UND Athletics (Russell Hons)
GRAND FORKS, N.D. (UND Athletics)– No. 17/15 North Dakota (2-0) defeated Northern Arizona (0-2), 37-22, in the 57th annual Potato Bowl USA Game on Saturday afternoon. The Fighting Hawks electrified the Alerus Center in the third quarter, scoring 17 points.
After leading 13-3 at intermission, North Dakota came out firing on all cylinders in the third quarter and pushed its lead to 30-9 before heading into the final stanza. Quincy Vaughn scored the first touchdown of the quarter midway through the period with a one-yard rush. Northern Arizona then trimmed the deficit to 20-9 before attempting a two-point conversion. The attempt was snuffed out by Elijah Beach, who ripped the ball out before Ted Mullin raced the rest of the way for a successful conversion attempt for UND.
Less than three minutes later, Tommy Schuster found Wesley Eliodor for a 45-yard touchdown pass. The Hawks then put together a successful two-point conversion of their own, when Isaiah Smith dove over the pile to bring the score to 30-9. Schuster then scored with his legs on a one-yard scamper early in the fourth quarter and NAU put together two scoring drives in the final four minutes to bring the final tally to 37-22.
Schuster was efficient in the game, going 21-for-30 for 259 yards and a touchdown. Bo Belquist was his favorite target, hauling in eight receptions for 123 yards. Red Wilson was also a popular target with five grabs for 50 yards. Eliodor scored the lone receiving touchdown on a 45-yard catch and had three grabs for 56 yards.
It was a backfield by committee for UND, with six different Hawks recording carries for 150 yards and four touchdowns. Gaven Ziebarth was the top contributor with 12 rushes for 69 yards and a score.
Defensively, the Fighting Hawks were paced by Wyatt Pedigo with eight tackles, a sack and 2.5 tackles-for-loss. Twenty-three UND players recorded a tackle in the win.
In the game, North Dakota edged Northern Arizona in offensive yardage by a 448-445 margin. The Hawks racked up 298 yards through the air and 150 yards on the ground. Comparatively, the Lumberjacks put up 274 yards passing and 171 yards rushing.
UND led 13-3 at intermission. The first score of the game came off a two-yard Ziebarth rush. That scoring drive ate up nearly seven minutes of clock. UND then attempted a two-point try that was unsuccessful. NAU made a 26-yard field goal in the early moments of the second quarter. On the next UND possession, Vaughn powered ahead for a one-yard rush to push the lead to 13-3 with 5:44 left before intermission. Josh Navratil slammed the doors shut on NAU’s final drive before intermission, recording a strip-sack of Kai Millner that was recovered by Jake Saltonstall and returned 32 yards. Trey Feeney then came in for the final play of the half and found Belquist on the Hail Mary for a 39-yard gain that made it all the way down to the NAU 9.
North Dakota will visit Boise State at 11 a.m. (CT) on Saturday. The game will be televised on Fox Sports 1 and carried on the Home of Economy Radio Network.
Postgame Notes
- North Dakota is now 45-12 in Potato Bowl USA history and is on a four-game Potato Bowl USA Game winning streak.
- Northern Arizona now holds a 5-4 edge in the series.
- NoDak is now 7-2 in games played on Sept. 9, currently riding a six-game winning streak on that date.
- UND won the third quarter by a score of 17-6. In the third quarters this season, the Fighting Hawks have outscored their opponents, 44-6.
- Four of UND’s points in the third quarter came off two-point conversions, one defensively and then one offensively.
- The Hawks controlled the time of possession battle, 34:27-25:33.
- Both of UND’s scoring drives in the first half ate up nearly seven minutes of clock.
- NoDak went a perfect 3-for-3 on fourth down conversions, while holding Northern Arizona to 1-for-2 on fourth downs.
- UND has had the lead or a chance to take the lead in 21 of its last 25 games.
- It was Tommy Schuster’s 21st game with 20 completions-or-more.
- Schuster has now accounted for at least one touchdown in 23 of his last 25 games.
- Bo Belquist put together his fifth 100-yard receiving game of his career and second of the season, racking up 123 yards in the win.
- For the second week in a row, North Dakota finished +1.0 in turnover margin.
How It Happened
First Quarter
3:49 – UND | Gaven Ziebarth scores on a two-yard rush. (Conversion failed). 11 plays, 64 yards, 6:53.
Second Quarter
12:56 – NAU | Marcus Lye connects on a 26-yard field goal. 14 plays, 75 yards, 5:47.
5:44 – UND | Quincy Vaughn scores on a one-yard sneak. (Stevens kick). 13 plays, 72 yards, 7:08.
Third Quarter
8:18 – UND | Vaughn scores on a one-yard dive. (Stevens kick). 9 plays, 65 yards, 4:35.
3:35 – NAU | Bryzai White scores on a six-yard pass from Kai Millner. (Conversion failed). 15 plays, 75 yards, 4:38.
3:35 – UND | Ted Mullin returns the two-point conversion for two points.
0:48 – UND | Wesley Eliodor scores on a 45-yard pass from Schuster. (Isaiah Smith two-point conversion successful). 4 plays, 75 yards, 2:47.
Fourth Quarter
6:58 – UND | Schuster scores on a one-yard rush. (Stevens kick). 9 plays, 73 yards, 6:01.
3:20 – NAU | Millner scores on a 13-yard rush. (Lye kick). 9 plays, 71 yards, 3:30.
2:13 – NAU | Coleman Owen scores on a 37-yard pass from Millner. (Conversion failed). 4 plays, 51 yards, 1:04.
Tyler Wells
Athletic Communications Director (FB, XC, ITF & OTF)
University of North Dakota
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