The result, the player statistics, and the AP poll response.
Saturday, September 5 at 7:00 PM CDT · Lanny and Sharon Martin Stadium
AP at Kickoff: Unavailable
AP at Kickoff: NR
Northwestern's 16-point win on September 5 was followed by the September 8 AP poll.
How voters ranked these teams before the game, and what changed in the next poll.
August 17 AP Poll · 0 Complete Ballots
AP team mapping is not available.
No voter ranked both teams, so there is no head-to-head ordering to compare. Rankings are not game predictions.
Explore the Pregame Poll →September 8 AP Poll
0 of 69 → 0 of 69 voters ranked Northwestern.
Voter counts can change between polls. This describes what changed, not why each voter changed their ballot.
Explore the Following Poll →Choose a team and category to explore every available player.
| Player | INT | TD | YDS | C/ATT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chase Mason | 1 | 0 | 5.9 | 285 | 23/48 |
South Dakota State · Passing. A dash means unavailable. Dotted terms have explanations on hover, focus or tap.
2026 Season
Results from completed games before kickoff. Points are per game and include all opponents.
0 Completed Games
0 Completed Games
Final team statistics.
| Statistic | South Dakota State | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Yards | 432 | 497 |
| Passing Yards | 285 | 273 |
| Rushing Yards | 147 | 224 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| Third Downs | 8-20 | 5-12 |
| Possession | 34:08 | 25:52 |
| Statistic | South Dakota State | Northwestern |
|---|---|---|
| Rushing Touchdowns | 1 | 3 |
| Passing Touchdowns | 0 | 1 |
| Kick Return Yards | 49 | 31 |
| Kick Return Touchdowns | 0 | 0 |
| Kick Returns | 2 | 2 |
| Kicking Points | 12 | 10 |
| Tackles for Loss | 3 | 3 |
| Defensive Touchdowns | 0 | 0 |
| Tackles | 29 | 43 |
| Sacks | 2 | 2 |
| Quarterback Hurries | 1 | 3 |
| Passes Deflected | 4 | 13 |
| Possession | 34:08 | 25:52 |
| Interceptions Thrown | 1 | 0 |
| Fumbles Lost | 0 | 0 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| Penalties / Yards | 6-45 | 9-61 |
| Yards per Carry | 3.7 | 7.2 |
| Rushing Attempts | 40 | 31 |
| Rushing Yards | 147 | 224 |
| Yards per Pass Attempt | 5.9 | 11.4 |
| Completions / Attempts | 23-48 | 14-24 |
| Passing Yards | 285 | 273 |
| Total Yards | 432 | 497 |
| Fourth Downs | 3-3 | 0-0 |
| Third Downs | 8-20 | 5-12 |
| First Downs | 27 | 19 |
| Punt Return Yards | — | 5 |
| Punt Return Touchdowns | — | 0 |
| Punt Returns | — | 1 |
| Interception Return Yards | — | 4 |
| Interception Return Touchdowns | — | 0 |
| Passes Intercepted | — | 1 |
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Dakota State | 0 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 18 |
| Northwestern | 7 | 3 | 7 | 17 | 34 |
Compare this game with a measured season average and the typical range.
2026 FBS vs. FBS games started before September 5 at 8:00 PM EDT. 43 of 43 eligible games have both offenses available. Each team-game counts equally; both offenses need at least 20 included plays.
These comparisons include garbage-time plays and are not opponent-adjusted. A typical range describes the middle half of this sample, not a universal good/bad cutoff.
· Higher means more expected scoring value gained.
Middle 50% Average
86 offensive team-game performances. Higher means more offensive value per play in this comparison.
· How often plays gained enough for their situation.
Middle 50% Average
86 offensive team-game performances. Higher means more offensive consistency in this comparison.
· How much value the successful plays created.
Middle 50% Average
86 offensive team-game performances. Higher means more offensive value on successful plays in this comparison.
| Team | Passing | Rushing | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
South Dakota State | 0.066 | 0.097 | -0.120 | -0.049 | 0.225 | 0.195 |
| 0.467 | 0.524 | 0.363 | 0.090 | 0.631 | 0.883 |
All values are PPA per included play. Season benchmarks above describe whole-game offense, so they are not applied to these smaller splits.
Statistics are checked again after the final for late updates and corrections.
