BROOKINGS, S.D. (UND Athletics)– Top-ranked South Dakota State defeated No. 12/11 North Dakota, 42-21, on Saturday afternoon at a sold-out Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.
In the game, SDSU (4-0, 1-0 MVFC) piled up 435 yards of total offense and 268 of those yards came on the ground. The Jackrabbits were led by Isaiah Davis, who scored three touchdowns and rushed 16 times for 132 yards. Mark Gronowski finished the game 13-for-22 for 167 yards and a touchdown.
The Fighting Hawks (2-2, 0-1 MVFC) were held to 234 yards in the game, with 166 yards coming through the air. Tommy Schuster nearly had another 20-completion game, going 19-for-24 for 118 yards and a touchdown. Red Wilson was the top target with five grabs for 45 yards.
South Dakota State led 14-0 at the end of the first quarter, scoring on its first two drives. North Dakota trimmed the deficit to 14-7 with 10:24 left before halftime when Quincy Vaughn punched it in from one yard out on fourth and short. Vaughn’s touchdown capped a 15-play, 79-yard drive that took over nine minutes.
The Jackrabbits extended their lead to 21-7 on their final offensive possession before intermission when Jaxon Janke hauled in a six-yard reception from Gronowski. That drive consumed over nine minutes of clock and went 91 yards over 18 plays. In the second half, SDSU outscored UND, 21-14. Luke Skokna scored a touchdown on a five-yard reception and Trey Feeney ran in a five-yard score.
North Dakota will return home to host Western Illinois next Saturday. The Fighting Hawks and Fighting Leathernecks will square off inside the Alerus Center at 1 p.m. The game will be televised on Midco Sports Two and carried on the Home of Economy Radio Network.
Postgame Notes
- North Dakota still leads the all-time series, 47-37-5. Both teams are 5-5 in the series since the turn of the century.
- In the opening half, the Fighting Hawks were held to just 100 yards of total offense with 82 yards through the air and 18 yards on the ground. The Jackrabbits piled up 251 yards of total offense and ate up over 18:29 of possession time.
- It is only the second time in Tommy Schuster’s career where he was held to less than 20 completions in back-to-back games. The last time was a three-game stretch from 3/20/2021-5/2/2021.
- Schuster has now attempted 186 passes without throwing an interception. His last pick was thrown against South Dakota on Nov. 12, 2022.
- After his touchdown rush, Quincy Vaughn now ties for No. 8 in UND’s Division I history for career rushing touchdowns with 12.
- With four receptions in the game, Bo Belquist moved up to No. 3 in UND’s Division I history for career receptions with 167.
- Malachi Buckner paced the Fighting Hawk defense in the game with seven tackles.
- Neither team had a turnover in the game.
How It Happened
First Quarter
11:03 – SDSU | Mark Gronowski scores on a one-yard rush. (Hunter Dustman kick). 7 plays, 75 yards, 3:57.
4:42 – SDSU | Isaiah Davis scores on a six-yard rush. (Dustman kick). 9 plays, 77 yards, 4:48.
Second Quarter
10:24 – UND | Quincy Vaughn scores on a one-yard rush. (C.J. Elrichs kick). 15 plays, 79 yards, 9:18.
0:40 – SDSU | Jaxon Janke scores on a six-yard grab from Gronwoski. (Dustman kick). 18 plays, 91 yards, 9:36.
Third Quarter
7:56 – SDSU | Davis scores on an 11-yard run. (Dustman kick). 7 plays, 64 yards, 3:32.
Fourth Quarter
14:02 – SDSU | Davis scores on a one-yard run. (Dustman kick). 5 plays, 31 yards, 2:12.
5:58 – UND | Luke Skokna scores on a five-yard reception from Tommy Schuster. (Elrichs kick). 12 plays, 75 yards, 8:04.
3:28 – SDSU | Angel Johnson scores on a 50-yard rush. (Dustman kick). 5 plays, 75 yards, 2:30.
0:45 – UND | Trey Feeney scores on a five-yard run. (Elrichs kick). 10 plays, 75 yards, 2:43.
Game Recap: Football | 9/30/2023 5:42:00 PM | Tyler Wells, FightingHawks.com
