Kpeenu, Payton lead defending FCS champion Bison to 38-0 win over The Citadel in opener

By AP News Published Aug 30, 2025 01:03 pm

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Barika Kpeenu ran for a pair of short touchdowns, Cole Payton passed and ran his way to 293 yards offense and defending FCS national champion North Dakota State opened its season with a 38-0 win over The Citadel on Saturday.

Kpeenu scored from 2 yards out to complete a 90-yard drive and Cole passed 34 yards to RaJa Nelson for a 17-0 halftime lead.

Payton passed for 192 yards and a score and rushed for 101 more for the top-ranked Bison, winners of 10 FCS national championships. Nathan Hayes also passed for a touchdown. DJ Scott rushed for a score and Isiah St. Romain had a TD catch.

The Bulldogs reached Bison territory once before turning the ball over on downs at the NDSU 3 in the fourth quarter. The Bison posted their first shutout since blanking two opponents in 2021. The Bulldogs were last shut out by Georgia Southern, 34-0, to open the 2023 season.

The Bison outgained the Bulldogs 520-122.

This was the first meeting between the schools. The Bison are now 11-0 versus the Southern Conference.

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