Fresh off a much-needed bye week, the UND football team handled the Northern Iowa Panthers in a dominant return to MVFC play with a 31-7 win this past Saturday.
With 11,617 in attendance for the first game in the Alerus Center since the start of the month, UND received the opening kick.
After a botched handoff put the Hawks in a 4th and 6 near midfield, UND dialed up a fake punt to Wide Receiver Nick Kupfer (Jr.). Kupfer was able to pick up seven yards, and the home team kept rolling.
The Hawks continued on a slow, meticulous opening drive that would eat up nearly ten minutes of clock, with Isaiah Smith (Sr.) punching it in to give UND a 7-0 lead.
On the ensuing Panther drive, UNI also found themselves in a fourth down near midfield. Head Coach Mark Farley elected to go for a fourth down conversion of his own, and Quarterback Matthew Shecklman was able to convert on a designed run.
The Fighting Hawks defense was able to put the Panthers in a fourth down in the next set of downs, forcing UNI to attempt a 50-yard field goal.
UNI Kicker Caden Palmer missed wide left, and the Hawks set up shop on their own 33-yard line.
Attempting to convert on fourth down proved to be a common theme in Saturday’s game.
In UNI territory, UND was in a 4th and 3. Quarterback Simon Romfo (Jr.) scrambled for a few yards, and the Langdon native’s run was initially ruled as a first down. After further review, officials determined that Romfo did not reach the first down marker, and UND turned it over on downs.
After a three-yard run by UNI Running Back Tye Edwards on the following play, the Panthers were able to connect for a 60-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at seven apiece.
Needing to stifle any sense of Panther momentum, Simon Romfo turned to old reliable, Bo Belquist (5th). Romfo hit Belquist in stride for a 34-yard touchdown pass, putting the Hawks back out in front, 14-7.
The UND defense would allow zero yards on the following UNI drive, giving the ball back to its humming offense with just over two minutes to play before halftime.
The Fighting Hawks would execute a nearly flawless two-minute drill, running 15 plays and converting on three third downs to go up 21-7 right before halftime. The touchdown drive was capped off by a one-yard Quincy Vaughn designed run out of the gun with only eight seconds left and no timeouts.
Coming out of halftime with a 14-point lead, the UND defense looked to prevent any halftime adjustments on UNI’s end from making a difference in the game.
The Hawks would do just that, stopping the Panthers on a 4th and 5 in UND territory.
Both offenses struggled the rest of Saturday’s third quarter, with zero points being scored on either end.
At the start of the fourth quarter, Gaven Ziebarth (Jr.) took it upon himself to end the scoreless run, breaking off a 40-yard touchdown run to give the Hawks a convincing 28-7 lead.
Later in the fourth quarter, following an interception by UND defensive back Jy Martin (Jr.), the Fighting Hawks were set up in Panther territory.
UND went three-and-out, but C.J. Elrichs (So.) was able to boom a 47-yard field goal, bringing UND’s lead to 24.
There would be no more scoring from either side after Elrichs’s kick, and UND went on to defeat Northern Iowa with a score of 31-7.
With the win, the Fighting Hawks move to 5-2 on the season and 2-1 in MVFC play.
UND remains undefeated at home (5-0), outscoring its opponents for a combined total of 223-118 in the Alerus Center.
When asked about what it meant for the team to get back in the win column after the bye, starting Defensive Back Antonio Bluett (So.) said, “it’s good to win games in the Missouri Valley especially with playoffs around the corner… it’s also just nice to be back on the winning side of things, especially after the loss last game in Fargo.”
Bluett finished Saturday’s game with one solo tackle and a pass break up.
Simon Romfo completed 14 of his 24 passes for 107 yards and a touchdown. Romfo added 16 yards on the ground.
Ziebarth was the lead back for the Hawks on Saturday, being given 14 carries and turning in 83 yards and a touchdown.
Sawyer Seidl (Rs. Fr.) turned 12 carries into 56 yards, and Smith took eight carries and produced 49 yards and a score.
Belquist was the leading receiver for UND yet again, catching six passes for 72 yards. His fifth on the year, Belquist caught a touchdown pass as well.
The Fighting Hawks will be on the road for their next two games, first traveling to Ohio to visit the Youngstown State Penguins (2-6) this Saturday, October 27.
UND’s next home game will be against the currently top ranked and two-time defending FCS National Champion, the South Dakota State University Jackrabbits.
The Jackrabbits handled the Hawks in Brookings last season, defeating the green and white with a score of 42-21.
UND will look to avenge last season’s whopping on Saturday, November 9, at 1 p.m. in the Alerus Center.
Garrett Webber is a Dakota Student Section Editor. He can be reached at [email protected].
