during a NCAA Football game between the Valparaiso Beacons and the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks on Saturday, September 20, 2025 at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks, ND. By Russell Hons
Russell Hons
7
Valparaiso VAL 1-3 , 0-0
58
Winner North Dakota UND 2-2 , 0-0
Valparaiso VAL
1-3 , 0-0
7
Final
58
North Dakota UND
2-2 , 0-0
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
VAL Valparaiso 0 0 7 0 7
UND North Dakota 7 17 24 10 58

Game Recap: Football | | Tyler Wells, FightingHawks.com

No. 16/17 North Dakota routs Valparaiso on Homecoming, 58-7

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – No. 16/17 North Dakota (2-2) routed Valparaiso (1-3), 58-7, during Homecoming inside the Alerus Center on Saturday afternoon. After VU's lone touchdown coming out of halftime, UND scored the next 34 points and cruised to victory.

The Beacons scored their only points of the game on a 67-yard pass after halftime and then Sawyer Seidl slammed the doors shut on any hope of a Valpo comeback with a 92-yard touchdown return on the following kickoff. Two of UND's scores after that point were setup by John Butsch blocked punts, while Jy Martin jumpstarted a drive with an interception.

In the game, North Dakota racked up 448 yards of offense on 70 plays and held Valparaiso to 159 yards offensively on 55 snaps. The Hawks went a perfect 6-for-6 in the red-zone and did not allow the Beacons to reach the red-zone in the game.

Seidl recorded a trio of touchdowns, scoring the opening points on a seven-yard rush and then added a 20-yard receiving touchdown before intermission. He also scored on a 92-yard kickoff return following Valpo's lone touchdown. Seidl finished with a game-high 168 all-purpose yards, highlighted by 101 yards on kick returns.

Four Fighting Hawks saw time at quarterback in the win. Jerry Kaminski led the QBs and went 13-for-19 passing for 172 yards and a pair of scores. Eleven different Hawks caught passes in the game, with Nate DeMontagnac hauling in a team-best four grabs for 50 yards. Xavier Leigh paced the backfield and netted 64 yards on eight touches and had his first score in a UND uniform on a 23-yard rush midway through the third stanza.

UND held a 14-0 lead at the two minute timeout before intermission and then had a scoring flurry of 10 points to lead 24-0 at the break. With 55 seconds to go before halftime, Seidl found the end-zone for the second time of the afternoon, this time on a 20-yard reception. As time expired in the half, C.J. Elrichs extended the lead with a 38-yard field goal.

Prior to the scoring flurry, Seidl scored the first points of the game on a seven-yard rush at the midway point of the opening quarter. Deng Deng then caught a two-yard pass early in the second stanza to get the score to 14-0.

After intermission, UND had a scoring explosion in the second half and scored touchdowns in the form of Seidl's 92-yard kick return, a Simon Romfo five-yard rush, a Leigh 23-yard run and a Javance Tupou'ata-Johnson five-yard rush. Elrichs also drilled a pair of field goals in the final 30 minutes and finished the afternoon a perfect 3-for-3 kicking.

North Dakota will be off next weekend before visiting Northern Iowa at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 4. The game will air on ESPN+ and will be carried on the Fighting Hawks Radio Network.

Postgame Notes
  • North Dakota is now 2-1 in the all-time series against Valparaiso.
  • UND moved to 70-32-4 all-time in games played on Homecoming.
  • NoDak was a perfect 6-for-6 in the red-zone, while not allowing Valpo to reach the red-zone.
  • The Fighting Hawks opted to go for a two-point conversion after their second touchdown of the afternoon. It was unsuccessful and ultimately caught by Liam Becher after the Beacons pressured Simon Romfo. The play was originally penalized for illegal touching, but after review, it was discovered Valparaiso touched the ball first before it was caught. Becher was still an illegal receiver downfield, so that penalty was enforced but allowed a replay of the down, which was successfully converted by C.J. Elrichs when UND opted to kick.
  • John Butsch blocked a pair of punts in the third quarter and became the first UND player to block two kicks of any kind since Spencer Cummings blocked two field goals in the 16-13 win over Robert Morris on Sept. 6, 2014.
  • Sawyer Seidl became the first Hawk to score on a rush, reception and kickoff return since Luke Skokna in the 49-24 win over North Dakota State on Oct. 14, 2024.
  • Jerry Kaminski, Simon Romfo, Javance Tupou'ata-Johnson and Jack Sulik all spent time at quarterback. Sulik had his first career snaps at QB as a Fighting Hawk.
  • Jimmie Maxson III and Keegan Ryan recorded their first career catches in the win.
  • Malachi McNeal paced the defense with six total tackles, while Lance Rucker recorded the lone sack of the contest.
  • Elrichs went 3-for-3 on field goal attempts.
How It Happened
First Quarter
7:45 – UND | Sawyer Seidl scores on a 7-yard rush. (C.J. Elrichs kick). 10 plays, 85 yards, 5:07.
Second Quarter
9:40 – UND | Deng Deng scores on a 2-yard pass from Jerry Kaminski. (Elrichs kick). 8 plays, 59 yards, 4:21.
0:55 – UND | Seidl scores on a 20-yard pass from Kaminski. (Elrichs kick). 6 plays, 57 yards, 1:22.
0:00 – UND | Elrichs connects on a 38-yard field goal. 4 plays, 30 yards, 0:21.
Third Quarter
11:59 – VU | Rowan Keefe scores on a 67-yard pass from Micah Mackay. (Luke Scoma kick). 3 plays, 80 yards, 0:56.
11:47 – UND | Seidl scores on a 92-yard kick return. (Elrichs kick). 0 plays, 92 yards.
7:40 – UND | Simon Romfo scores on a 5-yard rush. (Elrichs kick). 5 plays, 44 yards, 2:26.
6:56 – UND | Xavier Leigh scores on a 23-yard rush. (Elrichs kick). 2 plays, 27 yards, 0:35.
4:10 – UND | Elrichs connects on a 38-yard field goal. 4 plays, 0 yards, 0:49.
Fourth Quarter
13:27 – UND | Elrichs connects on a 32-yard field goal. 9 plays, 48 yards, 3:20.
12:07 – UND | Javance Tupou'ata-Johnson scores on a 5-yard rush. (Elrichs kick). 1 play, 5 yards, 0:05.

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