No. 17/18 Fighting Hawks Roll Bulldogs, 55-7

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (UND Athletics)– No. 17/18 North Dakota scored 27 unanswered points in the third quarter and defeated Drake, 55-7, inside the Alerus Center on Saturday afternoon. With the win, the Fighting Hawks moved to 1-0 on the young season, while the Bulldogs dropped to 0-1.

On the first play coming out of intermission, Gavin Ziebarth took a 79-yard rush to the house to put the Hawks up 21-0. Moments later, Ted Mullin came away with an interception off a pass deflection. Five plays later, North Dakota went up 28-0 when Tommy Schuster found Quincy Vaughn for a three-yard touchdown pass.

The most impressive play of the game came late in the third quarter, when Bo Belquist caught a pass from Schuster at the DU 25 and the put the defense on skates, breaking five tackles before finding the end zone to put NoDak up 34-0 with 3:35 left in the third quarter. It was the last play for both Schuster and Belquist of the afternoon and the Fighting Hawks showed their depth at skill positions the rest of the way, winning 55-7.

In the game, North Dakota accumulated 652 yards of total offense, racking up 364 yards passing and 288 yards rushing. It is the most offensive yardage put up by the Fighting Hawks since Oct. 23, 2021, when North Dakota defeated Western Illinois, 34-10, at home.

Schuster went 22-for-26 passing for 262 yards and three touchdowns. Trey Feeney also went 4-for-5 for 102 yards and a touchdown. Belquist was the top target with seven grabs for 110 yards and two scores.

Gaven Ziebarth was the leading ball carrier for UND, rushing seven times for 110 yards and two touchdowns. Donavan Hunt, playing in his first game as a Hawk, had three rushes for 65 yards. Hunt scored on a seven yard touchdown run in the third quarter and then a 58-yard rushing touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

Jett Sutton and Kadon Kauppinen were the leading tacklers for the Hawks, both racking up six solo tackles a piece. Pedigo was next with four total tackles, 1.5 tackles-for-loss and a fumble recovery. Mullin also helped NoDak finish +2.0 in turnovers, recording an interception in the third quarter.

North Dakota was up 14-0 at intermission. The first Fighting Hawk touchdown of the season came from the legs of Schuster, who rushed for a five-yard score and juked a Bulldog in the process to put UND up 7-0 with 13:23 before halftime.

Pedigo set up the second North Dakota score, recovering a Drake fumble at UND’s own 32-yardline. Eleven plays later, the Hawks would score when Schuster found Belquist for a nine-yard touchdown grab to put the Hawks up 14-0 with 5:20 left before intermission.

North Dakota will return to action on Saturday, hosting Northern Arizona inside the Alerus Center at 3 p.m. The game will be televised on Midco Sports Two and will air on the Home of Economy Radio Network.

Postgame Notes

• North Dakota has now won 37-straight home openers, the longest home opening streak in the country.
• UND is also now 5-1 in its last six season openers.
• The Fighting Hawks improved the series record to a perfect 5-0 over the Bulldogs.
• Both of North Dakota’s scoring drives in the first half were over five minutes long.
• Gaven Ziebarth scored on the first play of the third quarter with a career-long 79-yard touchdown run.
• North Dakota piled up 652 total yards of offense, the most since putting up 607 yards of offense against Western Illinois on Oct. 23, 2021. That game was a 34-10 win in the Alerus Center.
• Both Tommy Schuster and Trey Feeney threw for over 100 yards. The last time UND had two QB’s throw for over 100 yards was Aug. 31, 2019, in a 47-7 win over Drake. Nate Ketteringham and Andrew Zimmerman were the last UND quarterbacks to both throw for over 100 yards in the same game.
• Bo Belquist had his fourth 100-yard receiving game of his career, piling up 110 yards receiving in the game.
• Belquist also had his third two-touchdown game of his career with a pair of TD grabs against Drake.
• Schuster has now accounted for at least one touchdown in 22 of his last 24 games.
• It was Schuster’s 20th game of his career with at least 20 completions.
• North Dakota finished with a +2.0 turnover margin.

How It Happened
First Quarter
–
Second Quarter
13:23 – UND | Tommy Schuster scores on a five-yard rush. (Brady Stevens kick). 9 plays, 59 yards, 5:33.
5:20 – UND | Bo Belquist scores on a nine-yard pass from Schuster. (Stevens kick). 11 plays, 67 yards, 5:02.
Third Quarter
14:41 – UND | Gavin Ziebarth scores on a career-long 79 yard touchdown rush. (Stevens kick). 1 play, 79 yards, 0:12.
10:26 – UND | Quincy Vaughn scores off a three-yard touchdown grab from Schuster. (Stevens kick). 5 plays, 48 yards, 2:44.
3:35 – UND | Bo Belquist scores off a 35-yard touchdown reception. (Stevens missed). 8 plays, 72 yards, 5:24.
0:13 – UND | Donavan Hunt scores off a seven-yard touchdown rush. (Stevens kick). 5 plays, 58 yards, 2:19.
Fourth Quarter
12:16 – DU | Ian Corwin scores off a five-yard touchdown pass from Luke Bailey. (Shane Dunning kick). 12 plays, 65 yards, 2:57.
9:20 – UND | Trey Feeney connects with Elijah Klein for the 33-yard touchdown pass. (Stevens kick). 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:56.
3:03 – UND | Donavan Hunt scores on a 58-yard rush. (Stevens kick). 1 play, 58 yards, 0:10

Game Recap: Football | 9/2/2023 7:54:00 PM | Tyler Wells, FightingHawks.com