GRAND FORKS, N.D. – A 21-point second quarter paced No. 11 North Dakota (1-1) past visiting Missouri State, 34-0, here Saturday, in the Fighting Hawks’ annual Potato Bowl game at Alerus Center.
North Dakota held the Bears (0-2) to just 211 yards of total offense, including 76 in the first half.
Keaton Studsrud passed for 273 yards and a pair of second-quarter touchdowns for UND to pace the home club, while his favorite target, Noah Wanzek, collected seven receptions for 117 yards.
After punting on its opening possession, North Dakota took advantage of good field position on its next two drives to get within field goal range. The Fighting Hawks came up short on the first, missing a 25-yard field goal try by Reid Taubenheim. But jumped ahead 3-0 less than five minutes later when Taubenheim redeemed himself from the same distance.
The home club then got separation in the second quarter, tacking on seven more points early in the period when capped an eight-play, 55-yard drive with a 13-yard TD reception by Wanzek from Studsrud. The tandem then connected on a 47-yard catch and run to the MSU 10-yard line on UND’s next drive. Four plays, later the Fighting Hawks found pay dirt again with a 3-yard TD strike to Wanzek to make it 17-0 at the 7:09 mark.
After a UND interception by Ray Haas of MSU quarterback Peyton Huslig gave the Fighting Hawks a short field, John Santiago made it 24-0 with a 19-yard rush with just over four minutes left in the opening half.
Santiago finished with 164 yards on 16 carries.
Zack Sanders returned the favor with a Missouri State interception in the end zone as time expired in the second quarter. The pick came in the end zone to squash a late UND drive.
Missouri State collected just five first downs and 76 total yards in the opening half with Huslig completing 3-of-10 passes. Calan Crowder’s 40-yard scamper to the North Dakota 41 late in the second quarter was MSU’s longest play of the half.
Huslig finished 12-of-23 for 132 yards, including five receptions apiece by Deion Holliman and Jalen Esters. Crowder led all MSU rushers with 63 yards on 10 attempts.
The Bears went three-and-out on their first possession of the second half, but North Dakota muffed the ensuing punt, which Kurran Blamey recovered for Missouri State at the UND 32. On the ensuing drive, Esters collected a pass to the North Dakota 21 for a first down before Jason Randall carried to the 8-yard line for a first-and-goal. On the next play, Randall appeared to break the plane of the goal line, but was stripped by a UND defender. The ball was recovered by the Fighting Hawks just outside the goal line, which was supported by the video review to end the MSU threat.
North Dakota added a 26-yard field goal with just under 14 minutes left in the game to make it 27-0 and then scored on a 19-yard run by James Johannesson with under four minutes left to cap the scoring.
Missouri State won the only previous meeting between the two clubs, 38-0, in the 2014 home opener at Plaster Stadium in Springfield.
The Bears return to Springfield for their home opener next Saturday (Sept. 16) for a 2 p.m. start against Murray State at Robert W. Plaster Stadium.
