Reeling off a three-game losing streak, the Fighting Hawks fell on their Senior Day to the South Dakota Coyotes with a score of 42-36.
UND came into last Saturday’s MVFC matchup as a 13.5-point underdog against the Coyotes who were ranked in the top five nationally.
Just like the previous weekend, the Fighting Hawks started strong. UND got on the board first thanks to a 51-yard touchdown run by running back Sawyer Seidl (Rs. Fr.) to give the home team a 7-0 lead.
On the ensuing Coyote drive, Devin Hembry (5th) intercepted his third pass of the season to give the ball right back to the Hawks’ offense.
UND made the most of the turnover and got all the way down the field in a goal-to-go. On 3rd and goal, quarterback Simon Romfo (Jr.) found Nick Kupfer (Jr.) for a four-yard touchdown pass to make it a 14-0 ball game.
The Coyotes were finally able to score with a 45-yard field goal on the following drive to cut UND’s lead to 14-3.
When the Hawks got the ball back, their drive was stalled out by a Coyote sack, and UND was forced to punt.
USD kept it rolling, going on their first touchdown drive of the game. The Coyotes connected for an 18-yard touchdown pass to make the game 14-10.
With just over three minutes to play in the first half, Sawyer Seidl stepped up and gave the Hawks a short field, returning the kickoff into Coyote territory.
On 4th and 1, UND dialed up its most reliable play in recent memory, the Quincy Vaughn (5th) tush push. Vaughn delivered, giving the Hawks a fresh set of downs.
A few plays later, Vaughn made a Sports Center-worthy catch in the corner of the endzone to extend UND’s lead to 11.
Unfortunately for the Hawks, Vaughn’s incredible reception would not be the final scoring play of the half.
After C.J. Elrichs (So.) sent the kickoff out of bounds, giving the ball to USD at their own 35, the Fighting Hawks were penalized for a facemask.
Two quick passes later, and the Coyotes were celebrating in the endzone, making the score 21-17 going into the break.
The Fighting Hawks either turned the ball over on downs or were forced to punt on their first three drives of the second half.
On the other side of the ball, the Coyotes got points out of all four of their first four second half drives.
USD scored three touchdowns, along with a 40-yard field goal, to take a 42-21 lead, completely flipping Senior Day on the Hawks’ heads, scoring 32 unanswered points.
USD’s final touchdown drive came with 9:35 to play in the fourth quarter. The Coyotes’ first score of their unanswered streak came with less than a minute to play in the first half.
That means that the Fighting Hawks were outscored 32-0 over the course of a 22-minute stretch in Saturday’s conference game.
UND was able to mount somewhat of a comeback, but the damage had been done. Simon Romfo ran in a touchdown on the following drive to make it a 42-28 game.
After the touchdown, the Hawks recovered an onside kick but turned the ball over on downs, effectively ending the game.
Bo Belquist (5th) caught his tenth touchdown of the season with under 30 seconds to play, giving UND hope for a miracle.
The Hawks were unable to do the impossible, failing to recover their second onside kick of the game.
UND lost to USD with a score of 42-36, dropping to 5-6 on the season and 2-5 in conference play.
Romfo completed 20 of his 30 passes for 180 yards. Romfo threw for three touchdowns, adding another touchdown on the ground.
Seidl took seven carries for 68 yards, averaging nearly 10 yards per carry. Seidl ran in a touchdown for the Hawks.
In his final game in the Alerus Center, Belquist tied his career high in receptions, catching ten passes for 96 yards and a touchdown.
Vaughn and Kupfer both caught a touchdown, respectively.
UND will close out the 2024 season on the road this Saturday against the Illinois State Redbirds at 12 p.m.
Garrett Webber is a Dakota Student Section Editor. He can be reached at [email protected].
