North Dakota State · Mountain WestNorth Dakota State opens FBS era with 33–7 win
The Bison extended their home-opening streak to 28 games and improved to 7–2 against FBS teams since 2010.
AUG 30, 2026
On Saturday, Aug. 29, North Dakota State opened its FBS era by beating Jacksonville State 33–7 at home, extending its home-opening streak to 28 wins and moving to 7–2 against FBS teams since 2010.
The Bison did it against a Jacksonville State team that went 9–5 last season. North Dakota State came off a 12–1 season and improved to 1–0 in 2026, while the Gamecocks fell to 0–1.
Jacksonville State tied the game at 7 on Caden Creel’s first-quarter touchdown run. North Dakota State answered with a field goal and never trailed again. The Gamecocks later went for it on fourth down instead of kicking a field goal and failed, then Bison quarterback Nathan Hayes directed a touchdown drive for a 17–7 lead. North Dakota State pulled away from there in front of more than 18,000 fans at the Fargodome.
Yahoo Sports reported that North Dakota State went 194–25 from 2010 through the reported 16-year span, the best winning percentage among FBS and FCS programs at .886. The Bison also won 10 FCS championships during that stretch.
North Dakota State hosts Fordham next Saturday, Sept. 5, before its first Mountain West road game at Air Force on Sept. 12. For now, the Bison are 1–0 in their FBS era.