Naperville, Ill. - North Dakota running back Jake Miller (Bismarck, N.D.) was named the Great West Conference Offensive Player of the Week on Sunday following his record-setting performance on Saturday night against Fresno State. He is the second Sioux rusher to garner the honor in the opening three weeks of the season after Mitch Sutton (Plover, Wis.) was honored in week one.
Miller's journey to a career-high setting effort started early when he took his initial handoff 70 yards for a touchdown to quiet a Fresno State home-opening crowd that had seen the Bulldogs connect on a pair of long passing plays to move ahead 14-0. He finished the night with career highs in carries (21), yards (145) and touchdowns (three) and nearly helped the Sioux pull off what would have been the biggest upset in program history.
UND fell just short as the Bulldogs rallied for a late touchdown to post the 27-22 victory on the new turf at Bulldog Stadium. Miller added touchdown runs of five yards and his 1-yard plunge with nine seconds left in the third quarter put the UND in the lead at 22-21. Miller added two catches for 14 yards and his last reception helped set up that go-ahead score as it went for 14 yards on a 3rd-and-10 play.
Miller's 70-yard scoring run was the second longest by a Sioux running back since UND began its transition to Division I in 2008. The Fighting Sioux return home after two straight road games at WAC foes on Saturday to face Black Hills State at 6 p.m. The 2001 NCAA Division II national championship football team will be inducted into the UND Athletics Hall of Fame in a special ceremony prior to the game.
-- Go Sioux --
