One of the more anticipated FSC football games of the weekend will not be played as originally scheduled. Perennial power North Dakota State was slated to take on South Dakota in Missouri Valley Conference action, but the conference announced hours before kickoff on Saturday that the game has been canceled due to COVID-19 protocols.

The cancellation was caused by a positive COVID test and subsequent contact tracing within the North Dakota State program.

North Dakota State has gotten off to a 5-1 start and is coming off a 34-14 win over in-state rival North Dakota last week. In the victory, the Bison ripped off 320 rushing yards and Hunter Luepke rushed for 190 yards and three touchdowns. In addition, wide receiver Christian Watson caught a 63-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Zeb Norland.

Meanwhile, South Dakota was entering the contest with a 1-3 record and has lost its last three games. Most recently, South Dakota lost 28-10 at the hands of Youngstown State. The Coyotes accumulated just 226 yards of total offense and averaged just 0.5 yards-per-carry on the ground. Quarterback Carson made up the majority of the offense as he threw for 214 yards and Travis Theis added a 1-yard touchdown run late in the game.