Fighting Hawks capture first FCS playoff win in program history; will face No. 3 seed James Madison in quarterfinals
GRAND FORKS, N.D. (UND Athletics) – No. 7 North Dakota controlled nearly every facet in the game en route to a 44-10 victory over No. 12 Missouri State in the first round of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoffs from the Alerus Center in Grand Forks.
The Fighting Hawks (5-1) scored on its first four possessions of the game while surrendering just 185 total yards to capture their first victory in the FCS playoffs in three tries and move to 11-1 inside the Alerus Center during postseason play.
It was another balanced attack on offense, with UND accumulating 223 yards through the air and 141 on the ground. Tommy Schuster did most of his work in the first half, finishing the day 13-of-18 for 223 yards and two scores. The redshirt freshman moves to 6-1 in his career at the helm, spreading the ball out to seven-different receivers.
True freshman Bo Belquist had his best day as a Fighting Hawk in the win, leading the team with four catches for 88 yards and a score. Garett Maag also found pay dirt with a 50-yard touchdown catch on the game’s opening drive to finish with three catches for 63 yards.
Otis Weah was held to a season-low 64 yards on 13 carries, but the redshirt sophomore found the end zone for the sixth straight game with his eighth rushing score of the year. Dalton Gee took nine carries for 29 yards in a reserve role while Creighton Mitchell ended the game with five carries for 37 yards and his first career touchdown.
The UND defense came to play on Saturday, forcing a pair of turnovers and a program DI record eight sacks in the win. Noah Larson led the way with 10 tackles, including a sack and a pair of TFLs. The junior’s biggest play came on a 4th and 1 stop that led to a touchdown in the second quarter.
Josh Navratil and Jaxson Turner added to their sack totals with a pair each, with Turner moving just a half a sack shy of Ross Brenneman for second on the program’s DI list for career sacks with 18.0.
After the Fighting Hawks forced a three-and-out to open the game, UND jumped out to a 7-0 lead when Schuster found Maag on a play action pass from midfield less than four minutes into the contest. The Hawks kept rolling after a sack from Larson halted the ensuing Bears’ drive, a flea flicker from Schuster to Belquist from 48 yards out to double the lead, 14-0, with eight minutes to play in the opening quarter.
Each team picked up a field goal on their next drives to make it 17-3, when Larson once again made a big play on defense. The junior shot through the gap on a 4th and 1 play to stop the Bears short and give the ball back to the hosts in prime field position. It took the Hawks just five plays to extend the lead, with Weah capping off the drive with a six-yard scamper to send the green and white to the locker room with a 24-3 halftime lead.
Special teams and defense took over in the third quarter for the Hawks, each striking for a score to extend the lead. With the Bears pinned back to its own nine, Jayson Coley busted through the wedge and came up with a block that popped into the arms of Hayden Reynolds who ran it back 15 yards for the score to grow the lead to 31-3.
Missouri State started to piece a drive together at the midway point of the third stanza, but the UND defense made a play again and turned it into six points itself. Matt Struck, who defeated UND as a member of Idaho State last season, had his pass picked off by Hayden Galvin who returned it nearly untouched 90 yards for the score and a 38-3 advantage.
UND salted away the clock in the fourth quarter and capped off the contest in style, when Mitchell busted through for a 19-yard touchdown for the first score of his career to seal the 44-10 victory.
North Dakota will head to No. 3 seed James Madison for the quarterfinals on either May 1 or May 2. Dates and times will be announced by the NCAA later on Saturday.
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NOTES: North Dakota improves to 14-3 all-time at home during postseason play and 11-1 inside the Alerus Center … UND has outscored the Bears by 68 (78-10) over the last two meetings in Grand Forks … The win was the first in the DI era for the Hawks during postseason play … Galvin’s INT return was the longest scoring play for UND this season and the longest since James Johannesson’s 90-yard run at Sacramento State on Oct. 20, 2018 … The eight sacks are the most by UND since Sept. 16, 2006 vs. Winona State when the Fighting Sioux had 10 … UND has won 11 straight games in the Alerus Center, the second-longest streak in building history … The Hawks have defeated four ranked teams this season, all by double digits … UND has returned four blocked punts for touchdowns over its last 11 games.
Game Recap: Football | 4/24/2021 8:22:00 PM | Alec Stocker Johnson, FightingHawks.com