Jax State Gamecocks vs. NDSU Bison, 8/29/2026, 4:35pm

NDSU 33 – Jax State 7, Attendance: 18,573

Weather: Sunny, 70; Ticket: $64 NDSU, Parking: $10

“The team is ready. The town, not so much” by Tree

North Dakota State is in Fargo, about three hours north and west of Minneapolis. I suppose you can fly into Fargo, but we flew into Minneapolis. Based on our queries with AI, we really didn’t see that there was much to do in Fargo. I don’t mean to denigrate the city, but that’s what our search for “what to do” generated. Instead, we hit the Minnesota State Fair and a couple of other tourist sites in the twin cities. We drove up to Fargo on game day. With a 4pm kickoff, we were able to see some of the tailgating and get inside the dome in plenty of time.

Post game, we grabbed a meal at a local bar and crashed at a chain hotel. With two other colleges in town, Concordia and Moorehead, the hotels were reasonable. Sunday morning, we grabbed some donuts at a local institution, Sandy’s, and headed South Dakota. We made it an easy two days, leisurely checking out the Badlands and Mount Rushmore. We flew home from Rapid City, SD.

Fargo might have enough to offer a weekend stay, but our impression was that there was a whole lot of nothing around it. I suspect most folks don’t get to that part of the country often so a longer trip makes sense to us.

The Bison play in a small box they call the Fargodome. It is on the edge of campus and there is tailgating in some, but not all the lots. Most spaces are for season pass purchasers, but the donation seemed to be very reasonable. If you are visiting and want to tailgate, there is one, first come- first served, cash lot. I never made it over to that specific lot, instead choosing to walk around the season-pass holders.

We found folks to be exceedingly friendly at the tailgates. Their setups were well appointed, with many custom rigs and more than a couple with large stuffed Bison heads. Most, of the parking spots had active tailgaters. We were told this was better than normal, with local fans attributing the jump to the FBS as impetus for the increased numbers. The beautiful weather may have also contributed to the rise in attendance. Adjacent to the tailgating lots was a section of the lots that had beer and food vendors. I found this to be particularly convenient because I discovered they don’t sell beer in grocery stores in North Dakota. That put a snag in some of our pregame festivities until we stumbled onto the beer vendors.

The Fargodome itself offers two primary advantages. One is its size. The NDSU faithful pack the place. It was about 200 short of full capacity for our visit, and it was loud, very loud. The other advantage is that it shields players and fans alike from the harsh North Dakota weather. I am generally a fan of teams playing in the elements, but I can make an exception in this case. I was told that weather doesn’t stop the tailgating outside. When it does get cold, space heaters and canopy walls are a must.

The stadium’s near perfect temperature aside, there are plenty of other reasons why it offers a great game experience. All the seats have seats backs and there are large video boards over each end zone. The concessions are a mix of the standard game day fare and some local booths. They sell beer and soda with the option of a sweet souvenir cup. The bathrooms need to be reworked a bit because the lines were long consistently throughout the game. There are about 18 private suites that ring the field and there is some talk of expanding the stadium. It is one of the smallest ones in the FBS.

Still, the video and sound systems are good. The band was okay but they were active. NDSU did a few bits like students kicking field goals and even practiced a new “N D S U” chant. The attire was very mid-western with lots of cowboy boots, trucker hats and green and yellow overalls. This is more a t-shirt and jeans than a polo’s and khakis crowd. The fans are robust, with many standing early and often.

Tradition-wise, the Bison efforts follow the herd. First off, it is Bison with a “z” and not Bisons. The national anthem is altered at the end with the home of the “Bison” and not “Brave”. Hands are raised and “whoo’s” are made for every kickoff. There’s a raised fingers Bison sign that looks an awful lot like UT’s hook ’em horns sign. There is also a first down cheer.

All of it is done with gusto, but none of it feels particularly unique. Even the exciting team entrance to Thunderstruck is one I have seen elsewhere. Of course, the real tradition at NDSU is winning championships. The banners are impressive and undoubtedly, this is the one tradition the Bison really want to maintain.

Some may have wondered if NDSU would be able to handle moving up the FBS, I did not. Jax State went 9-5 last season, and 7-1 in conference so I thought they would be a good test for the Bison. They were not. The first quarter was close, a 7-7 tie, but that didn’t last long. It was 17 – 7 at the half and then the Bison stretched the lead to 27 – 7 by the end of the third quarter.

The only category that the Bison didn’t dominate was penalties. In fact, if not for some sloppy play, the game could have been a much bigger blowout. The best player of the game may have been the Jax State punter, Conor Donaghy, who hails from Northern Ireland. He was dropping bombs all day inside the twenty-yard line. He helped the Gamecocks stay close.

I don’t know how good the Bison will be in FBS. They could very well own the Mountain West. Unfortunately, most of the power four schools wouldn’t schedule NDSU when they were in the FCS and they are unlikely to do so now that they are in the FBS. Luckily, they can still get a bid to playoffs if they are the highest ranked of the Group of Six.

I saw some sophisticated setups in the parking lots including a customized VW microbus. It was different, but I am pretty sure I have seen that before. It isn’t common and this one was well done. What was more unusual was a horse race drinking game built on football field table. It was both on brand and unique. In both cases, the respective owners happily explained the nuances of the items. In general, we found fans outside to be friendly.

Once inside, the atmosphere was a little less warm. Perhaps it was because we were wearing neutral colors, but our neighbors were not particularly inviting. It was not like they were rude. However, during the game, we have usually have some small talk with those around us. But on this day, it was crickets. It wasn’t hostile, but the fanbase’s reputation for being rabid felt true to us.

Still, I had high expectations for NDSU and they were mostly met. The tailgating was robust with a good mix of students and alums. The various rigs and setups were as good as you see anywhere. The environment inside the Fargodome was intense and the product on the field was first class.

The biggest negative for NDSU is being in Fargo. I have seen toddlers with more character. We were very happy to have only spent about 24 hours there. The other concern is the weather. We were there in late August. I can’t imagine tailgating there in early November. Although, there is sort of a badge of honor type of thing for gutting it out in sub-freezing temperatures on a windswept prairie.

Given the logistical challenges of getting there, I can’t make it a must see. There’s a lot to like about the NDSU experience, but the town doesn’t have much to offer beyond some good donuts. However, we made it part of a wraparound: Minnesota State Fair – Fargodome – Badlands / Mount Rushmore. It made for an enjoyable trip. That’s how a trip to see the Bison works the best, as part of a larger experience.