No. 3 North Dakota State beats No. 2 Northern Iowa

Oct 30, 2011 - 12:45 AM Fargo, ND (Sports Network) - North Dakota State is expected to become the No. 1 team in the FCS on Monday after defeating Northern Iowa, 27-19, in a Missouri Valley Football Conference first-place showdown on Saturday.

North Dakota State (8-0, 5-0) entered the game ranked No. 3 in The Sports Network/Fathead.com FCS Top 25, while UNI (6-2, 5-1) was No. 2.

The Bison should move up to the top spot because No. 1 Georgia Southern lost on Saturday, 24-17 to No. 5 Appalachian State in the Southern Conference.

Quarterback Brock Jensen completed a career-high 22-of-25 passes for 204 yards and running back D.J. McNorton scored on a 6-yard run and an 8-yard pass in the win. Kyle Emanuel also scored on a 3-yard fumble recovery.

The Bison also intercepted UNI quarterback Tirrell Rennie, ending his school- record streak of 171 passes without a pick dating to last season.

Freshman David Johnson scored touchdown on both a run and a reception for the Panthers.