Former Solon star leads North Dakota State past rival South Dakota State

Cam Miller with perfect game-winning drive to claim Dakota Marker live on ESPN2 for Bison; Reece Vander Zee scores again for Iowa; Asa Newsome contributes as Kansas State keeps rolling

Aug 29, 2024; Boulder, Colorado, USA; North Dakota State Bison quarterback Cam Miller (7) scrambles in the second quarter against the Colorado Buffaloes at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

For the first time in six meetings, North Dakota State scored a victory over rival South Dakota State - and former Solon star Cam Miller was at the lead of it all.

Miller, a senior quarterback for the Bison, went 7-for-7 for 76 yards while adding six yards rushing on the final drive of the game to secure the 13-9 win and the Dakota Marker trophy. The game was played in front of a sellout crowd of 18,807 and aired live on ESPN2.

After Miller did the dirty work, Raja Nelson hauled in the game-winning score on a 20-yard pass. Miller finished 20 of 27 for 163 yards on the day adding 24 yards rushing on nine carries. 

“Just super happy,” Miller said in the post-game press conference. “Credit goes to the defense, though, as they were the ones that kept us in the game and I couldn’t be happier for them.

“That’s where my excitement comes from is just how well they played and seeing Raja have two touchdowns and just seeing guys make plays was awesome.”

North Dakota State improved to 7-1 on the year and 4-0 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, having reeled off seven straight wins since a 31-26 loss to Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes in Week 1.

Miller and the Bison are now preparing for the final four games of the season, which will start this Saturday at Murray State. 

A 2023 Walter Payton Award finalist, Miller has gone 38-10 as the starting quarterback during his career. This season, he has thrown for 1,667 yards and 14 touchdowns without an interception on 185 attempts. He also has 252 yards rushing and six scores.

Iowa Hawkeyes wide receiver Reece Vander Zee (15) catches a touchdown pass against the Illinois State Redbirds during the fourth quarter at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images / Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Reece Vander Zee hauls in second TD for Iowa in road loss

Former Central Lyon/George-Little Rock star Reece Vander Zee hauled in his third career touchdown this past Saturday night for Iowa at Michigan State.

It wasn’t enough for the Hawkeyes to secure the win, falling 32-20.

Vander Zee, a true freshman who has made six starts this season, finished with three receptions for 47 yards and the score. His catches and yardage total ranked second on the team for the game behind only star running back Kaleb Johnson.

The 6-foot-4 Vander Zee now has 14 receptions for 176 yards with three TDs on the season. He has caught at least one pass in all but one game.

Iowa is now 4-3 on the year and 2-2 in the Big Ten ahead of back-to-back home games vs. Northwestern and Wisconsin. From there, they finish out November at UCLA and Maryland before returning home to face Nebraska.

Troy Trojans quarterback Goose Crowder (9) is tackled by Kansas State Wildcats linebacker Austin Romaine (45), defensive tackle Damian Ilalio (56) and linebacker Asa Newsom (23) during the fourth quarter at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-Imagn Images / Scott Sewell-Imagn Images

Asa Newsom, Kansas State continue winning ways

Kansas State used a big second half to improve to 6-1 with a 45-18 victory over West Virginia on the road this past Saturday. The win marked the second straight away from home for the Wildcats, who are 3-1 in the Big 12.

Asa Newsom, a former Waverly-Shell Rock standout, had a tackle for Kansas State. The 6-foot-3 redshirt freshman played in four games last year before suffering an injury that ended his season.

So far this year, Newsom has played in six games with four total tackles. The Wildcats host in-state rival Kansas this week before playing Houston, Arizona State and Cincinnati. They close out the year with Iowa State.