MURRAY, Ky. – No. 13/18 North Dakota (7-4, 5-2 MVFC) was victorious, 35-17, at Murray State (0-11, 0-8 MVFC) on Saturday afternoon. Jonnie Wiltshire's defense led to a pair of scores in the second half to help propel the Fighting Hawks to victory.

It was a tale of two halves, with the Racers leading 9-7 at intermission and the Fighting Hawks outscoring the racers 28-8 in the second half. After trailing 9-7 at intermission, Sawyer Seidl scored on a three-yard touchdown scamper on UND's first possession of the second half to give the Hawks the lead at 14-9. It was a lead UND would never relinquish.

On MSU's second offensive possession of the third quarter, Wiltshire pushed the lead to 21-9 on a 30-yard pix-six. Then, early in the fourth quarter, Wiltshire showed up again and forced a Racer fumble which was recovered by Montre Samuels-Parker. Six plays after the turnover, Colton Brunell ran in the first touchdown of his collegiate career with a one-yard scoring rush to bring the tally to 28-9 early in the fourth quarter. On the play prior, Jerry Kaminski found Deng Deng for a 30-yard pass to help set up the score.

With less than six minutes to go in the game, Murray State scored on an eight-yard touchdown rush and successfully converted on the two-point attempt. Five plays later, Kaminski slammed the doors shut on any hopes of a Racer comeback with a 28-yard touchdown run to bring the final to 35-17.

North Dakota finished the game with 344 yards of offense, led by 213 yards on the ground. Seidl paced the rushing attack with 96 yards and a score on 22 attempts. Brunell and Kaminski also had touchdown runs in the victory.

Kaminski went 11-for-18 passing for 131 yards and a touchdown, while surrendering one interception. He also added 79 yards rushing. B.J. Fleming was his top target with four grabs for 61 yards and a touchdown.

Wiltshire led the defensive pressure with a pair of sacks, a forced fumble and an interception to go with one quarterback hurry and eight total tackles (seven solo). Zach Lewis posted a game-high 12 tackles (11 solo stops). As a unit, the Hawks finished with five sacks and seven tackles-for-loss.

North Dakota trailed 9-7 at intermission. Both teams had 129 yards of offense in the half. Murray State controlled the clock with 18:41 minutes of possession and only allowed three offensive drives for the Fighting Hawks in the half. The Racers were also +1.0 in turnover margin in the opening 30 minutes.

On the lone UND possession of the first quarter, B.J. Fleming capped a 91-yard drive with a 15-yard touchdown grab. Kaminski was 3-for-3 passing that drive for 58 yards and the touchdown pass.

In the second quarter, the Racers picked off Kaminski to set up their first scoring drive and then made the Hawks turn the ball over on downs on their final possession of the half. MSU's Jack Tannehill went 3-for-3 on field goals in the quarter to help Murray State gain a 9-7 edge on the scoreboard at intermission. Tannehill connected on field goals of 33 yards, 36 yards and 41 yards. His last kick of the half came from 41 yards out with three seconds remaining in the half.

North Dakota host No. 16/15 South Dakota State at 1 p.m. this Saturday in the final game of the regular season. The game will be televised on Midco Sports and carried on the Fighting Hawks Radio Network.

Postgame Notes

• North Dakota is now 3-0 in the all-time series with Murray State.
• It was a tale of two halves with the Racers leading 9-7 at intermission and the Fighting Hawks winning the second half by a 28-8 margin.
• Jonnie Wiltshire recorded his first interception and touchdown as a Fighting Hawk. He also forced a fumble to help the Fighting Hawks finish the game +1.0 in turnover margin.
• Wiltshire also led the defensive pressure with a pair of sacks and a quarterback hurry to go with eight tackles (seven solo). As a unit, UND's defense amassed five sacks and seven tackles-for-loss.
• Colton Brunell scored the first rushing touchdown of his collegiate career.
• UND had only three possessions in the opening 30 minutes and Murray State controlled the clock with 18:41 minutes of possession. MSU only ended up edging UND in possession time 30:28 to 29:32 by the end of the game.

How It Happened
First Quarter
5:35 – UND | B.J. Fleming scores on a 15-yard pass from Jerry Kaminski. (Kenten Laughman kick). 10 plays, 91 yards, 5:27.
Second Quarter
13:17 – MSU | Jack Tannehill connects on a 33-yard field goal. 14 plays, 58 yards, 7:11.
6:10 – MSU | Tannehill connects on a 36-yard field goal. 11 plays, 31 yards, 6:21.
0:03 – MSU | Tannehill connects on a 41-yard field goal. 7 plays, 39 yards, 1:04.
Third Quarter
10:17 – UND | Sawyer Seidl scores on a 3-yard rush. (Laughman kick). 12 plays, 61 yards, 4:37.
6:56 – UND | Jonnie Wiltshire scores on a 30-yard interception return. (Laughman kick).
Fourth Quarter
10:22 – UND | Colton Brunell scores on a 1-yard rush. (Laughman kick). 6 plays, 42 yards, 3:07.
5:54 – MSU | Baxter Wright scores on an 8-yard rush. (Conversion pass successful). 11 plays, 63 yards, 4:23.
3:08 – UND | Kaminski scores on a 28-yard rush. (Laughman kick). 5 plays, 47 yards, 2:45.

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