FARGO, N.D. — Cam Miller showcased an impressive performance on Saturday, throwing two touchdown passes to Bryce Lance and adding another rushing touchdown, leading North Dakota State to a 31-7 victory over Mercer and securing their spot in the FCS semifinals.
The second-seeded Bison, boasting a record of 12-2, advanced to the semifinals for the 15th consecutive year, with nine championships to their name. They are set to face off against No. 3 seed South Dakota State, who triumphed over Incarnate Word with a score of 55-14. Earlier in the season, the Bison secured a narrow win against the Jackrabbits, coming out on top 13-9.
In a tight race for the Missouri Valley Conference championship, North Dakota State, South Dakota State, and South Dakota all finished with the top honors. South Dakota will meet the top-seeded Montana State in the other semifinal matchup.
Miller completed 16 of 25 passes, amassing 259 yards, though he faced some challenges with two interceptions from Myles Redding. His performance enabled him to surpass former Bison quarterback Easton Stick’s career total yards record, finishing the game with a combined total of 11,406 yards. Mekhi Collins was a key target, racking up 119 yards in receptions.
On the other side, Whitt Newbauer, the quarterback for the seventh-seeded Bears (11-3)—a Southern Conference champion making their first quarterfinal appearance—went 8 of 18 for only 90 yards, throwing one touchdown to Kelin Parsons along with an interception.
Miller initiated the scoring with a 40-yard touchdown pass to Lance down the left side. Less than three minutes later, he connected with Lance again for a 4-yard touchdown, putting the Bison up 14-0 at the end of the first quarter. This second touchdown followed Collins’s impressive 70-yard catch-and-run play.
Newbauer managed to respond by finding Parsons for a 38-yard touchdown, closing the gap to 14-7 by the end of the first quarter.
As the game progressed, Miller extended the lead with a 34-yard rushing touchdown down the left sideline, and just before halftime, Griffin Crosa added a 38-yard field goal, bringing the score to 24-7.
The only points of the second half came from Barika Kpeenu, who scored on a 1-yard run with just two minutes left in the game.