Stick tosses 5 TDs, North Dakota St routs Missouri St 48-7

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SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Easton Stick tossed five touchdown passes — all in the first half — and Adam Cofield ran for two scores to power FCS unbeaten and top-ranked North Dakota State to a 48-7 shellacking of Missouri State on Saturday.

Stick completed 15 of 24 passes for 238 yards as the Bison (10-0, 7-0 Missouri Valley Football Conference) scored touchdowns on their first three possessions. Stick opened the scoring with a 29-yard strike to Dallas Freeman. He followed that up with a 29-yard TD toss to Ben Ellefson and after Cam Pedersen missed the extra point the Bison led 13-0. James Hendricks picked off Peyton Huslig's first-down pass at the Bison 49-yard line and three plays later Stick connected with Nate Jenson for a 43-yard TD and a 20-0 lead.

Stick added TD passes of 5 yards to Ellefson and 27 yards to Lance Dunn in the second quarter, giving NDSU a 34-0 halftime lead.

The Bears (4-6, 2-5) scored their only TD on Jeremiah Wilson's 6-yard run in the third quarter. Cofield finished off the Bison scoring with TD runs of 14 and 5 yards heading into the fourth. Pedersen, who made 6 of 7 point-after tries, set a MVFC record with his 230th career extra point after Cofield's first TD run. Craig Coffin of Southern Illinois set the mark 12 years ago with 229.