GRAND FORKS, N.D. – North Dakota posted an emphatic victory on Senior Day, knocking off Northern Colorado 45-14 Saturday at the Alerus Center in the team's final home game of the season. It was the fifth-straight Senior Day win for UND (6-4, 4-3 BSC), who improved to 4-1 on its home field this season.

It was a complete team effort as the defense forced five turnovers and allowed only 275 yards to a UNC team (5-5, 3-5 BSC) that was coming off a 35-32 upset of No. 9 Portland State last Saturday. UND's offense did its part by racking up a season-high of 558 total yards and not committing a turnover in what was the team's largest margin of victory in a conference game since moving to the Division I level in 2008.

“As even as our league is this season, if you can win the turnover battle, get a defensive score and keep moving the chains, most of the time you are going to get a positive result. That is what happened today,” UND head coach Bubba Schweigert said. “I'm really prorud of our seniors and glad we could send them off with a nice win at home.”

Freshman John Santiago had touchdown runs of 49 and 81 yards in the first half and finished the game with 12 carries for 180 yards to move into fifth place on UND's single-season regular season rushing charts with 1,342. Santiago's first-half efforts combined with those of classmate Iwarri Smith (14 for 100 yards) and sophomore Kyle Norberg (15 for 80) helped UND put together its second-straight game with more than 400 rushing yards.

His 81-yard touchdown run midway through the second quarter was the longest of the season for the Andover, Minn., native and put UND ahead 28-0. It was also the final carry of the day for Santiago whose 13th rushing touchdown of the season also gave him his seventh-straight 100-yard rushing game in Big Sky play and eighth of the season.

Sophomore Keaton Studsrud had the most efficient passing day of his young career, completing 13-of-16 passes for 141 yards. His lone touchdown pass went to senior tight end Zach Adler early in the second quarter, capping a 17-play, 98-yard drive that saw the signal caller go 7-for-8 for 76 yards through the air.

Junior linebacker Brian Labat led the big day for a UND defense that played its best 60 minutes of the season. Labat opened the scoring onslaught for the home team by returning his first interception of the season 35 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter. It was the first defensive score of the season for UND, who only allowed two fourth-quarter touchdowns after taking a 45-0 lead into the final stanza.

Labat would also register a quarterback hurry that resulted in another interception that Santiago quickly turned into six points with a 49-yard carry on the next play. The Detroit Lakes, Minn., native also recovered a fumble midway through the second quarter that UND turned into six more points on a drive that ended with a 19-yard touchdown run by Norberg.

Then, on the final play of the first half, he knocked the Bears out of field goal range with a sack and forced fumble that resulted in a 20-yard loss for UNC.

Smith did all of his running in the second half after reserve Brady Oliveira went down with an injury. He came in and carried a career-high 14 times, including his first collegiate touchdown on a 35-yard burst up the middle.

UND will conclude regular-season play next Saturday with its final Big Sky game at Cal Poly. It will be the team's first visit to Cal Poly as a league member as the squad looks for win No. 7 on the season to keep its FCS playoff hopes alive.

GAME NOTES: Captains for today's games were seniors Zach Adler, Brandon Anderson, Dayo Idowu … The team honored those four and their nine senior teammates in a special pre-game ceremony … UND won its fifth-straight home finale and finished the home schedule with a 4-1 record … A week after setting a record for most points scored in a Big Sky game with 44 against Montana State, UND topped that with 45 in Saturday's win over Northern Colorado … The offense also racked up a season-high 558 yards of offense and put together its second-straight game with more than 400 rushing yards (408) … The defense forced a season-high five turnovers and have combined to force 11 turnovers in the last two victories over Northern Colorado … The defense has forced nine turnovers in the last two games after forcing just five in the first eight games of the season … Junior Brian Labat scored the team's first defensive touchdown since the Montana game in 2014 (Oct. 4; INT return by Chris Brown) … Senior Will Ratelle had the first interception of his career in the second quarter and with six tackles is one shy of his second-straight 100-tackle campaign … Ratelle now sits ninth on UND's all-time charts with 255 career tackles in regular-season play … True freshman John Santiago rushed 12 times for 180 yards and two touchdowns to bring his season total to 1,342 yards, which is the fifth-highest regular-season total in program history … Santiago has rushed for more than 100 yards in all seven Big Sky games this season and eight total on the season … His two rushing scores pushed his season total to 13 in that category, which is the tied for the sixth most in a regular season in UND history … With 196 all-purpose yards, Santiago pushed his season total to 1,963 in that category, which is the second most by a UND player in regular-season games (Greg Hardin holds the record at 2,017; set in 2013) … True freshman Iwarri Smith rushed a career-high 14 times for a career-high 100 yards and scored his first collegiate touchdown on a 35-yard run … Sophomore Kyle Norberg added a career-high 80 yards on 15 carries and scored his first touchdown of the season on a 19-yard run in the second quarter … Sophomore Deion Harris had his second interception of the season … Classmate Jake Disterhaupt forced the first fumble of the game and registered his team-leading fourth sack on the play.

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