Kaminski’s Six-TDs Helps No. 8 North Dakota Survive Late Indiana State Rally

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TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — For three and a half quarters, the No. 8 North Dakota Fighting Hawks appeared to be cruising toward a comfortable blowout to open Missouri Valley Football Conference play. But in the FCS’s most unforgiving conference, no lead is ever truly safe.

Behind a heroic, six-touchdown performance from quarterback Jerry Kaminski, North Dakota built a 21-point fourth-quarter lead, only to watch it nearly evaporate in the closing minutes before finally holding off a furious Indiana State comeback to secure a 42-35 victory on Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium.

The win pushes the Fighting Hawks to 4-1 overall (1-0 MVFC), while the heartbreaking defeat drops the resilient Sycamores to 2-3 (0-1 MVFC).

Here is a deep dive into the thriller in Terre Haute, the stat sheet-stuffing performances, and what this means for both programs moving forward.

1-0 in MVFC play! #UNDproud | #LGH pic.twitter.com/T9CKFgOGQ3

— North Dakota Football (@UNDfootball) September 26, 2026

The Jerry Kaminski Show

If North Dakota needs a mid-season Heisman-equivalent campaign for the Walter Payton Award, Saturday’s tape is the perfect place to start. Jerry Kaminski completely took over the game, accounting for every single one of the Fighting Hawks’ six touchdowns.

Bouncing back from a tough offensive outing against Nebraska last week, Kaminski picked apart the Sycamores’ secondary. He finished 33-of-48 passing for a career-high 381 yards and four touchdowns. When plays broke down, he punished Indiana State with his legs, rushing 18 times for 86 net yards and two additional scores.

Kaminski spread the wealth to a receiving corps that found open grass all afternoon. Freshman receiver Cameron Weir hauled in the first two touchdown receptions of his collegiate career, scoring from 13 and 39 yards out. Deng Deng stretched the field for a career-high 101 receiving yards on six catches, while Korey Tai added eight grabs for 62 yards and an opening-quarter touchdown.

By the time Kaminski connected with Weir on a 39-yard strike over the middle with 9:37 remaining in the fourth quarter, North Dakota had built a commanding 42-21 lead and seemed ready to put it in cruise control.

The Sycamores Refuse to Quit

Instead of folding, Indiana State flipped the script and turned the final nine minutes into an absolute frenzy.

Sycamores quarterback Brady Allen (18-of-33, 270 yards, four passing TDs) orchestrated a rapid-fire comeback. Allen found his favorite target, freshman receiver Jayden Reed, for a 33-yard touchdown with 8:01 left to cut the deficit to 42-28. Reed was brilliant all afternoon, finishing with eight catches for 129 yards and two touchdowns.

Sensing the shifting momentum, Indiana State head coach Curt Mallory rolled the dice with an onside kick. Wide receiver BJ Wuest toe-tapped the sideline to recover the ball, sending the home crowd into a frenzy and giving the Sycamores instant life. Just four plays later, Allen hit Wuest for a 17-yard touchdown, suddenly making it a one-score game at 42-35 with 6:36 remaining.

Indiana State’s defense then did exactly what it needed to do, holding North Dakota to a single first down on the ensuing possession and forcing a punt. The Sycamores got the ball back on their own 11-yard line with 3:20 left on the clock and a chance to tie or win.

However, the North Dakota defense, which had been gashed for the previous ten minutes, finally bowed its neck. Led by defensive end Braden Mohr—who finished the day with a career-high three sacks and a forced fumble—the Fighting Hawks allowed just one first down before stopping the Sycamores on fourth down to finally ice the game.

Stat Sheet Dominance vs. Scoreboard Reality

The final score implies a back-and-forth shootout, but the box score paints a picture of utter dominance by North Dakota’s offense.

The Fighting Hawks controlled the tempo from start to finish, holding a massive 36:52 to 23:08 advantage in time of possession. UND ran 90 offensive plays compared to Indiana State’s 61, racking up 530 total yards of offense to the Sycamores’ 314. Furthermore, after struggling mightily on third down against Nebraska, North Dakota converted an excellent 11 of 19 third-down attempts on Saturday.

The fact that Indiana State nearly won a game where they were out-gained by over 200 yards and lost the time-of-possession battle by 13 minutes speaks to their explosive playmaking and sheer refusal to quit.

The Outlook

North Dakota: The Fighting Hawks survived, and in the MVFC, a road win is a road win. Kaminski proved he can shoulder the load of the offense, and the passing attack looked as dangerous as it has all year. However, head coach Bubba Schweigert will undoubtedly use the fourth-quarter near-collapse as a teachable moment. North Dakota’s defense took its foot off the gas, and a better opponent might have completed the comeback.

Indiana State: There are no moral victories in conference play, but the Sycamores should take immense pride in their late fight. Brady Allen and Jayden Reed look like a lethal quarterback-receiver duo that will give MVFC secondaries nightmares. If Indiana State can figure out how to sustain drives and keep their defense off the field, they will be a dangerous spoiler as the season progresses.