North Dakota
UND comes up short against North Dakota State 15-10
GRAND FORKS — During breaks in action in the first half, UND brought out and honored Jim Kleinsasser and Digger Anderson — two former players with signature moments in the UND-North Dakota State rivalry.
On Saturday, the Fighting Hawks couldn’t find their next rivalry hero.
Instead, NDSU’s Cole Payton scored on an 8-yard run with 2 minutes, 22 seconds left in the fourth quarter as the Bison beat UND 15-10 in front of a sellout crowd of 12,749 in the Alerus Center.
No. 13 UND fell to 6-4, with four losses by a combined 14 points. The No. 1 Bison improved to 10-0, securing the Missouri Valley Football Conference title in the process.
“It hurts, right?” UND first-year head coach Eric Schmidt said. “It was one of those games where it was an ugly football game. It’s frustrating. It’s a learning process. I just think you have to continue to do the things that winning teams do, and you have to be loyal to winning. It takes what it takes every single week.”
As has been the case in all four of UND’s losses this season, the Fighting Hawks had a chance to win the game late.
UND took over at its own 29 with about 80 seconds left and no timeouts trailing by five.
Jerry Kaminski connected with B.J. Fleming, Korey Tai and Sam Strandell as the Hawks moved the ball to the Bison 28 with 15 seconds left.
On second-and-6 with time running out, Kaminski took a shot toward the end zone for Tai. The ball was intercepted by NDSU’s Anthony Chideme-Alfaro.
Eric Hylden / GF Herald
After throwing 22 touchdowns to two interceptions through UND’s first eight games of the season, Kaminski — a first-year starting sophomore — has thrown no touchdowns and five interceptions in the team’s current two-game losing streak.
Kaminski finished 21-for-38 with three interceptions for 170 yards and was sacked three times.
UND’s leading rusher was Sawyer Seidl, who had 23 carries for 68 yards and a first-quarter touchdown run. Seidl had a four-game streak of at least 100 rushing yards snapped against the Bison.
Eric Hylden / GF Herald
NDSU’s offense only managed 10 first downs.
Payton threw for 125 yards, no touchdowns and had a first-quarter pass picked off by UND linebacker Malachi McNeal, which set up the Seidl touchdown.
UND out-gained NDSU 286 yards to 268 and ran 30 more offensive plays.
Eric Hylden / GF Herald
The Bison were just 2-for-12 on third down.
NDSU star wide receiver Bryce Lance had three catches for 61 yards.
“Coach Schmidt was preaching to us how good those guys were and how we’re going to stop them,” McNeal said. “Coach had a really good game plan, how to approach angles on Cole Payton and how to guard Bryce Lance. I think we have a defensive coach who really knows ball and really studies them. It really helps because it helps you go out there and play fast and play confident.”
NDSU’s game-winning drive was set up when UND went for fourth-and-1 at midfield with 4:24 to play and Kaminski was stuffed on a quarterback run up the middle.
The Bison scored four plays later, with the help of a 30-yard catch by tight end Reis Kessel.
“(UND) is playing really good defense,” NDSU coach Tim Polasek said. “They played bracket coverage today, and we’ve got to have a better plan against it. We’ve got to be better. To Eric’s credit, they did a nice job adjusting. It looks like we’re going to have a hell of a chess match moving forward.”
Eric Hylden / GF Herald
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – Roads in northwest North Dakota are reporting extremely low visibility due to blowing dust and dirt.
The North Dakota Highway Patrol shared photos of an intense dust storm that led to a crash in Williams County on Highway 85 at 1:30 p.m.
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Photo courtesy of the North Dakota Highway Patrol -
Photo courtesy of the North Dakota Highway Patrol
The NDHP is advising the public to stay home if possible, and if you must travel, slow down, turn on your headlights, increase following distance, and be prepared for rapidly changing conditions.
KELOLAND News also received photos from our viewers of dust storms in South Dakota.
WILLIAMS COUNTY, N.D. (Valley News Live) – The North Dakota Highway Patrol is urging drivers in northwest North Dakota to stay off the roads Thursday afternoon as blowing dirt creates near-zero visibility in some areas.
As of 1:30 p.m. Thursday, troopers were reporting low to no visibility in parts of the region, including along Highway 85 in Williams County near mile marker 212, where a crash occurred. The Highway Patrol shared a photo from the crash scene showing extremely reduced visibility.
Officials are asking people to stay home if possible. Those who must travel are urged to slow down, turn on their headlights, leave extra space between vehicles and be prepared for rapidly changing conditions.
Copyright 2026 KVLY. All rights reserved.
WASHINGTON — The North Dakota Department of Emergency Services has been recognized for its wildfire prevention efforts with a national Bronze Smokey Bear Award.
“These awardees demonstrate what fire prevention looks like in action,” said U.S. Forest Service Deputy Chief Sarah Fisher. “Their efforts protect lives, support firefighters and make a real difference in communities across the country.”
May is Wildfire Awareness Month, and with North Dakota experiencing another active spring wildfire season, each fire prevented is one that local responders don’t have to put out, underscoring the importance of each individual’s responsibility to work and recreate safely outdoors. The award to the N.D. Department of Emergency Services (NDDES) recognizes its efforts in communicating just that.
The communications team is led by Strategic Communications Chief Alison Vetter and is supported by Autonomous Systems and Communications Specialist Clint Fleckenstein.
According to information from the Forest Service, the team’s creative products are visually appealing, engaging and effective. The “Learn Before You Burn” tagline urges North Dakotans to visit the interactive N.D. Fire Declarations and Burn Restrictions map to learn their local restrictions, fire danger and red flag warnings before burning or recreating outdoors. Vetter and Fleckenstein consistently take initiative to address fire prevention issues proactively and go above and beyond to become the best possible storytellers of wildfire prevention messaging.
Alison Vetter
Their statewide efforts identify unique and effective avenues to communicate these important public safety topics, addressing top human-caused fire causes like open burning and equipment use through reels, interviews, Gas Station TV, visits with local students, and GoodHealthTV kiosks found in local health units, schools and other public buildings.
During the historic October 2024 wildfires, NDDES mobilized the Joint Information Center, responding to the elevated need for education, prevention and response to determine messaging needs in real time. This included topics like publicizing daily fire danger, sharing resources for affected landowners, advocating for defensible space and safety tips, and messaging ways to minimize fire risk when harvesting, hunting, or enjoying the outdoors. Alison and her team worked over the winter of 2024-2025 to identify prevention efforts and causes, and crafted effective communications strategies to reduce wildfire occurrence, which proved necessary into an active spring 2025 fire season as well. After the devastation of the October 2024 wildfires, they created a documentary to highlight the value and appreciation for those who responded to the call and showcase the unique way North Dakota communities show up for one another in crisis.
The 2026 Smokey Bear Awards will be presented at the National Association of State Foresters’ annual meeting in Lexington, Kentucky, in September.
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