GRAND FORKS, N.D. ? Nebraska-Omaha junior tailback Brian McNeill ran for 233 yards and three touchdowns to lead the sixth-ranked Mavericks over second-ranked North Dakota in a North Central Conference football game on Saturday.
O'Neill scored on a 79-yard touchdown run just 16 seconds into the game on Nebraska-Omaha's second play from scrimmage, added a 2-yard touchdown run in the second quarter and sealed the win for the Mavericks with a 39-yard scamper with 1:34 to play.
Nebraska-Omaha raised its record to 6-0 overall and 4-0 in the NCC. UND fell to 6-1 overall and 4-1 in the NCC.
It was only the sixth loss in 50 home games at the Alerus Center for UND. Three of those losses have come to Nebraska-Omaha, which is 3-1 in four appearances at the Alerus Center.
The game was close throughout, and the teams combined for 905 yards of total offense (492 UND, 413 Nebraska-Omaha). It was the first time in seven games that UND has not had 500 yards in total offense.
UND quarterback Danny Freund (Jr., Kenosha, Wis.) threw for 366 yards and two touchdowns on the day, completing 27 of 45 passes while being intercepted once.
Fighting Sioux wide receiver Weston Dressler (Sr., Bismarck, N.D.) had 11 receptions for 192 yards and a touchdown, and fellow UND receiver Brady Trenbeath (So., Cavalier, N.D.) caught 10 passes for 115 yards and a touchdown. UND running back Ryan Chappell (So., Grand Forks, N.D.) had 99 yards rushing on 21 carries.
Nebraska-Omaha quarterback Zach Miller had 88 yards rushing on 15 carries.
After McNeill's touchdown run on the Mavericks' opening drive, UND moved the ball to UNO's 16-yard line, but the Fighting Sioux drive ended when UNO defensive tackle Rob Lewis made a leaping interception of a Danny Freund (Jr., Kenosha, Wis.) pass.
After forcing a Nebraska-Omaha punt, UND scored on a 52-yard pass play Freund to Dressler. Freund was in the grasp of a Mavericks defender on the play, but managed to throw a deep ball down the middle of the field to Dressler, who outraced the UNO secondary to get to the end zone.
After the teams traded punts, Nebraska-Omaha capped off a 10-play, 80-yard drive with McNeill's 2-yard touchdown run.
UND answered when Freund hit Trenbeath on an 8-yard score to make it 14-14 with 9:53 to play in the second quarter.
The tie was short-lived, however, as the Mavericks scored less than two minutes later on a 30-yard pass from quarterback Zach Miller to wide receiver Keith Eloi. That made the score 21-14.
After the UNO touchdown, UND came right back on a long drive of its own, moving to the Mavericks' 6-yard line. The Sioux drive ended there, though, on an incomplete pass on 4th and 2.
The first half ended with Nebraska-Omaha leading 21-14.
North Dakota cut the Mavericks lead to 21-17 on a 21-yard field goal by Brandon Hellevang (So., Fargo, N.D.) on the last play of the third quarter.
After stopping Nebraska-Omaha on its first drive of the fourth quarter, the Sioux moved 53 yards in six plays to the Mavericks' 20-yard line, but on 4th and 1, UNO senior safety Randy Kush stopped Chappell for a 1-yard loss.
The teams traded punts and then McNeill capped off the scoring with a 39-yard run with 1:34 to play.
Defensively, Kush led all players with 12 tackles, 11 of which were solo. UND was led by linebacker Bobby Stroup (So., Fargo, N.D.) and cornerback Joel Schwenzfeier (Fr., Hallock, Minn.), each of whom had six tackles.
NOTES: Attendance at the game was 11,563 ... On the UND drive that ended with Hellevang's field goal, UND had a 79-yard touchdown run by Chappell nullified by a holding penalty ... North Dakota is off next week and plays its next game on Oct. 27 at Minnesota Duluth.
