GRAND FORKS, N.D. (UND Athletics)– No. 9/8 North Dakota (4-1, 1-0 MVFC) defeated Murray State (1-3, 0-1 MVFC), 72-35, inside the Alerus Center on Saturday. The 72 points were the most scored by UND since 1928 when scoring 80 points against Jamestown.
The Fighting Hawks held a 24-21 edge on the scoreboard with less than seven minutes to go until halftime before their special teams had two game-changing plays that increased the lead to 38-21 with 6:13 to go before intermission.
On the first special teams play, Sam Strandell punched out the football on a Murray State punt return and Paine Parks recovered it. Three plays later, Simon Romfo scored on a six-yard rush to bring the tally to 31-21. The UND defense held MSU to a three-and-out on the following series, and that punt was blocked by Tyler Erkman and recovered by Henry Theobald. One play later, that blocked punt was exchanged for a touchdown on a seven-yard rush from Gaven Ziebarth to push the lead to 38-21.
NoDak then scored twice more before intermission in the form of a screen pass from Simon Romfo to Isaiah Smith for a 74-yard reception and then capped the half with a 21-yard field goal from C.J. Elrichs to make the score 48-21 at intermission.
On the first Racer possession after halftime, Jett Sutton shut down the drive with an interception and returned it 25 yards. Smith then scored his third touchdown of the afternoon two plays later with a six-yard rush.
After that point, the Hawks cruised the rest of the way to a 72-35 victory. The final points scored for UND came in the form of an Elrichs 28-yard field goal, a three-yard rushing touchdown from Grant Romfo and a 40-yard pick-six from Avery Scott.
North Dakota piled up 601 yards of offense in the game with 309 yards rushing and 292 yards passing. Simon Romfo went 9-for-20 for 276 yards and three scores. Belquist was his top target with three grabs for 121 yards and a pair of scores. Smith paced the backfield with 11 rushes for 142 yards and two touchdowns, while also hauling the 74-yard touchdown reception.
Prior to the two heads-up plays from special teams which were the turning point of the game, the teams traded scores and UND held a 24-21 edge. NoDak’s scores before the special teams plays were a 37-yard field goal from Elrichs, a 73-yard reception from Belquist, a 41-yard grab from Belquist and a 33-yard rush from Smith.
North Dakota will visit North Dakota State on Saturday. Kickoff between the Fighting Hawks and Bison is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. The game will air on Midco Sports and will be carried on the Fighting Hawks Radio Network.
Postgame Notes
- North Dakota is now 2-0 in the series with Murray State. It was the first game in history played in Grand Forks between the two squads.
- With the win, NoDak moved to 69-32-4 all-time in Homecoming games.
- Under Coach Schweigert, UND is 8-2 in Homecoming contests.
- The 72 points scored were the most points scored by North Dakota since scoring 80 points against Jamestown in 1928. It was also the most points UND has ever scored inside the Alerus Center.
- The 72 points were also just one point shy of the MVFC record for most points by an MVFC team put up in a conference game. The record is 73 points by Southern Illinois against Missouri State in 2015.
- The Fighting Hawks scored 48 points in the opening half, beating the previous record in UND’s Division I history of 45 points scored in the opening half against the South Dakota School of Mines (Aug. 30, 2012).
- UND had 601 yards of total offense, eclipsing the 600-yard mark for the first time since piling up 652 yards against Drake in the 2023 season opener.
- NoDak finished the day 12-for-24 passing for 292 yards. Simon Romfo was 9-for-20 for 276 yards and three scores. Jerry Kaminski, playing the entire fourth quarter and part of the third quarter, completed his first passes as a Fighting Hawk and went 3-for-4 for 16 yards.
- North Dakota finished +3.0 in turnover margin, with Sam Strandell forcing a fumble, Paine Parks recovering a fumble, Jett Sutton picking off a pass and returning it 25 yards and Avery Scott recording a 40-yard pick-six.
- UND has now scored 40+ against three-straight opponents for the first time since 2015.
How It Happened
First Quarter
10:20 – UND | C.J. Elrichs connects on a 37-yard field goal. 9 plays, 56 yards, 4:34.
8:47 – MSU | Jayden Johannsen scores on a 58-yard rush. (James London kick). 5 plays, 75 yards, 1:33.
8:25 – UND | Bo Belquist scores on a 73-yard pass from Simon Romfo. (Elrichs kick). 2 plays, 73 yards, 0:16.
7:05 – MSU | Q’Darius Jennings scores on a 65-yard rush. (London kick). 4 plays, 77 yards, 1:14.
4:38 – UND | Belquist scores on a 41-yard pass from Romfo. (Elrichs kick). 5 plays, 75 yards, 2:27.
0:14 – UND | Isaiah Smith scores on a 33-yard rush. (Elrichs kick). 6 plays, 57 yards, 2:15.
Second Quarter
9:35 – MSU | Jawaun Northington scores on a 1-yard rush. (London kick). 15 plays, 79 yards, 5:35.
6:35 – UND | Romfo scores on a 6-yard rush. (Elrichs kick). 3 plays, 22 yards, 0:49.
6:13 – UND | Gaven Ziebarth scores on a 7-yard rush. (Elrichs kick). 1 play, 7 yards, 0:04.
2:34 – UND | Isaiah Smith scores on a 74-yard pass from Romfo. (Elrichs kick). 1 play, 89 yards, 0:18.
0:26 – UND | Elrichs connects on a 21-yard field goal. 11 plays, 48 yards, 1:19.
Third Quarter
13:48 – UND | Smith scores on a 6-yard rush. (Elrichs kick). 2 plays, 9 yards, 0:43.
9:07 – MSU | Jennings scores on a 3-yard rush. (London kick). 14 plays, 65 yards, 4:34.
5:34 – UND | Elrichs connects on a 28-yard field goal. 8 plays, 64 yards, 3:33.
2:27 – UND | Grant Romfo scores on a 3-yard rush. (Elrichs kick). 4 plays, 77 yards, 1:57.
Fourth Quarter
8:46 – UND | Avery Scott scores on a 40-yard pick-six. (Elrichs kick). 0 plays, 40 yards, 0:00.
1:19 – MSU | Marcus Floyd Jr. scores on a 17-yard pass from Jameson Holcomb. (London kick). 7 plays, 74 yards, 2:52.
Game Recap: Football | 9/28/2024 5:53:00 PM | Tyler Wells, FightingHawks.com
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