The UND football team notched its second win of the season this past Saturday in the 58th Annual Potato Bowl with a 52-28 trouncing of the Idaho State Bengals.
The non-conference matchup started off slow, with the first three possessions of Saturday’s matchup ending with punts.
On the Hawks’ second drive, facing a 4th and 1 in Bengal territory, UND turned to Gaven Ziebarth (Jr.). Ziebarth was able to convert with a three-yard gain and the Hawks would not look back.
UND continued its march down the field, which was concluded by a Ziebarth touchdown run to give the Hawks a 7-0 lead.
Idaho State, determined to make Saturday competitive, got inside the red zone on the ensuing drive. That was until Devin Hembry (5th) intercepted a Bengal pass and returned it all the way to the Bengals’ end zone for an 84-yard pick six to give UND a 14-0 lead and firm control of the game.
UND’s defense, which had not allowed a touchdown since the first quarter against Montana, forced a three-and-out to give the ball back to its rolling offense.
The Hawks’ offense took the baton and went on an 11-play, 65-yard touchdown drive capped off by an Isaiah Smith (Sr.) touchdown run to make it a three-score game.
In the second quarter, Sawyer Seidl (Rs. Fr.) and Ziebarth both scored touchdowns to give UND a flabbergasting 38-7 lead over Idaho State at the half.
To start the second half, Simon Romfo (Jr.) was carving up the Bengal defense, completing three consecutive passes for 54-yards before he threw an interception on a broken jailbreak screen.
The UND defense would not let Idaho State maintain its brief momentum, forcing a punt.
Holding an insurmountable 31-point lead midway through the third, the Hawks allowed three touchdowns the rest of the game. Lucky for UND, Bo Belquist (5th) and Donavan Hunt (Jr.) would both score for the Hawks to accurately reflect what happened on Saturday, which was a blowout.
UND defeated Idaho State with a final score of 52-28, a jarringly dominant performance for only being 10-point favorites coming into the game.
Romfo completed 25 of his 38 passes for 287 yards, throwing two touchdowns and one interception.
Seidl paved the way for UND on the ground, taking 10 carries and turning in 50 yards and a touchdown. Ziebarth, Smith, and Hunt each ran for a touchdown, as well.
Belquist had his most productive game of his collegiate career on Saturday, racking up 165 receiving yards with eight receptions and a touchdown.
Riley Gerhardt (5th), Lance Rucker (So.), and Kason Kelley (Sr.) each recovered a fumble for UND.
UND, moving to 2-1, will continue its non-conference schedule against the San Diego Toreros (2-0) this Saturday in the Alerus Center at 1 pm.
Garrett Webber is a Dakota Student Section Editor. He can be reached at [email protected].
