No. 10 North Dakota overtakes Idaho State 52-28

PHOTO/Max Mueller

GRAND FORKS, ND (AND ATHLETICS/KVRR) – No. 10 North Dakota led 14-0 at the end of the first quarter and didn’t let up, defeating Idaho State (1-2) 52-28 on Saturday afternoon at the Alerus Center. UND forced four turnovers in the win.

The Fighting Hawks covered 80 yards in 16 plays and used 6:39 minutes on the clock in the first quarter for a drive that ended with a one-yard Gaven Ziebarth scored an early touchdown to make the score 7-0. With just over a minute left in the quarter, Devin Hembry intercepted a pass at the UND 8-yard line and returned it 92-yard pick-six to extend the lead to 14-0 by the end of the first quarter.

North Dakota scored 24 points in the second quarter to extend its lead to 38-0 before Idaho State found the end zone on a seven-yard pass just before halftime to make the score 38-7. UND’s second quarter points came in the form of a one-yard run by Isaiah Smith, a 31-yard field goal by CJ Elrichs, a one-yard run by Sawyer Seidl and a four-yard touchdown pass from Simon Romfo to Ziebarth. Elrichs’ field goal was set up by a strip sack and fumble recovery by Lance Rucker at the ISU 15. On the third play of the Bengals’ ensuing possession, Riley Gerhardt made a strip sack and fumble recovery of his own that led to Ziebarth’s touchdown reception.

After taking an early 38-7 lead, North Dakota scored two more touchdowns in the second half to comfortably secure the 52-28 victory. NoDak’s second-half touchdowns came in the form of a 17-yard pass from Romfo to Belquist and a 23-yard touchdown run from Donavan Hunt. Early in the fourth quarter, Jonnie Wiltshire forced a fumble that was recovered by Kason Kelley.

In the game, Belquist led the Hawks with eight catches for 165 yards and a touchdown. With his eight catches, Belquist broke the UND Division I record for most pass catches in a career, totaling 224. He broke the record held by Greg Hardin (2010-13), who had 216 career catches.

Romfo finished the day completing 25 of 38 passes for 287 yards and two touchdowns. He allowed one interception and the Bengals got to him twice that afternoon. Caden Dennis was his second favorite target with six passes caught for 40 yards, followed by Nick Kupfer with four passes caught for 22 yards. The Fighting Hawks gained 287 yards through the air in their win.

On the ground, UND finished the game with 155 yards rushing on 38 attempts. Seidl led the running attack with 50 yards on 10 attempts. Hunt was the second-leading runner with 48 yards on three attempts. Seidl, Hunt, Smith and Ziebarth each scored a running touchdown.

North Dakota hosts San Diego on Saturday. UND and USD play at 1 p.m. at the Alerus Center. The game will be broadcast on Midco Sports and carried on the Fighting Hawks Radio Network.

Notes after the game

• North Dakota is now 7-3 overall in the series against Idaho State.
• NoDak has a 46-12 record in the Potato Bowl USA Games. The Fighting Hawks have won five straight games in the Potato Bowl USA Games.
• UND has now won 27 of its last 30 games at the Alerus Center.
• The Fighting Hawks are currently 4-1 overall in the MVFC/Big Sky Challenge.
• UND led 38-7 at the break. The 38 first-half points were the most UND has scored in a first half against an FCS opponent in its Division I history. The 38 points were also the most points UND has scored in a first half since Aug. 30, 2012 against South Dakota School of Mines — NoDak had 45 points in that half.
• The 52 points are the most North Dakota has ever scored against an opponent from the Big Sky Conference. It is also the third-most points NoDak has scored against an FCS team in its history.
• With eight receptions, Bo Belquist broke UND’s Division I school record with 224 career passes caught, breaking the record held by Greg Hardin (2010-13) of 216 career passes caught.
• Belquist finished the game with 165 yards receiving, a new career high. It was the most receiving yards by a UND receiver since Greg Hardin had 179 yards on Nov. 16, 2013 at UC Davis.
• In the opening quarter Devin Hembry made a 92-yard pick-six that gave UND an early 14-0 lead. With that pick, he became the first Hawk to make a pick-six since Ted Mullin made a 33-yard interception return for a touchdown in a 49-10 win over Western Illinois last season.
• Lance Rucker and Riley Gerhardt each had a strip sack and a fumble recovery. Jonnie Wiltshire also forced a fumble in the fourth quarter that was recovered by Kason Kelley. NoDak also had a 92-yard pick-six in the first quarter.
  

How it happened
First quarter
4:14 – AND | Gaven Ziebarth scores on a one-yard run. (Kick by CJ Elrichs). 16 plays, 80 yards, 6:39.
1:10 – UND | Devin Hembry scores with a 92-yard pick-six. (Kick by Elrichs). 0 plays, 92 yards, 0:00.
Second quarter
10:58 – UND | Isaiah Smith scores on a one-yard run. (Kick by Elrichs). 11 plays, 65 yards, 4:48.
9:51 – UND | Elrichs scores a 31-yard field goal. 4 plays, 1 yard, 1:01.
4:58 – UND | Sawyer Seidl scores on a one-yard run. (Kick by Elrichs). 5 plays, 68 yards, 2:06.
3:50 – UND | Ziebarth scores with a four-yard pass from Simon Romfo. (Kick by Elrichs). 1 play, 4 yards, 0:06.
0:17 – ISU | Jeff Weimer scores a touchdown on a seven-yard pass from Hunter Hays. (Kick by Gabe Panikowski). 12 plays, 75 yards, 3:33.
Third quarter
4:04 – ISU | Ian Duarte scores on an 11-yard pass from Hays. (Panikowski kick). 6 plays, 61 yards, 2:51.
1:01 – UND | Bo Belquist scores on a 17-yard pass from Romfo. (Kick by Elrichs). 5 plays, 72 yards, 2:58.
Fourth quarter
14:27 – ISU | Michael Shulikov scores a touchdown on a 6-yard pass from Hays. (Panikowski kick). 4 plays, 39 yards, 1:05.
3:30 – UND | Donavan Hunt scores on a 23-yard run. (Kick by Elrichs). 7 plays, 79 yards, 3:24.
0:59 – ISU | Weimer scores on a 30-yard pass from Hays. (Panikowski kick). 10 plays, 85 yards, 2:28.