Trio guides North Dakota State to 24-3 victory over Southern Illinois

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Cam Miller threw a touchdown pass and CharMar Brown and Barika Kpeenu had touchdown runs as North Dakota State cruised to a 24-3 victory over Southern Illinois on Saturday.

Kpeenu had a 6-yard touchdown run to finish off a 76-yard drive the first time North Dakota State (6-1, 3-0 Missouri Valley Football Conference), ranked No. 2 in the latest coaches poll, had the ball.

The Bison grabbed the 7-0 lead after Jake Curry led Southern Illinois to the Bison 24 where Nick Kubitz recovered Allen Middleton's fumble after a 16-yard reception.

Paul Geelen kicked a 50-yard field goal to get Southern Illinois (2-5, 0-3) on the scoreboard with 5:17 left before halftime. Miller directed a 14-play, 75-yard drive that ended with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Chris Harris with 31 seconds left for a 14-3 advantage.

Griffin Crosa's 34-yard field goal was the lone score in the third quarter, giving the Bison a 14-point lead.

Brown had a 9-yard touchdown run with 4:09 left to play, capping an 11-play, 87-yard drive that lasted 7 minutes. Darius Givance intercepted Jake Curry two plays later and NDSU maintained possession from there.

Miller completed 18 of 24 passes for 193 yards. Brown finished with 95 yards on 20 carries, while Kpeenu carried 11 times for 55 yards.

Curry totaled 152 yards on 15-for-27 passing for Southern Illinois. The Salukis managed just 35 yards on 23 rushes.