#2 NDSU stops Mercer, earns date in National Semifinals
Steve Hallstrom
Special to The Farmer
Cam Miller threw for 259 yards while the Bison defense held Mercer under 200 total yards, as NDSU advanced to the FCS semifinals with a 31-7 win on Saturday in Fargo.
The win sets up a final four matchup with the two-time defending FCS Champion South Dakota State.
Miller, NDSU’s senior quarterback, connected with Bryce Lance for touchdowns of 40 yards and 4 yards on NDSU’s first two possessions to open a 14-0 lead before Mercer (from Macon, GA) responded with a touchdown of its own. But the Bison tacked on a 34-yard Cam Miller run and a 38-yard Griffin Crosa field goal as NDSU built a 24-7 halftime lead.
Both defenses dug in and proved stingy in the second half, with the only scoring coming on a one-yard Barika Kpeenu run with under two minutes to go as NDSU closed out a 31-7 win.
While never really in trouble, NDSU struggled to deliver the knockout punch for most of the second half, but NDSU’s “Code Green” defense made sure the outcome was never in peril.
“I thought the difference was our defense tonight,” said head coach Tim Polasek. “They only gave up 8 first downs and 195 yards of total offense and that’s an impressive outing. I thought we were making the quarterback uncomfortable, even on plays where they were getting some rushing yards.”
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