Box Score FARGO, N.D.--North Dakota State junior quarterback Tony Stauss threw for a school record five touchdowns and set a NDSU record for single season pass completions in a 35-3 North Central Conference football victory over South Dakota at the Fargodome here Saturday afternoon in front of just over 9,000 Harvest Bowl fans.
The win lifted North Dakota State to a 7-2 overall mark and sole possession of second place in the NCC with a 5-1 league mark.
Stauss, the transfer from Big 10 Conference Northwestern, completed 20 of 27 passes for 214 yards. He hit senior receiver Elliott Belquist with scoring passes of six and 17 yards, found sophomore tight end Andy DelaBarre for a 10-yard scoring aerial and wrapped it up with second-half TD passes of five yards to runningback Rod Malone and seven yards to wide receiver Allen Burrell.
Stauss has now completed 174 passes in 260 attempts this season to eclipse the old single season standard of 169 completions set by Graig Gorder just one year ago.
His five TD aerials broke a mark of four set in 1972 by Don Siverson and tied four times since then including Gorder in 2002 with four TD passes in a loss to Nebraska-Omaha.
In addition, Malone, a senior who is threatening to become only the 10th Bison ever to run for over 1,000 yards in a season, ran for 135 yards on 25 carries and hauled in four passes for 14 yards. Malone now has 937 yards on the ground with two regular season games remaining.
The Bison started fast as Marques Johnson knifed through on fourth down on South Dakota's first possession and blocked the punt. The Bison took over on the USD 13 and scored three plays later on the six-yard pass to Belquist.
NDSU scored later in the quarter, marching 80 yards in 10 plays with DelaBarre catching a pass on the right side and tightroping the 10 yards into the end zone.
North Dakota State scored early in the second quarter after USD gambled on fourth down at midfield and came up short. The Bison moved the 50 yards in six plays with Belquist taking an over-the-shoulder catch in the back of the end zone for the TD from 17 yards out.
Malone's five-yard scoring reception capped a 70-yard, 11-play drive midway through the third quarter and the Bison moved 57 yards in nine plays in the fourth quarter after a pass interception by Josh Mock.
Burrell caught the fade pass in the right back corner of the end zone from seven yards to complete the scoring.
NDSU finished with 362 yards of total offense while holding USD to 294. The Coyotes finished with 116 yards rushing against the nation's 5th-ranked rushing defense including 103 yards by freshman runningback Stefan Logan.
The Bison picked off three USD passes in the game including one each by Mock, Jake Johnson, and Craig Dahl. The Bison now have 18 pass interceptions this season.
South Dakota lost its third straight games and fell to 4-5 overall and 2-4 in the NCC.
NDSU closes out the conference season next Saturday at St. Cloud State (6-4, 3-3).
