083025_FB_Kaminski at KSU
Leighton Chamblee
35
North Dakota UND 0-1 , 0-0
38
Winner Kansas State KSU 1-1 , 0-1
North Dakota UND
0-1 , 0-0
35
Final
38
Kansas State KSU
1-1 , 0-1
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
UND North Dakota 7 14 0 14 35
KSU Kansas State 10 7 14 7 38

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

North Dakota's upset bid at No. 17/20 Kansas State falls short, 38-35

MANHATTAN, Kan. – In a game that was not decided until the final five seconds, No. 17/20 Kansas State (1-1) defeated North Dakota (0-1), 38-35, at Bill Snyder Family Stadium on Saturday night.

In the back-and-forth contest, North Dakota led 35-31 with just 1:49 left in the contest. Kansas State received the ball at its own 19-yardline and traveled 81 yards over the next 1:03 to escape with the victory. A 25-yard rush from Avery Johnson with 53 seconds remaining got the ball down to the UND 6. The Wildcats scored the game-winner on the next play when Johnson found Joe Jackson for the six-yard touchdown pass.

The Fighting Hawks began their final possession on their own 35 and made it to the UND 47 with a 12-yard pass from Jerry Kaminski to Korey Tai. UND looked in position to have a chance at a long field goal late, but the Wildcats forced four-straight incomplete passes to hold on for the win.

Kaminski was outstanding in his first collegiate start at quarterback, going 23-for-38 passing for 231 yards and a touchdown, while also punching in two one-yard rushing scores. Tai was his favorite target and ended the game with five receptions for 37 yards, including a 22-yard receiving touchdown early in the fourth quarter. Tai also added 39 yards on the ground, while Sawyer Seidl paced the backfield with 62 yards rushing and two scores on eight attempts.

In the game, UND put up 354 yards of offense, highlighted by 252 yards passing. KSU finished with 461 yards offensively, with 318 of those yards coming through the air. Much like last season, North Dakota controlled the clock and recorded over 31 minutes of possession.

North Dakota's defense made statements early in the game. The Hawks earned a three-and-out to begin the contest and then held Kansas State to fourth down twice on the following drive, forcing the Wildcats to settle for a 30-yard field goal. KSU made it down to the UND 8 before Malachi McNeal disrupted the following play with pressure to bring up the field goal attempt.

The opening points of the season for UND came unconventionally, with Kaminski recovering a fumble in the end-zone to put UND up 7-3 with 2:54 left in the first quarter. Tai set up the score with a 35-yard rush to get the ball down to the KSU 1. The Wildcats responded with a 44-yard scoring pass just 54 seconds after the Fighting Hawks score to reclaim the lead at 10-7.

NoDak provided fireworks in the second stanza, engineering two scoring drives of 10 plays or more. Kaminski capped a 10-play, 80-yard drive with a one-yard rushing touchdown to bring the tally to 14-10 in favor of the Hawks midway through the second quarter. Earlier on that drive, Kaminski had to leave the field due to his helmet coming off and Javance Tupou'ata-Johnson entered the game and immediately connected with Deng Deng on a 21-yard strike to set up the Kaminski rushing touchdown. Kansas State then scored with a 30-yard touchdown pass just over three minutes later, but the Hawks ended the half with a statement when Seidl rushed in untouched from 16 yards out. Seidl's score ended a 12-play, 75-yard drive and gave North Dakota the 21-17 lead.

UND led 21-17 at the half and Kaminski was 12-for-18 passing for 128 yards in the opening 30 minutes. Eight different Hawks caught passes in the first half, while Tai was the leading rusher with two touches for 41 yards.

In the third quarter, North Dakota gave up two touchdowns and started the fourth quarter trailing, 31-21. The Hawks went to work right away, scoring on a 22-yard pass from Kaminski to Tai to trim the deficit to 31-28 with 10:12 left in the contest. Kaminski caught fire that drive and went 6-for-7 passing for 65 yards before finding Tai for the score.

The Fighting Hawk defense came up huge on the next possession and forced a three-and-out to get North Dakota the ball back at its own 30 with nine minutes to go. Similar to the score at the half, Seidl nearly put an exclamation point on the game, scoring on a 20-yard scamper to put the Hawks up 35-31 and to set up the excitement in the final 4:19 of the game.

North Dakota will host Portland State with a 6 p.m. kick inside the Alerus Center on Saturday. The game will air on Midco Sports and will be carried on the Fighting Hawks Radio Network.

Postgame Notes
  • North Dakota is now 0-1 in the all-time series with Kansas State.
  • In its last eight home openers, the Fighting Hawks are now 5-3, with the only other losses coming at Nebraska (2021) and at Iowa State (2024).
  • UND used a 4-2-5 base defensive package in the game, making it the first time in over 30 years that North Dakota did not start with a 3-4 defense.
  • The game featured nine lead changes.
  • Jerry Kaminski received his first collegiate start at quarterback, while Javance Tupou'ata-Johnson received his first snaps as a Fighting Hawk.
  • Tupou'ata-Johnson's first pass in a UND uniform was a 21-yard strike to Deng Deng, which set up the second score of the game for the Fighting Hawks.
  • Sawyer Seidl had a pair of rushing touchdowns in a game for the first time of his career.
  • Korey Tai had career-bests in both receptions (5) and receiving yards (37).
  • Jy Martin led the defense with nine tackles and seven of them being solo stops.
  • Jonnie Wiltshire recorded a team-high two tackles-for-loss and a pair of pass breakups to go with seven total tackles.
  • Ethan Boll recovered a fumble for the first time of his career. Both teams turned the ball over with a fumble in the game.
  • KSU won the third quarter by a 14-0 margin and held a 31-21 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
  • North Dakota led 35-31 with just 4:19 remaining in the game.
  • The game was the closest North Dakota has ever come to beating a Power Four opponent.
How It Happened
First Quarter
5:26 – KSU | Luis Rodriguez connects on a 30-yard field goal. 12 plays, 67 yards, 6:11.
2:54 – UND | Jerry Kaminski scores on a one-yard fumble recovery. (C.J. Elrichs kick). 5 plays, 75 yards, 2:32.
1:55 – KSU | Jayce Brown scores on a 44-yard pass from Avery Johnson. (Rodriguez kick). 5 plays, 68 yards, 0:54.
Second Quarter
7:46 – UND | Kaminski scores on a 1-yard rush. (Elrichs kick). 10 plays, 80 yards, 5:50.
4:15 – KSU | Jaron Tibbs scores on a 30-yard pass from Johnson. (Rodriguez kick). 6 plays, 66 yards, 3:12.
0:24 – UND | Sawyer Seidl scores on a 16-yard rush. (Elrichs kick). 12 plays, 75 yards, 3:51.
Third Quarter
8:41 – KSU | DeVon Rice scores on a 9-yard rush. (Rodriguez kick). 10 plays, 57 yards, 4:47.
3:41 – KSU | Rice scores on a 13-yard rush. (Rodriguez kick). 8 plays, 77 yards, 3:58.
Fourth Quarter
10:12 – UND | Korey Tai scores on a 22-yard pass from Kaminski. (Elrichs kick). 9 plays, 71 yards, 4:35.
4:19 – UND | Seidl scores on a 20-yard rush. (Elrichs kick). 9 plays, 70 yards, 4:41.
0:42 – KSU | Joe Jackson scores on a 6-yard pass from Johnson. (Rodriguez kick). 10 plays, 81 yards, 1:03.

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