The UND football team is on a bye this week, so let us take some time to look at how the season has gone up to this point and what can be expected moving forward.
The Fighting Hawks opened their season against a member of the Big 12, the Iowa State Cyclones. Coming in as 30-point underdogs, UND held its own against ISU, only trailing 14-3 at halftime. The Hawks were unable to pull off the upset, losing by a score of 21-3.
Then began a month-long homestand for UND, starting off against the then fourth-ranked Montana Grizzlies. Montana held a 24-7 lead at halftime, and it looked like UND’s nation-leading home opener winning streak of 37 games would come to an end.
The Fighting Hawks began to furiously rally, shutting out the Grizzlies in the second half and outscoring them 20-0. UND defeated Montana with a score of 27-24 in a game that created significant levels of hope for the UND faithful.
UND went on to sweep its September-long homestand, defeating Idaho State, San Diego, and MVFC opponent, Murray State.
Against Murray State, in UND’s homecoming game, the Fighting Hawks scored the most points in Alerus Center history, hanging 72 points on MSU.
Humming off a four-game winning streak, the Fighting Hawks rolled into Fargo looking to take down their in-state rival, NDSU, for the second consecutive season.
UND had not beaten NDSU in Fargo since before the iPhone was invented, and NDSU made sure that things would not be any different this time around. The Bison hammered UND with a score of 41-17, getting revenge for last year’s loss.
Now, UND is resting up and getting ready during the bye week to continue its season.
When asked about what he is looking for from the team the rest of the season, senior linebacker Kason Kelley (Sr.) said, “I am looking forward to our team taking a big leap. We have shown what we can do, now we just have to replicate the good more consistently and I think that we do that. We have yet to play our best ball, that’s the best part about this.”
Simon Romfo (Jr.) has completed 85 of his 148 passing attempts (57.4%) for 1,106 passing yards. Romfo has garnered a passer rating of 131.3, throwing eight touchdowns and five interceptions. The Langdon native has added 174 yards on the ground, running in two touchdowns, as well.
Isaiah Smith (Sr.) has been the most productive back for the Hawks so far, turning 49 carries into 346 yards and five rushing scores. Smith has also caught four passes for 115 yards and a touchdown.
Gaven Ziebarth (Jr.) has been given 77 carries, rushing for 314 yards and four touchdowns.
UND’s three-headed dragon of a backfield has frequently featured up-and-comer Sawyer Seidl (Rs. Fr.), who has taken 47 carries and produced 266 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Seidl holds the longest run of the season for the Hawks at 70 yards.
Bo Belquist (5th) has led the way for UND’s passing game, catching 28 passes for 539 yards. Belquist is averaging 19.3 yards per reception and has also hauled in five touchdowns.
On what he has seen from the team so far that’s made him hopeful, Belquist said, “just the belief and trust in each other. We lost a couple of guys to the transfer portal before the start of the year, and we just became closer to each other after that.”
“Building that trust in the offseason has allowed younger guys to develop and excel in their position and it shows on the field,” Belquist added.
Nate DeMontagnac (Jr.) has added ten receptions for 147 yards, and Caden Dennis (Jr.) has caught 17 balls, which has resulted in 115 yards.
Josh Navratil (Gr.) has led the Hawks in sacks up to this point, taking down the opposing teams’ quarterbacks four times.
Devin Hembry (5th) has been a lockdown corner for UND all season, defending seven passes, intercepting two, and bringing one back for a pick-six.
UND will resume its MVFC schedule this Saturday against the Northern Iowa Panthers (2-4) at 1:00 p.m. at the Alerus Center.
Garrett Webber is a Dakota Student Section Editor. He can be reached at [email protected].
