DULUTH, MINN. - In its final North Central Conference opener,
The University of South Dakota football team (2-1, 1-0 NCC) did something they had never done before, win in Duluth, Minn. With their 36-22 victory over the University of Minnesota-Duluth, the 19th-ranked Coyotes won for the first time in three tries in Duluth. The game was played in front of 3,386 fans at Malosky Stadium.
With the win the Coyotes improve to 2-1 overall and 1-0 in the NCC. Minnesota-Duluth falls to 1-2 overall and 0-1 in conference play. The win also gives South Dakota the all-time series lead at 4-3.
The Coyotes, who entered the game with the nation's top-ranked offense averaging 648 yards per game, got off to a sluggish start. For the second straight week the South Dakota offense failed to score in the first quarter, but again managed to score big points in the final three quarters.
After trailing 9-0 after one quarter, USD outscored UMD, 36-13, during the rest of the game. USD had a 29-6 scoring advantage in the second half. The Coyotes had 472 yards in total offense, including 178 yards rushing on 40 carries and 294 yards through the air. UMD finished with 297 yards in total offense, including 109 by rushing and 188 by passing the ball.
USD quarterback Noah Shepard (Thornton, Colo.) completed 26-of-40 passes for 294 yards and four touchdowns. In three games, Shepard has already thrown for 1,009 yards with 11 touchdowns and owns a pass efficiency rating of 163.21.
Senior running back Amos Allen (Miami, Fla.) had 143 yards rushing on 20 carries and scored both a touchdown rushing and receiving. Allen had two receptions for 32 yards. USD senior wide receiver Brooks Little (Castlewood, S.D.) had nine receptions for 67 yards while Dan Skelly (Champlin, Minn.) had five receptions for 94 yards. Defensively, USD was led by junior linebacker Blake Hojer (DeSmet, S.D.) with 10 tackles and one tackle for loss.
For Minnesota-Duluth, quarterback Ted Schlafke rushed for 84 yards and passed for 188 by completing 21-of-32 passes and two TDs. Taylor Yelk led the UMD defense with a game-high 14 tackles.
The Bulldogs struck first in the game when Ted Schlafke connected with Dennis Carter on a two-yard touchdown pass. UMD had moved the ball efficiently down the field on the drive, but nearly walked away with no points. After allowing Duluth to break inside the 10-yard line, the South Dakota defense tightened up and forced the Bulldogs to four downs. On fourth and goal on the USD two-yard line, the Coyote defensive front broke though and almost brought Schlafke down for a sack. The UMD quarterback was able to slip away from the Coyote defenders and threw across the field to connect with Carter. The Bulldogs did not convert the PAT and were up 6-0 at the 6:05 mark of the first quarter.
After Minnesota-Duluth hit a 29-yard field goal (1:47, first quarter) to go up 9-0, the Coyotes put together their first scoring drive of the game in the second quarter. USD started the drive by slowly chipping away at the UMD defense before setting up the score. The Coyotes moved into the red-zone on a deep pass from Shepard to Skelly. Shepard then put USD on the board when he found senior fullback Tyler Evans (Stewart, Minn.) on a six-yard touchdown pass to cut the score to 9-7 with 14:56 to play in the second quarter.
The Bulldogs would go back up by nine following a two-yard touchdown run by Marek Seta at the 10:13 mark of the second quarter. However, the Coyotes answered back with a 14 play-80 yard drive to again cut into the UMD lead. Thanks to the rush, USD again worked its way deep into UMD territory. The drive nearly stalled after Shepard took a sack for a big loss, but he was able to connect with redshirt freshman Mitch Mohr (Genoa, Neb.) for a 29-yard gain on a third and long play. Then, Shepard avoided a sack and found Jordan Murphy (Aberdeen, S.D.) for a 10-yard touchdown pass with less than a minute to play in the half.
Despite USD's slow start on offense in the first half, at halftime the game was a near draw. With Minnesota-Duluth holding a 16-14 lead, the Bulldogs had a slight 219 to 215 advantage in total yardage. Both teams were perfect in red-zone attempts as USD was 2-of-2 and the Bulldogs were 3-of-3.
The Coyotes wasted little time in the second half to take their first lead of the game. After receiving the ball first in the second half, South Dakota marched 78 yards on 11 plays to take a 21-16 lead. Allen came up big for USD on the drive. On fourth and long, he kept the drive alive with a 16-yard run. A few plays later, Allen took a Shepard screen pass 25 yards for the score with 8:43 to play in the third quarter.
Late in the third quarter UMD regained the lead thanks to a personal foul on South Dakota. The Coyote defense had stopped the Bulldogs at midfield, however the drive was kept alive thanks to a 15-yard roughing the punter penalty. Following the penalty, the Bulldogs regained the lead when Schlafke found Brandon Anson for a 12-yard touchdown with 49 seconds left in the third quarter. The score remained at 22-21 when UMD went for two and failed.
On the ensuing kickoff, Alex Perkowski (Hinsdale, Ill.) gave USD great field position when he returned the kickoff 43 yards to the UMD 43. The Coyote drive looked as though it was going to stall when Shepard was sacked for large loss. On third and long, Shepard and Skelly hooked up for a 25-yard screen pass to put USD on the UMD seven-yard line. On the next play Allen broke outside and scored on a seven-yard run to give South Dakota the lead, 27-22, with 13:40 to play in the game. USD converted the two-point conversion on a run by Shepard to take a 29-22 lead.
The Coyote defense stepped up on UM-Duluth's next possession and held them to a three and out.
Following the big defensive stop, South Dakota responded with a 64-yard drive that ate up nearly five minutes of the game. The Coyotes again went through the air to get on the scoreboard. Shepard rolled out and found senior tight end Brandon White (Chester, S.D.) in the end zone on a 13-yard touchdown pass to put the Coyotes up 36-22.
Next on the schedule for the nationally-ranked Coyotes is an NCC game with St. Cloud State at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 22 in the DakotaDome.
