VERMILLION, S.D.—South Dakota quarterback Ryan Saeger threw three touchdown passes, including a game-winning 5-yard strike to tight end Aaron Ramsey on 4^th-and-goal with 3:09 remaining, to lead the Coyotes to a 34-31 win against Southern Illinois Saturday at the DakotaDome.
 
Drew Iddings blocked Southern Illinois place-kicker Austin Johnson's 51-yard field goal attempt with 46 seconds remaining to secure the win. Iddings also forced the turnover that preceded the game-winning touchdown, stripping Saluki quarterback Mark Iannotti during a sack. Andrew Van Ginkel recovered on the SIU 19 with 5:21 remaining.
 
The win was No. 200 for Coyote head coach Joe Glenn. He's the 76^th coach in NCAA history to reach the milestone. Glenn is 200-132-1 in 28 seasons as a head coach. He is in his fourth season at USD, his alma mater.
 
Saeger completed 26 of 39 passes for 269 yards and tossed three touchdowns for the first time during his collegiate career. He also snuck in from a yard away that tied the game at 7-7 late in the first quarter. In addition to the game-winner, he threw an 80-yard bomb to Brandt Van Roekel and an 11-yard touchdown to fullback Drew Potter.
 
Saeger equaled the numbers put up by Iannotti, who came into the game leading the Valley in everything quarterback related. It was the turnover battle, where Saeger posted a 4-0 edge, that was the difference. The Coyotes sacked Iannotti four times, stripped him twice and also picked off two passes. South Dakota scored 17 points off those turnovers.
 
Iannotti accounted for four touchdowns himself. He completed 19 of 40 passes for 251 yards and two touchdowns. He entered as the Salukis leading rusher, but was held to 26 yards on a team-high 18 carries. He scored two touchdowns on 1-yard sneaks in the first half.
 
Southern Illinois took a 28-27 lead on a 79-yard pass from Iannotti to Billy Reed with 8:25 left in the third quarter. It answered a Coyote touchdown to begin the second half, and it ended what had been an offensive back-and-forth up to that point. The Coyotes punted on five consecutive possessions leading up to the game-winning drive. The Salukis, meanwhile, mustered only a 50-yard field goal by Johnson that extended the lead to 31-27.
 
South Dakota (5-4, 3-3 MVFC) finished with 411 yards of offense to 390 for Southern Illinois (3-6, 2-4). The Salukis featured the Valley's top offense coming in with averages of 40 points and 515 yards. SIU has lost its six games by a combined 17 points.
 
Reed finished with 142 yards receiving on five catches. Jonathan Mixon rushed for a game-high 98 yards for the Salukis and had a 62-yard gallop up the middle that set up a touchdown early in the second quarter. Michael Fredrick carried 20 times for 69 yards to lead South Dakota and caught seven passes for 61 yards.
 
The Coyotes move into a tie for fourth place in the Valley standings with two weeks to go. South Dakota hosts South Dakota State (7-2, 4-2) at 1 p.m. next Saturday in Vermillion.