The atmosphere at Johnson Hagood Stadium in Charleston was heavy with humidity and the smell of impending rain when the No. 1 ranked North Dakota State Bison rolled into town to face The Citadel Bulldogs. What was billed as a clash of styles—the powerhouse of the Missouri Valley Football Conference against the gritty option-oriented Bulldogs—quickly turned into a clinical demonstration of why the Bison remain the gold standard of FCS football. The final score of 38-0 doesn't just represent a win for North Dakota State; it serves as a historical marker for the gap that still exists between the elite tier and the rest of the pack.

The Cole Payton Era Begins in Earnest

Entering the 2025 season opener, the biggest question mark surrounding North Dakota State was how the offense would evolve under quarterback Cole Payton in his first collegiate start. For years, Payton had been the versatile weapon utilized in specific packages, but the transition to full-time signal-caller is a different beast entirely. Against The Citadel, Payton silenced the skeptics early, even if the rainy conditions attempted to dampen the party.

Payton accounted for 293 yards of total offense, a staggering number given the sloppy turf. His stat line—10 of 16 passing for 192 yards and 101 yards on the ground—mirrored the dual-threat capability that has defined Bison legends of the past. More importantly, his decision-making in the read-option game was near-flawless. When the Bulldogs squeezed the edges, Payton kept the ball and gashed the defense for 27-yard gains; when they cheated toward the box, he found Raja Nelson on a beautiful 34-yard touchdown strike that effectively broke the spirit of the Charleston home crowd.

Systematic Dismantling: The Ground Game

While Payton was the headline, the NDSU offensive line provided the subtext of dominance. Despite breaking in three new starters on the front five, the Bison averaged 5.5 yards per carry. This wasn't just about speed; it was about physical attrition. Barika Kpeenu, the West Fargo native, played like a man possessed, racking up 79 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries. His ability to hit the A-gap with velocity forced The Citadel’s linebackers into an impossible choice: commit to the dive and risk giving up the edge to Payton, or play the perimeter and get steamrolled by Kpeenu.

DJ Scott added another 43 yards and a score, demonstrating the depth NDSU possesses. The Bison didn't just run the ball; they dictated the tempo of the game, holding the ball for over 36 minutes. For a defense like The Citadel’s, which relies on staying fresh to execute its assignments, being on the field for three-quarters of the game was a recipe for the second-half collapse that saw NDSU tack on 21 points after the intermission.

The Purple Wall: A Defensive Masterclass

If the NDSU offense was a scalpel, the defense was a sledgehammer. Defensive coordinator Grant Olson’s unit produced its first shutout since 2021, and the efficiency was terrifying. The Citadel’s offensive identity is built on rhythmic rushing and triple-option principles, but the Bison took that rhythm away on the very first drive.

The Bulldogs managed a meager 126 total yards. To put that in perspective, NDSU’s offense nearly tripled that output in the first half alone. The Citadel was held to a dismal 2-of-12 on third down. When a team cannot convert on third-and-short, their entire offensive philosophy crumbles. Logan Kopp and Nathaniel Staehling were the architects of this shutdown. Kopp, a senior leader at linebacker, finished with nine tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss, including a pivotal fourth-down stop that preserved the zero on the scoreboard.

Staehling, in his first career start at middle linebacker, showed that the NDSU "Code Green" defense has no shortage of talent in the pipeline. He led the team with seven tackles, consistently filling holes before The Citadel’s backs could reach the second level. The Bison front four played with such discipline that the Bulldogs' quarterbacks were sacked five times—a rare occurrence for an option team that usually prides itself on getting the ball out fast.

Turning Points and Tactical Shifts

The game didn't start as a blowout. The first quarter was a scoreless affair, dictated more by the rain than the players. NDSU struggled with procedural penalties and a few dropped passes as they adjusted to the wet ball. However, the second quarter was where the championship pedigree surfaced.

A 31-yard field goal by Eli Ozick broke the ice, but the real shift occurred during a 12-play, 90-yard drive that culminated in Kpeenu’s first touchdown. That drive was a statement of intent. NDSU moved the ball through the air and on the ground with equal efficacy, proving that weather was only a temporary obstacle. By the time Raja Nelson hauled in his touchdown catch to make it 17-0 before the half, the result felt inevitable.

The third quarter started with the only turnover of the game—a fumbled pitch by The Citadel deep in their own territory. Logan Kopp’s recovery at the 1-yard line led to an immediate score. In college football, momentum is a tangible force, and NDSU leveraged that turnover to turn a comfortable lead into a rout.

The Depth Factor

One of the most telling aspects of the ND State vs Citadel matchup was the fourth quarter. Often, when a top-ranked team travels for a season opener, the starters get pulled and the level of play drops. That didn't happen in Charleston. Backup quarterback Nathan Hayes led a clinical 12-play, 95-yard scoring drive in the final frame.

Seeing Isiah St. Romain haul in a 15-yard touchdown pass for his first career reception highlighted the "next man up" culture in Fargo. NDSU isn't just a collection of 22 starters; it is a program with a developmental arc that ensures the 60th man on the roster plays with the same intensity as the first. This depth is what allows them to sustain long drives late in the game when the opposition is gasping for air.

Statistical Breakdown: The Telling Numbers

  • Total Yards: NDSU 519, The Citadel 126. This 393-yard margin is one of the largest in NDSU’s recent non-conference history.
  • First Downs: NDSU 25, The Citadel 8. The Bison were moving the chains at will, while the Bulldogs struggled to find a single set of downs in the entire first half.
  • Passing Efficiency: NDSU averaged 12.5 yards per attempt. In modern football, anything over 8.0 is considered elite. The Citadel, meanwhile, managed only 22 total passing yards.
  • Red Zone: NDSU was 5-for-5 in the red zone. They didn't leave points on the table, a crucial trait for a team with national title aspirations.

The Citadel's Perspective: A Long Road Ahead

For Coach Maurice Drayton and The Citadel, this game was a brutal but necessary measuring stick. The Bulldogs had a strong home crowd of over 10,000 fans, and for the first 15 minutes, they played with the fire required to upset a No. 1 team. Their punter, James Platte, was perhaps their best player on the field, averaging 45.3 yards per punt and pinning the Bison inside the 20-yard line four times.

However, heart and special teams can only carry a team so far against a squad that wins at the line of scrimmage. The Citadel’s rushing attack, usually their bread and butter, was held to just 2.5 yards per carry. Israel Benjamin fought for every inch, leading the Bulldogs with 54 yards, but without a passing threat to keep the Bison secondary honest, he was essentially running into a brick wall all afternoon.

The National Implications

Coming out of this game, the FCS landscape received a clear message: the reports of NDSU’s decline have been greatly exaggerated. After a few seasons where the Bison looked human, the 2025 opener suggested a return to the dominant form of the late 2010s. The defense is faster, the offensive line is as physical as ever, and in Cole Payton, they have a quarterback who can break a game open with his legs or his arm.

For the Bison, the road only gets tougher, but starting the season with a road shutout in a hostile, rain-soaked environment is exactly what a championship-caliber team does. They didn't just win; they exerted their will.

Final Thoughts on the Matchup

ND State vs Citadel wasn't just a game on the schedule; it was a demonstration of program health. The Citadel will find success in the Southern Conference—their discipline and punting game alone will win them several contests. But NDSU is playing a different game entirely. They are chasing history, and if the 38-0 victory in Charleston is any indication, the rest of the FCS has a lot of catching up to do.

As the Bison move forward to face Tennessee State and eventually dive into the meat of the MVFC schedule, they do so with the confidence that their systems—both offensive and defensive—are functioning at an elite level. For the fans in Fargo, the performance was a reassuring sign that the dynasty is still very much alive. For the fans in Charleston, it was a reminder of how high the mountain is, and how much work remains to reach the summit.