The UND football team had some people excited for the rest of the season.

The team was 3-4, and while the offense has been struggling consistently, the defense was something fun to watch.

That excitement took a rather large hit this weekend in a 35-17 loss as UND was torn apart by Southern Utah, a team that had only won a single game before Saturday.

“I’m just disappointed for the first time this year,” UND coach Bubba Schweigert said. “We did not have the right energy level and that competitive spirit to make plays. That’s the way we have to play;, we’ve got to play with great effort, great desire.”

The Green and White were pummeled by the Thunderbirds and their quarterback, Ammon Olsen, who played about as close to perfect as a player could hope to.

Olsen completed 23 of 25 passes for 320 yards against what is usually a stout UND defense against the pass.

While he had a great day in the passing game, throwing for four touchdowns, Olsen also used his legs to run a score in.

This was a game in which Southern Utah got out to a lead early and never relinquished it. UND came out flat, and the Thunderbirds took advantage, taking a 21-3 lead into halftime.

The second half was a bit better for the Green and White. One of the only highlights on the day was UND’s running back Jer Garman. The senior back rushed 25 times for 102 yards and had two second half touchdowns that put the game back into reach.

At 21-17, UND looked to get back on track and finish the game strong, but a defense that has been reliable in previous weeks could not finish the job.

The Green and White defense gave up two huge passing touchdowns of 37 and 87 yards which iced any chance of a comeback for UND.

“We had some opportunities to get turnovers and just missed, but we got back in it, and when you get back in it, you have to continue to keep making plays,” Schweigert said. “It’s a one-play-at-a-time deal, and we let it slip away. I felt like we didn’t do anything to keep the momentum going.”

Momentum is something the Green and White needed going into next week.

A loss like this could not have come at a worse time. If UND would have won this week, it would be at .500 and have a two-game win streak under their belt, but now the team is facing additional problems.

UND’s defense is still one of the best in the conference, but it is now clear that they are a different group while on the road.

But now, they are 3-5 and looking at their hardest game of the year.

Next Saturday, the Green and White face off against Big Sky Conference leader Eastern Washington in Cheney, Wash.

If UND wants to get the new era back on track, it will have to regroup defensively, but that is easier said than done against a powerhouse Eastern Washington team.

Alex Stadnik is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. He can be reached at [email protected].