YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio—Youngstown State running back Jaleel McLaughlin carried 28 times for 166 yards and the Penguins outrushed South Dakota 303-12 in a 28-10 win Saturday at Stambaugh Stadium.
It was a complete reversal of last season when South Dakota had a 327-66 advantage on the ground in what was a 56-21 Coyote victory inside the DakotaDome. Youngstown State (1-4) earned its first win under coach Doug Phillips while South Dakota (1-3) lost its third straight.
South Dakota running back Travis Theis scored from 1-yard out with 8:35 to go in the fourth quarter in what turned out to be the final score of the game. But the Penguins never gave the ball back, running out the clock on a 15-play, 45-yard drive that was all on the ground.
Youngstown State’s defense hadn’t posted a sack all season, but totaled five against South Dakota and forced and recovered two fumbles to stop the Coyotes’ first two drives of the second half. The Penguins turned those turnovers into 10 points to expand their 11-3 halftime lead to 21-3 with 1:44 left in the third quarter.
Spelling McLaughlin was quarterback Mark Waid who totaled 158 yards with the run and the pass and netted two touchdowns. He threw a 10-yard touchdown strike on a third-down play to running back Christian Turner to cap the Penguins’ opening drive of the game. A two-point conversion pass to London Pearson made it 8-0. Waid also scored on a 1-yard plunge midway through the third quarter to make it 18-3. He ran 16 times for 74 yards.
His counterpart, Carson Camp, completed 21-of-30 passes for 214 yards. Caleb Vander Esch tied his career high with nine catches and totaled 102 yards. But two turnovers in Penguin territory and no run game to speak of stalled the Coyotes’ attack. South Dakota’s three running backs carried 19 times for 38 yards.
Youngstown State held the ball for more than 38 minutes. They converted 7 of 15 third downs and all three fourth-down tries. Total yards were 387-226.
Saturday marked the final time South Dakota had to travel out of state this season. The Coyotes return home to host North Dakota State next Saturday at 1 p.m.
