GRAND FORKS, N.D. – After going down 11 points late in the first half, North Dakota (3-2, 2-1 MVFC) ended the game on a 38-10 scoring run to defeat No. 7 Missouri State (2-3, 0-2 MVFC), 48-31, inside the Alerus Center on Saturday afternoon.
An interception led to an MSU touchdown with just over two minutes left before halftime to extend its lead to 21-10, but UND rattled off 24 straight points between that point and the early moments of the fourth quarter to claim a 34-21 lead heading into the final stanza. A Bears field goal in the first moments of the fourth quarter ended their scoring drought to trim the deficit to 34-24, but the Hawks responded five plays later with a 54-yard touchdown scamper from Isaiah Smith to extend the North Dakota lead back to 41-24.
The Hawks added another touchdown seven minutes later with an 18-yard touchdown pass from Tommy Schuster to Garett Maag to put the game out of reach for the Bears with just under five minutes to go. Missouri State would score with 1:43 left in the game but was unable to recover the ensuing onside kick and North Dakota ran out the final moments to secure the 48-31 win over Missouri State.
UND had a well-balanced attack, finishing with 515 yards of offense (248 on the ground and 267 through the air). Comparatively, MSU ended with 389 yards of offense with 271 yards passing and 118 yards rushing.
Schuster remained efficient, going 22-of-29 for 267 yards and two touchdowns, while allowing one interception. The Missouri State defense only got to Schuster once on the afternoon.
Bo Belquist was the top receiving target with seven grabs for 55 yards. Maag had the second 100-yard receiving game of his career, pulling down five receptions for 104 yards and two scores.
Tyler Hoosman was the top rusher, piling up 147 yards on 16 carries for a touchdown, while averaging 9.2 yards per carry. Isaiah Smith also saw time in the backfield and had eight rushes for 78 yards and a score, averaging 9.8 yards per rush. Smith also added four receptions for 57 yards.
Devon Krzanowski paced the Hawks on defense with six tackles (five solo, one assisted), to go with a sack and a quarterback hurry. Kadon Kauppinen was next in takedowns with six (three solo, three assisted) to go with a half a TFL. Twenty-four other players for UND accumulated at least one tackle.
After winning the toss and electing to receive, Missouri State marched down the field on its opening possession with an 11-yard touchdown strike from Jason Shelley to Naveon Mitchell to take the 7-0 lead early. On UND’s opening drive, the Hawks made it all the way down to the MSU 32 but ended up having to settle for a Brady Stevens 42-yard field goal to trim the deficit to 7-3.
A missed field goal from the Bears at the end of the first quarter gave UND the ball to open the second stanza. North Dakota took advantage on its next drive, going 13 plays and 80-yards, concluding with a three-yard rush from Quincy Vaughn to put the Hawks up 10-7 with 8:30 left in the half. On Missouri State’s next possession, it reclaimed the lead with a two-yard touchdown pass from Shelley to Kevon Latulas to go back in front 14-10. On the next offensive play for North Dakota, Schuster was intercepted by Von Young. Four plays later, the Bears pushed their lead to 21-10 with a Trae Thompson touchdown run from two yards out.
North Dakota battled back quickly, scoring two plays later off a 38-yard pass from Schuster to Maag to bring the tally to 21-17. The UND defense stood tall on the next drive and gave the Hawks the ball back at their own 28 with 1:24 left before intermission. The Hawks marched all the way down to the MSU 18 and connected on a 35-yarder from the leg of Brady Stevens to cut the deficit to a single point (21-20) at the break.
The Bears started the second half with great field position, beginning at the UND 26 after recovering its own pooch kick. Once again, the Hawks stood tall defensively and forced a 38-yard field goal for the Bears that landed wide right.
Four offensive plays later, the Hawks found the end zone on a 55-yard touchdown run from Hoosman to get the lead back at 26-20. UND attempted the two-point conversion, which was a pass to Donny Ventrelli, but it fell short of the goal line. Following another three-and-out for MSU, UND chewed up over seven minutes of clock and ended the drive with a one-yard QB sneak from Vaughn. This time, the two-point conversion was successful on a pass from Schuster to Belquist to put the Hawks up 34-21. At this point, it was a 24-0 scoring swing by UND.
