Homecoming is always a festive time on campus – and once again the UND Football team did their part to make it a fun weekend. UND dominated the hapless Western Illinois Leathernecks 49-10 in a game that was never in doubt. This is the type of win that we wanted to see from the Hawks – beat down a inferior opponent and importantly get the backups valuable reps.
Sitting at 3-2 on the season, the Hawks now set their sights on their in-state rivals – The #7 NDSU Bison. Game time is set for 1:00pm inside the friendly confines of the Alerus Center.
Loved the energy from the team on Saturday. No hangover from the SDSU loss. The defense was playing fast and creating havoc in the backfield all game. The offense was methodical in their execution. It wasn’t a flashy performance by any means but UND still scored 49 points.
The offense churned out 461 yards with a near-even split run/pass. It seems like UND is best when they are balanced, making play-action more effective for QB Tommy Schuster.
14 UND players caught a pass in the game!
Schuster was solid on Saturday, going 17-23 for 206 yards. No TD or INT. The long ball wasn’t there in this one as timing was off or it was underthrown. That is something we hoped to see more of when talking during preseason. The guy Tommy is having a hard time connecting with is WR Nate Demontagnac. There were a couple more long attempts in this one that didn’t convert. Has to be frustrating for both of them. The Hawks are going to need big chunk plays vs better defenses, like the one coming to town this weekend.
WIU only converted 4 of their 13 third down chances, which is a much better percentage than the Hawks had been allowing coming in (55%). The Leathernecks converted several third and fourth downs in the first half but UND really clamped down in the second half.
In the second quarter the Leathernecks had one of the most methodical, crazy drives I have ever seen. It was 19 plays – 63 yards and lasted an astounding 12:24! They converted two third down’s and two fourth down’s. Somehow at the end of all that they only kicked a 30 yard field goal. Unbelievable!
The end of the first half was a bit of a mystery to me. UND stopped the Leathernecks on 3rd and 15, then called timeout with 14 seconds left to make them punt. Naturally, I was assuming the Hawks were setting up a punt block or at very least a return. Instead, UND came out in “punt safe”, then fair caught the punt. Huh – why call the timeout if you’re going to do that? Then, UND’s offense comes out runs a quick out to gain some yards near midfield – OK. Next play, Tommy rolls out with clock expiring and throws a crossing route that didn’t connect. Half over. Took me a few minutes to try and digest what just transpired.
The Simon Romfo QB package was highlighted in this one and it didn’t disappoint. We knew Romfo has impressed in practice over the last couple years but UND hasn’t used him much. This week they decided to pull out the “wildcat” stuff in the red zone and it worked well. Romfo ended the day with 4 carries for 34 yard and 2 TD. It’s interesting because he is about the same size as Tommy so it’s not easy to tell when he is in there. Another cool moment was when his brother, Grant, scored the last TD of the game on a four yard run. Big day for Calvin, ND!
There is no question that OC Danny Freund ran the Romfo stuff this week for a reason. Now NDSU needs to take some extra prep time to address it. Do you think you will see Romfo running that same stuff this week? Maybe. But my guess is the variations off of it are coming out vs the Bison. Romfo can throw it pretty well…just saying.
Touchdown Teddy Mullin came up big again on his pick six. WIU tried to run a bubble screen but Mullin read it and picked it off taking it back 33 yards for the touchdown. What was really interesting is how neither WIU receiver could catch him.
The UND defense held the Leathernecks to 206 total yards. QB Matt Morrissey was 19-27 for 145 yards and 1 TD. The UND defense sacked Morrissey six times in the game and harassed him the vast majority of the time. The pressure from the front four was quite noticeable. After awhile UND stopped blitzing linebackers and just relied on those front four vs spread sets.
LB Malachi McNeal had a big game notching three sacks (stats said two but I thought it was three?) and two TFL’s. His ILB counterpart, Wyatt Pedigo, also added a sack and two TFL’s.
UND didn’t punt in the game.
Kicker C.J. Elrichs was 7-7 on extra points. Brady Stevens handled all the kickoff duties.
Time for NDSU week! The Hawks get yet another shot at beating the Bison, this time around it’s as even as it’s as been. Is NDSU favored? For sure. But they are not what they once were. Should be a fun week for the fans and even better for the players! Rivalries are what college athletics is all about.
Photos courtesy of Russell Hons and UND Athletics