VERMILLION, S.D. - The 24th-ranked South Dakota Coyote football team sent 23 seniors out in winning fashion Saturday afternoon the DakotaDome with a 48-14 mauling of the Missouri S&T Miners. The Coyotes improved to 6-4 on the year, while Missouri S&T finished the season with a 6-5 mark.
"I feel glad for our seniors," head coach Ed Meierkort said. "6-0 is the best you can do at home and we were able to do that. I thought we played lights out early offensively and lights out at the end offensively. Defensively, our second quarter wasn't good. I could tell on Tuesday that we weren't going to be good defensively. They had their minds on other things, some past and some future. Because of that we paid a price and gave up a couple of touchdowns. All in all, it's a good win and it's good to be 6-4 and on to North Dakota. I told our kids it's a one week, two game (Saturday to Saturday) series. I'm asking them to win two games, we won the first one and now we need to win at North Dakota in Grand Forks."
Prior to the game, the Coyotes honored the 23 seniors playing in their final game in the DakotaDome in a Coyote uniform. The 2011 senior class went an impressive 21-5 at home in their career. The 2011 senior class includes: Dustin Nowotny (Rapid City, S.D.); Dante Warren (Arlington Heights, Ill.); Jeremy Blount (Tampa, Fla.); Shane Potter (Becker, Minn.); Jimmy Thompson (Hayward, Wis.); Marquis Butler (Los Angeles, Calif.); Chris Ganious (Houston, Texas); Dion Price (Tampa, Fla.); Andrew Meier (Guthrie Center, Iowa); Erik Helland (LeCenter, Minn.); Kyle Wheeler (Omaha, Neb.); Shea Williams (Alexandria, S.D.); Adam Broders (Bloomfield, Neb.); Eric Aas (Aberdeen, S.D.); Sidney Bazemore (Chicago, Ill.); Broc Gullett (Buckeye, Ariz.); Brent Johnson (Jewell, Iowa); Matt Porisch (Flandreau, S.D.); Tom Compton (Rosemount, Minn.); R.J. Polley (Albert Lea, Minn.); Michael Neilson (Gilbert, Ariz.); Evan Capper (Aplington, Iowa); and Jesse Weisbrod (Waupaca, Wis.).
The Coyotes amassed a season-high 547 yards of offense, including a season-high 317 yards passing, while holding Missouri S&T to 321 yards of offense. South Dakota had a season-high 30 first downs and completed a season-high 20 passes missing just six times on the day.
Warren had one of his best performances of the season going 17 of 22 for a season-high 288 yards and a season-high three touchdowns. He also had 58 yards on the ground on 14 rushes and one score. Junior Marcus Sims (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) had 47 yards on the ground on nine touches and one score, while Ganious carried the ball seven times for 36 yards and a score. Junior wide receiver Will Powell (Sioux Falls, S.D.) had a season-high 144 yards receiving on six receptions with a game-high two touchdowns.
Defensively, Broders led the way with eight tackles, including seven solo stops. Potter was second on the team with seven tackles and a forced fumble, while Thompson recorded the lone sack of the day and sophomore Charlie Goro (Park Ridge, Ill.) had a forced fumble, an interception return for 29 yards and a pass breakup.
Senior wide receiver Jeremy Blount (Tampa, Fla.) took the opening kick-off 38 yards setting up the Coyotes for a seven play, 55-yard drive as Warren rushed for 34 yards on the drive and Sims punched it in from four yards out for a 7-0 lead with 11:13 remaining in the first quarter. It was Sims' fourth rushing touchdown of the season.
After a three-and-out by the Miners, Ganious caught his second pass of the game - this time a 16-yard catch from Warren on third and nine. Warren then unleashed a 34-yard pass to a streaking Powell who caught the ball one-handed. It was Powell's second one-handed grab of the season as he caught a spectacular one-handed catch against Southern Utah on Oct. 8, for 45 yards. That play made ESPN's Top 10 Plays of the Day.
Sophomore kicker Kevin Robb (Rapid City, S.D.) put the Coyotes up 10-0 with a 29-yard field goal with 6:15 remaining in the opening quarter. It was Robb's 15th made field goal of the season as he ranks tied for eighth nationally in field goals made per game.
On the next Miner possession Potter had a thunderous tackle on Miner running back Ryan Taylor as Taylor coughed up the ball as sophomore Aaron Swift (Aurora, Colo.) recovered the miscue. It was Potter's second forced fumble of the season and Swift's second fumble recovery of the season.
From there, Warren dialed long distance as he hooked up with Powell for a 49-yard touchdown pass putting the Coyotes up 17-0 moments later. After a Miner punt, the Coyotes marched right back down the field as Warren called his own number from 26 yards out for a 24-0 lead with 1:41 remaining in the first quarter.
For the first quarter, the Coyotes absolutely dominated to the tune of a 24-0 lead and a balanced attack of 114 rushing yards and 115 passing yards. The defense held the Miners to just 45 yards for the quarter and two first downs, while the Coyotes had 10 first downs.
The Miners had their best drive to date moving down field to the Coyote 20, but a pass from Steve Watson into the end zone sailed on him going incomplete as the Coyotes took over on the 20 early in the second quarter.
Missouri S&T used a 13 play, 85-yard drive over 5:33 as Curterris Golden scored from two yards out getting the Miners on the board 24-7 with 1:47 remaining in the half.
The Miners' biggest play of the day came on a 57-yard slant pass from Watson to Smook Thomas with under a minute remaining in the first half to the Coyote 14. Watson then threw a fade to the corner of the end zone as Joseph Hyman made the catch for a 24-14 score with nine seconds remaining in the half.
After a personal foul on the Miners for excessive celebration following the score, the Miners kicked from the 15-yard line and the Coyotes made them pay for it. Wheeler returned the kick 24 yards setting up a career-long 51-yard field goal attempt from Robb who put the Coyotes up 27-14 as time expired in the first half.
The Coyotes amassed 260 yards of offense in the first half, but it felt like a tale of two quarters as they recorded just 31 yards in the second quarter. Warren was 9 of 13 for 152 yards and a score in the half, while he led the team on the ground with 53 yards and a score. Powell had three catches for 94 yards and a score.
For the Miners, who came alive in the second quarter for 211 yards, including 142 through the air and 14 points were led by Watson, as he relieved starting quarterback Josh Firm early in the game. Watson was 10 of 16 for 142 yards and a score. Taylor led the team with 43 yards on the ground, while Golden had six touches for 21 yards and a rushing touchdown. Thomas had six catches for 97 yards and a score receiving.
On a third-and-nine from the 12-yard line with Missouri S&T blitzing, Warren found an open Nowotny for 57 yards to the Miner 20. Warren hooked up with Powell for the second time for a 24-yard score putting the Coyotes 34-14 with 8:02 remaining in the third.
Later in the quarter, Ganious scampered through the Miner defense for an 11-yard score for his second rushing touchdown of the season and a 41-14 lead on a seven play, 57-yard drive using 2:44 off the clock.
Watson over threw the intended receiver deep in Coyote territory as Goro came up with his second interception of his Coyote career running it back 29 yards to the Coyote 34. It was the second Missouri S&T turnover of the game.
Nowotny caught a 14-yard touchdown pass with 9:32 left capping a 10 play, 65-yard drive using 5:28 for a 48-14 lead. It was Warren's third touchdown pass of the game. It was Nowotny's fourth touchdown receiving of the season.
The Coyotes now head to Grand Forks, N.D., for a battle with the University of North Dakota in both teams' regular season finales. A share of the final Great West Conference Championship will be on the line. Kick is scheduled for 1 p.m.
