FARGO, N.D.—When the head referee mischaracterizes you as your rival school not once, but twice at the opening coin toss, you know you're in for a long day. That was the case inside the Fargodome Saturday where No. 1 North Dakota State rolled to a 49-14 win against South Dakota.
 
Bison quarterback Trey Lance threw for 249 yards and two scores and Ty Brooks added 104 yards and two touchdowns on the ground to help North Dakota State stay unbeaten at 11-0 and clinch the Missouri Valley Football Conference championship.
 
South Dakota (4-7, 3-4 MVFC) racked up 172 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, but the Coyotes were limited to 11 completions through the air for a season-low 73 yards.
 
USD running back Kai Henry carried eight times for 58 yards in the first half, and capped a 65-yard scoring drive with a 1-yard leap into the end zone. But an injury prevented him from playing in the second half. Canaan Brooks and Ben Klett took most of the handoffs after the break. They combined for 17 carries, 63 yards and a score.
 
The Bison (11-0, 7-0) marched for touchdowns the first four times they had it and never looked back. NDSU outgained the South Dakota 700-245. Brooks led a contingent of Bison backs that carried 52 times for 419 yards and four touchdowns.
 
Defensively, South Dakota got a game-high 14 tackles from Elijah Reed and 10 more from linebacker Jakari Starling. Jake Matthew had four tackles including two behind the line of scrimmage.
 
Brady Schutt netted 40 yards on seven punts and pinned four inside the 20. The Bison started twice from their own 10 and once from their own 2. Schutt entered the weekend as the nation's third-leading punter.
 
South Dakota returns home to host South Dakota State on Senior Day next Saturday inside the DakotaDome. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.