FARGO, N.D. – In an all-out dogfight of a game, the University of the Incarnate Word football team fell to the reigning national champions, the North Dakota State Bison, 35-32, at the Fargodome on Friday night.
 
Lindsey Scott Jr. finished the game with three touchdowns, 282 passing yards, and 80 rushing yards. Isaiah Paul led the Cardinal defense with 14 tackles (10 solo), one sack, and three tackles for loss.
 
The Bison elected to kick off in the second half and the Cardinals started the game on their own 25-yard line. UIW marched up the field and Scott found Darion Chafin on fourth and goal for a touchdown to start off the game up, 7-0.
 
On the next UIW drive, Jarrell Wiley shot through the gap in the Bison's defense for another Cardinal touchdown which was almost immediately followed by a safety as UIW jumped to a 16-0 edge.
 
The Bison's punt grazed a fallen Cardinal to give NDSU the ball on their 10-yard line. The Cardinal defense stood strong and after a Bison penalty, NDSU settled for a 27-yard field goal (16-3).
 
At the start of the second quarter, Taylor Grimes toed the back line for a Cardinal touchdown, but it was called back for lack of possession. The following snap to Scott was fumbled and recovered by the Bison, but a sack from Paul on third down gave the ball back to the Cardinals.
 
Scott was intercepted on the long ball before NDSU went eight plays and 93 yards to score a touchdown and come within six (16-10).
 
The Bison then took the lead just before the half on a 2-yard touchdown run (17-16) with 47 seconds remaining on the clock.
 
NDSU opened the third, running for a 49-yard touchdown to secure a 24-16 lead. However, midway through the quarter, Scott forced his way into the end zone on a one-yard rush to cut the Bison's lead (24-22). The Cardinals went for two, but Grimes was stopped short at the 2-yard line.
 
With three minutes left in the third, Scott rolled out for a 40-yard pass to Grimes on NDSU's one-yard line. Wiley punched it in to secure the TD and the Cardinals reclaimed the lead (29-24).
 
Elliott Davison broke up a touchdown pass from the Bison, resulting in a 47-yard NDSU field goal to come within two (29-27) of the Cardinals.
 
Carson Mohr, then extended UIW's lead with a season-high 41-yard field goal with just under 10 minutes to go in the game (32-27).
 
The Bison responded by scoring a touchdown just over a minute later, then secured the two-point conversion to take a 35-32 lead.
 
Down three with five minutes left, and in field goal range, the Cardinals elected to go for it on fourth down, but the pass from Scott to Kole Wilson fell incomplete.
 
The Cardinals got the ball back with just over two minutes remaining. With 1:13 left in the game, Scott's deep pass was intercepted on the 18-yard line and NDSU took the game, 35-32.
 
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