CEDAR CITY, Utah -- The first impression is usually the best.
So the University of North Dakota wanted to put its best foot forward Saturday night in its first meeting against a future league opponent.
UND did more than put its best foot forward. The Sioux also used their much quicker feet to run away with an impressive 37-10 win against Southern Utah in Eccles Coliseum.
UND dominated in all phases in winning its second game in two years against an NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision program. Last year, the Sioux beat Northern Iowa 35-31 in Cedar Falls.
It was the first meeting between the teams located nearly 1,500 miles apart. But it won't be the last as UND will join Southern Utah in the Great West Football Conference next season.
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And it didn't matter that UND is still a Division II program, while Southern Utah plays at the Division I FCS level.
"Our playmakers made plays," UND coach Dale Lennon said. "I really didn't know how we'd handle this trip. There were a lot of excuses we could have used."
Instead, UND used its speed from its top two playmakers Ryan Chappell and Weston Dressler to jump on the Thunderbirds early.
The Sioux scored on their first three possessions for a 17-0 lead. By halftime, UND had racked up 326 yards of offense, while holding Southern Utah to only four first downs.
UND led 27-0 at halftime, and the Sioux ran off the field with a ton of momentum following Brandon Hellevang's career-long 56-yard field goal on the last play.
"We did exactly what we wanted to do on our first drive," Chappell said. "We wanted to show them that our tempo is up there and that they had to match that."
UND needed only five plays to score. Weston Dressler opened with a 17-yard reverse.
Quarterback Danny Freund then hit Chappell for 17 yards before connecting with Dressler for 33 yards and a touchdown two minutes into the game.
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"If we get the ball to our playmakers on the outside, they can make something happen," Freund said. "I think we snuck up on them with our speed. We have a bunch of guys who can run."
After Dressler's touchdown, the Sioux scored on a Hellevang 23-yard field goal and on Chappell's 24-yard run for a 17-0 lead. Brandon Brady plowed in from the SUU 6 for a 24-0 lead midway through the second quarter.
By that time, it was apparent that UND's offense clearly had the speed and playmakers.
But lost in the offensive spotlight was the play of the Sioux defense.
UND held SUU to 242 yards. And the Thunderbirds' 10 points came in the final 4:34 of the game. The Thunderbirds' touchdown came on a Jamar Lee 1-yard run with 4 seconds to play.
"We made moving the football difficult for them," Lennon said. "Some of our concern coming in was how good our pass defense would be. Right now, it might be one of our strengths."
Southern Utah quarterback Wes Marshall completed 14-of-31 passes for 129 yards. He spent much of the game under pressure from the Sioux pass rush.
The Sioux didn't let up on either side of the ball in the second half. Hellevang opened the third-quarter scoring with a 31-yard field goal. Chappell, who sat out the second and third quarters after taking a blow to the head, came back in the fourth. A few plays after his return, Chappell broke a simple rushing play for a 73-yard touchdown.
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That score closed out UND's scoring. For the game, UND's offense racked up 550 yards on 79 plays. The Sioux rushed for 314 yards, led by Chappell's 138.
UND wanted to set the tone early. The Sioux also wanted to make a statement about their move to Division I FCS play next season.
"We're confident in our ability, but this is a step up," Freund said. "And they were coming off a good game at Montana. We wanted to see what we were made of and show other teams what we have."
Southern Utah saw plenty.
"They have a great team," Southern Utah coach Wes Meier said. "They're not a pushover Division II team."
The Thunderbirds knew that, but they may not have known how much of a factor UND's playmakers would be.
"This shows that we can compete at this level," said Dressler, who accounted for 153 all-purpose yards. "We have a lot to look forward to during our transition to Division I."
