FRISCO, Texas – The Illinois State football team's bid for its first national championship came down to the final minute Saturday, but North Dakota State ran its streak of consecutive national championships to four with a 29-27 win at Toyota Stadium.
Tre Roberson's 58-yard touchdown run with 1:38 left in the game gave the Redbirds a late lead before NDSU quarterback Carson Wentz scored from five yards out with 37 seconds left to reclaim the lead. Roberson's pass to Joe Farmer with eight seconds left in the game was intercepted, however, ending the Redbirds' comeback hopes.
The loss brought an end to Illinois State's historic season, which featured seven wins over ranked opponents and countless team and individual records.
The Redbirds (13-2) were led Saturday by Roberson, who completed 11-of-23 passes for 157 yards and three touchdowns. He ran for a game-high 161 yards and another score.
James O'Shaughnessy caught two of Roberson's touchdown passes, while Jon-Marc Anderson hauled in the other. Marshaun Coprich ran for 106 yards. Dontae McCoy and Pat Meehan each tallied career-high totals of 12 tackles.
It wasn't enough, however, as NDSU (15-1) prevailed in the national championship game featuring two teams from the Missouri Valley Football Conference. Illinois State and NDSU did not play in the regular season and shared the MVFC title.
The Redbird defense stopped NDSU on its first offensive drive of the game as Alex Donnelly forced a Bison fumble as they entered the red zone. The Redbirds drove to midfield before ISU punter CJ Laros pinned the Bison inside their own 5-yard-line. North Dakota State was forced to punt four plays later and the Redbirds took advantage, capping a five-play, 38-yard drive with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Roberson to Anderson with 5:28 remaining in the first quarter.
NDSU answered with a 41-yard field goal from Adam Keller with just over a minute remaining in the quarter, cutting the Redbirds' lead to 7-3. The Bison took the lead on their next offensive possession, as Wentz found Luke Albers on a 6-yard touchdown pass with 8:43 left in the second quarter. Illinois State was unable to penetrate NDSU territory in the second quarter and trailed 10-7 at halftime.
The Bison opened the second half with a key special teams play as they recovered the second-half kickoff at the Illinois State 19-yard-line. A third-down sack by Bradon Prate forced a field goal attempt and NDSU's Keller was good from 41 yards out, giving the Bison a 13-7 lead. After a Redbird three-and-out, the Bison put together an eight-play, 76-yard drive that was topped off by a 7-yard touchdown run by John Crockett with 7:28 left in the third quarter, boosting the Bison lead to 20-7.
The Redbirds got back into the game with a 41-yard pass from Roberson to O'Shaughnessy with 2:11 remaining in the third quarter. Facing a stiff pass rush, Roberson extended the play by rolling out to his right and finding O'Shaughnessy near the sideline. O'Shaughnessy evaded would-be tacklers and turned and sprinted for the end zone, cutting the NDSU lead to 20-13 after a Nick Aussieker extra point.
The Bison made it a two-possession game again with a 24-yard field goal by Keller with 11:20 left in the game. Roberson and O'Shaughnessy hooked up again just moments later, though, on a 3-yard touchdown pass with 8:05 left, cutting the NDSU lead to 23-21.
NDSU followed with a drive that chewed up nearly six minutes of clock, and included a key fourth-and-one conversion, but a third-down sack by Collin Keoshian forced a Bison punt and the Redbirds took over at their own 20-yard-line with 2:22 left.
Roberson's career-long 58-yard touchdown run with 1:38 remaining gave the Redbirds their first lead since early in the second quarter. The Redbirds had 37 seconds left after Wentz's go-ahead touchdown, but Roberson's pass from his own 44-yard-line was intercepted by NDSU's Esley Thorton.
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