GRAND FORKS, N.D. – After a back-and-forth first quarter that saw the two teams tied at 14-14, host North Dakota (7-4, 4-3 MVFC) scored 28 unanswered points in the second and third quarters to pull away for a 49-21 win over No. 8 Illinois State (7-3, 3-3 MVFC) on Saturday at the Alerus Center.

How It Happened:
•    The Fighting Hawks took advantage of a Redbird fumble on their first possession and turned it into a touchdown, when Jerry Kaminski connected with tight end Tray Kuntz on a 2-yard touchdown pass to make it 7-0 with 10:41 left in the first quarter.
•    The Redbirds came right back after a 57-yard kick return by Chris Taylor set ISU up with great field position and Beckham Pellant connected with Mar'Quan Gary on a 31-yard touchdown strike to knot the game at 7-7 with 8:23 left in the opening quarter.
•    UND would answer with a touchdown of its own, as quarterback Javance Tupou'ata-Johnson called his own number and ran it in from four yards out to give the Fighting Hawks the lead back at 14-7 with 4:55 left in the first quarter.
•    The back-and-forth continued, as the Redbirds tied the game once again this time at 14-14 after Victor Dawson bowled his way into the end zone from three yards out for the score with 58 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
•    On their next possession, the Fighting Hawks took the lead back on a 7-yard touchdown pass from Kaminski to Korey Tai that make the score 21-14 with 12:59 left in the second quarter.
•    UND widened its lead to 28-14 on a 2-yard touchdown pass from Kaminski to Mason South with 9:27, after the score was set up by an 80-yard catch by Hunter Kallstrom that put the ball inside the Redbirds 5-yard line.
•    North Dakota's lead grew to 35-14, after an errant snap on an ISU punt game the Hawks great field position inside the Redbird 5-yard line and Kaminski connected on an 8-yard touchdown pass to Deng Deng with 7:51 remaining before halftime.
•    A 1-yard touchdown quarterback sneak by Kaminski just under two minutes into the third quarter would put the Fighting Hawks up 42-14.
•    The Redbirds would put the ball in the end zone with 12:38 left in the game, when Pellant found Nick True for a 5-yard touchdown pass to cut into the UND lead at 42-21.
•    UND would tack on a late fourth-quarter touchdown on a 19-yard pass from Kaminski to Deng to bring the score to its final at 49-21.

Game Notes:    
•    With the loss, the Redbirds are now 0-3 at the Alerus Center since the Fighting Hawks joined the MVFC.
•    The touchdown catch for Gary was his second of the season and it was his first catch since Sept. 26 at Northern Iowa.
•    Gary finished the game with career highs in receptions (6) and yards (101) in his first game back from a leg injury.
•    Dawson's touchdown run was his team-leading ninth of the season.
•    The touchdown catch by True was his first of the year and just his fourth reception on the season … it was his second touchdown in his time at Illinois State.

Next Up:
The Redbirds will play their final road game of the regular season next Saturday, when they travel to Youngtown, Ohio, for a key matchup against the nationally-ranked Youngstown State Penguins (8-2, 6-1 MVFC). Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. CT from Stambaugh Stadium.

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