BISON PLAYOFF HISTORY - North Dakota State University Athletics

2000 NCAA First Round
MARYVILLE, MO--Junior running backs
Lamar Gordon and DeShawn Perkins put up
100-yard rushing games as the Bison won
their fi rst opening-round NCAA playoff game
since 1995 with a 31-17 upset win over
defending national champion Northwest
Missouri State, 31-17.
Gordon ran for 130 yards and a touchdown,
and caught a 39-yard TD pass as the
Bison snapped a 24-game Bearcat winning
streak. Perkins pitched in with a careerhigh
134 yards, including an 8-yard TD run
in the fourth quarter to clinch the game.
NDSU took over in the third quarter with
a pair of long drives. Ryan Johnson threw
his second TD pass of the day, a 13-yarder
to Jared Peck, on the opening drive of the
second half to regain the momentum for
the Herd. Gordon's 4-yard TD run on the
next possession was the game-winner.
Perkins capped it with the short run
after he exploded for 60 yards on the previous
play.
With all that offense, it was the defense
that stole the day. NDSU limited the defending
champs to 81 yards rushing and 205
yards of total offense until the Bearcats got
a 60-yard TD pass on their fi nal offensive
play of the day.
Statistics NDSU NWMSU
First Downs 19 14
Yds. Rushing 56-282 31-81
Yds. Passing 77 184
Total Offense 359 265
Passes 4-15-0 20-43-0
Punts 8-39.4 9-36.0
Penalties 9-99 3-29
Fumbles/Lost 3-2 2-1
NDSU 10 0 14 7 -- 31
NW Missouri 0 10 0 7 -- 17
NDSU--FG Pederson 47
NDSU--Gordon 39 pass from Johnson (Pederson kick)
NWMSU--FG Timmerman 20
NWMSU--Jansen 7 run (Timmerman kick)
NDSU--Peck 13 pass from Johnson (Pederson kick)
NDSU--Gordon 4 run (Pederson kick)
NDSU--Perkins 8 run (Pederson kick)
NWMSU--Hill 60 pass from Miles (Timmerman kick)
A--7,650
Top Individuals
Rushing--Perkins (NDSU) 14-134; Gordon (NDSU) 30-119;
Jansen (NWMS) 18-59; Miles (NWMS) 2-41
Passing--Miles (NWMS) 20-43-0, 184 yds.; Johnson (NDSU)
4-15-0, 77 yds.
Receiving--Hill (NWMS) 9-107; Miles (NWMS) 5-40; Jansen
(NWMS) 5-16; Peck (NDSU) 2-27
Tackles--Miller (NWMS) 4-6=10; Williams (NWMS) 3-7=10;
Evenson (NDSU) 6-3=9; Quinlin (NWMS) 3-6=9;
Becker (NWMS`) 4-4=8; Simmons (NWMS) 2-5=7;
Wayne (NWMS) 1-6=7; Swanson (NDSU) 5-1=6; Maher
(NDSU) 1-5=6; Schneckloth (NWMS) 1-5=6; Murphy
(NDSU) 5-0=5
2000 NCAA Quarterfi nals
OMAHA, NE--North Dakota State exploded
for 20 points in the second quarter
and overcame a 14-0 defi cit to roll to a
43-21 win over Nebraska-Omaha in the NCAA
Division II quarterfi nals.
The Bison running game paved the way
for the victory. NDSU ran for 214 yards
against a run defense that was the best in
the nation, allowing just 47 yards per game.
Bison junior tailback Lamar Gordon ran for
144 yards and three TDs while sophomore
quarterback Graig Gorder passed for 187
yards and two TDs in a relief role.
NDSU was down 14-0 after the fi rst two
Omaha possessions of the game, but the
Bison quickly regained the momentum.
Gordon scored from 22 yards out and came
back with a 6-yard TD run to cut the defi cit
to two early in the second quarter.
Gorder passed fi ve yards to tight end
Craig Tangen 2 1/2 minutes later to give the
Bison the lead for good at 20-14. That came
after the Bison recovered an Omaha fumble,
one of four lost by the Mavericks on the day.
Gorder, who suffered a season-ending
knee injury in the fourth quarter, was fi lling
in for senior starter Ryan Johnson, who was
hurt early in the fi rst quarter, suffering a
knee injury that ended his season.
NDSU totaled 401 yards of offense and
the Bison limited Omaha to 303 yards. The
Bison defense added a pass interception
by Travis Sturdevant and fi nished with fi ve
turnovers on the day.
The win avenged a 6-3 loss to UNO in the
regular season and snapped the Mavs' 11game
overall winning streak and a 23-game
home victory streak.
Statistics NDSU UNO
First Downs 17 14
Yds. Rushing 51-214 43-190
Yds. Passing 187 113
Total Offense 401 303
Passes 7-15-0 8-15-1
Punts 8-35.0 6-38.3
Penalties 9-76 5-55
Fumbles/Lost 1-0 4-4
NDSU 6 20 17 0 -- 43
Neb.-Omaha 14 0 0 7 -- 21
UNO--Dustin 1 run (Severson kick)
UNO--Turman 18 run (Severson kick)
NDSU--Gordon 22 run (kick wide)
NDSU--Gordon 6 run (pass failed)
NDSU--Tangen 5 pass from Gorder (Nelson from Gorder)
NDSU--Perkins 4 run (pass failed)
NDSU--FG Pederson 27
NDSU--Nelson 33 pass from Gorder (Pederson kick)
NDSU--Gordon 1 run (Pederson kick)
UNO--Recek 5 pass from Guidry (Severson kick)
A--9,400
Top Individuals
Rushing--Gordon (NDSU) 27-142; Wright (UNO) 12-74;
Kammrad (UNO) 14-56; Perkins (NDSU) 11-55; Turman
(UNO) 10-54
Passing--Gorder (NDSU) 7-12-0, 187 yds.; Guidry (UNO) 5-8-
1, 62 yds.; Turman (UNO) 3-7-0, 51 yds.
Receiving--Nelson (NDSU) 3-109; Krause (UNO) 3-44; Tangen
(NDSU) 2-18; Dustin (UNO) 2-36
Tackles--Shafer (NDSU) 7-4=11; Bi. Erenberg (NDSU) 6-2=11;
Brice (UNO) 6-4=10; Hoffman (UNO) 3-7=10; Stovall
(UNO) 1-7=8; Cooper (UNO) 1-6=7; Bays (NDSU) 2-
4=6; Swanson (NDSU) 4-1=5; Gjellstad (NDSU) 2-3=5;
Butler (UNO) 2-3=5
BISON IN THE PLAYOFFS
2000 NCAA Semifi nals
CLEVELAND, MS--North Dakota State dug
itself a 20-0 hole in the fi rst quarter and
could not come all the way back, falling to
Delta State in the NCAA Division II semifi nals,
34-17.
Delta State, the eventual national champion,
took advantage of an NDSU fumble to
score on its fi rst possession, blocked a punt
on NDSU's ensuing possession into the end
zone for a score, and hit a 74-yard TD pass
on the fi rst play of its next possession to
jump to the 20-point margin.
The Bison (12-2) came back with three
second-quarter scores, capping a 92-yard
drive with a 3-yard TD run by All-American
Lamar Gordon.
Redshirt freshman QB Jason Jordon,
getting his fi rst start after season-ending
injuries to Ryan Johnson and Graig Gorder in
the quarterfi nal win over Nebraska-Omaha,
fi red his fi rst career TD pass, a 5-yarder to
Jared Peck, to cut the margin to 20-13.
Junior kicker Aaron Pederson added a 44yard
fi eld goal just before the half and it was
20-16 at the intermission.
However, with a strong wind at their
backs in the third quarter, the Bison failed to
score and Delta State controlled the ball for
over 10 minutes of the quarter.
DSU wrapped up the game late in the
fourth quarter with a short drive after a
Bison punt into the stiff wind failed to cross
midfi eld. Delta State's fi nal score came on
an intercepted pass as the Bison were forced
to gamble in the fi nal two minutes.
Statistics NDSU DSU
First Downs 17 13
Yds. Rushing 48-159 49-182
Yds. Passing 131 116
Total Offense 290 298
Passes 11-25-2 4-8-1
Punts 4-25.5 3-23.0
Penalties 8-81 7-76
Fumbles/Lost 1-1 0-0
NDSU 0 16 0 0 -- 16
Delta State 20 0 0 14 -- 34
DSU--Flowers 26 pass from Bright (Dorgan kick)
DSU--Stevenson 19 return of blocked punt (Dorgan kick)
DSU--Franklin 74 pass from Bright (kick failed)
NDSU--Gordon 3 run (run failed)
NDSU--Peck 5 pass from Jordan (Pederson kick)
NDSU--FG Pederson 44
DSU--Bright 4 run (Dorgan kick)
DSU--Johnson 32 interception return (Dorgan kick)
A--6,850
Top Individuals
Rushing--Gordon (NDSU) 34-140; Bright (DSU) 18-79; McDonald
(DSU) 15-54; Perkins (NDSU) 10-28; Flowers (DSU)
6-22; Hart (DSU) 5-16
Passing--Jordan (NDSU) 11-25-2, 131 yds.; Bright (DSU)
4-8-1, 116 yds.
Receiving--Nelson (NDSU) 6-105; Franklin (DSU) 3-90; Flowers
(DSU) 1-26; Lewis (NDSU) 1-12; Gordon (NDSU)
1-6; Peck (NDSU) 1-5; Dettmann (NDSU) 1-4
Tackles--Bell (DSU) 10-5=15; Johnson (DSU) 8-4=12; Polk,
(DSU) 8-3=11; LeClair (NDSU) 7-2=9; Bi. Erenberg
(NDSU) 7-1=8; Beckett (DSU) 7-0=7; Brown (DSU)
5-2=7; Bell (DSU) 3-3=6; Simmers (NDSU) 6-0=6;
Swanson (NDSU) 4-2=6; Shafer (NDSU) 3-3=6; Murphy
(NDSU) 0-6=6
2009 BISON FOOTBALL
127