NDSU had won five consecutive meetings with UND on the gridiron, not losing to the green and white since 2003. It quickly became apparent to the 13,091 in attendance on Saturday that this trend would not continue.
Luke Skokna (Sr.) received the opening kick for UND and sprinted up the sideline to give the Fighting Hawks their 3rd 100-yard return in program history.
Following the explosive start, NDSU was able to quiet the crowd with a slow, methodical drive ending in a 26-yard touchdown run from quarterback Cam Miller.
UND responded on the ensuing drive, helped by a heroic diving catch from Wesley Eliodor (5th). Gaven Ziebarth (So.) finished the drive off for the Hawks with a 4-yard touchdown run.
After garnering a 14-7 lead, UND’s special teams continued to be the story of this game, blocking an NDSU punt and giving the Fighting Hawk offense a short field. Luke Skokna would find the endzone again, this time on a swing pass from Tommy Schuster (Sr.).
Nearing the end of the first half, the Bison were able to cut the UND lead to 4, trailing 21-17. In desperate need of momentum going into the break, the Fighting Hawks rattled off a 9-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, ending in yet another Luke Skokna touchdown.
NDSU received the kick to start the second half and looked like the Bison were going to cut down the UND lead yet again. That was until CJ Siegel (5th) intercepted a Cam Miller pass, returning it to just outside of the redzone.
After a few physical runs, Gaven Ziebarth found the pay dirt again, punching it in to give the Fighting Hawks a 35-17 lead.
In the fourth quarter, UND marched down the field to put the game on ice, putting the finishing touches on NDSU with a spinning Bo Belquist (Sr.) touchdown.
After the two sides exchanged garbage time touchdowns, the UND student section rushed the field at the Alerus Center to celebrate the 49-24 victory over their in-state rival.
Gaven Ziebarth dominated the NDSU defense on the ground, turning 18 carries into 156 yards and three scores.
Tommy Schuster completed 9 of his 12 throws on Saturday, passing for 112 yards and two touchdowns.
Bo Belquist, Wesley Eliodor, and Isaiah Smith (Jr.) each had two receptions for the Fighting Hawks, with Belquist adding a score.
NDSU falls to 4-2 overall and 1-2 in conference play with the loss Saturday, with a matchup in Brookings against the top-ranked Jackrabbits looming.
UND improves to 4-2 overall and 2-1 in conference play. The Fighting Hawks will be on the road next weekend, traveling to Cedar Falls, Iowa to face off against the Northern Iowa Panthers.
Garrett Webber is a Dakota Student General Reporter. He can be reached at [email protected].
