Letdown? We don’t have to worry about no letdowns in Grand Forks.
Coming off a win over perennial power Montana, UND fans were a bit apprehensive about how their team would play on Saturday. However, the Hawks took care of business from the opening kickoff and blew out Idaho State 52-28 in front of a raucous Potato Bowl crowd of 10,500+. The win moved UND to 2-1 on the season with two more home games in the next couple weeks.
Grand Forks loves themselves a Potato Bowl week. Every year it brings the community alive with all the festivities, culminating in the annual parade and football game. Just an awesome tradition!
This was the most dominant first half of football I can remember. The defense set the tone with multiple turnovers, highlighted by CB Devin Hembry’s electric 92 yard INT return for a touchdown. The roof blew off the place and the Bengals never recovered from the 14-0 deficit.
Idaho State only had 50 yards of offense before their last drive of the first half when it was 38-0 already. They ended the game with 385 yards of offense but frankly, nobody cares. They switched QB’s and to his credit Hunter Hays came in and jump started the Bengal offense. That being said, UND wasn’t exactly playing with the same urgency or game plan at that point. Hays is more of a runner so he did some damage on the ground that wasn’t prepared for. UND prepped for the pocket-passing Kobe Tracy but knocked him out of the game. Tracy was 6-18 for 72 yards.
This Hawks defense is playing like they have a Red Bull IV on the sideline. Much faster, energetic, reactionary, you name it. I have said this a few times, yes, but it is fun to watch as somebody who has watching the UND defense for quite a long time.
OLB Lance Rucker only had one tackle in the game. Oh, but he got a strip sack & fumble recovery in the first half that jacked the crowd into a tizzy. These are the type of one-on-one battles that we have not won over the past couple years. Rucker just blew by the tackle and instinctively swatted the ball out of Tracy’s hand AND fell on it while going down. Unbelievably athletic play from the Omaha native.
These are the types of players that UND needs on the field – twitchy, long, & sudden. I personally don’t care about tackles and never did when I played. Tackles are expected – sacks, hurries, interceptions, & forced fumbles are plays that change games. Find a few guys that will flash a couple times a game and they will also totally change that game. McNeal and Pedigo are forcing that kind of action also this year. QB’s are being harassed consistently and the UND faithful is loving every bit of it.
Transfer Riley Gerhardt gave UND some juice off the edge, picking up a sack. His game is rushing the passer and he did just that on Saturday.
You notice how the crowd is enjoying the fact that UND can run the ball for 3-4 yards minimum most of the time? There is something satisfying to football fans when they know their team can physically manhandle the opponent. Even when it’s only a few yards. They know it will add up over time.
Idaho State had five false starts.
QB Simon Romfo had a slow start but really came on as the rest of the team did. He skipped a couple passes that were certainly not fun to watch. To his credit he kept battling and ended the day with solid numbers – 25-38 for 287 yards and 2 TD. He threw one bad interception on a screen play but take the good with the bad. He found Bo Belquist several times deep down the field, which we have been waiting for.
Speaking of Belquist, another huge day from the New Rockford native. ISU had no answer for him at all. 8 catches for 165 yards and 1 TD. He was open more than he wasn’t it seemed and led the offense like we expect him to.
The Hawks employed four running backs in this one. The great part is they never see a dropoff and all are unique in their running styles. Sawyer Seidl got the most carries this week with Donovan Hunt coming in at the end and showing his breakaway speed. This group is fun to watch – all four running backs got a touchdown!
UND ran the ball 38 times for 155 yards. The Bengals gave some different looks up front that showed they were not going to let UND maul them like in prior games. That led to UND going to the RPO game and getting guys like Caden Dennis involved (6 catches for 40 yards). UND knows these loaded boxes are coming and getting Romfo in sync with his receivers will be paramount.
Special teams seemed on point again in this one. C.J. Elrichs was 7-7 on XP’s and made a 31 yard field goal. Punter Luke Silvernale averaged 41 per punt, long of 46, and had some nice hang time.
I questioned how many points this Hawks offense could score due totheir style. But when you combine offense and defense together and play complimentary football I guess 52 isn’t out of question. Very fun football game to watch – Hawks fans should be excited about this squad.
Now they have to do it again. These next two games (both at home) are the one’s I have pegged as letdown potential (maybe we do have to worry :). The buzz from Montana & the Potato Bowl are hard to match. Playing Pioneer League member San Diego isn’t going to do it. It’s not just the third home game in a row for the team – it’s the third in a row for the Hawks faithful. So it will be up to the staff and senior leadership to generate the juice this week and avoid an upset bid by the Torero’s.