FARGO, N.D.--Kyle Steffes rushed for 141 yards and three touchdowns to help No. 20-ranked North Dakota State defeat South Dakota State 41-17 in a Great West Football Conference game played before a crowd of 15,777 at the Fargodome on Saturday.

The Bison (7-3, 3-2 GWFC) took a permanent lead when Steffes scored his third touchdown on a 3-yard run midway through the second quarter. That made it 21-14.

The go-ahead drive was set up when Bison safety Nick Schommer returned an interception 21 yards to the SDSU 47. It was the third interception of the half for NDSU, and the second for Schommer. Joe Mays and Brett Itterman each added an interception as North Dakota State picked off four passes overall.

NDSU's defense clamped down on the league's top-ranked offense as Itterman, a linebacker from Aberdeen, S.D., sparked the defense with nine tackles including seven solos, 3.5 tackles for loss, a pair of sacks and the interception. NDSU strong safety Craig Dahl had eight tackles added a blocked punt that was recovered by Kole Heckendorf in the first quarter.

The Jackrabbits (5-5, 2-2) had taken a 14-7 lead with 11 seconds left in the first quarter when Chris Molitor hauled in a 41-yard touchdown pass from Andy Kardoes. The Bison scored on the next possession, with Steffes' 1-yard run finishing off a 66-yard drive.

Steffes reached 100 yards for the sixth time this season on 31 carries and for 12th time during his career. He also surpassed the 1,000-yard mark for the second straight season. Steffes currently has 1,006 yards entering NDSU's final game with Southern Illinois next Saturday in Carbondale.

The Bison tacked on 10 points in the third quarter to go ahead 31-14. Cinque Chapman scored on a 4-yard run to cap a 58-yard drive and Cory Vartanian kicked a 30-yard field goal as NDSU reeled off 24 unanswered points. Chapman finished with 96 yards on 13 carries.

It didn't take long for the Bison offense to answer Parker Douglass' 23-yard field goal that cut the SDSU deficit to 31-17 early in the fourth quarter. Steve Walker hooked with AJ Cooper for a 63-yard touchdown pass, the longest scoring play of the season for NDSU, with 10:02 remaining. Vartanian booted a 22-yard field goal to close out the scoring with 3:39 left.

North Dakota State outgained South Dakota State 477-268 as the Bison rushed for over 300 yards (307) for the first time since the 353 yards gained in the 2004 season opener against Valparaiso University. Walker completed 15-of-20 passes for 170 yards, hitting five different receivers led by Tyler Jangula's five catches for 27 yards.

Koenig led the Jackrabbits with 19 rushes for 87 yards and a TD. Ryan Berry came in relief of starter Andy Kardoes and completed 10-of-16 passes for 120 yards and two interceptions. Josh Davis hauled in three passes for 67 yards, while Molitor caught three for 52 yards and a TD. Billy Ray Kirch led the SDSU defense with 13 tackles, while Marty Kranz finished with 10.

The Bison earned the Dakota Marker trophy, which was established last year when the teams jumped from NCAA Division II to NCAA Division I-AA.

The Jackrabbits jumped ahead early when nose tackle Mitch Pontrelli recovered a fumbled handoff on NDSU's first drive. Cory Koenig's 16-yard scoring run made it 7-0. The Jackrabbits host Northern Colorado next Saturday to close out the season.