No. 9/8 North Dakota races past Murray State 72-35

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – No. 9/8 North Dakota (4-1, 1-0 MVFC) defeated Murray State (1-3, 0-1 MVFC) 72-35 on Saturday at the Alerus Center. The 72 points were the most UND scored since 1928, when UND scored 80 points against Jamestown.

With less than seven minutes left before halftime, the Fighting Hawks had a 24-21 lead before their special teams made two game-changing plays that extended the lead to 38-21 with 6:13 left before halftime.

On the first special teams game, Sam Strandell knocked out the football on a Murray State punt return and Paine Parks have restored it. Three pieces later, Simon Romfo scored on a six-yard rush, increasing the score to 31-21. The UND defense held MSU to a three-pointer on the following series and that punt was blocked by Tyler Erkman and recovered from Heinrich Theobald. One play later, that blocked punt was traded for a touchdown on a seven-yard rush Gaven Ziebarth to extend the lead to 38-21.

NoDak then scored two more goals before halftime in the form of a pass Simon Romfo To Isaiah Smith for a 74-yard reception and then capped the half with a 21-yard field goal CJ Elrichs to bring the score to 48:21 at halftime.

On the first Racer possession after halftime, Jett Sutton stopped the drive with an interception and returned it 25 yards. Smith then scored his third touchdown of the afternoon on a six-yard rush two plays later.

From that point on, the Hawks cruised to a 72-35 win the rest of the way. The last points UND scored were a 28-yard field goal by Elrichs, a three-yard rushing touchdown Grant Romfo and a 40-yard pick-six from Avery Scott.

North Dakota racked up 601 yards of offense in the game, including 309 yards rushing and 292 yards passing. Simon Romfo went 9 of 20 for 276 yards and three scores. Belquist was his top target with three grabs for 121 yards and two scores. Smith led the backfield with 11 carries for 142 yards and two touchdowns while also managing a 74-yard touchdown reception.

Before the two heads-up special teams plays that were the turning point of the game, the teams traded points and UND had a 24-21 lead. NoDak’s scores before the special teams plays were a 37-yard field goal by Elrichs, a 73-yard reception by Belquist, a 41-yard grab by Belquist and a 33-yard rush by Smith.

North Dakota will visit North Dakota State on Saturday. Kickoff between the Fighting Hawks and Bison is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on Midco Sports and broadcast on the Fighting Hawks Radio Network.

Post-game notes

• North Dakota is now 2-0 in the series against Murray State. It was the first game in history played between the two teams in Grand Forks.
• With the win, NoDak moved to 69-32-4 all-time in homecoming games.
• Under Coach Schweigert, UND is 8-2 in homecoming competitions.
• The 72 points scored were the most points scored by North Dakota since 80 points against Jamestown in 1928. It was also the most points UND has ever scored at the Alerus Center.
• The 72 points were also just one point shy of the MVFC record for most points scored by an MVFC team in a conference game. The record is 73 points by Southern Illinois against Missouri State in 2015.
• The Fighting Hawks scored 48 points in the first half, surpassing UND’s previous record in Division I history, which was 45 points in the first half against South Dakota School of Mines (August 30, 2012).
• UND had 601 yards of total offense, surpassing the 600-yard mark for the first time since amassing 652 yards in the 2023 season opener against Drake.
• NoDak finished the day completing 12 of 24 passes for 292 yards. Simon Romfo was 9 of 20 for 276 yards and three scores. Jerry Kaminskiwho played the entire fourth quarter and part of the third quarter, completed his first passes as a Fighting Hawk, going 3-for-4 for 16 yards.
• North Dakota finished with a sales margin of +3.0 Sam Strandell force a fumble, Paine Parks recover a fumble, Jett Sutton Pick up a pass and return it 25 yards and Avery Scott Recording a 40-yard pick-six.
• UND has now scored more than 40 points against three opponents in a row for the first time since 2015.

How it happened
First quarter

10:20 – AND | CJ Elrichs hits a 37-yard field goal. 9 plays, 56 yards, 4:34.
8:47 – MSU | Jayden Johannsen scores on a 58-yard rush. (James London kick). 5 plays, 75 yards, 1:33.
8:25 – AND | Bo Belquist scores with a 73-yard pass from Simon Romfo. (Elrich’s kick). 2 plays, 73 yards, 0:16.
7:05 – MSU | Q’Darius Jennings scores on a 65-yard rush. (London kick). 4 plays, 77 yards, 1:14.
4:38 – AND | Belquist scores on a 41-yard pass from Romfo. (Elrich’s kick). 5 plays, 75 yards, 2:27.
0:14 – AND | Isaiah Smith scores on a 33-yard rush. (Elrich’s kick). 6 plays, 57 yards, 2:15.
Second quarter

9:35 – MSU | Jawaun Northington scores on a 1-yard rush. (London kick). 15 plays, 79 yards, 5:35.
6:35 – AND | Romfo scores with a 6-yard rush. (Elrich’s kick). 3 plays, 22 yards, 0:49.
6:13 – AND | Gaven Ziebarth scores on a 7-yard rush. (Elrich’s kick). 1 play, 7 yards, 0:04.
2:34 – AND | Isaiah Smith scores after a 74-yard pass from Romfo. (Elrich’s kick). 1 play, 89 yards, 0:18.
0:26 – AND | Elrichs scores a 21-yard field goal. 11 plays, 48 ​​yards, 1:19.
Third quarter

13:48 – AND | Smith scores with a 6-yard rush. (Elrich’s kick). 2 plays, 9 yards, 0:43.
9:07 – MSU | Jennings scores with a 3-yard rush. (London kick). 14 plays, 65 yards, 4:34.
5:34 – AND | Elrichs scores a 28-yard field goal. 8 plays, 64 yards, 3:33.
2:27 – AND | Grant Romfo scores on a 3-yard rush. (Elrich’s kick). 4 plays, 77 yards, 1:57.
Fourth quarter

8:46 – AND | Avery Scott scores with a 40-yard pick-six. (Elrich’s kick). 0 plays, 40 yards, 0:00.
1:19 – MSU | Marcus Floyd Jr. scores on a 17-yard pass from Jameson Holcomb. (London kick). 7 plays, 74 yards, 2:52.

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