No. 5 South Dakota spoils North Dakota’s Senior Day, 42-36

PHOTO/RUSSELL HONS

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (UND ATHLETICS)– In a game that was a back-and-forth affair, No. 5 South Dakota (8-2, 6-1 MVFC) scored the first 25 points of the second half and outlasted North Dakota, 42-36, inside the Alerus Center on Saturday afternoon. It was the first win in Grand Forks for the Coyotes since 1985 and the first back-to-back home losses for the Fighting Hawks since 2017.

Despite trailing 42-21 with less than 10 minutes remaining, UND (5-6, 2-5 MVFC) had a chance to win the game in the final moments. Simon Romfo scored on a seven-yard rush and trimmed the deficit to 42-28 with 5:50 left in the game. C.J. Elrichs then booted a slow-spinning onside kick that was recovered by Wyatt Pedigo to put NoDak back in business.

Following the onside kick recovery, the Hawks made it to the USD 32 before turning the ball over on downs. North Dakota got the ball back with 57 seconds left in the contest and Bo Belquist hauled in a four-yard touchdown reception that capped a four-play, 80-yard drive and took just 34 seconds off the clock. Caden Dennis caught the two-point conversion attempt on the next play to bring the tally to 42-36 with just 23 seconds left. On the following kick, Elrichs booted a well-placed ball that ricocheted off several Coyotes and Fighting Hawks before being ruled South Dakota ball, which allowed the Coyotes to escape with the 42-36 victory.

In the game, South Dakota piled up 512 yards of total offense, led by 322 yards on the ground. North Dakota finished with 323 yards of offense, with 180 yards passing and 143 yards rushing. The Coyotes had 32:42 minutes of possession and over 17 minutes of possession in the second half.

Romfo finished the game 20-for-30 passing for 180 yards and three touchdown passes, while adding 36 yards on the ground and a seven-yard rushing touchdown. Bo Belquist hauled in a game-high 10 receptions for 96 yards and a score, while Quincy Vaughn and Nick Kupfer also recorded touchdown receptions. Sawyer Seidl led the backfield and had seven rushes for 68 yards and a 51-yard rushing touchdown.

USD’s Aidan Bouman finished the contest 15-for-21 passing for 190 yards and three scores. Charles Pierre Jr. was a dual-threat out of the backfield and had 15 rushes for 173 yards and a score to go with four receptions for 75 yards and a touchdown. Carter Bell and Quaron Adams also hauled in touchdown receptions.

In the first half, UND held a 21-17 edge on the scoreboard at intermission. Seidl scored the first points of the game with a 51-yard touchdown run to give NoDak the early 7-0 lead at the midway point of the first quarter. Later in the quarter, Devin Hembry shut down a Coyote possession with an interception and two plays into the second stanza, UND extended its lead to 14-0 with a four-yard Kupfer touchdown reception. USD trimmed the deficit to 14-10 with 3:19 to go before intermission with a 45-yard field goal from Will Leyland and an 18-yard touchdown pass from Bouman to Bell.

In the closing minutes of the half, Vaughn high-pointed the ball in the left corner of the end zone for a nine-yard touchdown grab to extend the lead to 21-10 with less than a minute before the break. The Coyotes then closed the half with a five-play, 65-yard drive that was capped by a 13-yard touchdown pass from Bouman to Adams. South Dakota scored the first 25 points after intermission to build a 42-21 lead with 10 minutes to go before North Dakota started the comeback.

North Dakota will visit Illinois State on Saturday. The Fighting Hawks and Redbirds are slated to battle at Hancock Stadium at Noon. The game will be streamed exclusively on ESPN+ and will be carried on the Fighting Hawks Radio Network.

Postgame Notes

• North Dakota now leads the all-time series, 64-33-5.
• It was the first win for South Dakota in the history of the Alerus Center and the Coyotes’ first win in Grand Forks since Sept. 21, 1985.
• The loss gives UND its first back-to-back home losses since 2017. The losses during that stretch were to Sacramento State (L, 27-34 on Oct. 21) and Eastern Washington (L, 14-21 on Nov. 11).
• UND is on its first four-game winless skid since 2013.
• South Dakota became just the fifth team to win in the Alerus Center in North Dakota’s last 35 home games.
• The 36 points scored by the Hawks are the most the Coyotes have given up in a game so far this season.
• Quincy Vaughn and Nick Kupfer each recorded their first touchdown receptions of the season.
• Bo Belquist hauled in a touchdown reception with less than a minute to go and is now just two touchdown grabs away from breaking UND’s Division I record in career touchdown receptions. He trials only Greg Hardin (2010-13), who hauled in 31 touchdowns in his career.
• Wyatt Pedigo led the defense with six tackles (all solo).
• North Dakota finished +1.0 in turnover margin.

How It Happened
First Quarter
7:52 – UND | Sawyer Seidl scores on a 51-yard rush. (C.J. Elrichs kick). 5 plays, 68 yards, 1:40.
Second Quarter
14:14 – UND | Nick Kupfer scores on a 4-yard pass from Simon Romfo. (Elrichs kick). 10 plays, 48 yards, 5:27.
9:34 – USD | Will Leyland connects on a 45-yard field goal. 9 plays, 51 yards, 4:35.
3:19 – USD | Carter Bell scores on an 18-yard pass from Aidan Bouman. (Leyland kick). 7 plays, 68 yards, 3:40.
0:57 – UND | Quincy Vaughn scores on a 9-yard pass from Romfo. (Elrichs kick).
0:16 – USD | Quaron Adams scores on a 13-yard pass from Bouman. (Leyland kick). 5 plays, 65 yards, 0:41.
Third Quarter
12:45 – USD | Charles Pierre Jr. scores on a 53-yard pass from Bouman. (Leyland kick). 4 plays, 83 yards, 2:10.
6:05 – USD | Leyland connects on a 40-yard field goal. 5 plays, 24 yards, 2:47.
Fourth Quarter
13:55 – USD | Travis Theis scores on an 8-yard rush. (Conversion successful – Jack Martens rush). 10 plays, 68 yards, 5:24.
9:35 – USD | Pierre Jr. scores on a 76-yard rush. (Leyland kick). 4 plays, 88 yards, 2:27.
5:50 – UND | Romfo scores on a 7-yard rush. (Elrichs kick). 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:45.
0:23 – UND | Bo Belquist scores on a 3-yard pass from Romfo. (Elrichs kick). 4 plays, 80 yards, 0:34.