The Fargodome was a-rockin'. Jacksonville State shouldn't have gone a-knockin'.
North Dakota State, a longtime FCS powerhouse, made the official jump to the FBS division on Saturday with an easy win over the Gamecocks, 33-7. (It didn't start so easy; the game was tied 7-7 at the half.)
The $17.5 million to graduate to the Mountain West apparently was money well spent. And it sparked plenty of excitement at the Fargodome, which seemed to be a far better football environment on Saturday than the L.A. Coliseum.
"I can't wait to go through this process of making this move up," NDSU coach Tim Polasek said after the game. "This is step No. 1. I just think for Fargo, and for our university, this can be explosive, and we're excited about this season."
The Bison outgained Jacksonville State 373-170 yards in the game.
NDSU has produced plenty of NFL players over the years — including quarterback Carson Wentz (No. 2 overall in 2016), quarterback Trey Lance (No. 3 overall in 2021), tackle Grey Zabel (No. 18 overall in 2025), Packers receiver Christian Watson (second-round pick in 2022), and Buccaneers tackle Cody Mauch (second-round pick in 2023).
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