CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – No. 15/14 North Dakota (3-2, 1-0 MVFC) ran past Northern Iowa (2-3, 0-1 MVFC), 35-7, inside the UNI-Dome on Saturday evening. The Panthers did not find the end-zone until the final 46 seconds of the game.

North Dakota's defense came up huge in the win, with the opening points of the game coming on a Kaden Vig 63-yard touchdown return after his strip-sack late in the first quarter. The Fighting Hawk defense also created momentum on UNI's first drive of the second half, shutting down a Northern Iowa 4th & 1 attempt at the UND 21. Three plays later, North Dakota's offense cashed in on the momentum and scored in the form of a 77-yard touchdown pass from Jerry Kaminski to B.J. Fleming to bring the tally to 21-0 early in the third quarter. The Fighting Hawk defense only allowed one touchdown, which came on the final Panther drive of the game. It was also UNI's only trip to the red-zone.

Four minutes after Fleming's score brought the tally to 21-0 midway through the third quarter, UND capped a six-play, 69-yard drive with a six-yard scoring reception by Sawyer Seidl after misdirection on a bootleg play. The final UND touchdown of the contest happened midway through the fourth quarter, when Kaminski connected with Deng Deng for the 12-yard score. It was Deng's fifth catch of the season and his fourth red-zone touchdown reception.

In the win, the Hawks logged 422 yards of offense and 246 of those yards came through the air. Kaminski was an impressive 20-for-23 passing for 246 yards and four scores. Kaminski also completed a pass to himself late in the third quarter, which was possible when the ball was deflected by a defender and then caught by Kaminski and returned for a two-yard completion. Kaminski finished the game with completions to 10 different receivers (including himself) and scoring passes to four different players.

Fleming was the most productive receiver and hauled in five grabs for 134 yards and a score. It was his second 100-yard receiving game in his last three contests. Seidl, Deng and DeMontagnac also had touchdown grabs. Gaven Ziebarth paced the backfield with 62 yards on seven touches.

Twenty-six different UND players recorded a tackle in the victory, led by Micheal Devereaux with eight stops (three solo). The defense also recorded six sacks, highlighted by Vig's 63-yard strip-sack which he returned for the touchdown. Vig finished with two sacks, while Lance Rucker was credited with a sack and Emmanuel Olagbaju and Tyler Henry each had half a sack. Vig and Rucker shared the team-lead in tackles-for-loss with 2.5 apiece. Zach Lewis picked off a pass and helped the Hawks finish +1.0 in turnover margin.

North Dakota held a 14-0 lead at intermission. The first points of the game came defensively, when Vig created the strip-sack with 4:07 left in the opening quarter and returned it 63 yards for the score. The only other points of the half came late, when DeMontagnac pulled in a 20-yard touchdown reception with 1:08 to go before the break.

Kaminski had completions to five receivers in the opening 30 minutes and was 13-for-15 passing for 126 yards and a touchdown, while leading the team's rushing attack with 32 yards. Fleming was the top receiver in the half with four grabs for 57 yards. Vig was disruptive and led the defense at intermission with his two sacks.

North Dakota will host Youngstown State at 3 p.m. this Saturday. The game will air on Midco Sports and will be carried on the Fighting Hawks Radio Network.

Postgame Notes

• With the win, North Dakota is 16-26 in the all-time series against Northern Iowa.
• NoDak is 3-1 in the series when the game has been played with both teams in the MVFC. The victory marks the first win in Cedar Falls for UND since a 35-31 thriller on Sept. 9, 2006.
• The game ended an eight-game winless skid on the road for the Fighting Hawks, which dated back to Nov. 4, 2023 (W, 45-31 at Murray State).
• NoDak recorded its biggest margin of victory in an away game since a 42-7 win at Indiana State on Nov. 5, 2022.
• Kaden Vig scored the first points of the game on a 63-yard strip-sack fumble return for touchdown for his first career touchdown. It was the first score by a UND player on a fumble recovery since Devon Krzanowski dove on a loose ball in the end-zone at Southern Illinois on Oct. 16, 2021.
• Ten different Hawks produced a tackle-for-loss in the game, led by Vig and Lance Rucker with 2.5 apiece. Vig also had a team-best two sacks, trailed by Rucker with one.
• Zach Lewis recorded his first interception in a Fighting Hawk uniform.
• Jerry Kaminski had a two-yard completion to himself late in the third quarter. The ball was batted down and caught by Kaminski, then ran for two yards, which goes down as a two-yard reception by NCAA rule.
• Simon Romfo had his first collegiate reception in the form of a seven-yard grab early in the third quarter.
• B.J. Fleming recorded his second 100-yard receiving game in a Fighting Hawk uniform and had his second touchdown grab of more than 75 yards this season, scoring on a 77-yard reception in the third quarter.

How It Happened
First Quarter
4:07 – UND | Kaden Vig scores on the 63-yard fumble return after creating a strip-sack. (C.J. Elrichs kick). 0 plays, 63 yards.
Second Quarter
1:08 – UND | Nate DeMontagnac scores on a 20-yard pass from Jerry Kaminski. (Elrichs kick). 7 plays, 84 yards, 2:03.
Third Quarter
8:32 – UND | B.J. Fleming scores on a 77-yard pass from Kaminski. (Elrichs kick). 3 plays, 79 yards, 1:17.
4:29 – UND | Sawyer Seidl scores on a 6-yard pass from Kaminski. (Elrichs kick). 6 plays, 69 yards, 2:40.
Fourth Quarter
6:23 – UND | Denge Deng scores on a 12-yard pass from Kaminski. (Elrichs kick). 5 plays, 66 yards, 2:19.
0:46 – UNI | Derek Anderson scores on a 9-yard pass from Matthew Schecklman. (Max Bartacheck kick). 14 plays, 76 yards, 5:31.

For more information on North Dakota football, follow on social media @UNDfootball or visit FightingHawks.com.