No. 1 North Dakota State cruised past St. Thomas 62-7 Saturday afternoon at the Fargodome.
The Bison (12-0) are the best team the Tommies (7-5) have played in program history. St. Thomas was missing starting graduate quarterback Andy Peters, senior safety Nick Hand and senior cornerback Den Juette. ESPN Radio reported during the game senior offensive lineman Jason Laliberte played after undergoing surgery to repair a broken ulna. Laliberte sustained the injury Nov. 1 against Marist.
“If that team doesn’t win the national championship, I would be disappointed,” coach Glenn Caruso told ESPN Radio. “How it relates to our guys, I’m just grateful that they were able to stick their foot on the ground, and say ‘you know what, I’m gonna fight.’”
Caruso has deep ties with NDSU and the city of Fargo. Caruso was an assistant coach with the Bison from 1997-2002 under coach Bob Babich and eventually became the offensive coordinator. He also married his wife, Rachael, in Fargo in 2001. Both graduated from NDSU; Glenn with a master’s degree in education.
“I’m very proud to have been a part of that program … certainly always cheering for them,” Caruso said.
Saturday’s meeting was the 24th time both teams played each other, and the first time since 1966. Their first meeting was in 1905. NDSU leads the series 17-7-2. The Bison played in Division II until 2003 and transitioned to Division I the following year.
The Tommies totaled 229 yards and rotated senior quarterback Amari Powell and sophomore Ryan Jackson. St. Thomas broke the shutout with a Powell 7-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter. The defense allowed 665 yards, a season-high for the Bison and eighth-most in NDSU history.
North Dakota State is a powerhouse at the FCS level. The Bison have won 10 national championships and are the defending champions after defeating Montana State on Jan. 6.
Three Bison players are considered NFL-caliber prospects, including senior wide receiver Bryce Lance, a Marshall, Minnesota, native and younger brother to NFL quarterback Trey Lance who also went to NDSU. Senior quarterback Cole Payton ranks fourth in Sports Illustrated top 10 FCS prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft. Senior running back Barika Kpeenu has scored 20 touchdowns this season – three in Saturday’s game, all in the first quarter – and is three touchdowns away from an NDSU record.
The Tommies finished fifth in the conference with a record of 5-3. Drake defeated Morehead State 17-10, winning the Pioneer Football League and a bid in the FCS playoffs.
St. Thomas became one of the best offenses in the PFL, ranking second in total offense, after finishing no higher than fourth the last two seasons. The defense, though not as game-changing, finished fourth in the PFL, improving from fifth in 2024. Peters finished third in the PFL in passing yards with two games less than the leader. His primary target, sophomore receiver Quentin Cobb-Butler finished fourth in receiving yards and third with seven receiving touchdowns.
“A lot of steps in the right direction. The success that we had, we had with, by far, the toughest schedule we’ve ever had, and frankly the toughest schedule we ever will have,” Caruso said.
Juan Del Valle can be reached at delv9625@stthomas.edu.
