FARGO, N.D. (UND Athletics)– No. 7/6 North Dakota (4-2, 1-1 MVFC) fell at No. 2 North Dakota State (5-1, 2-0 MVFC), 41-17, inside the Fargodome on Saturday afternoon. The Bison scored on seven of its 10 drives.
Cam Miller paced the Bison and went 13-for-19 for 168 yards and a pair of scores. He also rushed eight times for 39 yards and a touchdown.
Mekhi Collins was Miller’s top target and had three grabs for 47 yards and a 33-yard score, while CharMar Brown led the rushing attack, picking up 83 yards and a touchdown on 20 attempts.
Simon Romfo finished the afternoon 18-for-23 through the air for 166 yards and a touchdown. Bo Belquist was UND’s top receiver with four grabs for 61 yards and also added a career-best 66-yard punt return in the fourth quarter. Gaven Ziebarth recorded 12 rushes for 65 yards to lead the backfield.
In the game, NDSU had 429 yards of total offense with 221 yards passing and 208 yards rushing. UND accumulated 267 yards of offense, netting 166 yards through the air and 101 yards on the ground.
The Bison led 14-0 at the end of the first quarter before Quincy Vaughn pushed ahead for a one-yard rushing score to bring the tally to 14-7 with 10:38 to go until halftime. C.J. Elrichs also scored in the first half and buried a 45-yard field goal to trim the deficit to 21-10 right before intermission. NDSU led 24-10 at the break.
UND received the kick after the half and had an opportunity to make it a one-score game but a fumble ended that drive and allowed NDSU to lead 38-10 at the end of the third stanza.
Early in the fourth quarter, Belquist had a 66-yard punt return that made it all the way to the NDSU 5. One play later, Caden Dennis hauled in his first career touchdown reception on a five-yard pass from Romfo to make the score 38-17. NDSU added a field goal with 5:58 left in the game to bring the final score to 41-17.
North Dakota will host Northern Iowa on Saturday, Oct. 19 at 1 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 63-51-3 in the series with North Dakota State.
- In games played in Fargo, NDSU leads the series 29-28-1.
- Quincy Vaughn found the end zone for the first time this season, scoring on a one-yard sneak on 3rd and goal in the second quarter. Earlier in the drive, Vaughn appeared under center on 4th and 1 and drew the Bison offside for the automatic first down.
- Bo Belquist hauled in four catches and is now 10 grabs away from breaking UND’s all-time record for receptions in a career. Weston Dressler holds the record currently with 243 receptions from 2004-07.
- Belquist’s 66-yard punt return in the fourth quarter was a career-long.
- Caden Dennis had his first career touchdown in the form of a five-yard reception early in the fourth quarter to bring the tally to 38-17.
- Josh Navratil and Wyatt Pedigo led the North Dakota defense. Navratil had six tackles (two solo), while Pedigo also recorded six tackles (one solo) and had half a tackle-for-loss.
- The Bison finished +1.0 in turnover margin.
- NDSU won the time of possession battle, 34:19-25:41.
How It Happened
First Quarter
10:39 – NDSU | CharMar Brown scores on a 2-yard rush. (Griffin Crosa kick). 7 plays, 56 yards, 4:11.
2:14 – NDSU | Bryce Lance scores on a 36-yard pass from Cam Miller. (Crosa kick). 7 plays, 61 yards, 3:36.
Second Quarter
10:38 – UND | Quincy Vaughn scores on a 1-yard rush. (C.J. Elrichs kick). 11 plays, 75 yards, 6:36.
7:47 – NDSU | Chris Harris scores on a 16-yard pass from Miller. (Crosa kick). 5 plays, 65 yards, 2:51.
3:02 – UND | Elrichs connects on a 45-yard field goal. 10 plays, 47 yards, 4:45.
0:34 – NDSU | Crosa connects on a 34-yard field goal. 11 plays, 58 yards, 2:20.
Third Quarter
11:10 – NDSU | Miller scores on a 2-yard rush. (Crosa kick). 8 plays, 38 yards, 3:44.
3:02 – NDSU | Mekhi Collins scores on a 33-yard pass from Cole Payton. 9 plays, 85 yards, 4:59.
Fourth Quarter
12:33 – UND | Caden Dennis scores on a 5-yard pass from Simon Romfo. 1 play, 5 yards, 0:04.
5:58 – NDSU | Crosa connects on a 45-yard field goal. 13 plays, 48 yards, 6:35.
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