VERMILLION, S.D. - North Dakota State rushed for 200 yards in the second half and scored 24 unanswered points to beat South Dakota 34-17 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference opener for both teams Saturday, Sept. 24, before a crowd of 6,530 at the DakotaDome.

NDSU fullback Hunter Luepke rushed 20 times and picked up 118 of his 150 yards and two touchdowns after halftime for North Dakota State (3-1). The Bison rushed 61 times and controlled the ball for nearly 40 minutes of the contest, which saw the teams combine for seven turnovers.

South Dakota (1-3) managed just six first downs and 45 yards rushing in the second half. For the game, the Coyotes went 1-for-10 on third down with five three-and-out possessions.

Each team lost the ball twice before halftime. USD scored two touchdowns in a 14-second span with Carson Camp's 28-yard touchdown pass to Wesley Eliodor after a Bison fumble giving the Coyotes a 17-10 lead at intermission.

NDSU started the second half with a nine-play, 75-yard scoring drive capped by Cam Miller's 13-yard touchdown run to tie the game. The Bison went ahead for good on their next possession going 84 yards in nine plays with Luepke scoring on a 2-yard run.

Luepke added a 3-yard TD run late in the fourth quarter, Kobe Johnson had a two-yard TD run in the second quarter, and Griffin Crosa kicked field goals from 26 and 25 yards for NDSU.

Bison quarterback Cam Miller finished 10 of 19 passing for 120 yards with one interception. Zach Mathis caught three passes for 39 yards, tight end Joe Stoffel had two catches for 28 yards and DJ Hart made two grabs for 15 yards.

Safety Michael Tutsie made a team-high seven tackles, safety Dawson Weber forced two fumbles and made six tackles, and linebackers Luke Weerts and Logan Kopp each snared their first career interception.

North Dakota State is scheduled to host Youngstown State (2-1) for the annual homecoming game at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1, at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome.