VERMILLION, S.D. — An impeccable day on Senior Day inside the DakotaDome resulted in a pair of touchdowns in the final four-plus minutes as the No. 4-ranked University of South Dakota football team (9-2, 7-1 MVFC) took down No. 1-ranked North Dakota State (10-2, 7-1 MVFC), 29-28, to lay claim to the program’s first-ever Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) title* and end the regular season undefeated in the Dome.
It was a fast start for the Coyotes inside the Dome with the Yotes jumping out to a quick 14-0 lead and the Coyote defense forcing Bison punts on their first four drives of the contest. The offense also out of the gate hot put together back-to-back touchdown drives of 80 and 73 yards.
South Dakota would win the coin toss and, as usual, Coach Nielson elected to trust his elite defense and make the Bison deal with the student section on the south end of the Dome. In the first three plays of the contest, Mi’Quise Grace (So., Cincinnati, Ohio) would get home twice for a pair of sacks as he notches his second 2+ sack game in the last three games.
Behind a rocking crowd, the Coyote offense would take to the field for the first time as Travis Theis (Sr., Pratt, Kan.) would get the first offensive touch from scrimmage, taking it nine yards. The first explosive play for the Yotes would come soon after when Aidan Bouman (Jr., Buffalo, Minn.) would find Theis out of the backfield for a 23-yard pickup and into Bison territory for the first time on the day in just three plays.
More chunk plays as a 29-yard connection between Bouman and Carter Bell (Sr., Bettendorf, Iowa) would put the Yotes in the Red Zone. Not wasting any time, a pass to Keyondray Jones-Logan (So., Orlando, Fla.) would put USD at the 1-yard line with Theis punching it in for the first score of the day.
The Yote defense would follow the touchdown drive with their second-straight three-and-out. The offense would come back on the field and march 73 yards in seven plays to increase their lead up to 14-0 with Theis capping it off with his second rushing score of the day from 14 yards out.
Soon thereafter, North Dakota State would show why they entered the contest ranked No. 1 in the FCS and had won all 10 games against FCS opponents up to today. The Bison would close out the first half, stealing away the momentum the Yotes had built up with back-to-back scoring drives to knot things up at 14-14 just before the halftime break.
The Coyotes would get the ball first out of the locker room. Pushing it inside the Bison 30-yard line, the drive would stall out, but Will Leyland (Jr., Souderton, Pa.) would convert on his ninth field goal of the season with a 37-yard field goal to give the Yotes the 17-14 lead.
Yet again, the Bison would show fight and put up 14 unanswered points to end the third quarter and into the final frame. But it would be Javion Phelps (Orlando, Fla.) who completely took over the game in the fourth quarter, and the final five minutes. The junior wide out brought down all three of his receptions on the game in the final 15 minutes, including the go-ahead touchdown grab with seconds left on the clock.
Seemingly taking the life out of the Yotes and the Dome, the Bison would punch in a touchdown score from one-yard out with 4:10 left on the clock to take a 28-17 lead utilizing a 20-play, 99-yard drive.
Down, but not out, the South Dakota offense would take the field trailing by 11 with just over four minutes remaining. The first three passes of the drive would hit the turf as USD was faced with a fourth-and-10. Having the utmost faith in his receivers, Bouman would find Phelps open for a 31-yard completion down to the NDSU 40-yard line. Two plays later, Bouman would find Jack Martens (Jr., Cumberland, Wis.) for a 40-yard touchdown strike, Martens first touchdown grab of the season. After a failed two-point conversion, the Yotes would find themselves trailing 28-23 with 3:20 to go.
A beautiful kickoff from Zeke Mata (Jr., San Marcos, Calif.) would be downed at the NDSU 1-yard line, pinning the Bison deep. Needing a stop to have a chance and the Bison potent rushing game, it would be a clash of the titans.
NDSU would pick up a first down with 1:33 on the clock. A Grace tackle for loss on first down would set up the Bison with a second-and-long, as USD took their first time out. Two more Bison rushes with their backs would see it be fourth down and six to go on the NDSU 16-yard line.
The defense doing their job and winning the battle of the titans in the trenches, Bouman and company got the ball back at the South Dakota 42-yard line with 1:20 left and no time outs.
Bouman, setting out to lead a game-winning score, would methodically pick apart the North Dakota State secondary as the first play would be a nine-yard completion to Quaron Adams (So., Phoenix, Ariz.) to push into Bison territory.
With under a minute left and the crowd on their feet, Bouman would find Phelps open again on the NDSU sideline. Despite the call on the field being incomplete, upon further review Phelps got a foot down with possession of the ball, for a 23-yard completion and the clock stopped with 51 ticks left.
North Dakota State would get pressure the very next play and bring Bouman down for a sack and a loss of nine yards back to the NDSU 25-yard line. Rushing up to the line, Bouman would snap the ball, and instead of spiking it, look down field to, again, find a wide open Phelps at the four-yard line that he’d take into the endzone for the game-winning score with 12 seconds left.
North Dakota State would get two snaps off, trying a lateral on the final play of the game, but Nate Ewell (Sr., Waterloo, Iowa) would end that threat as the Coyotes take down the Bison, 29-28, in an instant classic as the Yotes erased the 11-point deficit with a pair of touchdowns in the final four-plus minutes to take home (a share of) the MVFC title for the first time in program history.
It’s the first South Dakota win over NDSU in the DakotaDome since 2002 and the first win over a No. 1-ranked team since 2011 (Eastern Washington).
Up Next: South Dakota will await their NCAA FCS Playoff seed, set to be announced tomorrow morning at 11:30 a.m. on ESPNU. Updates will be provided tomorrow on GoYotes.com and the South Dakota football social channels.