South Dakota Grinds Out Road Win, SDSU Dominant on Hobo Day
It was another winning week for the pair of South Dakota FCS football programs.
The South Dakota Coyotes got above .500 for the first time this season after a challenging road game at Indiana State.
The South Dakota State Jackrabbits added more fuel to their hot start, dominating UNI on Hobo Day in Brookings.
Per GoYotes.com:
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — The defense shined for No. 23-ranked South Dakota on a picture-perfect fall Saturday afternoon on Homecoming afternoon at Indiana State, clawing out a 19-14 victory, holding the Sycamores to just 210 total yards and kicker Will Leyland tying the program record for most field goals made in a single-game with four.
South Dakota (4-3, 2-1 MVFC) picks up their first win on the road this season and improves to over .500 for the first time, while Indiana State (2-4, 0-2 MVFC) drops their fourth-straight game.
The Coyotes dominated the time of possession battle, holding the ball for more than 45 minutes of the contest. The Sycamores had more touchdowns (2) than South Dakota (1) but the four made field goals (12 points) proved to be the difference in the contest; though, it doesn't take away from the defensive effort of the Yotes.
The South Dakota defense held the Sycamores to just 210 total yards (125 passing, 85 rushing), eight first downs, and just 42 offensive plays. The Yotes forced seven punts with six being on three-and-outs.
A sluggish start offensively for South Dakota resulted in just three points in nearly one and a half quarters. The longest drive of the first half of 58 yards resulted in a 32-yard field goal from Leyland to give South Dakota the 3-0 lead near the end of the first quarter.
The offensive production would see an uptick in the latter half of the second quarter behind the legs of L.J. Phillips Jr. and would score the first touchdown of the day for either side with his 11th rushing score of the season.
South Dakota would jump out to the 10-0 lead, but the next possession for Indiana State following the Coyote touchdown saw the Sycamores break off a 57-yard touchdown pass to jump right back into the game in less than a minute and a half of game time, cutting the deficit to 10-7.
South Dakota would move the ball some but would struggle to punch the ball in the end zone. The next three scores of the contest would come from the leg of Leyland as USD extended their lead to 19-7 with his longest field goal of the day being a 42-yarder in the final frame.
Indiana State would put together a 10-play, 75-yard drive to cut it back to a one score game at 19-14 with just under five minutes left to play.
Leading by five with just over two minutes left in the contest, Indiana State got the ball back after a defensive stop to give the Sycamores a chance. The Coyote defense stepped up yet again and forced the Sycamores to convert on a fourth and long. The pressure would force the Indiana State quarterback into scramble mode and Nate Ewell posted his biggest pass break-up of his three today to seal the 19-14 victory for the Coyotes.
Up Next: The Coyotes remain on the road next week with their second trip to the state of Iowa when the hit the road for Northern Iowa on October 18. Kickoff from Cedar Falls is slated for 1 p.m. from the UNI-Dome.
Per GoJacks.com:
Mason scored on a pair of 2-yard runs in the first half. His first touchdown capped a seven-play, 37-yard drive following the first of four Jackrabbit interceptions on the day as Isaiah Johnson picked off a Matthew Schecklman pass to give SDSU a short field.
After UNI put up what would be its only points of the game on a 30-yard field goal by Max Bartachek, the Jackrabbits answered with their second scoring drive of the game. Julius Loughridge broke off runs of 27 and 20 yards before Mason plunged in again from 2 yards out with 2 minutes and 2 seconds remaining in the first half.
SDSU had a chance to put more points on the board late in the second quarter when Cullen McShane punched the ball loose near midfield and fellow linebacker Joe Ollman recovered. However, the Jackrabbits missed their second field goal attempt of the day as a 45-yarder into a gusty southerly wind came up short.
The start of the third quarter was full of twists and turns, starting when UNI forced a three-and-out and blocked a Jackrabbit punt, recovering at the SDSU 12. The SDSU defense came up with a quick response when backup quarterback Aidan Dunne entered the game as a running back and lofted a pass to the right corner of the end zone that was picked off by Jalen Lee.
Chase Van Tol added an interception later in the third quarter for SDSU, but the Jackrabbit offense again stalled and turned the ball over on downs.
After the second UNI punt of the third quarter, the Jackrabbits were finally able to add to their lead by turning to the air. Grahm Goering caught passes for 12 and 16 yards before Mason found Greyton Gannon for catches and runs of 26 and 22 yards, the last of which went for a touchdown.
Mason connected with another tight end for the final Jackrabbit touchdown of the day as he lofted a pass over a UNI defender into the left flat to Andrew Gustad for an 11-yard score early in the fourth quarter.
SDSU tacked on a 30-yard field goal by Eli Stader on its next drive to close out the scoring and freshman Myles Green notched the Jackrabbits' fourth and final interception in UNI territory to keep the Panthers out of the end zone for the third consecutive game in the series.
Mason ended the afternoon 19-of-31 passing for 251 yards. Alex Bullock caught five passes for 82 yards, followed by Goering and Jack Smith each with four receptions for 51 and 36 yards, respectively.
UP NEXT
South Dakota State goes back on the road for an Oct. 18 matchup at Murray State. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. at Roy Stewart Stadium in Murray, Kentucky.
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