Saturday night gave us the heavyweight tilt everyone had circled on the FCS calendar. Number one North Dakota State versus number two South Dakota State, the latest chapter in the Battle for the Dakota Marker. On paper, it was a clash of titans. On the field, it was a one-sided demolition. The Bison didn’t just beat the Jackrabbits, they suffocated them. While Cole Payton lit up the headlines with a dominant showing at quarterback, the real story was what happened on the other side of the ball. NDSU’s defense played with edge, violence, and full control for 60 minutes, allowing just 166 total yards and 7 points. The Jackrabbits managed just 43 rushing yards. This wasn’t just a big-game performance. It was a defensive statement. Let’s break down how the Bison choked out the number two team in the land.
Stopping the run
The Bison came in with a smart wrinkle to defend South Dakota State’s outside zone from 12 personnel, Ace. They played it from an under front and rotated the weak safety down into the box. What made it work was the movement inside. The nose slanted hard across the center’s face, gapping out the backside. Both interior linebackers pressed frontside, creating a false picture for the offensive line. That frontside flow, combined with the backside stunt, forced hesitation and left a linebacker free for a clean run-through. Yes, it was an RPO and SDSU was trying to throw Glance, but that doesn’t change the fact that this was a creative answer that we’ll see later. The Bison built a front that could cancel gaps while still maintaining second-level integrity, and they did it without tipping their hand before the snap.
Here it is again. Same set, same pre-snap movement, but this time it ends in a tackle for loss. The Bison trigger the same movement, and again it gives SDSU issues in sorting it out. This looks like a specific call for a specific situation. I didn’t see this look used any other time in the game, which tells you it was built into the plan for a reason. It’s a great example of situation-based scheming, not just calling plays from a menu.
It felt like the Bison were in the right call all night. Sometimes it looks that way when you’re playing at an elite level. Here they trigger the Nickel off jet motion and completely blow up the Q Power Bash. The quarterback’s path doesn’t help the play, but it probably wouldn’t have mattered. The Nickel was on the right track from the snap. What stands out is how he comes to balance and tempos the quarterback perfectly. That’s a coached-up rep and a great example of playing with control and violence at the same time.
Here the Jackrabbits try to run outside zone bluff, but again the Bison have the right call to stop it. Up front they run a pirate stunt with the 3 and 5 techniques, which causes immediate chaos for the offensive line. On the back end, they are in trap coverage, a variation of Cover 2, where the corners aggressively fit the run. That gives the defense a firm edge, and the corner here fits it about as well as you can. He does not make the tackle, but he forces the back inside to his help and turns it into another short gain. On these trap calls, NDSU still gets to an eight-man fit by using the down linemen, two outside backers, and both corners. This is something they do really well.
I thought the Jackrabbits finally had something on this split zone look, but the linebacker, number 43, shuts it down with a great play. He uses a speed rip to avoid the guard climbing to the second level and ends up making the tackle for loss. That’s just big-time effort and technique. You can do almost everything right, and this Bison defense can still find a way to make you pay.
Here’s one more example of using the corner in trap coverage as a run fitter. No, they don’t make the tackle here, but that’s not the point. It’s a great changeup to get eight defenders involved in the run fit without having to play Cover 3. It gives you the numbers without giving up leverage in the secondary, and it’s one more tool in the Bison’s defensive toolbox.