FARGO – North Dakota State built a 14-point lead less than six minutes into the game Saturday afternoon at the Fargodome and rode that wave into the national semifinals.

That brisk start gave the No. 2 seed Bison a 31-7 win over Mercer in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division I FCS playoffs in front of 10,353 fans at Gate City Bank Field.

“The fast start was good for us, just so we could play loosely,” Bison head coach Tim Polasek said.

NDSU (12-2) reached the FCS semifinals for the 13th time in the last 14 seasons. The Bison tied Georgia Southern for the most semifinal appearances in FCS history. Georgia Southern is now an FBS program.

The Bison host No. 3 seed South Dakota State (12-2) in the national semifinals on Saturday, Dec. 21 at 11 a.m. on WDAY-TV/ABC. The Jackrabbits are the two-time defending FCS champions.

“It’s a matter of either getting through it or going home,” Polasek said.

NDSU earned a 13-9 win over SDSU during the regular season on Oct. 19 at the Fargodome. The Jackrabbits earned a 55-14 home win against Incarnate Word on Saturday to advance to the semifinals.

The Bison are 37-1 in FCS playoff games played at the Fargodome.

Bison senior quarterback Cam Miller had a strong first half against Mercer, completing 12 of 16 passes for 203 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for 38 yards and a touchdown on seven attempts.

Miller completed 16 of 25 passes for 259 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions for the game. He finished with 40 rushing yards and a TD on 11 attempts.

“We still have room for improvement offensively,” Miller said.

NDSU quickly built a double-digit lead while the Bison defense shut down Mercer for most of the afternoon. NDSU held the Bears scoreless in the final three quarters.

“This is an impressive performance,” said Polasek. “I thought the defense won the game today.”

The Bison limited Mercer to eight first downs and 195 yards for the game.

“We just didn’t have enough offensively,” Mercer head coach Mike Jacobs said.

NDSU receiver Bryce Lance was on the receiving end of two Miller touchdown passes that gave the Bison a quick two-touchdown lead.

The 6-foot, 200-pound Lance caught a 40-yard touchdown pass to take a 7-0 lead with 12:03 left in the first quarter. This enabled a 50-yard drive in four plays. The scoring came after the NDSU defense forced a three-play-and-out on the first possession of the game.

Lance added a 4-yard TD catch for a 14-0 lead with 9:31 left in the first quarter. Wide receiver Mekhi Collins tied the score with a 70-yard reception on the previous play.

“When the ball is in the air, you make a play and Cam throws a pretty good ball,” Lance said.

Mercer senior receiver Kelin Parsons hauled in a 38-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Whitt Newbauer to cut the Bison lead to 14-7 with 7:01 left in the first quarter. This allowed for a 73-yard drive in five plays.

Miller scored with a 34-yard touchdown run for a 21-7 lead with 12:01 left in the second quarter. This allowed for a 55-yard drive in six plays.

NDSU kicker Griffin Crosa hit a 38-yard field goal for a 24-7 lead with 11 seconds left in the first half. That was the culmination of a 70-yard drive that lasted six plays.

That 17-point lead proved to be enough for the Bison as both defenses were stingy for most of the second half.

“I thought our defense gave us a performance that kept us in the football game,” Jacobs said.

“We were flying around with a lot of energy,” Bison linebacker Logan Kopp added.

NDSU running back Barika Kpeenu scored on a 1-yard touchdown run to give the Bison a 31-7 lead with 1:57 left in the fourth quarter. Those were the only points after halftime.

“North Dakota State is a fantastic football program,” said Mercer senior safety Myles Redding, who finished with two interceptions. “They don’t make many mistakes.”

Peterson covers college athletics for The Forum, including Concordia College and Minnesota State Moorhead. He also covers the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks independent baseball team and helps with North Dakota State football coverage. Peterson has worked for the newspaper since 1996.