VERMILLION, S.D.—South Dakota outgained Missouri State by more than 100 yards, but special teams and specifically Montrae Braswell were the great equalizers in the Bears’ 27-24 upset Saturday inside the DakotaDome.
It was the Coyotes’ first game inside the Dome following a $26 million renovation. More than 2,000 fans were in attendance.
Braswell, a sophomore transfer from Central Michigan, ran a kickoff back 100 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter and returned an interception 36 yards for another touchdown in the second. South Dakota also missed a 24-yard field goal right before halftime and had another field goal blocked that led to the game-winning score in the fourth quarter.
South Dakota quarterback Carson Camp completed 22-of-34 passes for a season-best 339 yards, and the Coyotes also ran for 101 yards and two touchdowns. A tripping penalty stopped South Dakota’s one possession to respond after Missouri State kicked a 28-yard field goal for the lead, and the Bears (2-4, 2-1 MVFC) ran out the final 4:41 off the clock to secure the win.
Missouri State quarterback Jaden Johnson passed for 136 yards and ran for 44, but was injured late in the third quarter and didn’t return. He scrambled for 14 yards on a 3rd-and-16 play in the middle of the fourth quarter and then threw complete to Tobias Little for 13 yards on the ensuing fourth down play from the Bears’ 48-yard line. Jeremiah Wilson capped that drive with a 6-yard touchdown run that tied the game at 24-24. It was the lone touchdown surrendered by the USD defense.
Eric Johnson blocked the Coyotes’ 44-yard field goal attempt with 12:35 left in the fourth quarter and the Bears began the possession from its own 47. Micah Roane and Jacob Matthew combined on a sack of backup quarterback Matt Struck near the goal line, but the ensuing 28-yard field goal by Jose Pizano turned out to be the winning points.
Missouri State’s defense posted six sacks and three of them came on third downs. Another came on the second down play prior to the blocked field goal. South Dakota was 3 of 13 on third down while MSU finished 8 of 17.
When South Dakota’s offense did strike, it did so quickly and efficiently. All three touchdown drives took less than two minutes and two covered more than 70 yards. Kai Henry ran from 8 yards away with 2:32 left in the first quarter to make it 7-0 and Travis Theis’ 31-yard scamper made it 14-7 South Dakota with 50 seconds left in the opening quarter.
But Braswell answered the first score with a return in which he sprinted untouched up the left sideline to counter the Henry score. The Bears’ countered Theis’ TD with a 14-play, 80-yard drive that netted three points, and Braswell’s pick-six put Missouri State on top 17-14 with 8:55 to go before halftime. Braswell stepped in front of a 3rd-and-9 pass and seemingly spun through the middle of the Coyotes’ offensive line before willing his way into the end zone.
It was South Dakota’s two drives before halftime and right after the pick-six that certainly influenced the outcome. The Coyotes used a 30-yard pass to Brett Samson and a 22-yard completion to Carter Bell to set up 1st-and-goal from the MSU 2. But similar to the game before, it was three pass plays from there that failed to cross the goal line and the Coyotes settled for a game-tying field goal to make it 17-17.
A 45-yard completion to Jaevon McQuitty following a Camp scramble gave USD another 1st-and-goal opportunity with one timeout and 29 seconds left before the half. A 3-yard run and two incompletions followed from there, but USD missed the 24-yard field goal attempt and the score remained tied at the break.
Henry ran 23 times for 76 yards and Theis had seven totes for 46. Bell had six catches for 106 yards, reaching the century mark for the first time in his young career. Caleb Vander Esch added five catches for a season-high 81 yards.
Defensively, the Coyotes got 10 tackles each from linebackers Jack Cochrane and Jakari Starling. Isaiah McDaniels made eight stops. USD failed to force a turnover after totaling nine in its first two weeks. The Coyotes entered with the highest turnover margin in the nation, but Brawell’s interception was the only one of the ball game.
South Dakota (1-2, 1-2) returns to the road next week with a noon (ET) kick at Youngstown State. The Penguins fell to 0-4 Saturday after losing on a late field goal at South Dakota State, 19-17. The Coyotes return home the following week to host North Dakota State.
