GRAND FORKS, N.D. – (UND Athletics) No. 16/15 North Dakota scored touchdowns on six of its eight drives to defeat Western Illinois, 49-10, on Saturday afternoon at the Alerus Center.
The Fighting Hawk (3-2, 1-1 MVFC) defense played a large role in the victory, holding the Leathernecks (0-5, 0-2 MVFC) to 206 yards of total offense and just 40 yards rushing. NoDak finished the game with 5.0 sacks and 8.0 tackles-for-loss.
Malachi McNeal led the UND defense with five solo stops, two sacks and a pair of TFL’s. The NoDak defense also scored the first touchdown of the second half, when Ted Mullin jumped a route and recorded a 33-yard pick-six to bring the tally to 28-3 just 15 seconds into the second half.
Offensively, North Dakota piled up 461 yards of total offense with 237 yards passing and 224 yards rushing. Tommy Schuster paced the Hawks through the air, going 17-for-23 for 206 yards. He also recorded a five-yard touchdown run before intermission to give the Hawks the 21-3 lead. Jack Wright was the top receiver with three grabs for 51 yards.
Gaven Ziebarth was the leading rusher for UND with 78 yards on seven touches. Simon Romfo also recorded 34 yards rushing and scored a pair of touchdowns on the ground. His twin brother, Grant Romfo, had the final touchdown of the afternoon with a four-yard rush that brought the final score to 49-10. Luke Skokna was also in the scoring column with an eight-yard rush early in the fourth quarter.
NoDak scored on its opening two possessions of the day and led 14-0 with 14:56 left before the break. Quincy Vaughn opened the scoring with a one-yard touchdown rush on the first drive, while Simon Romfo scored the first touchdown of his UND career on the first play of the second half.
North Dakota will continue its homestand next Saturday with North Dakota State. The Fighting Hawks and Bison will battle inside the Alerus Center at 1 p.m. The game will be televised on Midco Sports and carried on the Home of Economy Radio Network.
Postgame Notes
- North Dakota leads the all-time series, 4-0.
- With the win, NoDak moved to 68-32-4 all-time in Homecoming games.
- Under Coach Schweigert, UND is 7-2 in Homecoming contests.
- Tommy Schuster has now attempted 209 passes without throwing an interception.
- Quincy Vaughn has recorded a rushing touchdown in each of the last four games and has scored a touchdown in every game this season.
- Simon Romfo scored the first touchdown of his UND career in the second quarter to put the Hawks up 14-0.
- Grant Romfo scored his first touchdown as a Fighting Hawk in the final seconds of regulation.
- Malachi McNeal, Wyatt Pedigo, Josh Navratil and Ben McNaboe each had at least one sack in the game.
- In the opening 30 minutes, North Dakota racked up 244 yards of total offense while holding Western Illinois to just 83 yards of offense. UND held WIU to just two rushing yards by intermission. The Leathernecks finished the game with 40 yards rushing.
- For the fourth game this season, North Dakota finished +1.0 in turnover margin.
- For the second time of their UND careers, both the Romfo twins were on the field at the same time. The first time it happened was during a kneel down in the 55-7 win over Drake in the season opener.
- North Dakota did not punt in the game. It marks the first time since Aug. 29, 2013, when UND did not punt in the 69-10 win over Valapariso.
How It Happened
First Quarter
12:05 – UND | Quincy Vaughn scores on a one-yard rush. (C.J. Elrich kick). 7 plays, 69 yards, 2:55.
Second Quarter
14:56 – UND | Simon Romfo scores on a five-yard rush. (C.J. Elrichs kick). 4 plays, 44 yards, 1:29.
2:23 – WIU | Owen Valek connects on a 30-yard field goal. 19 plays, 63 yards, 12:24.
0:41 – UND | Tommy Schuster scores on a six-yard rush. (C.J. Elrichs kick). 9 plays, 75 yards, 1:42.
Third Quarter
14:45 – UND | Ted Mullin scores on a pick-six from 33 yards out. (C.J. Elrichs kick). 0:07.
5:02 – UND | Simon Romfo scores on a 10-yard rush. (C.J. Elrichs kick). 6 plays, 80 yards, 3:59.
Fourth Quarter
14:03 – UND | Luke Skokna scores on an eight-yard rush. (C.J. Elrichs kick). 7 plays, 57 yards, 3:44.
7:29 – WIU | Jay Parker scores on a three-yard pass from Matt Morrissey. (Valek kick). 14 plays, 80 yards, 6:18.
0:23 – UND | Grant Romfo scores on a four-yard rush. (C.J. Elrichs kick). 10 plays, 70 yards, 7:06.
Game Recap: Football | 10/7/2023 5:21:00 PM | Tyler Wells, FightingHawks.com
