GRAND FORKS, N.D. — North Dakota scored on three consecutive drives in the first half and kept South Dakota State at bay for most of the afternoon as the Fighting Hawks prevailed, 21-10, in a battle of ranked Missouri Valley Football Conference squads Saturday at the Alerus Center.
UND, ranked 11th in the Stats Perform Football Championship Subdivision media poll and 15th by the American Football Coaches Association, improved to 6-2 overall and 3-1 in league play. The top-ranked Jackrabbits fell to 5-2 overall and 2-1 in the MVFC.
After being forced to punt on its first two drives, UND cracked the scoring column late in the opening quarter with a seven-play, 64-yard march that ended with a 35-yard touchdown pass from Jerry Kaminski to Cameron Weir.
The Fighting Hawks tacked on two more touchdowns in the second quarter to build a 21-0 lead. Charles Langama broke through the middle of the line for a 49-yard touchdown run and Kaminski threw for his second touchdown of the day by connecting with Deng Deng on a 12-yard pass to finish off an eight-play, 61-yard drive that was aided by a Jackrabbit personal foul penalty.
The Jackrabbits attempted to shift the momentum late in the first half when linebacker Chase Van Tol forced a fumble and defensive end Reis Kirschenman fell on the loose ball at the UND 34. SDSU picked up one first down before settling for a 30-yard field goal Tristan Alvano with 22 seconds remaining in the second stanza.
SDSU followed with what would be its lone touchdown drive to open the second half. James Basinger again put his big-play ability on display with a 63-yard scamper to the left on the Jackrabbits’ third play from scrimmage.
The Jackrabbit defense held UND scoreless in the second half, but the Fighting Hawks were able to churn out enough first downs to keep the clock moving while SDSU had a pair of its offensive drives stall in opposing territory.
An illegal block penalty by the Jackrabbits with the ball at the UND 22 killed a third-quarter drive and a 46-yard field goal attempt in the waning moments of the fourth quarter that would have made it a one-score game was off the mark.
SDSU ended the afternoon with a 326-291 advantage in total offense. Basinger led the rushing attack with 101 yards on 11 carries while Josiah Johnson added 54 yards on 17 carries. Quarterback Chase Mason, who was seeing his first action since Sept. 19 against Youngstown State, completed 14-of-33 passes for 169 yards. Jack Smith (62 yards), Grahm Goering (47) and Coleman Kuntz (39) shared team-high honors in receptions with four each.
For UND, Matt Lawson was the top ground-gainer with 99 yards on 24 carries. Langama tallied 60 yards on six attempts, with Kaminski connecting on 10-of-16 passes for 116 yards. Deng led the Fighting Hawks in catches with four for 40 yards.
Dontay Johnson and Jes Krcil each registered 12 tackles for the Jackrabbits, followed by Cullen McShane with 10 stops. Tyler Erkman paced UND with eight tackles.
UP NEXT
The Jackrabbits return home Oct. 24 for the annual Hobo Day game. Kickoff versus Murray State is slated for 2 p.m. at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium.
NOTES
- UND leads the all-time series, 48-39-5, and ended a five-game winning streak by SDSU in the series
- SDSU has scored on its opening drive of the second half in six of seven games this season (five touchdowns, one field goal)
- UND became the first FCS team to score in the first quarter against the Jackrabbits this season
- Saturday’s game marked the Jackrabbits’ first afternoon start of the season after six night games
- Basinger now has six touchdown runs of 20 or more yards this season
- Basinger topped the century mark for the third time this season
- The Jackrabbits converted 4-of-15 third-down attempts and were 1-for-3 on fourth-down plays
- Dontay Johnson notched double figures in tackles for the second consecutive game after a 13-tackle performance at Illinois State on Oct. 3
- Krcil matched his best performance as a Jackrabbit with his 12 stops
- SDSU has scored 48 points off 11 opponent turnovers this season
- Attendance was 12,922
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