090625_FB_Scott vs. PSU
Leighton Chamblee
20
Portland St. PSU 0-3 , 0-0
50
Winner North Dakota UND 1-1 , 0-0
Portland St. PSU
0-3 , 0-0
20
Final
50
North Dakota UND
1-1 , 0-0
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
PSU Portland St. 6 0 7 7 20
UND North Dakota 22 14 7 7 50

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

No. 20/22 NoDak uses first-half surge to defeat Portland State, 50-20

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – No. 20/22 North Dakota (1-1) had 15 points on the scoreboard before the defense saw the field and never looked back, beating Portland State, 50-20, inside the Alerus Center in the 59th annual Potato Bowl USA Game on Saturday night.

In the win, the Fighting Hawks finished +2.0 in turnover margin and rolled up 446 yards of total offense. UND's defense held PSU to 228 offensive yards and limited the Vikings to just 82 yards rushing. 

Jerry Kaminski went 14-for-21 passing for 164 yards and four touchdown passes, while adding a game-high 70 yards on the ground and a rushing touchdown. Javance Tupou'ata-Johnson also saw time at quarterback and rushed 10 times for 68 yards and a score. Gaven Ziebarth also punched in a rushing touchdown late in the first half.

Ten different Hawks caught passes in the win, led by Nathan Hromadka with three grabs for 41 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Xavier Leigh was the next-best receiver and had three catches for 37 yards. Deng Deng and Tray Kuntz both recorded their first career receiving touchdowns.

Hromadka got the scoring started, capping the first drive with a five-yard touchdown reception on a pass from Kaminski. On the following kickoff, Jett Sutton raced down the field and forced a fumble, which was recovered by Grant Noland. Four plays later, Kaminski ran untouched into the end-zone for the seven-yard score. The Fighting Hawks then caught the Vikings off-guard on the conversion attempt and Simon Romfo converted the two-point conversion with his legs to bring the score to 15-0 less than seven minutes into the game.

With five minutes to go in the opening half, Deng scored his first touchdown as a Fighting Hawk on a four-yard pass from Kaminski to bring the tally to 22-0. Portland State trimmed the lead to 22-6 by the end of the first quarter after scoring on a 34-yard pass and Lance Rucker blocked the extra point.

In the second stanza, Jy Martin picked off a Viking pass and Hromadka scored his second touchdown of the night on a 20-yard reception five plays later. Ziebarth scored the final points of the half on a five-yard rush following an Avery Scott interception and the UND lead ballooned to 36-6 by intermission.

At the break, UND had 276 yards of offense, highlighted by 144 yards through the air. The Fighting Hawk defense held the Vikings to 106 yards and limited them to just 32 yards rushing. The Fighting Hawks were +3.0 in turnovers in the first 30 minutes.

In the second half, Kuntz scored on a four-yard pass from Kaminski to extend the lead to 43-6. Tupou'ata-Johnson was the final Hawk to score and ran in a two-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter before the final whistle sounded at 50-20.

North Dakota will visit No. 6/10 Montana on Saturday and the game will kick off at 2 p.m. (CT). The contest will air on Midco Sports and will be carried on the Fighting Hawks Radio Network.

Postgame Notes
  • North Dakota is now 7-2 in the all-time series with Portland State and a perfect 5-0 in games played between the two squads in Grand Forks.
  • The win extends UND's nation-leading home opening win streak to 39 wins.
  • UND is 47-12 in Potato Bowl USA Games. The Fighting Hawks are on a six-game winning streak in the game.
  • NoDak has now won 31 of its last 36 games inside the Alerus Center.
  • North Dakota is 13-5 in its Division I history when kicking off after 5 p.m. in Grand Forks.
  • The 50 points were the most UND has scored in its Division I history in a home opener over a scholarship team.
  • Nathan Hromadka (2), Deng Deng and Tray Kuntz caught their first career touchdown passes, while Javance Tupou'ata-Johnson recorded his first career rushing score.
  • Grant Noland recovered a fumble for the first time as a Fighting Hawk after a Jett Sutton forced fumble on PSU's first kick return.
  • Avery Scott and Jy Martin each picked off a pass.
  • Colton Brunell recorded his first career carries.
How It Happened
First Quarter
10:37 – UND | Nathan Hromadka scores on a 5-yard pass from Jerry Kaminski. (C.J. Elrichs kick). 9 plays, 61 yards, 4:17.
8:43 – UND | Kaminski scores on a 7-yard rush. (Simon Romfo conversion). 4 plays, 17 yards, 1:49.
4:36 – UND | Deng Deng scores on a 4-yard pass from Kaminski. (Elrichs kick). 6 plays, 61 yards, 3:05.
0:48 – PSU | Jaylen Lynch scores on a 34-yard pass from John-Keawe Sagapolutele. (Mathias Uribe kick blocked by Lance Rucker). 7 plays, 77 yards, 3:41.
Second Quarter
11:29 – UND | Hromadka scores on a 20-yard pass from Kaminski. (Elrichs kick). 5 plays, 60 yards, 2:03.
4:27 – UND | Gaven Ziebarth scores on a 5-yard rush. (Elrichs kick). 3 plays, 25 yards, 1:12.
Third Quarter
9:07 – UND | Tray Kuntz scores on a 4-yard pass from Kaminski. (Elrichs kick). 6 plays, 44 yards, 2:48.
2:25 – PSU | Delon Thompson scores on a 3-yard rush. (Uribe kick). 13 plays, 80 yards, 6:35.
Fourth Quarter
10:55 – UND | Javance Tupou'ata-Johnson scores on a 2-yard rush. (Elrichs kicks). 12 plays, 90 yards, 6:26.
4:30 – PSU | Jaxton Helmstetler scores on a 70-yard fumble recovery. (Uribe kick). 0 plays, 70 yards, 0:00.

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