VERMILLION, S.D.—UNI quarterback Eli Dunne accounted for five touchdowns while the Panther defense forced three turnovers in a 42-28 upset of 24
th-ranked South Dakota Saturday inside the DakotaDome. The result moves both teams to 3-3 overall and 2-1 in conference play.
Dunne completed 24 of 33 passes for 257 yards and tossed touchdowns to four different receivers. He also scored on a quarterback sneak inches from the goal line just before halftime that gave the Panthers a 21-13 lead.
South Dakota quarterback
Austin Simmons eclipsed 300 yards passing for the third consecutive game and for the fourth time this season. He completed 34 of 47 passes for 328 and two touchdowns.
Dakarai Allen was the star offensively, making circus catches all day to the tune of six receptions for 98 yards and a score. He also caught a jump ball over a defender for a two-point conversion that tied the game at 21-21 with 2:31 left in the third quarter.
The Coyotes outgained UNI for the sixth time in the last seven meetings, but the Panthers improved to 5-2 against USD as Valley foes. Three turnovers that quickly turned into UNI touchdowns was the difference in this one.
Dunne threw a 9-yard touchdown on a screen pass to running back Marcus Weymiller to give UNI a 14-13 lead with 58 seconds left before halftime. Defensive back Zac Kibby forced a fumble at the USD 11 on the ensuing kickoff return and Alphonso Soko saw the ball fall into his lap to set up the Panthers at the 4. Three plays later, Dunne snuck across the goal line for a 21-13 lead.
The Coyotes' response came in the form of a 14-play, 94-yard drive capped by a
Brandon Thull 2-yard plunge late in the third quarter. USD converted three third downs on the drive including a 23-yard pass from Simmons to Allen on 3
rd-and-9 where Allen managed to keep a toe in bounds while falling out of bounds to bring in the pass. Allen made two catches on the drive for 36 yards, drew a pass interference for 15 more, and added the tying conversion.
But UNI had the answer. Less than two minutes later, Dunne hit tight end Briley Moore for a 21-yard touchdown on 3
rd-and-12 to make it 28-21. Moore, the Panthers' top receiver entering play, had three catches for a team-high 41 yards.
The Panther defensive line took over from there. The Coyotes scored on four of their first seven possessions, but the three times they didn't, Simmons was sacked on third-and-longs. Three plays after UNI retook the lead 28-21, Simmons was pressured on a 3
rd-and-7 and Xavior Williams came away with an interception. On the next play, Dunne threw a 25-yard strike to Nick Fossey that pushed the lead to 35-21.
On the Coyotes' next play, UNI defensive end Elerson Smith beat his man off the edge and blindsided Simmons who fumbled. Brawntae Wells batted the ball away from a Coyote and recovered the fumble in the end zone for a touchdown and a 42-21 edge. From 21-21 all to a three-touchdown deficit took less than seven minutes on the game clock.
Allen dove across the end zone for a 5-yard touchdown catch that cut the lead to 42-28, and a three-and-out gave the ball back to the Coyotes with 5:26 left. USD reached the UNI 16 before all-Valley defensive end Rickey Neal stripped Simmons for his second sack of the game. The Coyotes jumped on the fumble, but left it 3
rd-and-15. Simmons threw incomplete to the end zone on third down and was pressured into a 1-yard run on fourth to end the comeback bid.
Neither team was effectively in the run game. Trevor Allen ran 17 times for a game-high 56 yards to pace the Panthers, but UNI netted just 99 yards on 33 totes. With the five sacks, USD totaled 38 yards rushing on 40 attempts. Without them, the Coyotes gained 73 yards on 35 tries.
South Dakota will look to rebound against Youngstown State next weekend in a 6 p.m. eastern time kickoff in Youngstown, Ohio. The Penguins lost 36-7 at South Dakota State Saturday to fall to 2-4 overall and 1-2 in the Valley.
