ST. LOUIS, Mo. — Helping the South Dakota football team to their first win over North Dakota in Grand Forks for the first time since 1985 and becoming the first Coyote in the USD Division I era to rush for 1,000 yards, sophomore running back Charles Pierre Jr. has been named Co-Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) Offensive Player of the Week, the league office announced this morning.
For the second-straight week, Pierre Jr. (So., Orlando, Fla.) set a new career-best with 173 rushing yards on 15 carries, averaging 11.5 yards per carry. He had half of the team’s six explosive plays of 20 or more yards, totaling for 248 yards and two touchdowns.
He was also the Coyotes’ top receiver, picking up a career-best 75 receiving yards on four receptions. He also picked up a career-best 53-yard reception that resulted in his second receiving touchdown of the year.
The 76-yard touchdown run, his 15th of the season, also allowed him to surpass the 1,000-yard mark in rushing yards on the season becoming the first Coyote in the Division I era to do so. He sits second in the Valley in rushing scores, though he leads all running backs.
Entering the final week of the regular season, Pierre Jr. is the only rusher in the MVFC to sit with 1,000+ yards at 1,045 and his 15 rushing touchdowns. He’s rushed for over 100 yards in five games and over 150 yards in three games on the season. The dominant year continues for the running back as he sits top-20 nationally in five categories, highlighted by second in yards per carry (7.74) and third in scoring (10.2 yards per game).
He becomes the fourth Coyote to earn a weekly honor this week, joining Keyondray Jones-Logan, Quaron Adams, and Mi’Quise Grace. Pierre Jr. becomes the first Yote to win an offensive weekly award this season.