GRAND FORKS — The rootingest, tootingest offense in the Football Championship Subdivision found itself stuck in a swamp for most of the day Saturday, which is odd because the game was played in the climate-controlled beauty of the Alerus Center.

The presumed Walter Payton Award favorite as the top offensive player in the division, North Dakota State quarterback Cole Payton, threw a bad early interception and never looked himself. The Bison’s other top gun and the guy North Dakota head coach Eric Schmidt said keeps a defensive coordinator up at night, receiver Bryce Lance, was just a rumor in the second half.

Get this: The offense that was on a school-record pace in passing and total offense through nine games — averaging 244 yards per game through the air and 475 yards of total offense —

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