GRAND FORKS, N.D. – No. 15 North Dakota (4-2, 2-1 MVFC) scored on the opening kickoff and did not look back, defeating No. 6/7 North Dakota State (4-2, 1-2 MVFC), 49-24, in front of 13,091 fans inside a sold-out Alerus Center on Saturday afternoon. The Fighting Hawks scored touchdowns on six of their eight offensive possessions and limited the Bison to just 150 yards rushing.
Luke Skokna set the tone, taking the opening kickoff 100 yards to put the Hawks up 7-0 just 13 seconds into the game. He finished the game with three touchdowns, also scoring on a 13-yard reception to bring the tally to 21-7 with 1:40 before intermission and then scored on a four-yard rush with 13 seconds left in the half to bring the halftime score to 28-17. Skokna helped the Hawks have good field position throughout the game, rolling up 157 yards in kickoff return yardage.
Gaven Ziebarth paced the rushing attack for NoDak, recording 18 carries for 156 yards and a trio of touchdowns. He had a 59-yard touchdown midway through the fourth quarter that put the game away, bringing the score to 49-17 with 7:18 left. Earlier in the contest, Ziebarth had a five-yard touchdown run in the first quarter to put UND back on top 14-7 and then a seven-yard rush with 7:13 left in the third quarter to make the score 35-17.
In the contest, North Dakota piled up 328 yards of offense, with 215 yards on the ground and 113 through the air. North Dakota State finished with 364 total yards, recording 214 yards passing and 150 yards rushing. UND was a perfect five-for-five in the red zone.
With the success rushing the ball, Tommy Schuster only threw 12 passes in the game and finished 9-for-12 for 113 yards and two touchdown passes. Skokna had the first touchdown grab in the first quarter and Bo Belquist had the other touchdown catch in the form of a nine-yard pass early in the fourth quarter. Belquist was the top target with two receptions for 41 yards.
Early in the third quarter, NDSU was driving down the field and looked to trim the deficit from 28-17, but C.J. Siegel slammed the doors shut with an interception that he returned 57 yards and helped set up Ziebarth’s second touchdown of the day. With the interception, North Dakota finished +1.0 in turnover margin.
After the interception and Ziebarth’s rushing touchdown, Belquist’s nine-yard touchdown reception and Ziebarth’s 59-yard touchdown run put the game on ice with the score sitting at 49-17 with 7:18 left in the contest. NDSU scored a touchdown with less than three minutes remaining in the game to bring the final score to 49-24.
North Dakota will visit Northern Iowa next Saturday. The Fighting Hawks and Panthers will square off inside the UNI-Dome at 4 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPN3 and carried on the Home of Economy Radio Network.
Postgame Notes
- North Dakota now holds a 63-50-3 series lead over North Dakota State, including a 35-22-2 lead at home.
- UND is now 23-2 in the Alerus Center in its last 25 games.
- 13,091 fans attended the game, making it a sell-out. It was the second-largest crowd in the history of North Dakota football at the Alerus Center, only being beaten once – 13,500 fans witnessed the 2001 game against North Dakota State.
- The 49 points scored by North Dakota was the most points scored by UND in the series since 1896 – a 58-12 UND win.
- UND won by 25 points, the biggest margin of victory a team has had over NDSU since Oct. 8, 2005, when North Dakota State fell at Cal Poly, 37-6.
- Luke Skokna ran the opening kickoff back 100 yards for the score. He became just the third player in UND history to record a 100-yard return and was only the fourth player in program history to run back the opening kickoff.
- Skokna was the first UND player to return a kickoff for touchdown since Evan Holm’s 99-yard score vs. Weber State on Oct. 27, 2018.
- Gaven Ziebarth piled up 156 yards rushing for his third 100+-yard rushing performance of his career.
- With his interception, C.J. Siegel moved into a tie for No. 4 in UND’s Division I history for career interceptions with six.
- Wyatt Pedigo led UND’s defense with five tackles, four of them being solo. The Hawks also recorded three sacks in the victory.
- Tommy Schuster has accounted for at least one touchdown in 27 of his last 29 games. He has now recorded 221 pass attempts without throwing an interception.
- UND has finished five of its six games this season +1.0 in turnover margin.
How It Happened
First Quarter
14:47 – UND | Luke Skokna returns the opening kickoff 100 yards for the score. (C.J. Elrichs kick). 0 plays, 100 yards, 0:13.
10:00 – NDSU | Cam Miller scores on a 26-yard rush. (Griffin Crosa kick). 9 plays, 75 yards, 4:47.
5:28 – UND | Gaven Ziebarth scores on a five-yard rush. (Elrichs kick). 8 plays, 73 yards, 4:27.
1:40 – UND | Skokna scores on a 13-yard pass from Tommy Schuster. (Elrichs kick). 4 plays, 35 yards, 1:40.
Second Quarter
13:28 – NDSU | Crosa connects on a 36-yard field goal. 6 plays, 58 yards, 3:07.
4:32 – NDSU | Joe Stoffel scores on a one-yard pass from Miller. (Crosa kick). 11 plays, 67 yards, 7:26.
0:13 – UND | Skokna scores on a four-yard rush. (Elrichs kick). 9 plays, 75 yards, 4:19.
Third Quarter
7:13 – UND | Ziebarth scores on a seven-yard rush. (Elrichs kick). 4 plays, 23 yards, 2:14.
Fourth Quarter
10:58 – UND | Bo Belquist scores on a nine-yard pass from Schuster. (Elrichs kick). 15 plays, 63 yards, 9:39.
7:18 – UND | Ziebarth scores on a 59-yard rush. (Elrichs kick). 3 plays, 65 yards, 1:43.
2:42 – NDSU | Jake Lippe scores on a six-yard pass from Cole Payton. (Crosa kick). 10 plays, 75 yards, 4:36.
Game Recap: Football | 10/14/2023 6:05:00 PM | Tyler Wells, FightingHawks.com