Deng Deng (Photo by Cameron Carlson)
Deng Deng came up big in the first college football playoff game of his career.
The Four Winds alum ignited UND football (8-5) to a 31-6 first-round victory over No. 13 seed Tennessee Tech (11-2) in Cookeville, Tenn., on Saturday. It was just the second FCS playoff win for UND in seven all-time contests.
Deng had a game-high 73 receiving yards. He made five catches, including a touchdown reception.
The game featured five fumble recoveries — four by UND — and three interceptions. After an almost silent first half, the Fighting Hawks took off in the fourth quarter.
But it was Deng who helped them grab an early advantage.
Deng made four catches for 65 yards in the first half. It included a 35-yarder that helped UND get in field goal position when the score was still 3-0. The Fighting Hawks missed a chip shot — but Deng helped them extend their lead on their next possession.
On third and 11, Deng outran his coverage down the left side and lunged for a touchdown catch. It was the first touchdown of the game for either team.
UND had a 10-0 lead at the half. In a heavy defensive battle, Deng had been one of the few bright spots on offense thus far.
Just a few minutes into the second half, starting quarterback Jerry Kaminski had to depart after a late hit. Senior backup Simon Romfo — last year’s starter — took over. Romfo is a Calvin, N.D., native, and he led Langdon Area/Edmore/Munich to three consecutive state titles from 2018 to 2020.
Romfo had some trouble upon entering. He turned it over on downs, and on UND’s next drive, he was sacked after two incomplete passes to force a punt.
In between those possessions, Tennessee Tech got on the board with a 45-yard touchdown reception. The Golden Eagles missed the extra point, but they slashed UND’s lead to 10-6.
Amidst all the chaos of Saturday’s game — from turnovers to missed kicks — the Hawks scored three rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Colton Brunell, Gaven Ziebarth and Charles Langama each found the end zone to put the game away for UND.
Deng was limited to one catch for eight yards in the second half.
The UND defense had six sacks, six pass breakups, four forced fumbles and two interceptions. The Hawks limited Tennessee Tech to just 24 total rushing yards. UND ran for 200 yards of its own.
Romfo wound up completing four passes in eight attempts for 48 yards after coming off the bench. He added three yards on the ground.
Tennessee Tech had six receivers with 20 or more yards, while UND only had two. The Golden Eagles collected 278 passing yards compared to UND’s 146. But, again, no receiver on either side had more yards than Deng.
Deng, a redshirt freshman, has played in all 13 games for UND this year. He got his first taste of college football in his redshirt season last fall, making two catches for 14 yards in four games.
With Saturday’s performance, he now has five touchdowns and 208 receiving yards this season. His yard total is two behind Caden Dennis for fourth-most on the team.
Deng was a standout football and basketball player for Four Winds High School. He’s one of two Mr. Basketball winners in Four Winds history.
His younger brother, Four Winds senior Marial Deng, is committed to join UND football next year. The younger Deng is a wide receiver as well. Four Winds made the playoffs in each of M. Deng’s final two years of high school football.
UND’s next opponent will be No. 4 seed Tarleton State. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET (12 p.m. CT) on Saturday in Stephenville, Texas.
