VERMILLION, S.D. — History was made Saturday afternoon as the University of South Dakota (7-2, 5-1 MVFC) football team picked up their second shutout of the season with a 49-0 win over the (RV) Indiana State Sycamores (4-6, 3-3 MVFC) with Carter Bell etching his name as South Dakota’s all-time leader in career receiving yards with his 115 on the day.
On the afternoon, the Coyote offense exploded for 600+ yards of offense and the defense held Indiana State to just 129 yards of total offense, including a whopping (-3) rushing yards. The defense also picked up a season-best five sacks in the dominant win. Furthermore, Charles Pierre Jr. set the USD Division I FCS record for rushing yards in a season, surpassing Theis’ 840 yards last season.
Indiana State would win the coin toss and choose to defer, putting the ball into the hands of the eager Coyote offense to start the game. The game’s first play from scrimmage would see a tough nine-yard run from Keyondray Jones-Logan (So., Orlando, Fla.) up the middle. That would set up the game’s first explosive play as Quaron Adams (So., Phoenix, Ariz.) would sneak his way behind the Sycamore secondary for a 66-yard touchdown reception, being his first of two 60+ yard touchdown grabs on the day.
The Sycamores would push the ball into Coyote territory on their first possession, but the USD defense would get a fourth down stop to keep ISU off the board. Both defenses would settle in for the rest of the first quarter as South Dakota would lead 7-0 after the first 15 minutes.
The Coyotes would punch the ball in the endzone again for the second time midway through the second quarter. A one-yard touchdown run for Travis Theis (Sr., Pratt, Kan.) would mark his 31st as a Coyote moving him into third all-time in program history, making it 14-0 Yotes.
A couple of possessions later would see a five-play, 90-yard drive be capped off with a 45-yard touchdown reception from Aidan Bouman (Jr., Buffalo, Minn.) to Bell (Sr., Bettendorf, Iowa) to make it 21-0 Yotes to cap off a brilliant two-minute offense showcase right before the halftime break.
The third quarter would see the defense really pick it up, more than what was already on display. A pair of Sycamore drives would end on failed fourth down attempts, on back-to-back drives. Both of those huge defensive stops would lead to touchdowns for the USD offense as the Yotes jump out to a 35-0 lead through three quarters.
Both offensive touchdowns in the third quarter would come from the Valley’s rushing touchdown leader in Pierre Jr. (So., Orlando, Fla.). His final touchdown of the day would see him break off an 83-yard touchdown run to set a new career-long, topping his 81-yard score against the Sycamores last season. He also rushed for a career-best 165 yards on the day, marking his second 150+ yard rushing game of his career.
In the fourth quarter, Jones-Logan got in on the scoring with his second rushing score of the season on a 13-yard scamper. Finally, Adams broke off his second 60+ yard touchdown grab with a 67-yard touchdown reception from Nevan Cremascoli (So., Winnetka, Ill.) to make it five-straight home games the Yotes have posted 40+ points.
On the contest, the Coyotes would hold Indiana State to 0-for-3 on fourth down attempts, plus a stellar 2-for-15 on third downs (13% conversion rate). Mi’Quise Grace (So., Cincinnati, Ohio) was in the backfield all day long for the Coyotes, posting career-bests with his 3.0 tackles for loss. He also had 1.5 sacks and was credited with three quarterback hurries.
Up Next: South Dakota will embark on the final road trip of the season next weekend when they make the journey north to battle the No. 23-ranked Fighting Hawks of the University of North Dakota on November 16 in Grand Forks.