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
Notre Dame could have 'gone sideways,' instead it's still fighting
Notre Dame suffered one of the most stunning defeats in its storied history, yet somehow it has bounced back.
Notre Dame gets late pick and field goal to make title game with 27-24 win over Penn State
— Penn State quarterback Drew Allar said he was trying to throw the ball into the ground. Notre Dame defensive back Christian Gray dove for it anyway and — luck of the Irish — the ball ended up right in his hands.
Penn State QB Allar on ill-fated attempt: Should have thrown it away
Penn State quarterback Drew Allar said of his late misfire that resulted in a Notre Dame interception and was followed by the Irish's game-winning field goal: "I should have just thrown it away."
College Football Playoff: Semifinal takeaways, analysis
The CFP has reached its final four. Bill Connelly breaks down Penn State-Notre Dame and Texas-Ohio State.
Drew Allar: I'll learn from costly INT
Penn State's James Franklin and Drew Allar reflect on the season after the team's loss to Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl.