Bison notebook: Special teams jump

Sep 16, 2023

GRAND FORKS — The University of North Dakota needed less than 15 seconds for special teams to make an impact Saturday at the Alerus Center.

Luke Skokna found a seam up the sideline and returned the game's opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown before 13,091 fans. That set the tone for UND's 49-24 victory against North Dakota State in Missouri Valley Football Conference play.

“When I crossed the goal line I thought I was going to wake up. I thought it was a dream," Skokna said.

Special teams proved to be a nightmare for the Bison. The Fighting Hawks also blocked a punt in the first quarter that led to a Skokna 13-yard TD catch and a 21-7 UND lead with 1 minute, 40 seconds to play in the opening quarter.

"That was disappointing," Bison head coach Matt Entz said of special teams, "because that's something we've hung our hat on for a number of years now. We put a ton of time into it and we know UND does too. They do a great job every year we've played them."

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UND head coach Bubba Schweigert said Skokna's kickoff return was an important play. For one, it got the Alerus crowd energized.

“I couldn’t hear through the double headsets," Schweigert said. "It got the crowd into it.”

Fighting Hawks running back Gaven Ziebarth added: “It kind of sparked the whole team. We had to make sure that we kind of calmed down and keep playing.”

Former UND head coach Dale Lennon, the last Fighting Hawks coach to beat the Bison before Saturday, played a big role for Schweigert's team during the week.

Schweigert said he asked Lennon to speak to the Fighting Hawks players Friday night. The former coach's words had impact, according to Schweigert.

"The guy's awesome. I should have him come every week to have him talk. It was really good," Schweigert said. "He hit on some key points and I think it gave our guys some confidence and got them to relax. 'It's OK, just go out there and play and do your best.' He was just awesome and I have so much respect for him."

Lennon, who played at UND in the 1980s and coached the team from 1999-2007, was inducted into the UND Athletics Hall of Fame on Thursday night. Lennon was at midfield for the pre-game coin flip and spent the game on the UND sidelines, wearing an old jersey.

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As the final minutes clicked off the game clock in the fourth quarter, UND coaches and players sought out Lennon and exchanged hugs and handshakes.

"On the sideline, I think our guys remembered some of those things he talked about the night before and the things we'd stressed all week. Just keep the focus on us and how we're performing. We really battled today," Schweigert said.

Lennon was head coach at UND in 2003, when it beat NDSU 28-21 in overtime at the Alerus Center. The teams didn't play again until 2015 after NDSU's move to Division I and the Bison were 4-0 against the Hawks until Saturday.

By the numbers, it was a deflating defeat for NDSU in more than just a won-lost record, although it dropped the Bison into the lower half of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. At 1-2, NDSU is technically tied for third but behind six other teams.

It's likely to drop the Bison out of the top 10 of the FCS coaches and Stats Perform top 25 polls for the first time since 2011. In the case of the media poll, the Bison have a run of 173 straight weeks in the top 10 dating back to being ranked 11th on Sept. 5, 2011.

It was the most points surrendered by NDSU in the Division I era and the most points given up to UND since 1896. It was also the most lopsided loss by NDSU since a 37-6 defeat at California Poly in 2005.

The win improved UND to 23-2 in its last 25 games at the Alerus, something that Schweigert alluded to after the game.

"This was about players going out and believing in each other and making plays," he said.

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NDSU lost starting safety Cole Wisniewski and starting linebacker Julian Wlodarczyk to apparent concussions. ... Bison sophomore running back Owen Johnson left the game in the third quarter after what appeared to be a left leg injury. Johnson had a carry for three yards and a first down on the play he was injured. ... The 156 yards by UND running back Gaven Ziebarth was a career high.

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