Idaho State returns to Holt Arena this weekend for its first home game since Aug. 31, and the Bengals (2-1, 1-0 Big Sky Conference) are fresh off an upset of 22nd-ranked North Dakota last Saturday in Grand Forks, North Dakota.

The win was ISU’s first over a ranked opponent, first over UND and first Big Sky road win since 2015, when the Bengals beat a ranked North Dakota squad in Grand Forks. The meeting was yet another that came down to the wire for the two programs, who have not had a matchup decided by more than seven points since 1966.

Here are the positive and negative takeaways from ISU’s 25-21 victory.

PLUS: Rushing offense

The Bengals piled up a season-high 273 yards rushing against North Dakota’s usually stout run defense.

ISU ball carriers averaged 5.9 yards per rush and had 12 runs of at least 10 yards. Ty Flanagan led the way with 119 yards on nine carries — including a career-best 55-yarder — and James Madison added 106 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries.

Even quarterback Tanner Gueller contributed with his legs, rushing for 53 yards on 10 carries, with a long run of 23 yards to match Madison’s individual game high.

ISU deployed high-volume rushing offensive game plans against Western State Colorado and California and entered the UND game ranked 40th in the FCS with 187 yards rushing per game.

But the Bengals averaged 3.6 yards per carry in their first two games. Saturday’s output of nearly 6 yards per tote upped ISU’s season average to 4.3 yards per rush, and ISU now ranks 35th in the FCS with 215.7 yards rushing per game.

ISU achieved 14 of 26 first downs Saturday via the run, and ran the ball six plays in a row at one point in the second quarter.

“We found out early that our run game was working real good, so the coach told us during I think our second series that they’re going to just feed us the ball, give it to the one-two punch,” Flanagan said Monday. “Me and James took that and rolled with it. We just did what we do usually and ground and pound. That opened up plays for Mitch (Gueller), Mikey (Dean) later on in the game.”

The only negative to glean from ISU’s rushing attack was the disparity between the first and second half. The Bengals gained 228 of their yards before halftime, before UND’s offense clamped down to hold ISU to 45 yards rushing on 23 second-half carries.

PLUS: Second-half defense

While ISU’s offense was contained in the second half, the Bengals’ defense also shut down North Dakota.

Like the Bengals, the Fighting Hawks clicked early on offense. But once ISU settled in and adjusted to UND’s offense — which operated unlike the spread systems of Cal and Western State — the Bengals pitched their first shutout in a half against a Division I opponent since the first half of a 46-12 win at Northern Colorado in 2014.

ISU held North Dakota to 150 second-half yards and 3.8 yards per play after UND racked up 319 first-half yards on 8.4 yards per play. North Dakota also went 1 for 8 on third down in the second half after starting the game 5 for 5 and finishing the first half 5 of 7.

The Bengals also acquired two of their three turnovers after halftime, intercepting UND quarterback Nate Ketteringham in the third and fourth quarters.

“Our eyes got good at seeing the two-back stuff and how it fits, so they calmed down and we limited the calls, changed some stuff up and it kind of took care of itself from there,” ISU defensive coordinator Roger Cooper said Monday.

ISU leads the Big Sky and ranks 21st in the FCS in total defense (308.5 yards allowed per game), and is first and 25th in the Big Sky and FCS, respectively, in third-down defense (30 percent). The Bengals also won the turnover battle for the third time this season, combining Ketteringham’s INTs with a first-half fumble that Bengals cornerback Anthony Ricks recovered in ISU’s end zone with UND charging toward a 21-6 lead.

With five interceptions, 8 sacks and seven turnovers gained this season, ISU is on pace to easily eclipse last season’s totals of eight picks, 14 sacks and 18 turnovers gained.

“We fly to the ball,” Bengals linebacker Kody Graves said Monday. “We might not be the fastest or the biggest defense in the Big Sky, but what I like about us we kind of have a swagger to us. That’s why we get turnovers, is because we’re around the ball and we got guys coming.”

MINUS: Stalled drives

Despite gaining 350 yards in the first half Saturday, ISU left plenty of points on the field.

The Bengals had no trouble moving the ball into UND territory, but penalties, among other miscues, turned red-zone trips into field-goal tries rather than touchdown drives.

ISU scored on 4 of 5 red-zone trips, but just one ended in pay dirt.

As a plus, freshman kicker Campbell Sheidow connected on his first three field-goal tries of the game. The Bengals also didn’t punt for the first time until their first drive of the third quarter.

“We only punted three times, so we were moving the ball,” Bengals coach Rob Phenicie said Monday. “You want to end every series with a kick. You like it to be an extra point, but that shows that you’re not turning the ball over and that’s what we did.”

Idaho State has scored on 82.4 percent of its red-zone trips this season (14 of 17), and is tied for second in the Big Sky with five red-zone field goals.

PLUS: Quick-strike offense

Despite ISU’s inability to finish drives Saturday, the Bengals’ offense finally showed glimpses of its potential.

In addition to 12 runs of 10 yards or more, Tanner Gueller completed four passes of 20-plus yards, and ISU had two three-play, 80-yard touchdown drives that spanned less than a minute.

ISU averaged 7.4 yards per pay Saturday, marking the first time this season the offense eclipsed the 5.8 yards per play it averaged last season, when the unit ranked 20th in the FCS with 434.9 yards per game.

“(Offensive coordinator) Mike Ferriter making great calls, Tanner Gueller making the correct reads and the O-line covering up their guys and the running backs hitting the holes,” Phenicie said of the offense’s production. “It was just a combination of everything. That’s what we feel this offense, potentially, can do.”

NOTE: Idaho State received 28 points in this week’s STATS FCS top 25 poll, released Monday. The Bengals are one of nine Big Sky teams to receive votes, including last week’s opponent North Dakota (61) and this week’s opponent Northern Arizona (22).