The Arizona defense swarms North Dakota State fullback Hunter Luepke in the fourth quarter of Saturday's game at Arizona Stadium. The Wildcats rallied to win.

 Kelly Presnell / Arizona Daily Star

Arizona proved how far it has come under Jedd Fisch on Saturday night.

The Wildcats rallied to defeat North Dakota State 31-28 in front of a bipartisan crowd of 41,211 at Arizona Stadium.

The Bison, nine-time FCS champions, had defeated six consecutive FBS opponents. They were favored by 3.5 points over the Cats.

NDSU tried to bully Arizona and often succeeded. But the Wildcats stood tall when they had to and won a game they wouldn’t have won last season.

“Credit to our players and coaches,” UA coach Jedd Fisch said. “We knew we were gonna have a tough battle. That wasn't going to be a surprise. It wasn't a surprise to anyone.”

Arizona – which went 1-11 in 2021 – improved to 2-1 heading into Pac-12 play. The UA visits Cal next Saturday.

The Wildcats took the lead with 4:53 remaining on a 22-yard touchdown pass from Jayden de Laura to Jacob Cowing. The UA defense, which had struggled to stop NDSU’s rushing attack all game, then came up with its big series of the night.

The Wildcats forced the Bison into a three-and-out. NDSU (2-1) never got the ball back.

De Laura passed for 229 yards and rushed for 50. Arizona won despite yielding 283 yards on the ground, including 186 in the second half.

“It was a man's game tonight,” Fisch said. “It was tough as nails. Those guys were big and strong. Our guys had to get down and dirty at the end.”

Arizona quarterback Jayden de Laura escapes the reach of North Dakota State linebacker Luke Weerts during Saturday's first quarter.

It became a game of punching and counterpunching over the final two quarters.

After each team went three-and-out, the Bison put together a 76-yard touchdown drive. All six plays were runs. Some featured two fullbacks in the backfield. Hunter Luepke’s second TD, on a pitch from the 6, gave NDSU a 21-17 lead.

Arizona responded with a 75-yard TD march. De Laura converted a third-and-13 via a 23-yard pass to Dorian Singer. The Wildcats’ freshman running backs took it from there. Rayshon Luke ripped off a career-long 28-yard run to the NDSU 2. Jonah Coleman then plunged across the goal line to give Arizona a 24-21 edge.

The Bison answered, again turning to their relentless ground attack. This time, six of the seven plays were runs. Luepke broke multiple tackles en route to a 38-yard score, his third touchdown of the game.

A sack derailed Arizona’s next drive, leading to a field-goal attempt. Tyler Loop missed from 43 yards – the first missed kick of his college career. He had made 15 consecutive field goals.

The Wildcats desperately needed a stop, and the defense delivered. Jerry Roberts and Jalen Harris combined to stuff QB Cole Payton on fourth-and-2 from the UA 23.

“When I saw 15 in the game, they’d been running with him the whole game,” said Roberts, who had nine tackles and a fumble recovery. “So I knew it was going to be quarterback power.”

Arizona then converted a fourth-and-1 on a 5-yard pass from de Laura to Cowing. On the next play, de Laura stepped up in the pocket and hit Cowing for the winning touchdown.

“Before we snapped it I told him, ‘Hey, corner route’s gonna be there,’ ” de Laura said. “I don't think he heard me. But I knew, once I escaped, I gotta hit the corner.”

Arizona coach Jedd Fisch offers a high five to wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan after the Wildcats scored late against North Dakota State.

The Wildcats played with a combination of grit, determination and execution that haven’t been seen in Tucson in a long time.

“We emphasize resiliency in our program,” Fisch said. “I didn't feel that we were on the ropes. I felt no flinch. There was no flinch at all.”

“When stuff hits the fan, if we have each other's back, we can beat anybody,” said receiver Dorian Singer, who had a team-high six catches for 88 yards. “We play as a team.”

Arizona led 17-14 at halftime.

The teams exchanged touchdowns in the first quarter. After Arizona stopped NDSU on fourth down thanks to a Christian Roland-Wallace pass breakup, the Wildcats drove 59 yards in eight plays. A 34-yard pass from de Laura to tight end Tanner McLachlan set up first-and-goal. One play later, Michael Wiley scored from the 6 to give Arizona a 7-0 lead.

The Bison answered immediately, putting together a nine-play, 80-yard TD drive. They finished it with a 31-yard pass from Cam Miller to Luepke. The Wildcats bit hard on a play-action fake, and no one covered Luepke out of the backfield.

After the Wildcats failed to convert a fourth down from their 33, the Bison were in position to take the lead. But on second-and-goal from the 5, Hunter Echols sacked Miller, forcing him to fumble. Roberts recovered the ball at the UA 17. The takeaway was Arizona’s sixth of the season, matching its total from 2021.

“We talked all offseason about the importance of taking the ball away,” Fisch said. “We've taken it away six times in these three games. Our goal now is to each week take it away again and keep taking it away. It's a mindset, it's a mentality. And I appreciate Coach (Johnny) Nansen embracing what I've asked for there, which is just an absolute mentality that you go after the ball at all costs and at all times.”

Arizona capitalized on the turnover. The drive began with a 9-yard scramble by de Laura, who rushed six times in the first half after being reluctant to run last week. It ended with de Laura scoring from the 7 on a QB draw. In between, he connected with McLachlan for 16 yards on a play where the Wildcats split their tackles out wide.

Arizona Wildcats linebacker Jacob Manu pushes North Dakota State Bison defensive tackle Josh Magin during the second half Saturday's game.

“I look backed, watched the film from last week, maybe even the week before,” de Laura said. “When stuff wasn't going our way and I didn't run, that was when our offense kind of went down. This game I put it on myself. If everything's covered downfield, they still gotta come stop me.”

NDSU tied it up again with 50 second left in the half. Miller again connected downfield with Luepke, this time for 25 yards to the UA 2. Miller ran it in two plays later.

Despite having only one timeout, Arizona was able to get into field-goal range. Loop’s 36-yarder gave the Wildcats a 17-14 lead.

Extra points

Arizona came out in a 4-3 defense, a departure from the 4-2-5 they played in the first two games. Freshman Jacob Manu made his first career start and served as the third linebacker. He had four tackles.

UA cornerback Treydan Stukes made his first start of the season. Stukes missed the opener because of a leg injury. He played limited snaps last week vs. Mississippi State.

Defensive tackle Tiaoalii Savea suited up for Arizona after missing most of the MSU game but did not play.

Luke was spotted in a walking boot after the game.

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Contact sports reporter Michael Lev at 573-4148 or mlev@tucson.com. On Twitter @michaeljlev