Mercer Bears at North Dakota State Bison
· FCS Championship - Quarterfinals
Miller throws for 2 TDs, runs for another as North Dakota State tops Mercer 31-7 in FCS quarterfinal
The second-seeded Bison (12-2), in their 15th straight FCS playoffs and winner of nine titles, will play No. 3 seed South Dakota State, a 55-14 winner over Incarnate Word. The Bison beat the Jackrabbits 13-9 during the regular season.
NDSU, SDSU and and fourth-seeded South Dakota tied for the Missouri Valley Conference title. South Dakota will play top-seeded Montana State in the other semifinal.
Miller was 16 of 25 for 259 yards passing though he was intercepted twice by Myles Redding. Miller passed Easton Stick (11,216) for the school career total yards record with 11,406 after rolling up 299 Saturday. Mekhi Collins had 119 yards receiving.
Whitt Newbauer was 8 of 18 for only 90 yards with a touchdown to Kelin Parsons and an interception for the seventh-seeded Bears (11-3), champions of the Southern Conference making their first quarterfinals appearance.
Miller hit Lance down the left side for a 40-yard touchdown and less than three minutes later tossed a 4-yard score to Lance for a 14-0 first-quarter lead, the latter TD coming after Collins went 70 yards on a catch-and-run.
Newbauer found Parsons in the end zone for a 38-yard score to trail 14-7 after one quarter.
Miller raced down the left sideline for a 34-yard score and Griffin Crosa added a 38-yard field goal in the final seconds of the first half to go up 24-7.
Barika Kpeenu scored from a yard out with two minutes remaining for the second-half's only points.
How To Watch
How can I watch Mercer Bears vs. North Dakota State Bison?
- TV Channel: Bears at Bison 2021 College Football, week 16, is broadcasted on ABC.
- Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.
Scoring Summary
 |
TD | 1st Period 12:03 | Bryce Lance 40 Yd pass from Cam Miller (Griffin Crosa Kick) |
|
TD | 1st Period 9:31 | Bryce Lance 4 Yd pass from Cam Miller (Griffin Crosa Kick) |
 |
TD | 1st Period 7:01 | Kelin Parsons 38 Yd pass from Whitt Newbauer (Reice Griffith Kick) |
|
TD | 2nd Period 12:01 | Cam Miller 34 Yd Run (Griffin Crosa Kick) |
|
FG | 2nd Period 0:11 | Griffin Crosa 38 Yd Field Goal |
|
TD | 4th Period 1:57 | Barika Kpeenu 1 Yd Run (Griffin Crosa Kick) |
Statistics
 MER |
 NDSU |
|
|---|---|---|
| 8 | 1st Downs | 20 |
| 1-11 | 3rd down efficiency | 9-17 |
| 0-2 | 4th down efficiency | 0-0 |
| 195 | Total Yards | 392 |
| 86 | Passing | 259 |
| 10/20 | Comp/Att | 16/26 |
| 4.3 | Yards per pass | 10.0 |
| 109 | Rushing | 133 |
| 31 | Rushing Attempts | 41 |
| 3.5 | Yards per rush | 3.2 |
| 7-56 | Penalties | 5-45 |
| 1 | Turnovers | 2 |
| 0 | Fumbles lost | 0 |
| 1 | Interceptions thrown | 2 |
| 24:22 | Possession | 35:38 |
College Football News
Lombardi on UNC's potential 'Hard Knocks' appearance: 'Bill's been sorting it out'
Michael Lombardi tells Pat McAfee that Bill Belichick has been in discussions over UNC appearing on "Hard Knocks."
Fake injuries could cost teams timeout, penalty
College football players going down with injuries after the ball is spotted could cost the team a timeout or penalty.
UNC's Michael Lombardi confirms talks amid Hard Knocks link
North Carolina football general manager Michael Lombardi acknowledged that the program is considering a behind-the-scenes look at the team amid a report that the Tar Heels could be the focus of HBO's "Hard Knocks: Offseason."
Texas raises ticket prices as player costs go up
Texas will be raising football season ticket prices by $13 per game next season as the program, already one of the richest in the nation, tries to meet rising costs.
Shedeur Sanders confident history of success will repeat in NFL
Shedeur Sanders didn't tone down his overt displays of confidence at Jackson State or Colorado. Now, as the draft prospect continues his path to the NFL, there's no reason to expect him to modify that approach.