GRAND FORKS, N.D.--For the fifth consecutive season ? and sixth time in seven years ? the Fighting Sioux football team has a postseason date with two-time defending national champion Grand Valley State.
UND got rushing touchdowns from four different players while the Sioux defense held Winona State's high-powered offense off of the scoreboard in a 44-2 win over the Warriors this afternoon in the first round of the NCAA postseason.
The third-seeded Sioux will now travel to Allendale, Mich., to face No. 2 seed and top-ranked Grand Valley State next Saturday, marking the third straight year UND will face the Lakers at Lubbers Stadium.
The year's Sioux squad advanced to the second round with a potent ground game and a stingy defense. UND racked up 298 yards rushing, while limiting the Warriors to 28 yards on the ground and just 236 yards of total offense.
Sioux sophomore running back Ryan Chappell (Grand Forks), who ran for a UND playoff record 265 yards and five touchdowns against WSU a year ago in the playoffs, followed a similar script today. Chappell carried 19 times for 176 yards and two touchdowns, with both touchdowns coming in the first half when he rattled off 143 yards on 14 carries.
Chappell's first score ? an eight yard scamper on UND's opening possession ? capped off an efficient 65-yard drive in which all five Sioux plays resulted in a first down.
UND appeared to have stretched the lead to 14-0 on their next possession, but penalties resulted in the Sioux having a touchdown called back twice in the span of three plays. First, Chappell had a 25-yard scoring run nullified by an illegal shift penalty on the Sioux, then freshman Josh Murray (Pepin, Wis.) had a 20-yard touchdown run wiped out by a holding call. The Sioux eventually settled for a 41-yard Brandon Hellevang (So., Fargo, N.D.) field goal to lead 1-0 after the first quarter.
Hellevang added a 19-yard boot four minutes into the second quarter, then Chappell found the end zone for the second time on UND's next possession, rattling off a 17-yard touchdown to make it 20-0 Sioux with 6:46 remaining.
The Warriors finally got on the scoreboard late in the half, albeit in a rather unconventional manner. Facing 3rd-and-long from his own 1-yard line, Sioux quarterback Danny Freund (Kenosha, Wis.) inadvertently threw a pass at one of his offensive lineman while escaping pressure, resulting in an intentional grounding penalty and a safety for the Warriors.
Those would be the only points on the day for the Warriors, who came into the game averaging 480 yards of total offense per game.
Senior receiver Weston Dressler (Bismarck, N.D.), Freund and freshman Steven Battle (Amesbury, Mass.) each found the end zone along the ground in the second half, and Hellevang added his third field goal from 24 yards.
UND's defense was especially strong in the second half, limiting the Warriors to just 92 yards of offense.
After Chappell's standout first half, it was the freshman Battle who took a bow in the game's final 30 minutes, finishing the day with 80 yards on 19 carries, including the first touchdown of his career.
Freund finished 18-of-26 passing for 221 yards and was intercepted once. Sophomore Brady Trenbeath (Cavalier, N.D.) was his top target, catching six passes for 98 yards. Dressler added four catches for 36 yards, and Chappell had three catches for 45 yards.
On the other side of the ball, WSU quarterback Drew Aber went 19-for-41 yards and 208 yards, and was intercepted once, a key Drake Otto (Jr., Kenosha, Wis.) pick in the end zone in the third quarter.
The win improves UND to 10-1 on the season, while the Warriors finish their season at 10-2.
Notes: UND is now 10-0 all-time in playoff games at the Alerus Center ... The victory was the 90th at UND for head coach Dale Lennon, tying him with predecessor and current NCC commissioner Roger Thomas as the winningest coach in Sioux history ... Chappell has set a UND single-season record with 2,172 yards, breaking the record that was set in each of the last two seasons by teammate Dressler ... Chappell's 1,632 rushing yards this season are the third-most in UND single-season history, topped only by Phillip Moore (1,771 in 1997 and 1,722 in 1998) ... In two career games against Winona State, Chappell has rushed 35 times for 441 yards and seven touchdowns, averaging 12.6 yards per carry ... The Sioux were 8-for-8 in the red zone while the Warriors were held scoreless in two trips.
