NCAAF

Abilene Christian Wildcats at North Dakota State Bison

· FCS Championship - Second Round
Final
31 - 51

North Dakota State erases 14-point deficit, beats Abilene Christian 51-31 in FCS second round

Abilene Christian Wildcats vs. North Dakota State Bison: Full Highlights

The Bison (11-2), in the FCS playoffs for a 15th straight season and winner of nine FCS titles, will host seventh-seeded Mercer in the quarterfinals.

Abilene Christian (9-5) took a 17-3 lead on a 13-yard TD pass from Maverick McIvor to J.J. Henry, a 90-yard run by Sam Hicks and a Ritse Vaes 29-yard field goal early in the second quarter.

The Bison then took over, starting with Jackson Williams' 100-yard kickoff return to start a run of 31 consecutive points, 17 coming in the second quarter for a 20-17 halftime lead.

The scoring streak ended when Nehemiah Martinez’s 53-yard return helped set up Hicks’ 3-yard score to get the Wildcats within 34-24. But the Bison matched that TD on their ensuing drive on Miller’s 36-yard connection with Bryce Lance to cap their 21-point third quarter.

Again, the Wildcats got within 10 early in the fourth quarter on Rovaughn Banks Jr.’s 2-yard TD run. But NDSU’s Marcus Gulley returned an interception 37 yards to the ACU 9 and the Crosa kicked a field goal and Logan Kopp followed with a 31-yard pick-6.

Miller was 20 of 29 for 274 yards passing.

McIvor threw for 153 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Hicks ran for 153 yards on 16 carries.

ACU, champion of the United Athletic Conference, was in its first FCS playoffs since joining the classification in 2013, and beat Northern Arizona in its first-round game.

Crosa has made his 262nd career PAT to pass NDSU's Cam Pederson (2015-18) and set an FCS record.

How To Watch

How can I watch Abilene Christian Wildcats vs. North Dakota State Bison?
  • TV Channel: Wildcats at Bison 2021 College Football, week 15, is broadcasted on ESPN+.
  • Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.

Scoring Summary

NDSU FG 1st Period 8:52 Griffin Crosa 21 Yd Field Goal
ACU TD 1st Period 2:45 J.J. Henry 13 Yd pass from Maverick McIvor (Ritse Vaes Kick)
ACU TD 1st Period 0:00 Sam Hicks 90 Yd Run (Ritse Vaes Kick)
ACU FG 2nd Period 10:35 Ritse Vaes 29 Yd Field Goal
NDSU TD 2nd Period 10:24 Jackson Williams 100 Yd Kickoff Return (Griffin Crosa Kick)
NDSU FG 2nd Period 5:58 Griffin Crosa 37 Yd Field Goal
NDSU TD 2nd Period 0:21 RaJa Nelson 6 Yd pass from Cam Miller (Griffin Crosa Kick)
NDSU TD 3rd Period 10:38 Cam Miller 1 Yd Run (Griffin Crosa Kick)
NDSU TD 3rd Period 6:08 TK Marshall 30 Yd pass from Cam Miller (Griffin Crosa Kick)
ACU TD 3rd Period 3:23 Sam Hicks 3 Yd Run (Ritse Vaes Kick)
NDSU TD 3rd Period 0:40 Bryce Lance 36 Yd pass from Cam Miller (Griffin Crosa Kick)
ACU TD 4th Period 11:11 Rovaughn Banks Jr. 2 Yd Run (Ritse Vaes Kick)
NDSU FG 4th Period 3:34 Griffin Crosa 24 Yd Field Goal
NDSU TD 4th Period 3:25 Logan Kopp 31 Yd Interception Return (Griffin Crosa Kick)

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/2000.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originACU https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/ncaa/500/2449.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originNDSU
16 1st Downs 19
5-13 3rd down efficiency 1-10
1-3 4th down efficiency 2-2
345 Total Yards 375
153 Passing 274
20/32 Comp/Att 20/29
4.8 Yards per pass 9.4
192 Rushing 101
29 Rushing Attempts 31
6.6 Yards per rush 3.3
8-62 Penalties 4-30
3 Turnovers 1
1 Fumbles lost 0
2 Interceptions thrown 1
29:28 Possession 30:32

Game Information

Fargodome

Location: Fargo, ND
Attendance: 10,373 · Capacity:
Full Standings

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