North Dakota vs Kansas State 2025: 38–35 Football Result
Kansas State edged North Dakota 38–35 on Aug. 30, 2025. See the verified football result and highlights from the season opener.
North Dakota vs Kansas State 2025: 38–35 Football Result
Kansas State survived a late scare to beat North Dakota 38–35 on August 30, 2025, in Manhattan. Avery Johnson connected with Joe Jackson for a six-yard touchdown with 42 seconds left, completing an 81-yard scoring drive. The opponent was the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks—not North Dakota State—and that school distinction is essential to the game result.
At a glance
| Item | Verified information |
| Final | Kansas State 38, North Dakota 35 |
| Date | August 30, 2025 |
| Venue | Bill Snyder Family Stadium |
| Decisive play | Johnson to Jackson, six-yard TD; 0:42 remaining |
A 38–35 finish decided late
North Dakota led 21–17 at halftime after scoring 14 points in the second quarter. Kansas State responded with 14 unanswered in the third to move ahead 31–21. The Fighting Hawks then scored 14 in the fourth, threatening to pull off a significant upset, before the Wildcats drove down the field for the decisive touchdown.
The six-yard Johnson-to-Jackson pass with 42 seconds remaining put Kansas State ahead for good. It is the sort of concrete, time-stamped play that makes a recap valuable: a fan can understand who made the decisive connection and when the score changed, rather than reading a generic sentence about an exciting finish.
Why the opponent name matters
North Dakota and North Dakota State are different universities with different football programs. This game was against the Fighting Hawks from North Dakota. North Dakota State’s Bison did not play in this August 2025 game.
The official Kansas State recap identifies the visiting quarterback as Jerry Kaminski, who was making his first start. That detail helps explain why the contest attracted interest, but it should not be used to imply he played for the Bison or against a different Kansas State team.
The game’s changing momentum
Quarter scoring tells a more nuanced story than the final three-point margin. North Dakota scored seven, 14, zero and 14 across the four periods; Kansas State answered with ten, seven, 14 and seven. The hosts owned the third quarter, but the visitors produced a late comeback. The decisive last-minute play prevented the score from ending as a North Dakota upset.
Kansas State entered the year as a ranked team, which sharpened the contrast between expectation and the close result. The outcome was a win in the season record, but the defense's 35 points allowed and the need for a final scoring drive made it a genuine test, not an effortless opener.
Where this game belongs in the season story
The North Dakota fixture was August 30, 2025, following Kansas State's neutral-site opener against Iowa State in Dublin one week earlier. The Wildcats' 2025 season schedule shows the 38–35 win as a regular-season home result. It is not a 2026 game and not part of the first-year Collin Klein coaching timeline.
The 2026 Wildcats have a separate season and coaching context from the close 2025 North Dakota win. Keeping that date attached to the final score avoids misleading evergreen headlines that imply the game occurred this year.
A finish that changed the meaning of the afternoon
Kansas State had moved ahead with 14 third-quarter points but still needed a late offensive answer after North Dakota’s 14-point fourth quarter. The 81-yard closing drive shows why fans remember this game as a narrow escape instead of a comfortable victory. It also makes the final 38–35 score more understandable.
North Dakota’s late threat is part of the official Kansas State account; it should not be conflated with any North Dakota State upset history. The Fighting Hawks are the school whose players appeared in this particular box score.
Frequently asked questions
Who won North Dakota vs Kansas State in 2025?
Kansas State won 38–35 on August 30, 2025.
Was the opponent North Dakota State?
No. It was the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks.
Who scored the late winning touchdown?
Joe Jackson caught a six-yard touchdown pass from Avery Johnson with 42 seconds remaining.
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