Bengals Take Down North Dakota on Homecoming, 55-20

PHOTO GALLERY

POCATELLO, Idaho- Matt Struck threw five touchdowns to five difference receivers to spark the Idaho State football team to a 55-20 Homecoming win over North Dakota on Saturday afternoon in Holt Arena in front of a crowd of 8,731 fans.

Struck threw for 396 yards and no interceptions. Tanner Conner caught four passes for 122-yards and one touchdown while Mitch Gueller had eight receptions for 115-yards and one touchdown.

Gueller set the Idaho State career record for most receiving yards. He needed 41 coming into the game. He now has 2,938 receiving yards for his career. He passed the record Rodrick Rumble set in 2012 with 2,863 yards.

Idaho State had 609 yards of total offense. Idaho State had 213 on the ground and 396 in the air. Ty Flanagan led the ground game with a career-high 163 yards on 20 carries and one touchdown.

North Dakota had 452 yards of total offense but only 92 on the ground on 25 carries.

North Dakota took a 7-0 lead with 10:45 left in the first quarter. After scoring on the opening drive, the Bengals scored 34 straight points to take a 34-7 lead with 11 minutes left in the third quarter.

Kevin Ryan kicked his first of two field goals, on a 39-yarder with 9:17 left in the first. Idaho State trailed 7-3 at the end of the first quarter.

The Bengals then scored 28 second quarter points to blow the game open. Gueller scored on a six-yard receptions with 13:20 left in the first half to put the Bengals on top 10-7. That scoring drive was a 16 play, 76 yard drive that ate up 6:21 on the clock.

Five minutes later Conner scored on a 73-yard touchdown reception and four minutes later Michael Dean caught a 27-yard touchdown pass to up the Bengal lead to 24-7 with 4:43 to play. Austin Campbell caught a three-yard pass from Struck to put Idaho State on top 31-7 at halftime.

Ryan kicked a career-long 44-yarder with 11 minutes left in the third quarter to make the score 34-7. UND scored a touchdown with 2:45 left in the third  but the Bengals countered when Malaki Rango took a 10-yard pass from Struck into the end zone to up the lead to 41-13 with 56 seconds left in the quarter.

UND cut its deficit to 41-20 early in the third quarter but a 75-yard touchdown run by Flanagan and a 27-yard interception return for a touchdown by Oshea Trujillo put the game out of reach.
Idaho State returns to the field on Saturday, Oct 19 for a 3:30 mountain time kick at Idaho in the Battle of the Domes. The game will be televised on Root Sports.

 
Notes
- Malaki Rango's 74-yard kickoff return was the longest by a Bengal since Oct. 9, 2010 when Tavoy Moore had a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown at Montana.
- Malaki Rango scored his first career touchdown on a 10-yard receptions from Matt Struck with 56 seconds left in the first quarter.
- Ty Flanagan rushed for a career-high 163 yards om 20 carries including a career-long 75-yard touchdown run.
- Idaho State has won four straight Homecoming games.
- Tanner Conner had a career-long 73-yard touchdown reception.
- Mitch Gueller broke the school record for most receiving yards. He now has 2,938 yards, passing the record Rodrick Rumble set in 2012 with 2,863 yards. 
- Ty Flanagan moved into seventh place in the Idaho State career rushing record book. He now has 2,196 yards, passing James Madison's mark of 2,104. Nick Whitworth is in sixth place with 2,353 yards.
- Ty Flanagan's 75-yard touchdown run moves him into a tie for six place for most rushing touchdowns with 22. Ken Cornish (2004-08) and Boyd Hall (1959-60) all have 22. Bus Connor (1951-53) and Alfredo Anderson (1993-96) are tied for fourth with 24 rushing touchdowns.
- Ty Flanagan is now in eight place for career rushing attempts with 409. James Madison is in seventh with 424.
- Mitch Gueller moved into ninth place in the Idaho State record book for career receptions. He has 155 and is three away from eighth place.
- Kevin Ryan kicked a career-long field goal of 44-yards in the third quarter.
- Five touchdown passes by Matt Struck ties for the fifth most in school history. Bengal quarterbacks have thrown for five touchdowns or more in 15 games.
- Matt Struck's 396 passing yards ranks as the 28^th best performance of all-time.
- Ty Flanagan's 163 rushing yards ties for the 28^th best single-game performance.
- Matt Peterson caught his first pass of the season.
- The 6:21 scoring drive that resulted in a Mitch Gueller six-yard touchdown was the longest drive of for time and plays.
- 55 points by the Bengals ties for the sixth most in a game since 2002. 
- 609 total yards by the Bengals ranks as the 13th most in a game since 2004. 
- 8,731 fans in attendance is the 10th most since 2005. 
- 213 rushing yards is the 17th most since 2007 season. 
- Michael Dean moved into eighth place in career receiving yards with his four catches for 91 yards. He now has 2,267 yards. KW Williams is in seventh place with 2,365 yards. 
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