left before halftime. Miller led a 14-play, 75-yard drive that ended with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Chris Harris with 31 seconds left for a 14-3 lead.

Griffin Crosa’s 34-yard field goal was the only score of the third quarter, giving the Bison a 14-point lead.

Brown completed a 9-yard touchdown run with 4:09 remaining, capping an 11-play, 87-yard, seven-minute drive. Darius Givance intercepted Jake Curry two plays later and NDSU retained possession from there.

Miller completed 18 of 24 passes for 193 yards. Brown managed 95 yards on 20 carries while Kpeenu managed 11 carries for 55 yards.

Curry totaled 152 yards on 15-for-27 passing for Southern Illinois. The Salukis managed just 35 yards on 23 carries.

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