Say goodbye to Hunter Luepke at fullback. Say hello to North Dakota State’s most interesting tailback since the days the NDSU offensive coordinator was in the Bison backfield.
They once called Tyler Roehl a fullback when he came to NDSU from West Fargo High School, a position that the Minnesota Gophers wish he still played when he ran for a school record 263 yards in the Metrodome. Luepke, although not near that kind of total yardage, turned in one of the more memorable dome performances in NDSU history on Saturday afternoon.
“Throughout the recruiting process and watching his high school film, you knew we had a special talent,” Roehl said. “A bigger bodied kid who is able to run the football. I see a little bit of myself in him; his personality and demeanor and work ethic. And his willingness to do whatever it takes to help the team win.”
The … running back ran for 190 yards and the Bison restored some moxie to their extensive Missouri Valley Football Conference resume with a 34-13 victory over the University of North Dakota. Luepke is listed at 6-foot-1 and 245 pounds and the Fighting Hawks had trouble defending every pound at Gate City Bank Field at the Fargodome.
So, what is it? Tailback or fullback?
“I think a little of both,” Luepke said.
The Hawks would probably say too much of tailback and nothing of fullback. Coming in, it was UND running back Otis Weah that was considered the best back in the Valley, especially in yards after contact. Weah still did his damage scoring on a 74-yard run in the first quarter and finished with 129 yards.
Luepke was sorely needed as a Bison backfield remedy that is a hurting unit. Sophomore Kobe Johnson limped off the field in the first half and was on crutches in the second half. Seth Wilson was lost for the season in the first game and Jalen Bussey sat out the UND game with an injury.
NDSU’s first three plays of the game were a three-yard run by Johnson, an incomplete Zeb Noland pass and a two-yard run by Noland. Not the way to excite the masses.
Luepke took care of that. On the second play of NDSU’s next possession, Luepke’s first spring carry was Roehl-esque.
He went 55 yards, outrunning a few Fighting Hawks players in a sprint reminiscent in this series of UND tight end Jim Kleinsasser in the 1998 game at the dome. Two big players with speed. Quite the combination.
“You want to always start fast,” Noland said. “Luepke was working his butt off every week, he conditions day in and day out and when he got the nod this week, you could tell. His speed is deceptive because he is so big. I think he’s one of the best athletes on the team.”
Luepke missed the first four spring season games rehabilitating a shoulder injury. He showed his power and burst last fall against Central Arkansas scoring two touchdowns. The guy is a scoring machine with 95 career touchdowns in high school at Spencer/Columbus Catholic High School in Wisconsin.
He was an unbeaten state champion wrestler. NDSU’s fullback spot over the years has been stocked with that football/wrestler combo because of the toughness and balance required in both sports.
Luepke has the added dimension of speed.
Fullback no more.
“You see someone listed at 235 or 240 pounds and you probably don’t think they're in the 4.5 or 4.6 range in the 40,” Roehl said, referring to a 40-yard dash time.
Combined with true freshman running back Dom Gonnella, who before Luepke came back was considered the big guy in the backfield, and the Bison have two full-sized running backs.
“Both are relatively fresh right now,” Entz said. “Both provide a little bit bigger back and both get downhill quick. And both have tremendous speed as well.”
Gonnella finished with 83 yards and the Bison had 316 as a team. That’s the stuff of the old veer days when throwing was hardly an option.
“When NDSU recruits you, they say you’ll play in big games here and I love playing in big games,” Luepke said. “I was ready to go.”
As fast as his first touchdown was, a five-yard TD in the third quarter was a power trip. Luepke met defenders just inside the 5-yard line, disappeared in a pile of offensive and defensive linemen and re-appeared still on his feet in the end zone.
“He just added a boost and a guy we were missing,” Entz said.
Finding a comparison isn’t easy. Earl Campbell? Mike Alstott? Those are two former NFL brutes.
Noland said he thinks Luepke reminds him of Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry.
“Fast and hard to take down,” Noland said. "He doesn’t say much but he works really hard.”
Noland said Luepke took the time this week to sit with him and study pass protections. And when Johnson went down, he went from maybe getting a few carries to a lot, 28 in all. He didn’t lose one yard in any of the attempts.
There’s something about his running style that is all forward gear.
“We didn’t plan for him,” said UND head coach Bubba Schweigert. “He's a good football player. Saw him warm up but we didn't know how they'd use him. He was a big factor in the game. They ran him and worked him a lot.”
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Kolpack: Fullback-turned-tailback Luepke was a load for UND to handle | INFORUM - INFORUM
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