SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- No. 21/24 North Dakota buried Sacramento State 40-7 in Big Sky play Saturday, ruining the Hornets Homecoming en route to its fourth-straight victory. The Fighting Hawks (4-2, 3-0 BSC) put the game away with a dominating first half and started 3-0 in league play for the first time since joining the Big Sky in 2012.
"We were able to run the football effectively and get some good defensive stops in the first half," UND head coach Bubba Schweigert said. "We gave up one explosive play in the first half, but really controlled both lines of scrimmage after that and were able to score some points and build a nice lead at halftime. We wanted to come out and score first in the second half and we were also able to do that."
The visitors racked up 369 total yards in the first half and built a 27-0 lead on the strength of four rushing touchdowns. Studsrud, who had 93 first-half rushing yards, had the first two rushing scores, finding the end zone on a 6-yard run and a 40-yard run before sophomores John Santiago and Brady Oliveira took their turns scoring.
Santiago, who came off the bench for the first time in his career after missing most of last week with an injury, scored on a 26-yard run, then Oliveira, who got the start, scooted in from 17 yards out in the closing minute to push the lead to 27.
While the offense was rolling, the defense was doing the same on its side of the ball limiting the home team to 126 total yards in those opening 30 minutes.
Oliveira opened the second-half scoring with a 1-yard touchdown run and finished with his third-straight 100-yard rushing game, carrying 18 times for 111 yards. Studsrud added the second of his career, finishing with seven carries for 100 yards and adding a 15-for-23 effort for 203 yards through the air.
Redshirt freshman Austin Gordon used a 76-yard run late in the fourth quarter to give UND a trio of 100-yard rushers as the visitors finished with a season-high 422 yards on the ground. Gordon wrapped up his night with 11 carries for a career-high 102 yards. Santiago added eight carries for 76 yards and his 21st-career touchdown. UND's five rushing touchdowns were the most for the squad since posting six in the 2013 season opener in a 69-10 victory over Valparaiso.
The Hornets broke into the scoring column on a 14-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, but those would be the only points the home team could muster. UND's defense ended up holding the Hornets to just 272 yards of total offense, which was a season-low by an opponent. The seven points were also the fewest a Big Sky team has scored on UND in a league game.
Reid Taubenheim added a pair of field goals in the fourth quarter as the Fighting Hawks closed out a 40-7 victory. The 33-point victory was the largest margin of victory against a Big Sky opponent and the seven points by the Hornets were the lowest allowed by UND to a Big Sky opponent.
UND returns home next weekend to host Southern Utah in the 100th UND Homecoming Celebration.
GAME NOTES: Game captains were Luke Mathewson, Connor O'Brien, Cole Reyes and Keaton Studsrud … Senior defensive end Noah Johnson returned to where his collegiate career began … Johnson, who had a sack and a forced fumble in the contest, spent two seasons at Sacramento State … The four-game winning streak is the first for UND under head coachBubba Schweigert and first for the program since closing out 2011 with four straight triumphs … UND also started 3-0 in Big Sky play for the first time since joining the league in 2012 … The win over the Hornets marked the second time this season UND defeated a team on its Homecoming (17-15 at Montana State; Sept. 24) … UND finished with a season-high in total offense (625), rushing yards (422) and rushing touchdowns (5) ... Junior De'mun Mercer had season-highs with three catches for 57 yards, including season-long, 41-yard reception … Studsrud finished with the second 100-yard rushing game of his career (7-100, 2 TDs) and 15-for-23 through the air for 203 yards … Sophomore Brady Oliveira now has three-straight, 100-yard rushing games after rushing 18 times for 111 yards and two touchdowns … True freshman Evan Holm had the first interception of his career and UND has at least one pick in the last five games … The special teams blocked their first kick of the season when Dylan Bakker deflected a field goal try by SAC in the first quarter.
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