North Dakota
ACU Football: North Dakota State rallies past Abilene Christian in Round 2 of FCS Playoffs
The Abilene Christian Wildcats hit the road for the second round of the FCS Playoffs and thrived early on in one of the nation’s toughest road environments.
The Wildcats quickly pounced on NDSU to seize a 14-point lead by the early second quarter, but the Bison rallied behind senior quarterback Cam Miller.
Miller and the Bison scored 31 unanswered points, as No. 2 North Dakota State cemented its comeback with a 51-31 win over Abilene Christian in the second round of the FCS Playoffs on Saturday afternoon at the Fargodome in Fargo, North Dakota.
The Bison (11-2) advance to the quarterfinals with the victory — their 15th consecutive quarterfinals appearance — where they will host No. 7 Mercer. NDSU also improved to 36-1 all-time in home playoff games.
The Wildcats (9-5) seized the momentum during the first quarter when they stopped North Dakota State in the red zone and held NDSU to a field goal on the opening drive of the game.
Led by quarterback Maverick McIvor, who was sidelined for ACU’s 24-0 first-round playoff victory against Northern Arizona, Abilene Christian rattled off back-to-back touchdown drives to end the first quarter ahead 14-3.
But the Wildcats struggled to hold onto the ball, coughing up a fumble on a strip sack on the opening drive of the second half and tossing two costly fourth-quarter interceptions.
Miller and North Dakota State’s offense couldn’t be stopped in the second half either.
The Bison scored touchdowns on four straight possessions from the end of the second quarter to the end of the third. Miller completed 20 of 29 passes for 274 yards, three touchdowns and an interception.
McIvor threw for 153 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions on 20-of-32 passing for Abilene Christian. Senior running back Sam Hicks led the Wildcats with 153 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 16 carries.
Game-changing plays
ACU jumped ahead early thanks to its success on pivotal plays.
The Wildcats converted two of three critical third-down situations during their opening drive and hit on a fourth-and-short attempt, too, which allowed McIvor to find JJ Henry for a 13-yard touchdown pass.
On the first play of ACU’s next possession, Harris found a hole and took off down the sideline for a 90-yard touchdown run to end the first quarter.
Abilene Christian padded its lead again when junior defensive end Kaghen Roach picked off a screen pass — his first career interception — that set up Ritse Vaes’ 29-yard field goal to put ACU ahead 17-3 with 10:35 left in the second quarter.
North Dakota State’s Jackson Williams returned the ensuing kickoff 100 yards to ignite an explosive 31-0 run for NDSU.
The Bison offense found the end zone for the only time in the first half when Miller connected with RaJa Nelson for a 6-yard touchdown pass to enter the half with a 20-17 lead over Abilene Christian.
North Dakota State scored touchdowns on each of their third-quarter drives. The Bison stripped and recovered a fumble when they sacked McIvor to start the third quarter and later scored on a 1-yard touchdown run by Miller.
Miller threw 30- and 36-yard touchdown passes on NDSU’s next two possessions to give the Bison a 41-24 advantage by the start of the fourth quarter.
The Wildcats fought to claw their way back into the game late with back-to-back second-half touchdown drives that cut North Dakota State’s lead to 41-31 with 11:11 remaining.
The Bison, however, picked off two passes during the final four minutes and sealed their victory with a 31-yard interception return touchdown by Logan Kopp with 3:25 left.
They said it
Abilene Christian head football coach Keith Patterson: “It was about what we expected. We knew it was going to be a hard-fought game that was going to go for 60 minutes. … If you had told me before the game that we’d hold them to 100 yards rushing, I thought it’d probably be a different game. But at the end of the day, we just made too many mistakes to be able to win against an opponent like North Dakota State with the history and tradition they have. They’re a challenge to stop offensively. You had to load the box to stop the run, but then you create problems for yourself on the back end. Hats off to them, they made plays when they had to.”
Abilene Christian quarterback Maverick McIvor: “I knew we weren’t going to change. We like to throw the ball a lot. And anytime you throw the ball a lot and you turn the ball over three times, I think it’s really hard to win, especially on a team like that of that high of a caliber. We knew that it was going to be a hard-fought battle and anytime we turn over the ball three times, it’s going to be really, really hard to win.”
Up next
Abilene Christian wraps up a historic 2024 campaign with Saturday’s loss.
After nearly knocking off Texas Tech in overtime on the road in its season opener, ACU won nine games — a new program record at the Division I level — and finished the year with a 4-2 record against ranked FCS opponents.
The Wildcats won the United Athletic Conference championship, their first conference title since 2010 and the program’s first since moving to DI, and clinched a berth and the No. 15 national seed in the playoffs for the first time in school history.
Abilene Christian dominated its playoff debut with a 24-0 shutout of Northern Arizona in Abilene. The Wildcats will return to action when ACU kicks off the 2025 season on the road against Tulsa on Aug. 30, 2025.
Second Round – FCS Playoffs
North Dakota State 51, Abilene Christian 31
Abilene Christian 14 3 7 7
North Dakota State 3 17 21 10
SCORING SUMMARY
1st Quarter
NDSU – Griffin Crosa 21-yard field goal GOOD; 8:52
ACU – Maverick McIvor 13-yard touchdown pass to JJ Henry (Ritse Vaes kick GOOD); 2:45
ACU – Sam Hicks 90-yard touchdown run (Ritse Vaes kick GOOD); 0:00
2nd Quarter
ACU – Ritse Vaes 29-yard field goal GOOD; 10:35
NDSU – Jackson Williams 100-yard touchdown kickoff return (Griffin Crosa kick GOOD); 10:24
NDSU – Griffin Crosa 37-yard field goal GOOD; 5:58
NDSU – Cam Miller 6-yard touchdown pass to RaJa Nelson (Griffin Crosa kick GOOD); 0:21
3rd Quarter
NDSU – Cam Miller 1-yard touchdown run (Griffin Crosa kick GOOD); 10:38
NDSU – Cam Miller 30-yard touchdown pass to TK Marshall (Griffin Crosa kick GOOD); 6:08
ACU – Sam Hicks 3-yard touchdown run (Ritse Vaes kick GOOD); 3:23
NDSU – Cam Miller 36-yard touchdown pass to Bryce Lance (Griffin Crosa kick GOOD); 0:40
4th Quarter
ACU – Rovaughn Banks, Jr. 2-yard touchdown run (Ritse Vaes kick GOOD); 11:11
NDSU – Griffin Crosa 24-yard field goal GOOD; 3:34
NDSU – Logan Kopp 31-yard interception return (Griffin Crosa kick GOOD); 3:25
Donald R. Snyder Sr. 82 of Grand Forks, North Dakota died Tuesday, December 9, 2026, at Villa St. Vincent in Crookston, Minnesota.
Don was born on June 3, 1943, the son of Harrison and Gladys (Whittier) Snyder in Van Hook, North Dakota. He attended school in Van Hook and New Town, North Dakota. Don served in the United States Navy from 1960 – 1964 and was stationed in Hawaii during his time of service as a Military Police officer. He attended ND Police Academy and where he worked in Wattford City, ND and later was the Chief of Police in Parshall, ND. Don attended Minot State University and received a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 1972.
Don was united in marriage to Greta Huseby on November 22, 1991, in Lake Tahoe, Neveda. He worked as a social worker in child welfare in North Dakota for thirty-five plus years in various roles in the state in Rugby, Minot and Bismarck as a Regional Supervisor to State Director in foster care. Don spent the many years taking care of family’s needs in North Dakota.
After retiring from Human Service in North Dakota, he worked for Multiband Inc. and Orangehook Inc. Don retired from OrangeHook Inc. as the Senior Vice President, responsible for HR Department.
Don enjoyed fishing (deep sea, rivers and lakes), hunting, woodworking (cabinetry and interior), coaching Tee Ball and soccer, and volunteering for the local honor guards. He was proud of his service in the military and always showed his gratitude for fellow veterans.
Don’s faith and family were his priority. He read the Bible six times and shared his faith with his family and friends. Don and Greta were active members of University Lutheran Church.
Don is survived by his wife, Greta Snyder; three sons, Donald Richard Snyder Jr., Scott (Nancy) Snyder and Tracy (Staci) Snyder; grandchildren, Megan (Rory) Selk, Katelyn Snyder, Gavin Snyder, Whitney (Chris) Crofts, Kaylee (Jon) Gappmaier and Jordan (Jen) Snyder, thirteen great-grandchildren, Kinley, Iyla, Jude, Gabby, Rowan, Sophia, Hunter, Kimber, Isaiah, Benjamin, Porshea, Addie and Mollie; numerous nieces and nephews.
Don was preceded in death by his parents, two daughters, Tunya and Mishell Snyder, granddaughter, Jessica Snyder and two infant sisters.
Visitation will be held from 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, December 17, 2025, at Amundson Funeral Home. Memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, December 17, 2025, at Amundson Funeral Home.
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (AP) — Damari Wheeler-Thomas’ 21 points helped North Dakota State defeat Cal State Bakersfield 80-69 on Thursday.
Wheeler-Thomas had three steals for the Bison (8-3). Markhi Strickland scored 15 points while shooting 6 of 11 from the field and 3 for 6 from the free-throw line and grabbed five rebounds. Andy Stefonowicz went 4 of 7 from the field (3 for 4 from 3-point range) to finish with 13 points.
Ron Jessamy led the way for the Roadrunners (4-7) with 18 points, six rebounds, two steals and four blocks. CJ Hardy added 13 points. Jaden Alexander also recorded eight points and two steals.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Some 66 million years ago, a city bus-sized terrifying predator prowled a prehistoric river in what is now North Dakota.
This finding is based on the analysis of a single mosasaur tooth conducted by an international team of researchers from the United States, Sweden, and the Netherlands.
The tooth came from a prognathodontine mosasaur — a reptile reaching up to 11 meters long. This makes it an apex predator on par with the largest killer whales.
It shows that massive mosasaurs successfully adapted to life in rivers right up until their extinction.
Isotope analysis
Dating from 98 to 66 million years ago, abundant mosasaur fossils have been uncovered in marine deposits across North America, Europe, and Africa.
However, these marine reptile fossils have been rarely found in North Dakota before.
In this new study, the large mosasaur tooth was unearthed in a fluvial deposit (river sediment) in North Dakota.
Its neighbors in the dirt were just as compelling: a tooth from a Tyrannosaurus rex and a crocodylian jawbone. Interestingly, all these fossilized remains came from a similar age, around 66 million years old.
This unusual gathering — sea monster, land dinosaur, and river croc — raised an intriguing question: If the mosasaur was a sea creature, how did its remains end up in an inland river?
The answer lay in the chemistry of the tooth enamel. Using advanced isotope analysis at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam, the team compared the chemical composition of the mosasaur tooth with its neighbors.
The key was the ratio of oxygen isotopes.
The mosasaur teeth contained a higher proportion of the lighter oxygen isotope than is typical for mosasaurs living in saltwater. This specific isotopic signature, along with the strontium isotope ratio, strongly suggests that the mosasaur lived in a freshwater habitat.
Analysis also revealed that the mosasaur did not dive as deep as many of its marine relatives and may have fed on unusual prey, such as drowned dinosaurs.
The isotope signatures indicated that this mosasaur had inhabited this freshwater riverine environment. When we looked at two additional mosasaur teeth found nearby, slightly older sites in North Dakota, we saw similar freshwater signatures. These analyses show that mosasaurs lived in riverine environments in the final million years before going extinct,” explained Melanie During, the study author.
Transformation of the Seaway
The adaptation occurred during the final million years of the Cretaceous period.
It is hypothesized that the mosasaurs were adapting to an enormous environmental shift in the Western Interior Seaway, the vast inland sea that once divided North America.
Increased freshwater influx gradually transformed the ancient sea from saltwater to brackish water, and finally to mostly freshwater, similar to the modern Gulf of Bothnia.
The researchers hypothesize that this change led to the formation of a halocline: a structure where a lighter layer of freshwater rested atop heavier saltwater. The findings of the isotope analyses directly support this theory.
The analyzed mosasaur teeth belong to individuals who successfully adapted to the shifting environments.
This transition from marine to freshwater habitats (reverse adaptation) is considered less complex than the opposite shift and is not unique among large predators.
Modern parallels include river dolphins, which evolved from marine ancestors but now thrive in freshwater, and the estuarine crocodile, which moves freely between freshwater rivers and the open sea for hunting.
Findings were published in the journal BMC Zoology on December 11.
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